Najib's Son Wanted Zouk Singapore's Guest DJ To Stop Performing So He Can Play Instead
Needless to say, the fans are p*ssed.
By Samantha Khor — 07 Mar 2016, 02:37 PM — Updated over 8 years ago
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"Ashman started performing after Zouk's guest DJ's session ended, but there was some misunderstanding between Zouk's management and the guest DJ about the start and end time of his performance," Rizal wrote on Facebook.
"The misunderstanding is between Zouk's management and the guest DJ, it had nothing to do with Ashman. Hearsay that Ashman forced Zouk or the DJ to stop his performance is not true at all.
Ashman did not ask to perform and only came by invitation, how could he have forced anyone," he added.
Meanwhile, DJ Fadi has released his account of what really happened the night he was asked to cut his set short on Facebook, calling Zouk Singapore out for "trying to get away with it" instead of apologising for their mistake
According to Fadi, he had reached an agreement with Zouk to play until the end of the night instead of his contracted set time (1.30am to 3.30am), adding that he has always played more than he was supposed to every time he's there
In a statement posted on Facebook last night, Fadi wrote that he was personally informed by a Zouk personnel - Byden - that he could play until 4.15am with an additional 15 minutes more if he wanted to. Echoing Fadi's account that he has always played past his contracted set times, regular Zouk patrons reiterated that guest DJs would always play until closing time.
On the same night, Fadi wrote, Zouk's new owner (the nightclub was sold to Genting Hong Kong in October last year) was hosting a VIP guest a.k.a. Ashman Najib, son of Malaysian PM Najib Razak. The DJ was introduced to Ashman and the new owner before he started his set.
Fadi started his set at 1.40am. At around 3.30am, the aforementioned Byden approached Fadi to ask if he would be willing to play back-to-back with Ashman. Fadi declined, as it was already agreed beforehand that he will play well into the night.
However, around 3.30am, a Zouk personnel approached Fadi to ask if he would be willing to step down so that Ashman could take over the deck. Fadi declined, but was asked to stop playing 15 minutes later anyway.
"I continued playing. Then 15 mins after, Byden came to me and he told me that I will have to stop as the new owner wants the "VIP guest" to play," he wrote.
"There was no misunderstanding!!! And instead of apologizing, Zouk keeps posting those lame statements and articles trying to get away with it. Admitting your mistake is brave, but you aren't," he added.
Read the full statement here.
Zouk Singapore had previously said that the incident is a "misunderstanding" and that Fadi was not asked to end his set prematurely
HOW IT ALL BEGAN: The night took a disappointing turn for patrons of Zouk Singapore when guest DJ Fadi was reportedly forced to end his set early to make way for the son of Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak
For those not familiar with trance music, Fadi is one-half of popular Egyptian trance duo Aly & Fila, who have been voted among the top 100 DJs on DJ Mag since 2008
Made up of Aly Amr Fathalah (Aly) and Fadi Wassef Naguib (Fila), Aly & Fila host an Internet radio show called 'Future Sound of Egypt' and have received airplay from the likes of Paul Van Dyk, Armin Van Buuren, DJ Tiësto and many others. In September 2015, the duo made history when they joined the ranks of select names that have performed within the grounds of the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt a.k.a. one of the last-standing wonders of the ancient world.
At present, both continue to produce music together, but only Fadi goes on tour and live performances, as Aly suffered a severe ear injury while performing and was advised to avoid loud music or risk losing hearing in that ear.
The incident, which happened on Saturday night, started when Norashman Najib allegedly requested for Fadi's set to be cut short so that he could play instead, despite not being in the performers' bill that night
Fadi, a respected figure among the trance community and a regular fixture at Zouk Singapore, announced that he "won't play for Zouk anymore" before playing his last track and stepping off the deck
In the video, Fadi said, "It seems that Zouk here wants someone else to play. Not only because of that, because apparently he's the son of a prime minister.
Thank you so much, enjoy my last track. I'll see you somewhere in the future. Not in Zouk anymore, because I won't play in Zouk any f***ing more. They've insulted me, but I love you guys."
Nor surprisingly, fans are not too happy with Zouk for interfering with Fadi's set, highlighting that the nightclub did not just disrespect a highly popular artist, the incident has also become an affront to the Zouk brand name
Later on, after the incident blew up on social media, Zouk Singapore issued a notice on Facebook. It stated that the incident was a "misunderstanding" and that they will be issuing an official statement soon.
But that was not enough to quell the fans' anger. Many felt that the incident is not a "misunderstanding" as referred to by Zouk, but a poorly-made decision on the management's part.
As a matter of fact, most suggested that the best course of action for Zouk would be admitting that they had made a mistake as well as apologising to Fadi and those who've attended the show
