Queens Of Noize (Photo by: Dave M. Benett/Getty Images)

TEXT: LENNAT MAK

When I was in London a couple of years back, I witnessed the first hand craze of how DJ-ing would make you a superstar. After catching The White Stripes at Brixton Academy, the lot of us decamped to Barfly Camden for a special live set by the Grand Rapids, Michigan trio, Whirlwind Heat. When the rock ‘n’ roll mayhem ceased on stage, a pair of girls took over and started spinning tunes and pumpin’ their fists in the air. The crowd went wild. I was intrigued. “Who are these people?” I asked one of the local folks. And he said, “Oh, they are the Queens of Noize. Famous for hanging out with the Libertines but mostly? A DJ duo.”

How illuminating.

As the song goes, “Last Night A DJ Saved My Life“. But what makes a good DJ? I am not quite sure myself. You have those with super technical abilities and can mix and scratch on the fly, you also have those super stars DJs who just, you know, play songs from their iPods. Which ever way, it’s important to drop songs and keep the crowd “alive” through the night. Joe Ng, one half of the Beat! DJ duo who spins at Home Club, once told me that he could judge how well a song does on the dance floor by the crowd reaction. Some songs clear the dance floor immediately. But when a crowd pleaser comes on, you know the song is hip with the kids who would swarm back in with breaking moves.

Yup. Mr Zinner says a Gary Glitter record would not fly with the dance floor (Photo by: Edward Dougherty/WireImage)

And if you are an avid indie lover, you would have noticed the phenomenon of indie bands playing the role of the DJ for the after shows and whatnot. Many believe that Soulwax kickstarted the whole craze with their 2 Many DJs side project. Lovefoxx of CSS, Al Doyle of Hot Chip, Kele Okereke and Matt Tong of Bloc Party have all visited our shores at different times for their headlining DJ sets. Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs has also made a name out of his skills on the decks. Billy Lunn of The Subways often tweets about his DJ-ing exploits. Other indie band DJs include members from Klaxons, Franz Ferdinand, Blood Red Shoes, Foals… You know what? Let’s not exhaust ourselves with a “list.” Almost every indie band has a band member who loves to bring it to the dance floor. Just google any of your favorite indie band together with the words “DJ set” and the hit rate is 99%!

So what exactly is the allure of all these indie band DJ sets? Much as some of their DJ-ing skills are highly questionable, at the end of the day, it’s all about having a good time. I mean, if the indie bands could move you with their music, I am sure their song choices won’t be that far off, right? What say you? Share your thoughts about indie band DJs with us!

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If you want to experience a first-hand indie band DJ set, Barry Hyde and Ross Millard of The Futureheads will be hitting our little island for their headlining DJ set at Home Club come November 6. Details as follows:

HOME Reinvented Presents BEAT! Feat. The Futureheads DJ Set (UK)
November 6, 2009
Featuring: The Futureheads (UK), Ginette Chittick, Joe Ng, DJR, Ming
Entry: First drink charge of $20 inclusive of 1 standard drink. Club opens from 10pm till 6am