All Eyes And Ears On The Rising DJs Of Singapore’s Underground Party Scene
New generation of sounds.
They’re all under 30, mostly self‐taught and emerged professionally only after the Covid‐19 pandemic. Most don’t even have a regular gig (you’d have to check their instagram accounts to find out when next they’ll be performing), but don’t you dare call them bedroom DJs. We spotlight seven emerging Singapore‐based music selectors and mix masters who’ve been tearing up dance floors in the past year and should be taken very seriously.
VIOLET YANG AKA VYLT
AGE: 22
DAY JOB: University student
IG: @vylt_music
HOW SHE STARTED: “I attended one of the early raves organised by the local goth collective Blacklight Tribe in late 2022. Its founder Shao noticed me because of the lolita witch outfit I was wearing, and invited me to perform at the next edition even though I told him I had never DJ‐ed in my life. It prompted me to learn the ropes of the trade through watching YouTube and by the next weekend in December that year, I was spinning for my first crowd.”
HER SOUND: “My three primary genres are dark synth, horror synth and synth metal – think rock and metal with a dash of occult influences, or campy 1980s retro horror movie vibes. My sets also have lots of electronic cyberpunk elements as well as bits of the industrial, mid‐tempo and bass genres – generally anything that makes you feel sinister or terrified, I suppose.”
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WHAT’S EXCITING HER AS A DJ: “Definitely Blacklight Tribe! It started in late 2022 and has been doing a fantastic job building its community running dark alternative raves that promise a great time. It also isn’t afraid to get experimental, giving new or unconventional artistes a platform to perform.”
AMIL IRYAN AKA TURBO BOYFRIEND
AGE: 25
DAY JOB: “Bar operations”
IG: @ch6rry.peroxide
HOW HE STARTED: “I was chronically online during the Covid‐19 pandemic, diving deep into the work of underrated artistes on SoundCloud. I figured there had to be a way to publicise their music besides sharing it on my own social media channels, and learning how to DJ was the answer. I also co‐founded the party collective Subplot Systems and played my first set at our first event, which took place at the now‐defunct Projector X: Picturehouse in February last year ... DJ‐ing has since become the music‐related hobby that I’ve been most active with, but I plan to produce my own music – something I dabbled with when I was 18 – in the near future.”
HIS SOUND: “Often melodic harmonies blended with rough, distorted beats – a combination that’s guaranteed to get those on the dance floor in a trance one way or another. It explains my DJ moniker, which was also inspired by two musical acts that I’m a big fan of: POiSON GiRL FRiEND and Ecco2k, who has described his musical style as, similarly, a juxtaposition of the gentle and tender against something loud and aggressive.”
HIS DREAM PLACE TO SPIN AT: “BK Eating House”
ESTHER LAM AKA ESTR
AGE: 29
DAY JOB: Manager
IG: @estr.music
HOW SHE STARTED: “I found myself immersed in mixes from house DJs associated with labels such as Toolroom Records and Repopulate Mars during the Covid‐19 pandemic, but didn’t really dive into DJ‐ing until last year. My first gig was for a small private party in March 2023, after which I became unsure of my direction as a commercial DJ. That changed, though, when burlesque performer Lychee Bye approached me to spin for her debut Scorpio Sunz party – organised for the sapphic community – last November. I dedicated countless hours after work to practising and have been the DJ for all editions since, with tickets for the last three selling out.”
HER SOUND: “Think high‐energy, feel‐good vibes with a twist. I blend groovy, dance‐y beats across multiple genres, mixing the familiar and the fresh. It’s all about keeping people on their feet and surprising them with rhythms they can’t help vibing to.”
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HER BIGGEST INFLUENCE: “DJ A/K/A Sounds. I met her at a party where I was unsubtly studying her technique on the decks. Instead of brushing me off, she welcomed my curiosity with kindness. Watching her blend mainstream and underground sounds from various genres with masterful control of the energy in the room left me spellbound, and she has become a blueprint for the kind of DJ I aspire to be.”
MELIA RAINE MORRISSEY AKA HAMMY
AGE: 26
DAY JOB: Project manager
IG: @meliaraine
HOW SHE STARTED: “I started learning how to DJ about two years ago from my friend Arianna, aka DJ Aleezon. She had moved in as my housemate and I couldn’t help but get curious whenever she practised, and so I got her to teach me the basics ... My first gig was for the art gallery Yeo Workshop during Singapore Art Week last year ... It was really fun because I did it together with my friends. We built the whole set‐up – inspired by the event’s wayang kulit (shadow puppet theatre) theme – from scratch and DJ‐ed from behind a tapestry, which made it less nerve‐racking.”
