Turntable Tuesday: 
DJ Chelsea

Canadian DJ Chelsea has been a mainstay in KL since mid-2008. Already cooking up a storm DJing at nightspots around the city, not only has she channelled her selection of soul, funk and sassy house tunes at venues like Cloth & Clef, Heritage Mansion and Twentyone, she also played at the MTV Asia Awards 2008 after party. Junk caught up with the DJ recently to find out her plans for world domination.

You started your DJing career in Canada. What made you come to this part of the world?
I was offered a residency in Singapore; they were looking for a North American female DJ who could play Top 40 pop and r ’n’ b. I love to travel and the perks of being a DJ is that you can work anywhere in the world. I’ve always had an interest in Asia and thought I’d start from the Far East, and then eventually, world domination (laughs).

When you first started, you infused a lot of hip hop into your sound. Has being in a different part of the world changed the way you make music?

Coming to Malaysia has just been such a dream for me ‘cause I’m able to play house music, which is what I’ve always wanted. I wanted to play dance music because I’ve been involved in hip hop since I was 17 when I worked in radio in Vancouver. But I’ve really lived out that phase and moved on to house music.

What’s the difference between the crowd in Singapore and KL?

In Singapore they’re maybe a bit less open to new music and it takes a while to warm them up; but I’ve only played in one place there. I find Malaysia much more hip and it’s such a melting pot, and I get to meet students from Africa and the Middle East. It’s very nice for me ‘cause I love the sounds of both these regions in the world. There are many more colourful faces and backgrounds here that love house and dance music; they are more receptive and they want to move.

Besides being a DJ, you also call yourself a host and entertainer….

I come from a background of performance art and radio, so I’m kind of artistic. Also, I use my personality to entice the crowd and make it very exciting for them because a lot of DJs tend to be introverts–they hide behind the [decks], and just play and tend not to interact too much. I’m a bit abnormal and I find myself loving the music as much as the people, and I also want to show them that I’ m not here just to play and look cool behind the decks.

You like to play dress up whenever you spin. What’s the most outrageous outfit you’ve ever worn?
I dressed up as Lara Croft during Halloween and that was a lot of fun (laughs).

Words Jolyn Photos DJ Chelsea
djchelseaj.blogspot.com