HORROR - Nanyang Technological University

22
LIFESTYLE
GIRL POWER
CHRONICLE
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18
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EXPERT GUIDANCE: (From left) Music producer Jason Tan teaches FFF participants Rachel Lee, Amanda Lee and Syaheedah Iskandar how to create music on computer software Reason. (Right) SPIN IT: Amanda Lee entertains at the FFF Girls DJ
Bootcamp graduation bash with her own set of music mixes. PHOTOS | EDWARD TEO
DOES Singapore need an all-female
DJ boot camp The ladies behind
FFF definitely think so. FFF Girl
DJ Bootcamp, in its fifth year running,
was spearheaded by local
female DJs Cherry Chan, Debbie
Chia, Natalie Tan and Pamm Hong
in 2008.
The bootcamp aims to educate
and empower women through
music and DJing, particularly in
a friendly and fun environment.
Awarded twice by JUICE
Singapore as ‘Best Contribution
To The Scene’ in 2010 and 2011,
FFF Girl DJ Bootcamp is not just
any workshop for amateurs and
DJ-wannabes.
Out of more than 80 applicants
this year, only eight girls were chosen
to participate in the workshop,
which was held on four consecutive
Saturdays in September and
October at Zouk Wine Bar.
Leaving the participants (or
kittens, as they are affectionately
called) in the hands of local producer
Jason Tan, the FFF organisers
took a break and relaxed outside
the Wine Bar. They are a bunch of
self-declared cat lovers who have
plastered the official FFF website
with pictures of the feline creature.
Natalie was quick to mention,
“Don’t ask us what is ‘FFF’, because
we don’t know ourselves.”
So mystery solved – ‘FFF’ is purely
aesthetic.
What spurred on the idea for
FFF
Debbie: We all have different reasons.
Personally, I was given a lot
of opportunities and I had such a
great time deejaying that I wanted
to share it with other girls to let
them experience it too. It’s a way
of giving back – you take some and
you give some.
Other than gender, can we get
some insight into the selection
process for FFF
Debbie: It’s a panel, so all of us look
through the applications. For me,
I look out for taste. I feel that you
can teach skills but not taste. You
have to listen to a lot of music and
you need experience for that. So I
tend to notice girls with good taste.
And as a DJ, part of your role is
to live music and also educate
listeners through a good selection
of music.
Natalie: We also ask other questions,
like their level of commitment
and what they think a DJ’s job
is. To us, it is quite important for
them to be relatively practical and
grounded in reality. Their reason
for participating in FFF should
not be related to their ego.
Guys and girls are very different
in the way they think
and learn. Is that a reason
why you guys decided to
organise an all-female bootcamp
Natalie: Definitely. Girls tend to be
more social than guys, and they
need a softer approach.
Cherry: Guys tend to be like, “Okay
I’m here and I already know what
I want to learn. Teach me specifically
this.”
Debbie: Yeah. And you have to
criticize girls in a gentle way, like
cushioning them. Towards guys
you can just make fun of them. In
fact, that’s how guys learn.
Natalie: We also have to make
sure that there is no competition,
because girls tend to get competitive
on a certain level. We try to
manage that.
Cherry: We’re creating a nurturing
environment to learn. Especially
with music gear and technology,
it’s all quite geeky. Guys wouldn’t
mind sitting for 15 hours with a
machine, but it’s not very natural
for girls to do so.
Of course there are girls who take to
the geeky stuff naturally but most
girls will be like, “Oh my gosh there
are so many knobs and buttons!”
Are there any celebrated differences
between female DJs
and male DJs
Cherry: In terms of performance
aspects, good female DJs are
sometimes more visual, like Scarlet
Etienne.
Natalie: She’s a personality. She
wears couture to perform and she
also sings. After she sings she
might take off a portion of her
outfit to reveal something else. It’s
a drama, but at the same time, she
can mix. Unlike Paris Hilton, who
needs someone else to mix for her.
Cherry: I think it still depends on
individual personality. There are
girls who mix just like guys.
Natalie: It’s hard to generalise.
Debbie: There are guys who are
feminine too.
Cherry: But they cannot dress up
as much. All they can do is probably
put lights on their head. They
don’t have make up to play with,
although some have started putting
on like theatrical stuff.
Any thoughts on the local
female DJ scene
Debbie: The state of the industry
is very bad right now. Because of
the Paris Hilton wannabes, there’s
a lot of false image of female DJs
right now, which we are trying to
reverse.
Cherry: When you say “female
DJ”, very often the entertainment
industry comes into mind, which
includes model DJs. “I’m gonna
look shiny and hot!”
Natalie: Or, “I’m gonna take photos
with my breasts hanging out!”
Cherry: Or putting your headphones
on your breasts. Why put
your headphones on your breasts,
not your ears We are trying to
fight against that. People should
be focused on your music and not
how hot you look or how little
clothes you wear. That belongs to
the entertainment industry, which
is not what we do. I think we have
to differentiate between the entertainment
industry and the music
industry.
Last question: why cats
Cherry: Why not cats
Natalie: We all like cats.
Cherry: Debbie used to like dogs,
but we’ve all gotten her to switch.
Natalie: We like fuzzy things, and
cats are the common denominator.
FERVENT FELINES: (From left) This year’s organisers comprise Jean Reiki, Natalie “Pixiedub”
Tan, Debbie Chia, Cherry Chan and Eileen Chan, who hope to empower women through DJing.