HER SOUND: “A fusion of hypnotic melodies and beats that is uplifting, soulful and experimental yet familiar. There are different sounds in many of the songs I play.”
ON HER DJ MONIKER: “I’m a huge fan of rats and mice, and owned a few giant Syrian hamsters in the past ... ‘Hammy’ is also a reference to how I like to go HAM: hard as a motherf*cker. Most of my sets are very dance‐y, and I love to see people get up and have a good time.”
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HER DREAM PLACE TO SPIN AT: “Headquarters – that was where I grew up listening to techno and house music, and it holds a dear place in my heart.”
HER NIGHTLIFE PREDICTION: “Music lounges are going to be the next cool thing, as people are looking for more connections and conversations, but don’t want to miss out on the music. I also feel that hip‐hop and R&B will be making a comeback with a more inclusive community.”
DAN EMRAN AKA NEW MASCULINE
AGE: 27
DAY JOB: Barber and musician
IG: @dansteryplis
HOW HE STARTED: “I guess partying a lot got me into DJ‐ing – ha ha! I thought it’d be another interesting way of performing music and got my first DJ console around 2018, messing around with it with friends. I started playing professionally as DJ New Masculine only early this year though, starting with a B2B (back‐to‐back) set with the Malaysian‐based DJ 918.kiss.jackpot in Kuala Lumpur.”
HIS SOUND: “Cheeky, sometimes ethereal gelek (a Malay slang word for dancing) club sounds”
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HIS BIGGEST INFLUENCE: “I draw a lot of inspiration from my hardcore punk background, and tend to gravitate towards tracks that are aggressive and have a lot of percussion. I’m also into gritty Latin club music and its subgenres such as guaracha and reggaeton, and like adding a cheeky spin to all this by including a bunch of jersey club pop edits. I just want DJ‐ing to be an outlet for me to be as freaky as possible.”
ON HIS DJ MONIKER: “It’s meant to be a reflection of my growth as a person: me relearning what it’s like to be masculine and discovering that it’s not tied to traditional societal expectations ... Also, it sounds like the name of a perfume, which I find pretty funny.”
MUHAMMAD HAIKEL BIN RASHID AKA HI‐KEL
AGE: 28
DAY JOB: Process technician
IG: @imhighkel
HOW HE STARTED: “I would not be here today without the people who gave me opportunities to share my selection of sounds. My most memorable DJ‐ing experience to date has to be my first paid gig: the wedding of a close friend that took place last year. I did back‐to‐back sets with another friend and we curated the mood for more than eight hours ... And I still have so much more to learn. I’m still simply a selector.”
HIS SOUND: “I want to make my listeners groove and have my music connect with them emotionally ... My biggest influences are the Singapore DJs Leland, Ramesh, Dean Chew and Nick Bong. If you haven’t heard of them, you’re definitely missing out.”
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WHAT’S EXCITING HIM AS A DJ: “Sunda Festival 2025 – Singapore’s very own music‐meets‐camping festival. I had such a good time when it debuted last year, enjoying everything from the music to the all‐day activities and even the unusual location that was Sarimbun Scout Camp in Lim Chu Kang. Being there felt so liberating and like I wasn’t in Singapore, and the sophomore edition will take place next April.”
A TIP FOR EMERGING DJS: “Always bring a back‐up thumb drive!”
MATTHEW LEUNG AKA MATTY JUDAH
AGE: 26
DAY JOB: Project management associate
IG: @matty_judah
HOW HE STARTED: “I started DJ‐ing while I was in university abroad under the tutelage of a close friend and mentor – shout‐out to Munjiy. Many of my friends were DJs at that point in time, so I picked up the trade in order to jam with them and explore more sounds together ... This led to my first gig at the (now‐defunct) multi‐label space Spades for its Noise Halloween rave in October 2023.”
HIS SOUND: “I consider myself to be pretty versatile ... For most sets, I find myself gravitating towards tracks with dark yet euphoric melodies, or obscure, brain‐tickling sounds centred around bouncy and driving kicks. However, I’m also down to play chiller sounds with a nice swing. Some genres that I absolutely love: trance, dembow, electro, guaracha, Latin Tek, acid house, speed breaks, jungle, deconstructed club and so much more.”
HIS DREAM PLACE TO SPIN AT: “I really want to play at a festival abroad at a crazy location, such as the Equation festival in Vietnam, which takes place in a limestone cave!”