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It is no secret that Singapore’s DJ Inquisitive is widely praised as the country’s most sought after DJ. Since he started DJ-ing four years ago, he has already won two national DMC Championships (in 2006 and 2007) and managed to snag a 4th place in 2007’s DMC World Championship, coming up closely behind revered turntablists Yasa and Fly, and 1st runner up DJ Ravik who is a 6 times world champion.

The DMC World Championship is a prestigious title and the most sought-after battle in the industry. It is not just participated by those who want to be the next Q-Bert or Rocksteady DJs. Carl Cox and the late Tony De Vit are known to have battled before, and they had gone on to become legendary DJs in techno and hard dance respectively.

In a generation where virtual DJ/vinyl/scratch/anything triumphs over originality, it is refreshing to know there are still kids who are willing to take their skills to new heights with just two decks and a mixer.

DJ Inquisitive aka Leon will be turning 24 in December. At an age where his peers are settling into their first job, he seems to have already perfected to art of being “master of your own destiny”. How does one so young start working on his destiny? Through inexhaustible dedication and extensive hours of practice, until it becomes a habit.

Being one of the country’s most sought-after party rocker, DJ Inquisitive is known to drop electro, dance rock, B-more, Miami bass, disco, house, hip hop and breaks.. all in one wicked set.

The nifty fingerwork on the videos you’ll see later might emphasise his mad skills but the only way to get a real feel of his party set is to attend the Pre-Urbanscapes Party with Lapsap vs DJ Inquisitve tomorrow, 21st June 2008, at The Loft, Zouk KL. Party starts at 10.30 onwards.

We took the opportunity to speak with him for a little bit before he arrives in KL on Saturday. Here goes our chat:

J. Ringo says:
how’s it goin? when will u be arrivin in kl?

Inquisitive says:
sat!

J. Ringo says:
oh cool.. u have time for some questions now?

Inquisitive says:
yea im cool now

J. Ringo says:
we’ll start with..hm, what r u listenin to right now?

Inquisitive says:
right now?
jokers of the scene - baggy bottom boys

J. Ringo says:
oO..current hot hit
Are u very in tune with the music blog phenomenon? What do you think of the MP3 blogs trend which has practically invaded and change the progression of dance music?

Inquisitive says:
yes i read all these blogs almost everyday and i think its a very good thing that we have these blogs, because for me thats how i got started with this whole dance music thing, reading these blogs, checking out whats new and stuff

J. Ringo says:
what inspired you to pursue DJ-ing?

Inquisitive says:
well, i used to do aggressive inline skating and was watching some skate videos, and some of the vids had scratch music in them , so i got a little interested in that sort of music and went to find out more about it, and after a few months i went to take up a dj course here in sg from our local pioneer andrew chow, and then after i learnt everything by myself

J. Ringo says:
so how long have u been djing?

Inquisitive says:
4 years

J. Ringo says:
not bad.. and how young r u?

Inquisitive says:
comin 24 this dec

J. Ringo says:
so u won the first dmc placement when u were 22! that’s impressive..

Inquisitive says:
yup kinda, i worked many hours and months for that

J. Ringo says:
how long were u practising daily, those mths leading up to the battle?

Inquisitive says:
8 hrs a day

Inquisitive says:
5 months before

J. Ringo says:
wow.. no sleep? were u studying then?

Inquisitive says:
i start to do my production , press it on vinyl then practice for hours
i was not studying then
sleep of course

J. Ringo says:
a lot of people think djing is easy..especially with the tools n softwares available these days

Inquisitive says:
well it has both the good and the bad with these softwares
for me i still buy vinyl an i still rock vinyl when i do my routines
and its a whole new era now, even with the skill nowadays, ppl with 0 skill can still earn and get more shows as u
its all about your connections and marketing now i guess
haha

J. Ringo says:
sometimes it seems rather unfair, isn’t it.. haha

Inquisitive says:
alot of djs nowadays really have no skill but they do get paid more than those who has real skill

J. Ringo says:
why do u think that’s so?

Inquisitive says:
its all about how u market yourself

J. Ringo says:
so we hear you cause havoc on the dancefloor.. describe to us what’s a typical set like?

Inquisitive says:
a typical set, hmm i dont know how to explain, maybe u will see this weekend? ahhah

J. Ringo says:
hmm smart
i heard one of your mixtapes..pretty rockin..lotsa great songs

Inquisitive says:
which one?

