FERAL: a nightlife experience

The story of FERAL is a story of a slow burn. What started as distant dream to DJ a 24 hour continuous set during the pandemic only became a reality four years later.

I was raised by dancefloor. Growing up in Singapore’s nightlife scene, I gained an education in sneaking out of his house, finessing free drinks from club promoters, swindling taxi money back home, and losing myself to the music. It is in these formative years where I discovered both the secret and liberatory potential of dance music. 

That spirit led me to create a themed house party titled “Feral Fridays” (FF) when I moved to Washington DC three years ago. Starting out as a DIY effort led out of a Bloomingdale townhouse, FF are a nightlife space for people of color to make connections and for amateur DJs to spotlight their talents, no matter how rough the edges are.

Inspired by the kitschy, high-budget pop star rollouts I grew up admiring, I utilized my skills as a photographer, community organizer, graphic designer, writer and dance music fanatic to create glossy promotional posters for the parties. No matter the scale, every FERAL party deserved a striking visual and equally compelling write-up.

Having conducted over 20 FF parties, our themes included: Barbiecore, Dolly Parton Dolls, Video Vixens, Indie Sleaze, Love Island, Teenage Dirtbag, Miami Vice. For each theme, we’d have correlating music and DJs that made the parties a wholly immersive experience. Samplers of the FERAL photoshoots can be seen below.

As FF began to expand, I graduated from resident aux-chord-hoarder to the person behind the decks to become a DJ. From the balmy techno beats of Goa, the resplendent disco strings of Bangalore, and the shimmering pop sheen of Singapore, my sets are love letters to the coasts that raised me.

FERAL (Swinging 60s Photoshoot); Jan 2025

FERAL FRIDAY: INDIE SLEAZE (Photoshoot)

Inspired by the lascivious American Apparel ads of the early 2010s, the indie sleaze FERAL aimed to poke fun at a time that we wish we had forgotten.

Taking FERAL to the next level: project managing and launching a club series

I came to marry my skills as a DJ and a party planner to launch the debut FERAL at a local DC bar/club. Collating a group of queer and POC DJs in the DMV, I project managed a club night that was launched on November 2nd, 2024. Despite a tight deadline, our team booked our venue, managed ticket sales, conducted over 6 promotional photo shoots, edited promotional posters, managed an Instagram account and secured to of DC’s most prominent DJs, Amal (Black Rave Culture) and Ghetto Witchez that have played out sold out shows in DCs most prestigious venues. The result? A sold out debut show.

From a club concept that was dreamt up in during the most touch-depraved nights of quarantine to a club night in Washington D.C. for people of color — FERAL is proof that delayed gratification is all the more rewarding.