One half of the duo that started one of Singapore's top Bass Nights "Burial Grounds", we speak to JOZY about her experience as a DJ and how it got her to be one of the people
who started the Bass Movement in Singapore.
ADM: How did you get your start as a DJ?
JZ: I had the opportunity to attend classes from This Beat Is Sick and The Big House Academy and learn from my mentors Tinc and Yeolo. I went through it for over a year learning basic DJ-ing techniques and was hoping I would eventually start playing in a club once I am ready. Throughout the process I learnt a lot of stuff out of just the equipments, things that you have to step into the industry to see it for yourself. At one point I was afraid it really wouldn’t kick start and the fact that I hate being stagnant just makes me anxious about this.
Slowly I started to get listed on the roster of some clubs with the help of the management that was handling me, and that made me work even harder to improve myself.
I think it was in 2018 when I joined the Live Mix Maestro and Phuture DJ Battle competition that I really put myself out to public, posting my videos online for submission. During these practices of exploring and creating routines, i trained myself to use music as a tool for communication. In the process I made a lot of friends that shared the same goal and it really made me love performing more, even though at the start I was very conscious and afraid whether I would be good enough to be on stage.
My confidence level was built over the year and I had done gigs to open for DJs like MYRNE at Zouk’s Crowd Control night. My goal was just to keep moving in my standards and to make people move on the dancefloor, following the saying of “don’t give people what they want but what they don’t know they want” I don’t think being a battle DJ was my thing so I really focused on being a club DJ but I think the theory applies the same to every performer. So yeah I guess I had been constantly driven and passionate about DJ-ing that helped bring me here.
ADM: How has it been for you in the Bass Scene in Singapore
JZ: Initially I was spinning electro house, top 40s and the commercial music that clubs request and someday I just came across trap music which led me to research more about it. So that was when I started going to music festivals in Thailand in 2017, since I was half Thai, and my friends got me into that genre. I remember seeing NGHTMRE and Slander at that festival and they just blew my mind with the high energy level music.
I dig these heavier stuff and I think my body could move more to it lol (except for house music, house is good too). But personally I wanted to go to a club and listen to things I don’t hear on the radio, for a change. When planning my routine some advices I got was to fill them with tunes that people recognise, which I agree because then if you do something then they would understand it. But I kind of did the opposite and used bass music in my routine because I was more comfortable performing it. Plus I think I had some good ways to twist it too.
The local bass scene is great. There's so much good music all around, and so many good people putting out good music. Even people holding intimate bass events and everyone is there to help the scene expand. Sometimes we might think that Singapore is lagging in music trend but people might just not be ready yet so we’ll have to slowly pass it on like how my Thai friends spread it to me. I know for sure we’re getting there and the people in this community are not giving up.
Once there is a market for it then it’ll start to rise rapidly because there are good DJs around to hold these nights. I would suggest people to not just listen to 1 genre, not just bass music, not just electro house, not just top 40s but EVERYTHING so you can encapsulate the beauty of Electronic Dance Music.
ADM: How did you start Burial Grounds
JZ: I met MOXIDE during my time in The Big House and became very close because we live a few blocks away from each other. One time we got to play Zouk Sessions back in 2017 and I think it was the first time we actually dropped these heavy tunes in a club. From that night on we focused on curating more bass music in our gigs until one day we decided to bring such festival sets on a night we call BURIAL GROUNDS.
BURIAL GROUNDS features high energy DJ performances that pushes the local alternative bass scene by infusing hard dance tunes with commercial music, and good vibes similar to that in a music festival. The kind of feeling you leave from a festival after watching the DJs making the crowd get so riled up, some whom you discover at the festival, and the amazing ravers you meet on grounds, that’s the similar feeling we want people to have when they attend BURIAL GROUNDS. We want to surprise people, we want to spread the love for bass music. Our tag line “PREPARE TO OUTLAST” and “HEADBANG OR DIE” led to the name “BURIAL GROUNDS” because if they don’t survive then they would get “buried”.
Most of them end up with a sore body lol, which also meant they went all out to enjoy the
night.
ADM: What's next for Jozy?
JZ: Wow tough question hahah. There's so many unexpected things unfolding everyday and you never know what challenges or opportunities life brings you. I think aside from playing these gigs, JOZY wants to perform with her friends who are in the local band scene.
Through my time in school (I was in the Electronic Music stream) I’ve learn so much about reacting to the sounds from others and improvising on our instruments, like the synthesizers. We’re able to create so much more with the energy that’s fed off one another.
For a long term plan, I’m working for JOZY to compose and play a live set together with friends who also enjoys performing and treasure the craft with their instruments.
I don’t want people to think that DJs would be fixed to the CDJs they have and lose the “live” element or treat DJs like jukeboxes when actually the minds of everyone is more alive than that. Let your feelings go free with the music, on an adventure with the DJs because this language can speak on its own.
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