KUCHING-born Aaron Chang holds two jobs which are as different as night and day.
He is a pharmacist and a deejay and known in the circle as the Pharmacist DJ – a moniker that reflects the nature of his twin profession – pharmacist by day and deejay by night.
He said every deejay starts in the privacy of the home but with dedication, the art of turntablism can take you as far as you want to go.
“I’m venturing to be an open-format type deejay which means spinning any genre,” said Chang who has been sharing his musical passion at clubs and events in Kuching and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.
He now spins mostly R&B, Hip-hop, House music, and other genres around them.
Chang deejays at a club in Kuching.
Chang’s passion for music was kindled very early in life, being from a musical family.
“We’re all musically-inclined but I just took a different path. Growing up, there was always an FM radio on at home,” he recalled.
He used to record songs from the radio in cassettes and play them without any pause in between. With three or four empty cassettes, he would record over the older cartridges for a non-stop mix.
DJ academy
Once he finished school by age 17, he enrolled in a deejay academy but could only go as far as the beginners’ class because “we did not have much money back then”.
Determined to continue, he decided to work as an apprentice to a group known as Big Pat & The Crew.
Chang remembered it was all “watch and learn” and he would help to carry the CD bags and equipment – up to 10kg – and follow the group to their gigs.
Big Pat & The Crew eventually allowed him to choose their next CD as he gained their trust on the deck.
But it wasn’t a glamorous start. They would put him in bars without turntables and he had to record and mix the music using two CD players.
DJ Lionel B
at Chang’s
DJ class.
The main problem, he remembered, was that whenever people jumped, the CD would skip. This went on for a year before he decided to further his tertiary education at Sunway College, Subang in 2002.
“I had to continue my studies in Kuala Lumpur but my deejaying interest had turned into a burning passion,” he said.
Chang revealed it was during his college years that he managed to hone his deejaying skills by observing the disc jockeys at the clubs in Kuala Lumpur.
“I would do the only thing I was taught – watch and learn,” he added.
According to him, Google was not a good option in the early 2000s and he soon realised a lot of deejays had their own styles, so he decided to stick to one – DJ Goldfish.
He downloaded Virtual DJ, a free computer software, and started trying things out until he could mix well.
However, he pointed out that a good mix alone was not enough as an essential part of the job is crowd reading and he still have to pick up that skill.
“As I needed more experience in this area, I visited the clubs again to watch and learn more,” he said, quipping, “The frequency depended on how much pocket money I managed to save.”
Chang (right) with his fellow deejays and rapper after a show.
Studying pharmacy
After a few years, he enrolled at the International Medical University in Kuala Lumpur to study pharmacy. That was where he got the chance to test his deejaying skills.
He offered to premix tracks at performances. Whenever someone required such a service, he or she would ask for the pharmacist.
“That’s how I got my stage name,” he said.
After graduating in 2007, Chang took a break from deejaying due to work and life commitments but he continued practising at home.
“After my father passed away in 2014, I realised how short and precious life is. So I decided to continue pursuing my passion. In 2015, I started going public and dedicated each nightly performance to my late dad,” he said.
Chang (left) with a fan during one of his performances.
Not easy
Chang admitted it was no stroll in the park when he started deejaying without any coaching.
He said this was why after learning the ropes, he started giving lessons to those with the same interest, adding that he would take in one to two students per session to fully focus on them and not divide his attention too much.
Chang is now tutoring one student (DJ Lionel B) who he said is “doing very well”.
“Sessions are on every Sunday and conducted in an office at my home. This is a good opportunity to learn the art,” he enthused.
Chang is happy to be among a supportive group, comprising former and current deejays such as Chris Biggy, Joedan, Ian, Awg, and Clement, who are ready to cover for each other.
He is also grateful to local rappers and producers. Kriz and Dezz, as well as the club owners and event gurus such as Chelsea, Steph Alcantara, Ashweein, Jeanie, and Morri.
“I’m thankful to them for keeping deejaying alive,” he said.
According to him, support to become a deejay is hard to come by as people tend to associate it with vices.
“So naturally, for me, it was difficult to start, coming from a traditional household. I had to ensure the places where I worked were free of negativities. I’m really glad my family eventually gave me their support,” he explained.
But Chang remains selective of his deejaying venues, stressing “whether I perform or not depends on their suitability”.
Support from better half
For him, nothing beats the unwavering support of his better half, Anabelle, who cheers him on through the ups and downs.
Chang said it’s important for deejays to remain humble and never forget where they started.
“Always give back to the newer deejays. Don’t leave behind a bad name,” he advised.
Chang appeared at Borneo Fashion Week 2019 from Oct 4-6 in Kota Kinabalu alongside notable deejays such as DJ Adib, Kriz, and Dezz.