Shutter Rhythms: There’s Now A Series Of DJ Pop-Up Performances Filmed Inside A Hawker Stall

One order of local DJ goodness coming right up (Credit: Shutter Rhythms)

The DJ-anywhere phenomenon continues in Singapore. We’ve covered initiatives that’ve orchestrated DJ pop-up sets in coffee shops, old-school bookstores, and even a Katong laundromat owned by a family business. Well now, someone’s gone and recorded a DJ showcase series inside a hawker centre stall, albeit one that’s concealed within shutters. It’s a series fittingly called Shutter Rhythms, and it recently rolled out its first season just last month.

It's a fairly simple concept that keeps the focus on the DJ; don’t expect to see any wok-frying here. With the setting of the hawker stall pretty much intact, it provides a closed environment that showcases a motley crew of nine left-field selectors for its debut season. Episodes feature fresh faces such as Gumgo, MathanMatics and XUNAT, along with more familiar names such as Mako, INFRA-24 and Loyboy. Collectively, you get a wide-ranging soundtrack that spans IDM, industrial, breaks and electronica; an experimental melange of sounds that you wouldn’t traditionally hear at the club. But to hear it inside a hawker stall? Go figure.

Labelled as neither a collective nor radio station, Shutter Rhythms shares on its socials that it stemmed from a “frustration with the lack of physical spaces for short-term creative projects” and the red tape that comes with it. It was also created as platform for different forms of electronic music that don’t necessarily fit in the convenient pigeonholes of house or techno. Shutter Rhythms might not follow the same format or location for its next season, but from what you can watch on its YouTube channel so far, it’s clearly onto something special.

Watch the episodes of Shutter Rhythms on YouTube, or follow its socials to stay connected.