Nicole Lee

DJs Put Positive Spin On Life

It’s not easy to make a career out of being a disc jockey. But with the proliferation of dance clubs like Blowfish in City Plaza, Wisma Mulia; Dragonfly on Jalan Gatot Subroto; Retro in the Crowne Plaza Hotel; and Centro in Dharmawangsa Square, local DJs are increasingly gaining recognition. Four of the city’s best-known DJs talk about why they chose their careers and how they are promoting their names as nightlife personalities.

Midas

Real name: George Miller-Midas

Sound: He describes it as “a dynamic mix of electronica, electro-house, old-school rave, break beats and the [electronic genre] known as dubstep.”

Born in Singapore, this musician of mixed Indonesian and New Zealand blood attended school in a number of cities, including Malaysia, Melbourne and Texas, but graduated from Jakarta’s British International School.

DJ Midas has spun records in Los Angeles and most recently at the Centro club in Jakarta.

He says that playing video games as a child, as odd as it sounds, gave him DJ fever.

“DJ-ing is like video games, matching beats and pushing buttons — the levels in music are constantly different, as they are in a video game. It’s so dynamic, always evolving,” he says.

Midas says his parents were supportive of his decision to become a DJ.

“I’d always mucked around with electronics and music and they are 100-percent supportive of all that I do in life,” he says.

The 21-year-old has been traveling back and forth between Jakarta and the UK, where he is majoring in graphic design at St. Martins College of Art and Design in London. But he’s currently spending a year abroad in Los Angeles as part of his degree.

For this third-culture disc jockey, Jakarta is a “musical oyster,” and he hopes to spread the spirit of the Indonesian music scene.

“Growing up here, listening to old school hip-hop, reggae, and eventually electronic stuff when I was about 13, it shaped me into what I am today, so I feel like I owe it to Jakarta to bring it back,” Midas says.

“It’s tough to break into a scene where everyone has such straight standards of what they’re used to hearing. Fortunately, we’ve gotten to a point where people can make it on their own, creating tracks in their bedroom, so I trust that the music scene will grow in Indonesia,” he says.

DJ David J:

Real name: David Jacobson

Sound: David J describes his sound as a mix of old-school hip-hop, funk and soul.

David J was born in Singapore, but his Indonesian mother and Canadian father raised him in Jakarta.

“When I first started, it was just playing for people at parties,” David J says. “But when I saw people dancing and appreciating the music I was playing, it really pulled me in.”

“I love just jamming to good beats and I’d like to share that feeling with others.”

David says his friends were very supportive of his decision to get into DJ-ing, and despite his parents’ initial skepticism, they now encourage him. “My mom brags to all her friends about me, it’s a little embarrassing,” he says, laughing.

Some DJs must work more than the turntables to earn a living, and DJ David J knows exactly what that means.

“I’ve been working at English First for three years now to make more money. But I love teaching, I love working with kids, and because music is my number one passion, I like to incorporate English songs into my lessons. My students recently sang along to Michael Jackson tunes,” he says.

But this DJ is also something of a risk taker.

“I don’t usually prepare. I just need to figure out what kind of genre people want to listen to, I kind of just feel the crowd,” the 25-year-old says.

David J says that the music scene in Indonesia is a little behind the times, but he is pleased with the way it has been growing.

“It’s definitely starting to evolve, I’m actually quite surprised by the recent artists coming through Indonesia, not just DJs, but bands and other acts.”

“It would be great to travel the world and do this,” David J adds. “You really have to invest and put time into it, it doesn’t come easy or fast, and hopefully this year everything will come into focus.”

DJ Kulki:

Real name: Arie D

Sound: He spins tunes from genres like disco and house. DJ Kulki used to own a reggae bar in Jakarta and says his first passion was the chilled-out beats of Bob Marley-inspired music.

Yogyakarta-born DJ Kulki decided to make a career out of DJ-ing when he was in high school and used to make mix-tapes for friends.

Today, he uses a DJ software called Torq. “I have to be there at least half an hour before I do my gig to set up. I wouldn’t want to make a mistake while spinning so preparation is usually a must for me,” DJ Kulki says.

“I used to have a reggae joint back in the day, but it closed down two years ago due to lack of business.”

If he isn’t spinning locally, this nomad DJ receives invites to play in Bali, Melbourne and more recently Singapore. And when the DJ life isn’t going too well, Kulki works on his other passion; working in graphic design for friend DJ Cream’s company, Soul Menace.

“I grew up here, so a part of me wants to stay, but a part of me wants to expand if there is a chance,” Kulki says. “The thing is, Indonesia is beginning to evolve, in the next five to six years things will probably get much better in the music scene.”

DJ Cream

Real name: Reza Arnanda, also known as Eja.

Sound: He says: “I do a bit of everything, R ‘n’ B, hip-hop, house, pop, garage, disco, you name it. I play the tracks of today and occasionally I combine those tracks with tracks that I’ve produced.”

One of the country’s most famous DJs, Cream has made quite a name for himself in the music scene as he has been DJ-ing here for over 10 years. The first Indonesian DJ to be awarded Hard Rock FM’s Paranoia Award in 2006 as best DJ, Cream spins records at venues all over Jakarta, including Blowfish, Dragonfly, Retro, and Centro. Frontman of the production and promotion company, Soul Menace, DJ Cream has also been asked to spin his tunes in LA, Holland, Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

A Jakarta native, this DJ’s family supports his career and promotes their son to close friends. Because he’s had to work hard to make a name for himself, his parents believe that the career of a DJ will support him.

“I think Jakarta has potential in terms of following the trend and not following the trend,” DJ Cream says. “Let me explain: When I first started doing hip-hop, no other hip-hop DJ was really around. Then, within two years, spinning hip-hop and the hip-hop culture started becoming a trend. But after it became a trend, Indonesia made it its own and it’s now an industry. That’s why anyone can start with nothing and make it into something big.”

For aspiring DJs, Cream offers this advice: “Just keep doing what you’re doing, don’t listen to what other people say. Because I’ve been doing just that, you honestly just have to believe.”

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