by Florence Pia G. Yu
Published:Sun Star Weekend
Cebu City, Philippines
February 12, 2001
Page 10
Almost like the Pied Piper of the club scene, Mael whips up a maelstrom on the dancefloor; playing his music to lead the crowd in a dancing frenzy.
Mael's first stint in disc jockeying was with Jam Mobile, a small company that provides disco service. "I just love music! I just find a certain kind of high making people dance with what I'm playing," Mael says.
Although he is a graduate of Computer Science, Mael feels that he is at his best element playing music. He has been a club DJ for eight years now.
"Playing for the crowd is an outlet for me to express myself. My music is my expression."
Passion is the drive that keeps him in the business, Mael says. However, Mael tells that one can't truly take the job seriously. "It's more like a hobby. Kung mag-seneryoso gud ka ani, dili gyud ka maka-survive (If you act too serious about this, you won't survive)."
Survival translates to keeping the music up-to-date, and staying awake. Mael says he never gets drowsy when mixing music, even though he works from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. "Just seeing the crowd alive and dancing is enough to keep me hyped." After that, he goes home to sleep and re-charge for the night to come. He says he has grown used to this kind of setup. But always "my consolation is in seeing people dance to my rhythm. I like the control."
Dance to his beat
"For a club DJ to be successful, he needs to have identity and style. Dili gyud mo-sunod (Never mimic)," he shares. His trademark beat is mixing deep house, tribal house and funk music. "It's something you don't get to hear on MTV or on the radio." Mael says although the Cebuano crowd is still a bit conservative, they are warming up to this musical�genre.
Pleasing the crowd is at the top of his list, and every night, Mael says he plays psychologist. "I have to 'psycho' the crowd: are they into slow music right now or do they want to get pepped up? I have to have a feel of their mood so that I can adjust my beat."
No MTV
"I don't watch MTV because the songs are all over the radio. I look for a unique kind of music. I mostly research on the net," tells Mael. The music, he says, is the DJs key to attracting the crowd. "Basically, what makes customers come to you is because of the style of your music."
Mael picks his own music, and most of his salary is spent buying CDs. He looks up to Laurent Garnier, a DJ-producer.
While doing the turntables, Mael says he dreams of producing his own music one day. He has co-produced the Fuel 2000 CD last year. He says it inspired him to venture into another project. "I would have to move on to the next level. Hopefully, I can concentrate on producing my own songs."
�2001 Writer's Block. All rights reserved.