Are Two People At A DJ Set Riskier Than 750 Attendees At A Live Gig?

Does this make any sense to you?

Rules can sure be weird sometimes. While the imposition of strict rules has undoubtedly carried us into safer waters with this pandemic, some of them remain suspiciously arbitrary.

Rules have to evolve with progress. In the music scene, that’s why we’ve seen tremendous strides in the reawakening of the concert space as our community case numbers continue to lay low. On 24 March, the Ministry of Health announced more leeway with the maximum capacity allowed at live gigs, increasing the limit to 750 attendees with pre-event testing, or 250 without testing.

AEG Presents and Collective Minds threw a live gig at Marina Bay Sands catered to 500 people in December 2020 (Credit: Collective Minds)

With music events returning to venues like The Esplanade, Marina Bay Sands and The Star Theatre, we can see the ripples of this progress. It’s a glimmer of optimism that motivates live acts that’ve holed themselves up in their studios, and for concert-chasers who miss the resonant ambience of a full-band setup. It’s been a mild hoorah for the restoration of the scene’s status quo, yet a significant portion of the local music community has been left high and dry.

While the authorities are willing to allow a hypothetical number of 750 people at a concert, albeit with social distancing measures in place, they are reluctant to permit a DJ performance with as few as two in attendance.

Clubs like Zouk have turned to other means to stay afloat, like turning into a pop-up cinema (Credit: Zouk)

It’s been over a year now since the pandemic cast a shadow over the club scene, eradicating the possibility of parties completely. A problematic pilot scheme for clubs to reopen under dreadful circumstances did not sit well with the community, and even that was eventually canned back in January, leaving neither any avenue of recourse nor an end date to this limbo.      

The government has been distant and apathetic towards helping to revive this detached segment of the city’s culture, not unlike using a stick to prod a corpse. Perhaps it sees it as a lost cause, or a cesspool of hedonism that will figuratively open the gates of COVID hell. Should the revival of the live gig space truly be treated on a different level than that of the nightlife community?

Most DJ sets look pretty ‘live’ if you ask me (Credit: The Council, taken before the Circuit Breaker)

For starters, I don’t see any reason why a DJ set should be considered any different from a ‘live performance’, if we’re going into technicalities here. In my opinion, if a selector picks tracks and mixes on-site, then you have yourself a live set, regardless of the type of tunage picked. If anything, having one person in a designated console area that’s separated from audiences is much more risk-free than a full band, and DJs don’t even need to take their masks off to perform.

But as it seems, even beyond the party setting, the mere presence of a DJ seems to evoke fear amongst the authorities. Whether it’s a restaurant or a pop-up market, DJs aren’t allowed to mix music live, even for the purposes of background music. Perhaps this stems from the misunderstanding the government has when it comes to the work of a ‘DJ’, mistakenly inclined towards the more commercial spectrum of dance music where everything is loud and rambunctious. It’s an out-of-touch outlook that doesn’t seem to grasp that DJ sets can exist in downtempo and deeper territories, putting out a smooth vibe instead of a volley of adrenaline. But then again, as Eddie Amador said it, not everyone understands house music.

At beach bars like Tanjong Beach Club, DJ sets were about delivering a chilled-out vibe (Credit: Tanjong Beach Club, taken before the Circuit Breaker)

One would argue that it’s the alcohol factor that perpetuates this mentality to keep it shut. I’m not going to be foolish enough to say that you can separate drinks from partying; not to mention, it’s often the primary source of revenue for promoters and venue owners. And yes, the state of inebriation does attract a certain looseness in behaviour. But isn’t that what event security is for? Or if the city can spare another safe distancing officer or two, like the umpteen ones you currently see roaming in malls, hawker centres, trains and other public locations, can’t this be a deterrent?

At snack bar, Rails, its DJ console remains empty while recorded music plays in the background at less than 60 decibels (Credit: Rails)

The same level of apprehension can be witnessed at live music bars that’ve been hit hard by the lack of developments. Established venues like Blu Jaz Cafe and Crazy Elephant still aren’t allowed to have live performances, a signature tenet of their businesses, in their premises. The gradual increase of maximum audience capacities may benefit larger performance venues or local musicians with a ‘superstar’ stature that can pull 750 people, but these mean nothing to live music establishments that can’t even throw a gig with a minimal crowd, or a cover act that needs regular performances at these venues to put food on the table. The common denominator between this and the party scene boils down once again to the presence of alcohol, the vilified ‘devil’s brew’ that the authorities fear will corrupt society’s better judgment.

Alcohol shouldn’t be the one thing that sullies or defines these pockets of entertainment. The bigger picture of preserving our city’s musical culture must be considered.

With proper distancing measures, day events could be a feasible solution to the party drought (Credit: Meltem Acik for Ice Cream Sundays, taken before the Circuit Breaker)

And one more thing: if the crammed confines of a club dancefloor is another problem, why can’t we simply have more outdoor events? With open-air ventilation and more space to spread out attendees, the risk of infection would be significantly lower. Even better, make these daytime raves to ease the job of security and reduce the concern of drinking past 10.30pm (also an arbitrary timing).

As a sentimental partygoer, I confess that all these aren’t the most ideal scenarios. Nothing beats the heady euphoria of an unadulterated rave, swaying in rhythm as one on the dancefloor. Realistically speaking, I’ve long accepted that that isn’t going to come back anytime soon. But where are the baby steps? It’s been over a year and we’ve made zero progress where parties, or the return of DJ sets for that matter, are concerned.

Parties in Taiwan have been back in full swing (Credit: basika)

Reopening the door to parties wouldn’t be inconsistent with what other neighbouring countries are doing, too. With their case numbers kept low, Taiwan and Vietnam (outside Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh) have welcomed back parties without a hitch. With reasonable restrictions, Singapore certainly has the means to follow suit. The powers that be simply lack the courage and understanding.

A performer behind a turntable is not a Pied Piper leading people to their demise. Dance music is not a war cry to abandon all rational behaviour. And minimal crowds – let alone two people – can most definitely be controlled with the right regulations in place. It’s time to tweak the rules that’ve kept the party scene at bay for far too long.

We’ve got a long way to go till 750, but we have to start somewhere.