KUCHING, Friday – The Malaysian famous DJ Roundhead has been added to the Borneo Jazz main program performing both nights on the 9 and 10 May 2014. The 9thedition of Borneo Jazz will dedicate a special DJ slot right after the main stage show each night held at the Pavilion, Parkcity Everly Hotel in Miri, Sarawak.
Crowned as the ‘Malaysia DJ Champion’ 3 years in a row when he entered the Malaysian DJ Championship competition from 1995-1997, DJ Roundhead has recorded a long history in the Malaysian music industry with accumulation of at least 20 years performing as a DJ. Among the best moment in his artistic career is representing Malaysia in the Rotterdam Love Parade in the Netherlands for a crowd of 10,000 strong on a 34 wheel trailer while proudly flying the Malaysian flag in front of his console. He also has served as a DJ residency in Melbourne, Australia for a year before returning to Malaysia and currently attached full time to TraxxFM in Kuala Lumpur. Roundhead was the producer, composer and the song writer for Malaysia’s very first techno group Asian Tech for Sony Music Malaysia in 1994.
He started career with humble beginnings but at the peak of his career, he never considered himself a celebrity. His passion is music so when he was in high school, he would work part-time jobs during the weekend just to blow it all away on CD's and records. That made him the "go-to-guy" when it came to house parties from high school all the way to college. Roundhead would bring his own player and set up his own mini console and rock the crowd at the party. He did it for free of course, but only after college he join a company during the 90's called Clubworld Entertainment that supplied DJ's to entertainment outlets around Malaysia, where then only he started his professional training.
Explaining on his early passions and influences, Roundhead stressed that he was heavily influenced by the styles and technique of DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Terminator-X, DJ Rob Base, Jam Master Jay when it came to hip-hop and Frankie Knuckles, Masters at Work, Armand Van Helden and CJ Mackintosh when it came to dance music.
For Roundhead, the major challenge for any real DJ is being able to perform under pressure. Studying the crowd that you are about to perform to can be real nerve wrecking because everyone has different taste in music. A real DJ can tell if a record or a song is going to be a hit or a dance floor filler. The most interesting bit in his humble opinion is studying the crowd earlier before any performance without undermining their expectations of entertainment. Eye contact plays an important role once he hit the stage.
Building a real relationship with the music played for his own approach is very important. According to Roundhead, knowledge is the key for everything. It's the main ingredient for a DJ like him to know what he is playing. “When you have knowledge of what music is all about, diversity becomes your ultimate weapon. Being able to perform just 1 particular genre might make you good in your craft, but being able to play any concept or genre and the showmanship that comes with it makes you immaculate” he added. Deciding what record to play next comes from the heart and soul, not to mention observation of the crowd and being confident.
Sarawak Tourism Board, the organizer of Borneo Jazz has added value to the programme format this year by adding a Club Set with DJ Roundhead after the nightly stage shows. Although the organiser encourage the public to come to the 2-nights festival, those who are only able to attend the clubset will be allowed in after midnight at a cover charge of only RM10.
Eight international bands has been confirmed for this year’s festival. Program detail as well as the pre-sale promotional tickets to Borneo Jazz are still available online at www.jazzborneo.com .
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