DJ Enso has turned a Sheung Wan space into a unique venue hosting art, music and other events, writes Pavan Shamdasani<\/p>\n
It\u2019s 2am on a Saturday morning and something\u2019s happening in the otherwise sleepy district of Sheung Wan. On a quiet, mostly residential street, a rabble of young rousers has gathered outside a seemingly innocuous metal door. Motorbikes are parked and engines switched off, long-haired youths in skinny jeans chat over clouds of cigarette smoke, and through it all, you can hear the faint sounds of electronic music coming from somewhere below.<\/p>\n
This is XXX, the area\u2019s latest underground \u201cart gallery\u201d \u2013 but down the dark staircase that lies beyond that metal door is a space unlike many in Hong Kong have ever seen. At times called \u201cex-ex-ex\u201d by its regular patrons, and at others just \u201ctriple x\u201d, it\u2019s the kind of place you\u2019d expect to see in vibrant, arts-focused cities such as Berlin or Antwerp \u2013 not Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s exactly what its owner, DJ Enso, wants.<\/p>\n
Originally hailing from San Francisco, Enso \u2013 born Cassady Winston \u2013 made his way to Hong Kong in 2007 and quickly established himself as a DJ and an event promoter. He teamed up with DJ Kid Fresh in 2008 to throw popular parties under the banners of Pimpin\u2019 Ain\u2019t Easy and Hype Nasty, but found himself limited by the venues our city has to offer.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a DJ and promoter for the past few years in Hong Kong, it\u2019s always been clear to me how much we could benefit from more variety in terms of venue options,\u201d says Enso. \u201cA lot of spots do the members-only thing well, but that gets a bit boring. I wanted to offer a venue that had a rougher underground feel, without all that money worry.\u201d<\/p>\n
XXX\u2019s location is key: situated on Wing Lok Street in the burgeoning Sheung Wan district, the space is the first of its kind on the scene, a spacious area that caters to a variety of creatively minded individuals. Music is obviously first and foremost on Enso\u2019s agenda, with XXX\u2019s underground location and high-quality sound system standing in stark contrast to the numerous Hong Kong clubs that often face noise complaints.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always loved Sheung Wan, especially at night with the old neon signs \u2013 it\u2019s an old neighbourhood with a lot of history and texture. This made it a perfect place for XXX,\u201d says Enso. \u201cIt\u2019s so close to Central, so it is no surprise to see so many people moving there or opening galleries and restaurants.\u201d<\/p>\n
But make no mistake: XXX isn\u2019t a club \u2013 or at least, Enso would prefer if you didn\u2019t call it that. The word \u201cclub\u201d in Hong Kong has negative connotations to the DJ, often associated with a uniform mentality in terms of music, d\u00e9cor, branding and programming. Couple this with his degree in art history, and one can see why Enso prefers the idea of a gallery space \u2013 but of course, not in the traditional sense.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe aim more to be an underground arts space with different types of things going on,\u201d he says. \u201cMore than anything I wanted an opportunity to get people in a confined space and mess with them in some creative and constructive ways.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s what has happened. In the seven months since XXX opened, Enso has hosted a variety of events beyond the traditional music nights, including art exhibitions, movie nights and ping-pong parties, many of which have seen sizeable turnouts.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s partially due to the variety of talent and creativity that Enso has secured, but it\u2019s also because of XXX\u2019s unconventional drinks policy: with no liquor licence, guests are encouraged to bring their own beverages for \u201cthat nice house party vibe\u201d.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a strange system that contrasts sharply with the overpriced, watered-down beverages that fuel bars around town. It also begs the question as to where, exactly, the space is making money from.<\/p>\n
\u201cMoney does flow in from private event bookings and contributions at the door, and we\u2019re starting to make some \u2018art money\u2019,\u201d says Enso. \u201cBut it\u2019s fair to say that we never set this up as a proper money-making venture \u2013 what we are able to make generally goes to pay the bills, with any extra getting reinvested for making XXX bigger and better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Indeed, Enso is entertaining a number of ideas for future XXX projects, including transforming the venue into a makeshift tutorial centre, where he\u2019ll teach local youths to \u201cstart standing up for themselves\u201d. It\u2019s a \u201csilly idea\u201d, he says, but it does demonstrate the options available to him. And right now, he\u2019s happy with the success of XXX.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe convenience of living in Hong Kong is a double-edged sword \u2013 it\u2019s great in a lot of ways, but it can also make people too comfortable and unwilling to try new things,\u201d says Enso. \u201cWhereas in most Western cities \u2013 or Singapore, Tokyo or Osaka \u2013 there are successful club nights pushing underground or niche genres, it\u2019s nowhere near that level in Hong Kong.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost folks that open a space seem to either be independently wealthy or have investors \u2013 neither of which is particularly conducive to taking risks or free creative expression. We\u2019ve been lucky on this with XXX, probably because we always knew this wasn\u2019t a money-making venture. This is about making a creative contribution to Hong Kong and encouraging others to do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n
Inspiring words, especially when one compares XXX\u2019s creative vision with the generally sorry state of the arts in Hong Kong (think the long-delayed West Kowloon Cultural District). Enso is one of the few pushing its boundaries, and while one can\u2019t but wonder whether more venues are on the cards for the DJ, the irony in his answer is obvious: \u201cLet me get back to you on this after I pay off this HSBC Personal Instalment Loan.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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