From Israel With Love: The Growth Of Fat Fish Familia In The Singaporean Pond
When Fat Fish Familia organises its flagship Strawberry Space events, they go big (Credit: Colossal Photos)
Beneath dangling planets and palm trees, it’s hard to catch Orio Leshem for a chat at his own event. The Fat Fish Familia co-founder scuttles around and directs his team, making sure that all is smooth sailing before the big crowds trickle in for the collective’s fourth year anniversary, the Strawberry Space Open Air at Wave House Sentosa. Orio’s in the process of transforming the beachside surf spot into a cosmic wonderland that, in a few hours, will host disco fiend, Dimitri From Paris, alongside a bevy of Singapore-based selectors.
Yes, this is Orio carrying a moon
When I do finally sit him down, the Israeli promoter and DJ looks knackered, yet visibly chuffed with the event’s progress, grinning from ear to ear. Only someone who’s achieved his vision could look this ecstatic, and Orio has little reason to feel glum. In just a few years, the 30-year-old has grown his series from a smattering of 30 punters to a community that attracts thousands, all for the common good of carousing.
“In Hebrew, we have a sentence, ‘Life is strawberries’, which means that life is sweet,” Orio shares on the inception of Fat Fish Familia’s flagship event, Strawberry Space. “I just wanted to create this sweet experience for a few hours, to make you feel like you’re diving in between dimensions and space with lots of different kinds of music and styles. What really makes this event special is the people who come. Anyone can play music, but this kind of energy – to bring together so many beautiful people – creates a story that is more about them than about us.”
Orio has a charisma that brings people together
Bringing people together is one of the fortes of this multi-dabbler, a driven entrepreneur who admits to throwing parties in Jerusalem when he was merely a teenager. A self-professed vibe creator, Orio organised parties for seven years before serving his mandatory conscription in Israel. The experience hardened him, but his desires for shaping a good party never grew soft.
Leaving his comforts back home, it was in Singapore where Orio found the landscape he needed to feed that gutsy ambition of his. Following the white-collared success he attained with the company he co-started – Genesis, which happens to delve into beauty and spa treatments – Orio, like many youngsters, fell in love with the party scene here.
Just like countless others, Orio was inspired by the potential of our scene (Credit: Colossal Photos)
“When I got to Singapore, I was really excited,” he recalls. “Back in the day, Avalon and Pangaea were open and I didn’t know much. I would also go to Velvet Underground [formerly at Zouk] for some underground music. Clarke Quay was always out of my territory; I don’t like this area [laughs]. I quite enjoyed these commercial times, even though I came from a different scene. I’m open-minded. I love hip-hop, funk and soul. But as a new guy in town, it was hard for me to find disco and house, even though there were amazing DJs here who’d been doing it for years. I probably didn’t hear about those pop-up parties in Singapore that happened. I only knew about the parties at Labrador Park and ones organised by Under The Bridge.”
With his seasoned expertise and revitalised inspiration, Orio would go on to fill that space, chipping into the scene he grew to adore at a then-nascent Kilo Lounge, doing bookings for DJs from Tel Aviv and doubling up as a warm-up selector. And then, he began to think bigger.
Orio and friends started out doing boat parties in Singapore, even costume-themed ones (Credit: Fat Fish Familia Facebook page)
Diving into the beginnings of Fat Fish Familia, Orio elaborates, “I started Fat Fish Familia when I had a few good friends from Israel who lived here; Rocco [who used to be Orio’s DJ partner] being one of them. We started with a few friends in house parties and boat parties, and then it started to grow. A few months after, I met Brittany Hutton [the Familia’s operation director], and she really took things to the next level. I remember Brittany was just about to finish her degree in LASALLE doing art management, and on her last day in school, she was learning how to create festivals. I know how to create a vibe, but operations-wise, to connect point A to point B in a party, I take my hat off to Brittany.”
So together with Brittany (who also coordinates events for Collective Minds and Sunshine Nation) and with the help of production masterminds like Mischief Makers and Rebel Decibel Soundsystem, Orio and co. would establish Fat Fish Familia as an avid mainstay in the scene. Roaming around a range of venues from the dusty warehouses of Kallang to polished nightspots around Marina Bay, their parties hosted international names like Naoki Serizawa, Soul Clap, Wolf + Lamb, and even the legendary Louie Vega.
