Presuming you’re a closet raver like us and dig partying past the wee hours of the night, then you’ll be more than familiar with the massive beach blowout that is ZoukOut. Besides, we gave you the 101 on this annual Zouk spectacle with our ZoukOut 2015 ultimate guide! And for sure, we’re over the moon that international dance bigwigs like Jamie Jones, Kaskade and Armin Van Buuren are set to spin at Sentosa’s Siloso Beach. But we’re mostly proud that this year boasts one of the biggest local lineups this music festival has ever seen, including the debut of this surging selector of house, funk and disco. For those who’ve yet to be acquainted with this scene favourite, say hello to Daryl C.
Hey Daryl, congrats on scoring the ZoukOut gig! Surely, it must be a dream come true for you?
Most definitely! Ever since I started DJ-ing, the idea of being able to play for a huge festival has always been a distant dream for me, like mankind landing on Mars. I think the fact that it’s actually happening hasn’t sunk in yet.
What are some of your craziest, most tripped-out ZoukOut memories? Fire away; we won’t judge.
Back in the day, my friends and I would drive down and gather in a little circle at the outdoor car park before we went in. It was best time to catch up with everyone before we got separated once we walk through the gates. One time, we had a DJ console and speakers running out of the boot of one car and a bar out of another. Passers-by soon joined us one after another, contributing their bottles to our ‘bar’ until we had a mini rave going!
Sounds rad! What are some names that you’re personally psyched to catch this year?
Some of the names I definitely want to check out this year are Dixon, DJ Tennis, Porter Robinson, Claude Von Stroke and, particularly, Jamie Jones. I’ve been enjoying what he and his Hot Creations crew have been churning out lately. I’m sure it’ll be a good one.
Obviously, ZoukOut is a huge extravaganza on the beach. Are you pretty much a beachy person yourself, Daryl?
There’s something about being at the beach that always gets me. That fresh sea breeze, warm sand under my feet, watching the sun set on the horizon. For me, having ice cold beers on the beach in the middle of the day is the best thing ever.
What were some of the tunes that you were fiddling with when you first started DJ-ing?
When I first started bedroom DJ-ing, I was in that Readysetglo era. I wanted to be like Justice and played lots of electro hits. But I grew out of that phase pretty quickly and started to dig deeper to find new music and sounds. The turning point was when I came across the Raw Cuts Series by Motor City Drum Ensemble. From then on, I knew what made me tick and the exact sound I wanted to head towards.
We love how your music style is capable of bouncing between sensual, simmering soul grooves and harder wallops of tech-house. Why is it so important for DJs to practise such diversity in their sets?
Everyone approaches their set differently; that’s what gives them their signature sound. It’s a personal preference. I feel that things get too droning if it’s kept at the same beat or genre for too long. Keeping the audience guessing gets their attention. Most of my favourite sets are the ones that are unexpected.
Let’s juxtapose this musical polarity with your personal way of life. For instance, what do you like to do when you wanna chill out, and when you feel like riding it hard for the night?
Chilling could be a glass of whisky and digging for new music, finding something to watch on TV, learning something new to cook, video games, or skateboarding. I’ve been pretty laid-back recently, so I haven’t been going at it hard. I’d like to remember if I had a great night out the day after.
We hear you also studied design before you got into DJ-ing. Have you always been passionate about design growing up?
I got into design without really understanding what it was. It just happened! But from then on, it really opened my eyes to the world. When you start to realise that everything you come in contact with on a daily basis – things that you take for granted – has, at some point, been designed and made by someone no different than yourself, it’s an empowering feeling.
You also co-run sifr, a menswear label based in Singapore. Could you tell us more about the label?
The sifr label was a progression from our multi-label boutique, KIN, and has been around for about eight years now. Our focus was to create well-crafted luxury garments that were also affordable for the common man. The line of pima cotton basic tees we made really took off for us, so we shifted our focus towards that.
In this modern day and age where DJ culture has exploded, there is this presumption that it’s so easy nowadays for anyone to become a DJ. Penny for your thoughts?
Technology has definitely made DJ-ing more accessible; I wouldn’t have started DJ-ing if that didn’t happen. I have no qualms with how easy it is for anyone to learn the craft these days. It’s the attitude taken towards DJ-ing by some people that I have an issue with. DJ-ing has become the easy road to fame, and that should never be a factor to start. For me, DJ-ing is an obsession – it’s the love of discovering new music and sharing that love; it’s about reading and working the crowd, and taking them on a journey.
Finally, what do you think about the trajectory of the local nightlife and dance scene?
I think the scene is growing nicely, and we are quite spoilt by the amount of quality act grazing our shores these days. But there’s always room for improvement; that’s how a culture grows. For one, I’d love to see more new local names out on weekly club rosters.
ZoukOut 2015; December 11-12; Siloso Beach, 51 Imbiah Walk, Sentosa Island, Singapore 099538. For more information on tickets, visit the event’s website.
Daryl C performs on Day 2 of ZoukOut 2015. To vibe out to more of his mixes, visit his Mixcloud page.
To hear more of our fave local, made-in-Singapore acts, have a listen to our So Singaporean playlist on our Honeycombers Spotify Profile. New playlist each week!