J. Ringo says:
discobelle

J. Ringo says:
couldn’t d/load discotronic, but the last i checked, phew.. had 8000 over downloads! not bad huh

Inquisitive says:
yea hah
this is the present one i did for a local night in sg
http://www.zshare.net/audio/108328802a2f860a/

J. Ringo says:
cool..gettin it now..

Inquisitive says:
yup, but i just released my official mix cd entitled havoc on the dancefloor
will be bringing some to kl

J. Ringo says:
how else can people get a copy?

Inquisitive says:
ill just be bringing some an giving out at the gig itself

J. Ringo says:
ok
so when u’re not dj-ing, what do u do?

Inquisitive says:
hang out, watch dvds, chill with friends
nothing much

J. Ringo says:
where was the best party you’ve played?

Inquisitive says:
alot actually, i cant remember, but my most memorable performance was at the DMC World DJ Finals in London

J. Ringo says:
did u receive any good piece of advice while u were there?

Inquisitive says:
forget everyone and listen to yourself

J. Ringo says:
have u ever had an embarassing moment when u’re playing live?

Inquisitive says:
hmm once
i forgot to plug my laptop charger to my mac, and it died
lol

Inquisitive says:
but that was when i was starting out so , yea everyone makes mistakes

J. Ringo says:
lol..
wat other equipments do u usually use on the set?

Inquisitive says:
turntables , laptop, rane 57 mixer (thanks to sponsors rane serato)
thats about it

J. Ringo says:
u mentioned u also do your own production..

Inquisitive says:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=jW7HkuLU9g8
i make my own routines

Inquisitive says:
working on a track entitled “Brain Freeze” right now

J. Ringo says:
what’s your routine like? what are the main elements you like to use?

Inquisitive says:
a little bit of everything
have u watche the vid?

J. Ringo says:
cant seem to play it..
the video’s taking a long time to load

Inquisitive says:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/video/video.php?v=26521812488

J. Ringo says:
oo ok nice..watchin it now
how long did it take for you to start producing n mastering your routines?

Inquisitive says:
woah
kinda long
normally i prepare one year before a battle

J. Ringo says:
woww..
ok maybe just a last question to wrap it up..
what has been the best thing about dj-ing so far? and the worst?

Inquisitive says:
best thing is i get to enjoy what i do, meet new people everyday
worst is just the politics
but well politics is cool as it pushes u to do the impossible

J. Ringo says:
haha.. well whats the worst / funniest rumour you’ve heard about yourself?

Inquisitive says:
so far not yet
oh well i dont really care haha

J. Ringo says:
ohh must ask.. who are the main musical icons that u look up to the most?

Inquisitive says:
dj a-trak, iemerge, sinden
ive got a few u know
dj rafik , dj troubl
lastly.. dj kentaro
yup these are the main ones

J. Ringo says:
great :)
tks so much for goin thru this interview.. take up ur time and all

Inquisitive says:
its ok
haha

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DJ Inquisitive at the DMC World Championship 2007

Download Bitchfight Promo Final Mixdown

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So we’ve told ya. DJ Inquisitive will be bringing his latest release, Havoc On the Dancefloor, so go grab a copy from him! Not only that. Being a Pre-Urbanscapes Party, there’s obviously free tickets given away by the generous Lapsap crew. First 100 is a winner so be early. Party’s at Lapsap vs DJ Inquisitve tomorrow, 21st June 2008, at The Loft, Zouk KL from 10.30 onwards.

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STRPPN FRIDAYZ is a weekly feature on Halfway Street with artists of sorts (fashion, music, arts, etc). If you would like your favourite band or artist to be interviewed on STRPPN FRIDAYZ, just hitme@halfwaystreet.com
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