Just as Singapore’s nightlife scene was emerging from COVID lockdowns, four diverse selectors came together to form a collective that’s as off-kilter as their members’ miscellaneous tastes. Made up of Ice Cream Sundays resident Bongomann, YS beatmaker El Professionel, Darker Than Wax producer Dexter Colt, and Malaysian DJ Jenn Chunes (alongside See You At One co-founder Ari Effendi) - this unorthodox quintet may not seem like the most cohesive match at first, at least beyond their friendships.
Sonically, this was a chapalang crew indeed, each specialising in everything from house and techno, to lofi hip-hop and disco, to Southern trap and Asian pop. In theory, none of that should ever go together. But in practice, Super Enjoy’s heterogeneity is precisely what makes them so irresistible and unpredictable. Over the past couple of years, their hot mess of deep cuts and tasteful tunes, alongside shallow anthems and nostalgic bangers, have made their low-key parties such high-key fun!
But while the nonchalant and unpretentious vibe of their events at venues like Wild Pearl, ikigai and Cherry Discotheque has earned them a sterling reputation, earlier this year, Super Enjoy embarked on the next phase of their evolution - the launch of their very own independent record label. We spoke to Bongomann to learn more.
What’s Super Enjoy’s origin story?
Leon (El Professionel) and I were just learning to DJ and felt like we wanted a no frills, no pressure sitch to try things out. We threw a house party, and a “real” one at Intermission Bar, but nothing much else. Lockdown happened and the only way to socialise was through exercise, so we all tried to skate. That venture didn't last very long but that's when Jordan (Dexter Colt), Jenn and Ari (who still skates) cemented a tight little friendship with us and naturally, the crew was formed.
What does each individual member bring to the crew?
Jordan and I are mum and dad, Jenn is an ace wildcard, Ari is visuals and merch and Leon is art director. We all DJ except Ari. Jordan and I make a fair bit of music and Leon is probably one of the best producers on our island. It all comes together through the parties and the label - Jordan brings his experience running label ops for Darker Than Wax, I have some experience running events with Ice Cream Sundays and Sunda, Jenn has the best taste and the best sense, and Ari is the reason we have desirable merch. Leon's approval for anything is paramount.
How would you describe Super Enjoy’s vibe?
Minimum fuss, maximum pleasure.
Y’all have thrown some really fun parties over the past couple of years. Which has been your favourite?
Hard to pick a favourite but we really enjoyed the ones at Wild Pearl. They were really intimate, there was a nice mix of homies and strangers, the sound was really good in there and... the smoke machine! Pity it isn't available as a party venue at the moment. The Maara party at ikigai last year was really fun as well.
Tell us a bit about your radio show…
So we’ve had a monthly residency on Bangkok Community Radio since March 2023. We submit an hour of music every month and it gets played on their online radio platform every first Tuesday of the month. Sometimes it changes, so follow them on Instagram to find out. It also gets archived on BCR's Soundcloud a week or so after the show. We have a rotation going on between the four of us, so you'd usually get two selectors at a time if you're out there listening.
Online radio has actually been pretty instrumental in helping us figure out our identity. It's also a good reason for us to meet and plot out moves for the coming month. It's been nice to have this practice. We've done 22 radio shows to date, including a few on Darker Than Wax's slot on Kiosk Radio's Outsiders series.
What inspired you guys to launch your own record label this year?
It was always in the pipeline. We thought just try la. We all see Super Enjoy as a platform for expression and given the makeup of our crew, it felt like a natural progression. Parties are fun but it also feels really satisfying to contribute to the hundreds of thousands of tracks that get released every day.
Why did you pick Sigmoid Fn as your debut release?
The music was perfect and Jarren's (Sigmoid Fn aka Fzpz) a good homie - his vibe is just correct. We also didn't want the first release to be our own music so the timing worked out well. We took a while to get the label going but we're glad we finally did. Out to Jarren for immaculate patience, he was sitting on that material for a minute.
Talk us through the process of making the second release…
Vaguehouse EP is a collection of me and Jordan's recent studio experiments. ‘Paradigm City’ is a really pretty track and ‘Leanin In The Lab’ is a perfect example of that Dexter Colt thump. ‘Teck Ee’ and ‘Teck An’ are excerpts from a live set I was working on earlier this year.
What’s next for Super Enjoy?
Couple more releases for 2024 and maybe a party in the second half of the year. No big plans yet, and we're in no rush. Maybe a Strange Enjoy (a collaboration with Strange Weather) is in order for later on? Who knows, we don't want to force anything. But we'll be truckin’ on with the label side of things and that radio show for sure. Follow along and please enjoy!
