Hue stays up late with… DJs.

Báo Thừa Thiên Huế•11/05/2023

Seeking thrills

That weekend, as if guessing my desire for a fun evening, my young acquaintance, Duc, who works in freelance transportation, immediately suggested, "Let's change things up, shall we? We'll have a drinking session with some DJ performances as an added bonus." Just hearing about it excited me, and also to gather some experience for this article, I readily agreed. So, that very evening, we headed straight to a fancy restaurant on To Huu Street. It was only a little after 8 PM, but the restaurant was already packed with diners, mostly young people. It seemed like people nearing their 60s, like myself, were from another planet, as there were only a handful of people scattered around.

There was nothing particularly special about the food, but the restaurant's ambiance and the DJ performance by the first musician, a young woman in eye-catching attire, were something else. The "introduction" consisted of softly mixed tracks, gradually increasing in tempo and volume over time. As the night progressed, the sound and rhythm became more frenzied and energetic, until finally, the entire hall of hundreds of people seemed to "ignite" with excitement… I don't remember the bill for my uncle and me that day, but it seemed quite substantial. Just one slightly excessive night out left me aching all over for days afterward. Suddenly, I understood better: that wasn't the place for old people like me.

It was already midnight, but my friend told me that was just the beginning. To fully experience the nightlife with DJs as the "kings of the night," you had to stay out late, to those "party rooms" with all sorts of things that are hard to describe in just a few lines about this world of partying. Hearing my friend, who was younger than my own child, tell me this story made me feel a little self-conscious. I wanted to party a little longer to make up for it and to get my money's worth, but I didn't dare take the risk, because after just a few hours, my blood pressure was already starting to rise!

I'd also like to add a few words about the DJ profession. It's an abbreviation for Disc Jockey and Deejay. For a long time, DJs have been understood as professionals who select and play recorded music for audiences. They not only have to choose music, but also adapt and adjust it to make it lively, energetic, and suitable for a wide range of audiences. Originating in Jamaica in the 1950s, it spread to the US in the 1960s, and from there, DJing truly reached its peak. In the early 2000s, DJs made their way into the Vietnamese music market, appearing in Hue around 2005 and now experiencing a period of popularity. However, for a long time, DJs weren't recognized as artists. Many people viewed places where DJs were present as chaotic, disorderly, and unhealthy.

A party wouldn't be complete without a DJ.

Check out the Facebook page of Pub Airlines at 39 Ba Trieu Street. They present themselves as a leading entertainment venue shaping Hue's unique "nightlife" scene, and what immediately catches my eye are images of fun and revelry, and of course, the alluring photos of skilled female DJs with hot bodies on the keyboard. Let's stop at one of Pub Airlines' most irresistible invitations: "...the appearance of DJ Thao BeBe, one of Vietnam's sexiest DJs; this time at Airlines, DJ Thao BeBe will bring us incredibly intense sets, promising a sleepless night for the partygoers of Hue."

It's not an exaggeration to say that DJing is one of the marketing strategies used by restaurants. City Beer at 44 To Huu Street boldly extends an enthusiastic invitation: "Recharge your energy with City Beer and enjoy a fantastic drinking session with vibrant music from our hot DJs." While not singers, DJs are tasked with spreading musical joy to everyone, and comparatively, female DJs have an advantage; with a good appearance and a bit of skill, they can easily find gigs compared to their male counterparts. In bars, live music cafes, or restaurants, female DJs are often required to wear revealing and super-short outfits, showcasing their curves and skin as much as possible.

It's no exaggeration to say that the era of DJs is here. And it seems that Hue isn't falling behind, if anything, is rising to the top in the Central region. The dozens of bars and restaurants, from budget-friendly to luxurious, that are brightly lit with DJs speak for themselves. In fact, it's not just nightly shows, often lasting from at least 2 PM to 2 AM the following morning, at bars and restaurants. DJs also appear and are the main characters in many events, from gatherings with friends and acquaintances, celebrations, birthdays, to product launches and introductions... Especially the wild parties in "clubs," full of intense sensations, often starting after drinking sessions. In general, if you want to have a blast and "go wild," you have to rely on these DJs. Many people probably haven't forgotten the incident over a year and a half ago when dozens of men and women, including the manager and DJ, were caught "partying" and testing positive for drugs at the K&K restaurant.

Duc told me that he frequently receives orders to transport famous DJs from Hue to perform in the districts, mainly in coastal communes, where many overseas Vietnamese visit their homeland and host parties for friends and acquaintances. These are "opportunistic" bookings, supplementing the already substantial income of some popular DJs who have established themselves in large bars and restaurants in Hue. These on-demand parties usually start quite early, become lively with the addition of DJs, and can last until... late at night. Duc also told me that he started getting acquainted with and becoming "addicted" to electronic music from those trips. As for me, I thought about how the appearance of DJs has brought new, positive, and vibrant cultural aspects to Hue, helping to "break" the feeling of Hue's early and quiet nights.

(To be continued)

Part II: High Income & High Pressure

Source