Reset Beats: This Local Live-Stream Series Wants To Cut Out Bullsh*t From Dance Music Culture
Reset Beats is bringing the enjoyment of dance music back to basics (Credit: Reset Beats)
The pandemic’s slump has trapped the nightlife scene in a sticky sludge, with the fate of live DJ performances hindered for the foreseeable future. While no longer a novel medium since its surge around March 2020, the live-stream format remains a practical solution to replicate the closest thing possible to a real-time DJ set. It might’ve lost its novelty over the months, but its existence helps to keep the motor running where energy and spirits within the DJ community are concerned. Helping with the heavy lifting in this domain is Reset Beats – a series founded by British expat and Singaporean native, Darren Mathurin – that kicked off in the end of 2020. Its mission? To deliver music without the bullshit.
Darren M has played at several events and venues in Singapore in the past couple of years (Credit: Courtesy of Darren M)
A seasoned selector himself, Darren M – who’s also a resident for Revision Music’s Sub City drum & bass series – channels his raw, fuss-free devotion to dance music into Reset Beats. Culling the bells and whistles you’d find in a polished set with a mega production budget, Darren wanted a series that zeroes in on the enjoyment of music and nothing else; to reinject fun and respite into an industry that tends to be tainted with flashiness or snobbery. With live sets broadcast from the headquarters of Rebel Decibel Soundsystem, the series is a regular, inclusive showcase of local and expat acts, with a focus on genre eclecticism spanning jungle, techno, hip-hop, breakbeat and more. Reset Beats is Darren’s way of giving back to the scene while rejuvenating its languorous state; a gesture that reflects his growing attachment to the Singaporean scene.
To elaborate more on Reset Beats, Darren shares the story of its inception and significance in this piece. When it comes to playing music, Darren M is not playing around.
What inspired the formation of Reset Beats, and what does it represent in the constantly shifting tides of the scene?
It’s funny, but it all started off with me being self-indulgent and being fed up that there were no live music venues coupled with ongoing conversations with friends, DJs and promoters. I kind of grew tired of all the negativity surrounding the music industry and wanted to get back to basics. Reset Beats is not a polished production. The mixing isn’t perfect but it’s all about the music and just enjoying yourself playing records. I also wanted to promote the local DJs who I’ve met in Singapore and to show the great depth and variety that is on your doorstep. I try to get one local DJ where possible on each stream, as they are more familiar with the scene and have a different following than that of the expat DJs. For many years now, clubs and promoters have had too much focus on showcasing international music acts and I feel like it’s leading to a slow death of the local music scene in Singapore and overseas.
One characteristic that makes the series stand out is its diversity in genres. Why adopt this approach instead of focusing on a singular sound?
I grew up loving so many genres of music that it’s always been hard for me to stick to a particular sound. There is so much great music across so many genres and I wanted Reset Beats to represent a melting pot of quality music. Reset Beats is about bringing a shift in the way we perceive music, no matter what genre. And even if we don’t want to admit it, the world does not just revolve around drum & bass or house music.
The live-streams are broadcast from the headquarters of Rebel Decibel Soundsystem (Credit: Reset Beats)
Can you tell us more about the current space and setting of Reset Beats? I see that it’s a collaboration with the Rebel Decibel team.
Yeah, that was a total accident. A friend introduced me to Duncan, who I had played with before but didn’t realise he was Rebel Decibel. It’s a great workspace with a massive Funktion One Soundsystem that gives you the opportunity to listen to music at a professional level and quality, which is secretly every DJ’s dream! It also is a nice meeting spot for like-minded people to talk shop about music. If it wasn’t for the studio and having the opportunity to focus on the birth of Reset Beats, the last 12 months would have been a hell of a lot tougher and nowhere near as fun.
Tell us a bit more about yourself. Who is Darren M as an artiste/promoter, and how long have you been involved in the scene, locally or abroad?
Well, I am a Second Summer Of Love child, part of the acid house generation – so I guess that makes me really old. I grew up listening to soca, reggae, funk, electro, and pop music, which all have their place in the innovation of house, hip-hop, techno and drum & bass. So much amazing music was invented or reinvented in the late ’80s that it was a natural progression for me to fall into the music scene. Music back then grew organically, and I am proud to have been part of the acid house and rave generation. I was at the Castle Morton rave; I was at the first Fantazia and Biology rave; I used to listen to the likes of Carl Cox, DJ Die, RandalI and Dave Seaman play in fields and warehouse parties. I was at the opening of Fabric and the closing of The End, so the music scene has been a big part of my personal history. I’ve spent a long time mostly on the other side, but every now and then dabbled in production and promotion in and around London. More recently, I’ve become one of the residents for Sub City and played for various parties around Singapore.
“I have been pleasantly surprised by how people here have a depth of music knowledge that you don’t really find in the average Londoner.” (Credit: Courtesy of Darren M)
Can you share more about your time spent in Singapore so far? What are your thoughts on the local scene?
Since moving here, I have grown to love Singapore. Would I like more to do? Yes. Would I like less division? Yes. But as a place for the family, it’s perfect. It is still very young in its mentality and has a lot to learn in some areas like most cities in the world. Visiting places around the world, I always thought that the scene was the same as in London – high energy, fast-paced and easily accessible. So after moving to Singapore, I was incredibly surprised that it wasn’t, but I have been pleasantly surprised by how people here have a depth of music knowledge that you don’t really find in the average Londoner.
The mainstream scene here is remarkably similar to any major city, superficial and preened which I personally feel is killing the music for everyone. The underground scene, however, is vibrant and exciting, backed by local DJs and promoters like Sub City and Blackout Agency who work hard to bring quality music and musicians here. Then you have Manifest that promotes local, but it’s hard as I think the scene has gotten smaller and smaller due to the change in generational social behaviour and now has become elitist and very expensive.
One thing I find very strange here is that promoters don’t work together and instead choose to work independently rather than combining expertise. This is why Reset Beats is built on getting everyone involved. Personally, I think the music scene worldwide needs to take itself less seriously and maybe take the polish out and bring back the smaller more intimate parties that include music and art that celebrate culture.
Why is it so important to continue pushing DJ sets via live-streams? How do you stay motivated?
The strange thing is, I really don’t know how much impact live-streams have, but I feel that they are a way of keeping a connection with people.
I do, however, hope in the future – especially within the F&B industry – that streaming becomes an important tool until we can pivot back to something like our previous lives. The entire planet has had to adapt to the new normal. Similar to the work-from-home situation, where people had to set up home offices and run video meetings, streaming is the natural progression for DJs. It’s easy to set up and it’s designed so that your average mobile or laptop owner can become an event producer with a very simple setup. It’s part of music culture now and here to stay. The streams don’t have to be polished or grand events that have ruined the music scene in my opinion; they can be intimate, bedroom streams, or just showing people having fun again with music. Who knows if Rest Beats will be a game-changer, but I am going to have as much fun as possible for as long as possible.
And to wrap up, can you elaborate how you feel about the growth of Reset Beats, and what you want it to achieve in the coming months?
At present, I have a number of platforms running on Reset Beats. We have the live-stream, and I have also started Reset Beats the Massive Mix with some friends around the world and Reset Introducing on Soundcloud for people who are music lovers and just love mixing but not DJs. All these facets are ways of promoting music and my friends here and abroad. Where do I want Reset to be in the coming months? I am trying to take people back to the basics when we just loved the music without all the bullshit.
You can watch Reset Beats on Twitch, or listen to its archives on Mixcloud and SoundCloud. Follow its Instagram page for more updates.
