The use of gimmickry at large DJ festivals is at an all-time high. Some DJs wear masks to keep their true identities hidden like Daft Punk. Others, like DJ Bl3nd, wear a mask to bang his head to hardstyle music, while deadmau5 dawns a Mickey Mouse-like helmet with LED screens and lasers shooting out of it for the entertainment of his fans. And, of course, the modern day sultan of silliness is Steve Aoki, with his penchant for giving women in the audience champagne showers, stage diving in inflatable rafts and throwing cakes onto his audience.
KEEPING IT REAL
DJ Fingaz (real name William Houseman), who will be performing at 18TC tomorrow night, ain’t got no time for that. He goes by the motto “Good music, no gimmicks,” so instead of counterfeit ways to turn a party up, he’ll just be playing raw hip-hop, smooth R&B, banging party breaks, classic favorites from the 1980s, dirty trap beats, soulful house tunes, fist-pumping electro and a touch of Reggae and classic rock.
Photo courtesy of DJ Finga
Fingaz is an expert in music the crowds want to hear. “Good music doesn’t have an expiration date so it’s always good. Good music triggers your feelings. It makes you happy or it lets you reminisce or just be in the moment. Good music can make you laugh or even cry,” he said in an e-mail interview with the Taipei Times.
As the baby of his family, Fingaz got his musical education from his older brother and sister. They forced him to listen to and love artists like Journey, The Cure, The Police, Metallica, Neil Diamond and NWA. Fingaz even says that his favorite artist is Lionel Richie.
FREE-STYLING
This musical open-mindedness has led Fingaz to become an open-format DJ. He says he studies the crowd to determine what fans want to hear, and plays a song to test their response. The crowd doesn’t know that they are being tested, but Fingaz does. Then, he might drop a song that they didn’t expect to hear in a club and it can make the place go crazy.
For the past 16 years, Fingaz has been on his grind. He was born in Detroit but was raised in San Diego, where he got his musical start. Over the years, he has played in 55 countries, but now resides in Hong Kong, where he has a residency at dragon-i club.
Every show Fingaz does, he energizes the crowds, and this weekend in Taichung will be no different.
“What the people give to me I will give them back times 10!” he said.
■ 18TC presents DJ Fingaz tomorrow from 10:30pm to 4am at 18TC, 38 Dachuan St, Taichung City (台中市大川街38號). Admission is NT$300 for ladies and NT$500 for men. Admission includes two drinks.
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