THE 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. KENG YANG SHUEN SPOTLIGHTS 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.

- KENG YANG SHUEN

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.” 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