Fat Fish Familia has invited big acts like Soul Clap (Credit: Debbie Y. Photography)
You’ll always see these three words at Fat Fish Familia events (Credit: Colossal Photos)
But as Orio mentioned earlier, what makes Fat Fish Familia parties distinctive is the energy of its community. Often, you’ll find that this community is bound by a motto the series advocates: no ego, amigo. And I think we can all agree that ego at a party is an awful ingredient.
One problem that pervades the impression of partying is the notorious shadow of ego. Granted, I have buds who shun even the idea of partying because they fear that they’re entering a battleground of one-uppance, dominated by arrogant attitudes, flirtatious sleaze and a peacock-fest of spending power. Especially for those who are purely there for the music, it’s no question that ego is a deal-breaker. Orio concurs with this, and that’s why he decided to create a safe space for everyone at his events.
“I hate to come to a party and see suits who think they’re better than someone. I hate it, and I feel it. In our events, you can see someone on the dancefloor who’s a student with maybe $100 in their bank account, dancing next to someone who possibly came to the event in a Rolls-Royce,” he hypothesises.
“And we have zero tolerance. If someone comes to the event and thinks they own someone, and acts in a way that’s extra touchy, ill-mannered or disrespectful, we try to spot them as soon as we can and kick them out and ban them. Right now, we have a blacklist of over 20 people. Love is the message. If you’re not coming to share love and come with judgmental vibes, you’re not welcome, even if you want to open a table of $10,000. We don’t care about this.”
Another edition of Strawberry Space with the legend, Louie Vega (Credit: Elvina Wolf)
It is these attempts to create a snob-free haven that matter, and it is a strategy that continues to magnetise, attracting more and more with each fiesta. As an expat himself, and one who once felt lost not being able to find non-commercial events in Singapore, Orio feels that he’s not only addressed the conundrum he once endured, but has also brought expat and local demographics together, which can sometimes be segmented at such parties.
“I’m trying my best with the locals y’know!” he declares with enthusiasm. “I feel that Singaporeans are more supportive of Singaporeans, and it takes a long time to earn trust from them. But I’m trying really hard all the time. I’m coming from a good place, to boost the scene. Before every event we organise, I’m even checking with other promoters to make sure that nothing happens on the same day. I do it with love and understanding. I’m not coming to break legs or step on someone else. I’m coming to bring my colours to the game.”
Fat Fish Familia supports the scene by inviting other Singapore-based DJs and promoters to perform, such as the Ice Cream Sundays crew for their Strawberry Space Open Air
Orio’s openness is a sentiment that applies to yet another element that distinguishes Fat Fish Familia events from others, and that is its open-format soundtrack. Parties are fundamentally nothing without the music, so Orio programmes his events in a way where most genres are covered, catering to all grooves and moves on the dancefloor.
“Through this diversity, house, disco, funk and soul all get more awareness. And later on, this will lead to people accepting them more,” he explains the rationale behind his planning. “Before the first Strawberry Space, I didn’t have the guts to throw ’90s vibes; some of them can be cheesy, but sexy as f*ck! But when I saw Wolf + Lamb and Nick Monaco doing it [at their events] and I saw the crowd going crazy, it gave me the confidence to explore all boundaries. Now, people are just waiting for me to take them out of their comfort zones on the dancefloor.”
“And that’s the beauty of Fat Fish Familia and Strawberry Space. We try the hardest to break all the rules. Why should I only play one genre? I love music! I’m here to make people lose their f*cking minds! I let the crowd give me energy. I’m like a disco ball. The crowd is the light; I reflect their light.”
Glowing with Dimitri From Paris (Credit: Colossal Photos)
This light, that started out as a spark in Israel, now illuminates Singapore’s party scene with a passion. Today, Orio can be found pushing the Fat Fish Familia brand at locations like The Monarchy, Tanjong Beach Club, Camp Kilo Charcoal Club, 1880, and soon, SO Sofitel Singapore every Fridays for their Fat Friday’s events, each featuring a different, like-minded guest. And in the coming months, Orio even tells me that they plan to throw a weekly marathon of big jamborees (from 27 October to 15 November), bringing back an all-star lineup of Fat Fish Familia alumni including Nick Monaco, Soul Clap, Louie Vega and more. When all these land, rest assured that the Fat Fish Familia will be at their doors waiting to welcome you. All you have to do is respect the rules.
“Be kind. Be good. Don’t be judgmental. The dancefloor is a place for therapy, not a place for ego. And if that’s what you come for, walk away, man. Get the f*ck out.”
To find out more Fat Fish Familia and their events, follow their official website.
