Frank-ie speaking Having turned a hobby into a full-blown career and gripped success in the Hong Kong breaks scene, DJ and Producer Frankie Lam speaks frankly about his views on the Hong Kong party scene. N: When did you first start DJ-ing and what was the genre of music? F: I have been DJ-ing for almost 15 years now. After leaving school at 18, I managed to get a job as a bar tender at JJ’s at the Grand Hyatt. While working I used to hear some awesome music that was around at the time and really got an insight into parties and dance music. I was fascinated by the way you could mix two pieces of beats together and compose a tune. After work I would go to Wan Chai with my colleagues and I met a Filipino DJ who was pretty hot at the time and he taught me the basics of mixing. I never intended to become a DJ, I just saw making music as a hobby; the way someone plays on “Play Station”, for instance. It just evolved from there really. In terms of the type of music I played, it was more inclined to Progressive style as that was the sound of the time and the music that I had access to. N: What made you turn to breaks? F: In Hong Kong the music scene is quite up and down and the crowd normally goes with what is popular. I am interested in a diverse range of music, but at the same time I also enjoy a good party and for that reason people will normally associate me with breaks, for the time being. I like all a spectrum of different breaks, from the more commercial stuff by Plum DJ’s through to more experimental sounds of Aquasky for instance. When it comes to DJ-ing I try to incorporate a lot of sounds, but the clubbers here seem to like the funky element more, its more dancy so I cater for them so they can enjoy themselves. N: When did you have your first club night? F: I never really had a “club night” as such. But I have a DJ team called “Intermix” and we have some private parties. The classification is more “private” as the music is for people who love what we do. For example myself, Jason F and David Lam will have a back to back type set with our friends and everyone who has supported our music over the years. They come specifically for the music and then through word of mouth more people started coming to the events and soon we were playing at various venues. N: Do you find that often when you are supporting some of the international artists, the crowd is mainly there to support you? F: Often I do think this happens, but at the same time say you have a 100 people at the party, maybe 40 of them come for the music and 60 for drinks, but all 100 are part of a group that goes to all breaks parties. They come to our parties, which happens almost every week, so you see a lot of people dancing when we are DJ-ing. But when the international DJ comes on, suddenly the crowd becomes a bit thinner. It’s probably because it the crowd needs sometime to get used to the DJ and eventually they warm up. The party crowd still needs a bit of education, but at the same time they are extremely supportive, which is very important to the music scene and us. N: Have you ever DJ-d outside of Hong Kong? F: Yes, in fact I was in Tokyo on the 14th of July at a club in Shibuya. In Japan the crowd are crazy about have a techno and breaks night together. I was asked to go up to Tokyo and play breaks while there was techno in the other room. The crowd loved it!
N: If you could DJ at any major festival which one would you choose? F: It’s a tough one, but probably Fuji Rock N: Which artist or artists would you say you admire? F: Definately “Asian Dub Foundation”. I really like how they have so many people doing a live show that is a combination of rock and dance music. I have never seen them live and would love the opportunity to do so! Interview: Nilly Chaudhuri 從純粹興趣發展到如此成功的事業，並於香港的碎拍音樂 (breaks) 市場中獲取輝煌成就，身兼 DJ 及音樂製作人的 Frankie Lam 與我們分享他對本地派對市場現況的看法。
N: 你在甚麼時候開始打碟? 當時打的是甚麼類型的音樂?
F: 到了現在，我的打碟年資已有差不多 15 年了。自 18 歲離校後，我在君悅酒店的 JJ’s 任職酒保，工作的時候常常接觸到不少悅耳的音樂並從那時開始了解派對舞曲。當時的我對於混音技術能夠把兩首曲的拍字混合並構成一支新的旋律為之著迷。
我和我的同事會在下班後一起到灣仔，在那裡我認識了一個當時頗炙手可熱的菲藉 DJ, 由他教授我混音的基本知識。我從來沒有刻意打算成為 DJ, 我只視音樂製作為一個興趣；就如一般人玩 PlayStation 的心態，一切都是從那裡逐步發展形成的。
以音樂類別來說，我當時的音樂風格傾向於漸進式音樂 (Progressive)，這是因為漸進式音樂為當時的主流，亦是我最初接觸的音樂種類。 N: 甚麼令你開始傾向碎拍音樂 (breaks)?
F: 香港的音樂市場一向有上有落，而群眾們多傾向於當時流行的音樂。我對各種不同類的音樂都感興趣，同時亦享受一個好玩的派對，這是人們暫時性的常把我和碎拍音樂(breaks) 聯想在一起的原因。
我喜愛各種不同類型的碎拍音樂 (breaks); 舉例說, 從較為商業的 Plump dj’s 到實驗感較強的 Aquasky 我都喜歡。在 DJ-ing 方面， 我會嘗試混合多種聲音，但本地樂迷似乎偏愛較好跳的Funky 元素，所以我會盡量迎合他們的喜好，讓他們能樂在其中。 N: 你在甚麼時候初嘗自己的舞廳個人演出？
F: 我從來沒有一個真正的 “舞廳個人演出”，但是我有一隊製作隊伍名為 “In The Mix” 去舉行一些私人派對，我們將其分類為 “私人派對” 是因為派對裡的音樂是為喜歡我們的人而設的。舉例說，我自己, Jason F 和 David Lam 會和我們的一些朋友一起打一套 “多人連貫混音” (back to back DJ set) 給所有在過去多年來支持我們音樂的人。這些人特地為音樂而來，然後從人們口中一個傳一個的吸引更多的人來參加我們舉辦的活動，及至令我們能在多種不同的活動裡表演。 N: 你有否發現通常在你為一些國際藝人當 伴樂 DJ (Supporting DJ) 的時候，群眾們大多數都是來支持你的?
F: 我認為這個情況有時是會發生的，但同時舉例說若派對內有 100 個人的話，當中或許有 40 人是為音樂而來的，另外 60 人則為飲酒而來，但是這 100 人都屬去碎拍音樂(breakbeat) 派對的那一群。他們差不多每星期都來我們的派對，所以在我們打碟的時候你會看見很多人在跳舞。但是當國際 DJ 出場時，人群就好像忽然間縮小了，這是因為人們可能需要一些時間去適應該名 DJ ，一會兒後群眾就會開始活躍起來。雖然派對裡的群眾仍需要一點兒的 “教育”，但同時地他們亦給予很多的支持，這對於我們和整個音樂市場來說是非常重要的。 N: 你曾在香港以外的地方表演嗎?
F: 有， 7 月 14 日那天晚上我其實在東京涉谷的一所舞廳內表演。日本的群眾對於一個結合 4/4拍強力機械式舞曲(Techno) 和 碎拍音樂 (Breaks) 的派對為之瘋狂。我被邀請到東京打 breaks 而舞廳的另一房間則在播放 Techno, 群眾們都十分喜歡!
N: 如果讓你選在任何一個主要大型音樂節中表演，你會選哪一個?
很難選，應該是 Fuji Rock 吧。 N: 你最欽佩和欣賞哪位/哪幾位藝人?
F: 無可置疑的是 “Asian Dub Foundation”. 我真的十分喜愛他們集合多人一起現場表演結合搖滾 (Rock) 和舞曲在一起的音樂組合。我從來未看過他們的現場現出，真的很希望有機會能看到! Translation: Sharlin Shya
|
