Timeless Nights
From funky disco beats to hard bassed, electronically pumped music, the nightlife scene in Singapore has seen many changes through the years. We spoke with Leon Ho, a local DJ to find out how the scene has progressed and what the future holds for nightlife.
Written by: Natasha Chng
Photos by: Sophie Loh
Meet Leon Lucas Ho, a local DJ who goes by the stage name Inquisitive. DJ-ing began as a hobby, when Leon first started scratching and playing with music tracks in his bedroom. His career kick-started when he won the DMC World DJ Championships in 2006.
Presently, he is a freelance DJ with semi-residency at Club Wan. He has also spun at many popular clubs, including Zouk Singapore.
Leon incorporates hard dance music with Asian elements into his music and productions.In his free time, he works on several music collaborations and is planning an album release next year. “I can’t tell you who I’m collaborating with though, it’s a surprise,” he said.
As one of the few to experiment with Electronic Dance Music (EDM) in Singapore, Leon’s career grew when Singapore caught up with the dance music trend and it grew in popularity here.
“I feel like Asia is always two to three months late into these trends,” Leon said.
Keeping faith in the risks he takes, Leon has the mindset that “even if It isn’t a big thing now, I know it will be eventually”.
Leon also tells us: “I’m always open to various genres of music and I’m someone who likes to push the boundaries.” He is constantly listening to other DJs to look out for the next big thing.
How has nightlife progressed since the 2000s?
The music trends that people dance to definitely has changed progressively over the years. We used to have weekly Mambo Jumbo nights in Zouk, but now only on special occasions. People’s interest in different music genres are beginning to expand, from our usual big-room dance music to many others such as hard dance, psytrance, trap, dubstep etc. More people are beginning to follow the different music producers and DJs, expressing an even higher level of excitement when their favourite DJs are invited to perform a show.
What are the most important characteristics to be a successful DJ?
Branding and constantly reinventing yourself. Staying in the U.S drew me into their music culture. I put myself ahead of time and like to try new things in Singapore’s music scene. Understanding the crowd is also important. A good DJ will know how to monitor the crowd and play music that can draw back the crowd.
Is being a DJ a viable career choice in Singapore?
Well, with technology nowadays, anyone can become a DJ. It is a viable career choice if you have good marketing and branding... But ultimately, the ability to produce your own music with other important attributes will determine whether you will go further.
Where do you see the nightlife scene in 5 years time?
Wah, I’m not really sure because it’s always changing. I would say clubs have progressed since the guestlist system came out, but this means they’re not really making money off cover. Music is just like fashion, it’s always going in circles so it’s hard to predict.
