No stranger to competition and success, LeNerd is one of the top turntablist in Singapore. Himself a former champion winning a few national competitions, LeNerd has also had his routines featured by DJ City and is well loved by DJs both in his home country of Singapore and around Asia. His love for battling can be seen with him bringing back the Phuture DJ Battle competition to find the best of the best in Singapore.
LeNerd has also made a name of himself in the local community by spearheading the Bass Movement in Singapore, using his platform at Zouk, he has brought this genre to new levels of popularity working together with many local and international DJs to push this genre into the limelight.
We talk to him to see his thoughts on reaching out to the community and Zouk's role as an opinion leader in the dance music community of Singapore.
ADM: You started the Singapore Bass Music Chat group on Telegram that has expanded to over 400 extremely active members in the short period of time, what prompted you to start it?
LN:Simply due to the fact that I love bass music and I know a bunch of people that also do, but aren’t aware where the latest bass music happenings are at!
During the creation of the chat, we were also starting a new night (#CrowdCtrl) that involves a multitude of bass music genres/subgenre. Since Bass music is very new music genre in Singapore, the best way, I thought, for the Singapore scene to get accustomed to bass music is if we support each other’s events via a shared space.
Now, the chat has evolved from just being an event promotion space to an avenue for music sharing, music production collaborations & merchandise giveaways.
ADM: That being said, you're a notable name in the Bass Music community that has seen a strong rise in the number of shows such as Crowd Control, Bad Ideas Only and It's A Trap, what would say could be done to encourage stronger more united community?
LN: I think we should just support each other and do it for the good of the music.
ADM: Besides Bass Music you're also a champion of Turntablism in Singapore, starting the Phuture DJ Battle 3 years ago. What prompted you to do that and how has it evolved into what it is now with amazing champions and holding such a strong standing with DJ's in Singapore?
LN: Similarly to bass music, I love turntablism & battle DJing as well and I also happen to know a bunch of people that love it & want to have a battle to work towards to further improve their game.
The key is authenticity. Being transparent about the rules & allowing people to understand how to win.
The goal of PDJB is to create better DJs & more informed audiences which reflects on the battle’s main winning criteria, creativity, technicality & song selection. In addition, having the best panel of judges in Singapore helps a great deal.
We want our winners to gain credibility & exposure, hence other than the above mentioned philosophies of the battle, we are constantly working to improve the battle mechanics to suit each year’s music landscape.
ADM: With that said, would you say that your efforts through your work have helped to create a stronger community amongst DJ's in Singapore?
LN: Community building projects are something that means a lot to me and being able to support a worthy cause is always a pleasure of mine.
Be sure to follow LeNerd on his social media