W - "Hong Kong is having an artistic revolution"
Pakistani DJ on being an ethnic minority, how he got into the industry, from getting booed off the stage to getting good, and how protest art is leaving him amazed.
“I went to school with the local kids and I always thought, you know, they keep their heads down and follow the rules. I never thought they’d be able to protest like this (with lots of art creations). It’s awesome.”
Hong Kong is really special because of the laws and the freedoms in this place. My mom is able to walk around on her own without any problems. I moved to here from Pakistan when I was nine. I didn’t know it when I was small, but after growing up, I realised the difference between the two places.
I used to work as a promoter in Lan Kwai Fong (LKF)*. When I worked there, I got really curious about what the guys in the DJ booths were doing. So I picked up a $300 controller from Sham Shui Po and started learning.
My first night DJ'ing was pretty stressful. I made a lot of mistakes in the beginning - not having the right equipment; not having the right music. There was a night (a Christmas night actually) that was terrible. I was playing to around 300 people who were all local Cantonese. It’s usually hard to make them dance to begin with. At that night, nobody liked the music and I didn’t know what they wanted. That was really embarrassing. It was the biggest crowd I've ever played to and I got booed off. It was an unforgettable Christmas!
After that I made sure I'm good at reading the crowd so that it'd never happen to me again. You can be technically good, but it's more important to read the crowd. You’d be able to cover up any mistakes you make as people don’t know what you’re doing and they just want to have a good time.
When you're doing good, you can feel it. It took me years to get to that level without needing to think about it. Or you can just tell when the crowd is enjoying themselves.
The music scene here is hard though. It’s difficult to survive because the rent is so high. A lot of places have been closing down, especially with the protests.
In Hong Kong schools, there’s a culture of “keep your head down, memorise and follow the rules"; and "if you are out of line, you’re disowned by your family". I think that’s why art isn’t as cared as it should be (in HK), but I was so surprised with the protests. I went to school with the local kids and I always thought, you know, they keep their heads down and follow the rules. I never thought they’d be able to protest like this (with lots of art creations). It’s awesome.
There're a lot of people in my community who are police supporters. It makes no sense because when I was growing up, I always heard, "F**k the police! I always get ID'd." I think it's due to the same culture of "keep your head down". There's also a bit of a "I'm an ethnic minority so I don't have a say." sentiment. There is a large number of ethnic minorities who actually speak fluent Cantonese (although I'm not one of them). Why do they not feel like a part of the society? This is what confuses me and I've been arguing with a lot of people.
Since the protests began, a lot more arts have been coming out. There are many visual arts, but less music. I did hear this one song called “F**k the Popo”. I'd say Hong Kong is having an artistic revolution.
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*A popular pub / clubbing area in HK
Journalist: Ka Yan
Photo: BrokenBrothers Productions