We met over Hainanese curry rice in a local food court in Singapore. I asked him about his love for music and how he got started as a DJ, and how he came upon the name of “One With Aldrin”.
His story captivated me. Local boy, loves music, loves mixing, driven by his passion, pretty enterprising, clearly talented. As with travel, the entertainment scene’s been hit hard by Covid-19 and Aldrin needed to find a new groove, like us.
So I asked him if he would like to work with WiT this year – compose original tracks. Every artist needs to find his or her voice. Could he be inspired by what we were trying to do? Unite travel. One With Aldrin, One With Travel. Heal travel. We need it, after the trauma of the past few months and in the months ahead.
His first track “Unite” will make its debut during our Virtual Summit on June 24. The rest of Aldrin’s tracks will accompany us “On The Road To Singapore” towards WiT Experience Week, September 28-October 1.
Meanwhile, listen to this podcast about the story of One With Aldrin.
How did he get started?
“The whole breakdance revolution from the States blew up here in Singapore around 1990. I got into it like any other 12-year-old boy. I always noticed when the kids were breakdancing, there was always this guy at the back playing the music for the kids to dance to, and that caught my attention.”
How travel changed his music, and life
“I was a flight attendant with Singapore Airlines. That was a great stepping stone because it was free to all the clubbing cities like London, New York, Amsterdam. So while the rest of the crew were out shopping, I was going to the record stores, the clubs … when Zouk finally offered me the job in 1996, I didn’t look back. I immediately resigned from Singapore Airlines and I took the job.”
On his first original track, Letitia’s Dream, inspired by his three-year-old daughter
“At the time, my career as a DJ in Zouk was kind of on the up and I realised that to be one step ahead, it’s not just about playing other people’s music … I needed to make my own music and have other DJs play it. So that was my first foray into production.”
How much is technology vs creativity?
“I would say maybe 30% technology, the rest has to be creativity, improvisation and experience. Of course, you’ve got to keep up with all the new gadgetry … but I feel a lot has to do with the experience of playing to crowds, all kinds of crowds. You learn a thing or two, when to do certain things, when not to do certain things, how to programme your music to lift the spirits of the dance floor.”
The story behind the “One With Aldrin” tag
“It was around 2000 – these international DJs (being brought in) were getting all the top publicity … I felt that we needed to do something for the local DJs, the resident DJs because, at the end of the day, we were the pillars of the club. I felt that we needed to push the local DJ popularity amongst the locals.”
Proudest moments
“… of the small little things like, people coming up to me at the end of the night or, days later, writing to me to tell me that they had a great time. They had a great night. They enjoyed my setup. It’s these little, little things that really make my day and it’s priceless.”
Doing virtual dance parties – what is it like?
“I was actually not super big into it. But after doing one set recently … and just looking at amount of people that came online, the amount of people that were sharing, dropping hellos … I realised at this time of craziness, this is what people really want; they just want to connect. They just want to be together. They just want to have a good time together.”
The making of the “Unite track” for WiT
“I decided to try to marry a couple of different styles together. So there’s some rock influence, the rock guitars, there’s some disco guitars – it’s marrying things together, coming together of all the different genres.
“It’s really stirring up the engine that’s been lying dormant for too long. So now I’m like, wow, really inspired to want to do more.”
Have a listen – to both his story and Aldrin’s music.
• Join Aldrin at “Let’s Dance: Unite One with Aldrin” – the closing party of the Virtual Summit on 24 June. Party starts at 10pm, Singapore time (GMT +8). Book your dance space here.