Hey, Mr. DJ!

MANILA, Philippines - I remember meeting Mikhail Schemm in London, at one of those underground, secret-location parties. At the time I had heard a great deal about him, as everyone was eager to introduce me to “the other Pinoy” — the wunderkind and DJ, Mikhail.

See, DJ Mikail is no ordinary chap. He was born in Hong Kong to a Swiss-German father and a Filipino mother. He grew up in Rome, then finished his studies and lived in London for seven years, where he eventually worked at a marketing consultancy firm. Little did the employers know that one of their research execs was great with the turntables and played monthly for almost a thousand people at secret warehouse parties called FunkyZeit.

In May of this year, Mikhail, now 26, decided to move to Manila to establish Third Culture Music. Its mission is to spread quality electronic music to Southeast Asia. Third Culture made its most impressive debut last month, after The xx concert in Manila, where Mikhail played back to back with Jamie xx, and then joined them on tour as their opening act in both Hong Kong and Singapore. But Mikhail is no stranger to promoting electronic music. Through his stint in London with FunkyZeit they’ve set a platform for talents such as Magda, Nina Kraviz, Chez Damier, etc. — all of which are notable names in London’s underground music scene.

If you are as skeptical as myself, you might expect a popular underground music DJ from East London’s to be quite the pretentious douche. Mikhail, however, is the exact opposite. He is Pinoy at heart — warm, friendly and festive. Perhaps it is his passion for making people happy through music that garnered him recognition and success.

SUPREME: When and how did you get into music?

MIKHAIL SCHEMM:  I got into music when I was about 12 or 13 years old, listening to my mom’s dance music CDs she used for the gym, and a bit later through my uncle Manolet Dario. He would give me mix CDs which I would listen and dance to back home! From then on I became passionate about it and got my first pair of decks at 16 while living in Rome.

Since then music has always been a main focus — living in London where I experienced real underground music, spending time in Ibiza, and working for Richie Hawtin’s Minus label in Berlin was like a dream come true! When I returned to London to finish university was when it all really happened. The DJing became more serious and I started the FunkyZeit warehouse events with two friends. Since then I’ve been lucky enough to DJ in many other cities around the world too — Berlin, Paris, Miami, Hong Kong, Singapore…

Why did you move to Manila despite your success in London?

After living in London for seven years I felt I needed a change, it had lost a bit of its excitement for me. I needed something new and the desire to move to the Philippines was always there. After being in Manila so many times I finally made the big step to actually experience living here, since it is the country that I do, weirdly, consider home.

The desire to move here also tied in with my passion for electronic music. Through Third Culture Music, I want to cultivate the Southeast Asian music scene and bring my experience to the region. Electronic music is still new and there is so much potential for it to flourish, especially in Manila. I want to make a difference in Manila’s music scene by helping move away from commercial music and promote more niche underground sounds, hopefully bringing it at par with Europe’s music scene one day.

What is Third Culture Music and how was it formed?

Third Culture Music is a platform to promote underground electronic music in Southeast Asia, mainly by bringing artists and DJs here who rarely perform in the region. It will also be involved in events. For example, Third Culture Music was part of The xx Asian Tour by organizing after parties here in Manila and in Singapore, for which we had Jamie xx play a DJ set. Judging the feedback from these events, there is a lot of potential and interest in more “underground” music and events, which I’m really happy about! 

Highlight of your career?

Definitely my involvement with The xx and Jamie xx, being asked to DJ for the opening of their shows in Hong Kong and Singapore. Then of course the FunkyZeit parties in London, where the place was packed with people going crazy with their hands up in the air — a great feeling, especially as it was an event my friends and I built together.

What was it like opening for the XX in HK and Singapore?

It was amazing and weird at the same time! I am used to playing in dark nightclubs. I never played before a huge crowd of four thousand before an internationally successful band at a concert. I also think my style of music was new to people in those cities! 

Describe your style.

As a DJ my music ranges from house to techno, deep or dirty. I just play records that I personally would love to hear in a club myself and that make people dance!

Inspirations?

Many people and things inspire me day to day. Living in Manila is definitely a new inspiration to me as it’s a completely different reality from what I was used to. The sounds, the smells, the people and the city itself, I find it fascinating.

Best audience?

The crowd in London at the FunkyZeit parties. It was like a monthly appointment in the calendar that all of our friends would come together. But I got that vibe in Manila at TIME a few weeks ago for the party with Jamie xx which was amazing too! It felt so familiar having so many friends in the same place dancing away to great music. I hope to be able to do more events like that.

Favorite venue?

DC10 in Ibiza and Panorama Bar in Berlin.

What do you think about the Philippine music scene?

I think it ‘s in a good stage with lots of potential, especially for electronic music. People here are different from the rest of Asia. Here, music is part of every person. It is associated with having a good time, and people are open-minded to new music as well. There are also a lot of great festivals I heard of such as Malasimbo and Manila Music Festival.

Speaking more specifically about electronic music, I think there’s a lot of space for growth and it seems like people want to move away from the usual Top 40 and EDM, which dominates clubs here. Apart from TIME and B-Side, there seem to be few clubs promoting alternative and underground music — something I hope I can help change in the near future!