Behind the Booth with DJ Compose
The first time I caught Jay Ablan’s set was at Manifest, a cafe that transforms into a Nightclub in Chinatown. I was new in town and not yet familiar with Honolulu’s night scene when one of my girlfriends invited me out. She was all hyped about her favorite DJ spinning at Manifest on Fridays. What was meant to be a quick dance sesh turned into an all-night bash, thanks to Jay's dope mix of old school hip-hop blasting through the speakers. Later, I would come to enjoy Jay’s music at popular nightclubs like Addiction and other events around town. Today, I'm delighted to present to you the exceptionally talented and delightful Jay Ablan, also known as DJ Compose.
MUDRA LOVE: Have you always been in love with music?
JAY ABLAN: One of the first memories my mother has of me was me singing from my crib before I could even talk. It was a song called “compassion.” I should actually ask her who sings it and find it. Haha but yeah... as long as I can remember, music really was my something I gravitated toward.
ML: What genre of music do you most like listening to and/or playing on stage? Who are some of your favorite musicians, artists, local bands?
JA: I’m definitely a Hip-Hop DJ at heart. I fortunately grew up during the “golden era” of Hip-Hop in the 90’s where I learned and studied the greats of that time. This was before the internet and social media, so if you wanted to learn more about the Hip-Hop culture, you’d have to put in the effort and totally immerse yourself in it. This is something I feel is missing in this day and age.
ML: Who did you listen to growing up? How has your taste in music changed over the years?
JA: I was always glued to the radio and MTV as a kid. I remember spending summers recording “Yo! MTV Raps” over my dads VHS tapes and recording “mixtapes” with my good ol’ two cassette deck radio. I’ve always viewed myself as a “music savant” in a sense where I would try my best to learn as much about a song as I could. From the production of it, to the influence, to the sample of a song... its kind of a thing I’ve always been into. I also try my best to be as knowledgeable of all ranges of music, which is basically mission impossible. Something about it is the more you know about music and it’s genres, the more you realize you don’t know... feel me? So, it’s kind of a never ending thing.
ML: How did you get started as a DJ? What were your first few years like? Where did you play your first sets?
JA: The true fork in the road for me becoming a DJ was the movie “Juice”. The main character was this DJ named “Q” and it really piqued my interest. After endless nights dabbling in my bedroom with the most janky equipment with my brother and cousin... I actually started to get better. Over time, I started to meet other likeminded DJ’s, and started a renowned DJ Crew in the battle scene called the “Nocturnal Sound Krew.” We would spend all our free time scratching, Juggling, and mixing records... it was the best. One thing led to another, and we started entering and winning DJ competitions. As a collective, we got really good and we even took a few World Titles back home with us. Those competitions, other than being the biggest flex at the time, showed me the progression of becoming a DJ and gave me the drive to pursue it even more.
ML: Do you play for yourself or others? How do you reconcile the two when you are hired for a gig?
JA: I’ve learned over time that if you want be “successful” at this, you have to be able to read the crowd and read the situation you are in front of. You absolutely can’t just play for yourself. A DJ must form some sort of relationship with their listeners. That’s not to say you have to play strictly for the crowd... you just have to find the balance. Think of it as a good spam musubi. There’s millions of spam musubis out there, but what makes a good one? You gotta have the right amount of it all—the music you enjoy is the rice, the music people know is the spam, and the vibe that holds it all together is nori. (I can’t believe I compared what I do to a spam musubi.)
ML: How would you describe your typical set? Does it change depending on the crowd and venue?
JA: All DJ’s have their “go-to” sets depending on the situation. As for me, I hold my style as being well composed (thus... the name.) For instance, my sets for a raging party is definitely different from when I’m doing a corporate event, but the idea is the same. I try to have sets that is well balanced between songs people know, songs I think people will like, and the curveball songs that keep people interested.
ML: I know many DJs don’t like getting song requests. Is this you?
JA: Truthfully, I’m not as much of a stickler of requests as some other DJ’s are. I understand people are out to have a good time, and in a sense, everyone think of themselves is a DJ... with their own Spotify playlist and their aux cords in their car as an example. I also view it as a challenge. If it’s a song I can try to fit in the vibe of the moment.... why not?
ML: Pet peeves?
JA: This is part 2 of the previous question. I don’t mind requests, as long as you’re polite and thoughtful about the request. But if I’m obviously on another tangent, what makes you think I’m gonna play an absurd request right now? If I’m playing a house set at the time.... what makes you think I’m gonna stop everything I’m doing to play that new drake song on the radio? That’s when requests are a pain.
ML: What’s the best part about being a DJ?
JA: With any entertainer... the reaction of the crowd really is the best feeling. I love taking people on a ride. It’s not about playing everything at 100 miles per hour.... it’s about the ebbs and flow of the night. The best people at this knows how to do that and literally control the crowd.
ML: How has coronavirus impacted your thoughts and feelings about your profession?
JA: What hasn’t it done? This pandemic has totally destroyed the “norm” of our industry, and has left all of us scrambling to figure out how to maneuver with this new world we live in. Bars and clubs basically shut down has put all of us in the Nightlife industry in limbo. Finding a silver lining to this has been rough, but I am using this time to step away and refocus. I’ve been on this grind for a long time, and without a doubt, the late nights take a toll on you. It’s been kinda nice to have this break, but I’m definitely ready to move forward.
ML: What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone aspiring to follow in your footsteps?
JA: My advice is to always keep the main thing the main thing. This game can get really complicated if you allow it (the business aspect, the late nights, the people you associate yourself with, the distractions of the DJ life). It’s not always a party, even though it appears that way. Just focus on the craft and use each situation as a learning experience. Many years later, I still follow this way of thinking.
