By Choi Hoe Chang (18S07A), Ling Young Loon (18S07A) and Yeo Kee Hwan (18S03Q)
Every May, the Audio-Visual Unit, the unsung heroes of the school community, organizes a DJ showcase event for an afternoon of dance, music, and fun. After all, they are often behind the scenes, helping to make various events a success, but this was one of the occasions where their skills could take centrestage and wow us all. This year, the event was organised on a Thursday afternoon, a day after the GP and KI Common Test. We dropped by the Theatre Studies Room (TSD) to see what the crew had in store for us.
We were greeted at the reception table right outside the TSD, where we received a glow stick and an exclusive free gift – a Shark bookmark! The room was dark and obscure, but we were soon overwhelmed by a cacophonous burst of colour. The Crew performed stunning light displays to warm up the audience, whilst they ran their last minute technical checks.
And with the booming voice of the emcee, the music began to play. The music was electrifying indeed, featuring old and new hits from artistes such as The Chainsmokers and Zedd. To our surprise, the Crew’s playlists did not only include the typical songs that would be expected at a rave. They explored a wide variety of genres, catering to the varied music preferences of the audience, ranging from the usual electropop and EDM, to the ever trendy K-pop, and even included some Disney hits which were remixed, producing quite a different sound. Some highlights included the Satoru club edit of Shape of You, a hardwell remix of Sky Full of Stars, and a Pitbull remix of Blank Space.
Raffles Crew makes good use of the screen and other equipment
Throughout the afternoon’s mixes, the Crew also made good use of the flashing lights to create a club-like setting, at times flashing symbols like lightning bolts and the like to liven up the mood. The screen in front also occasionally switched to a live camera, showing the students in the room, especially those who went to the front to make faces at it, in an attempt to engage the audience further.
While some members of the audience were swayed and shook to the beats, others preferred to sit and listen in quietly. The event definitely did not live up to the frenzy of a disco, and you would have wished there were a few dancers to light up the scene. Despite the emcees’ immense effort in soliciting enthusiasm from the crowd, some of the audience remained unresponsive as rocks. The others were nonchalant and unparticipative. Perhaps some of them mistook Rave for GP remedial. Press will never find out.
Nevertheless, Rave was a perfect occasion to blow away the stress accumulated this semester. It was a series of pleasant surprises – the talent of the DJs, the electrifying club-like atmosphere of the TSD, and the brilliantly arranged music playlists. Rafflesians’ meek response, however, did no justice to the event. It seems we all need a little training in raving.
