DJ duo behind viral 'COVID19' dance mix welcome PM's 'endorsement' of creativity

PETALING JAYA: When DJ duo Bass Agents took snippets from Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin's speech on the movement control order (MCO) to create a dance track, some initially commented that they were “disrespectful”.

However, it was a surprise to them when Muhyiddin himself “endorsed” their effort by lauding those staying at home using “creativity to relieve boredom”.

The duo, Nick Chia and Chia Khoo Hoong, who go by the stage names “Ganjaguru” and “Mr Nasty” respectively, said it was funny and reassuring to hear the Prime Minister making a reference to his speeches being set to music.

"The Prime Minister himself was sporting enough to embrace creativity during these troubled times. We (initially) received criticism saying we were not respectful but thanks to him, we can get past this together as a nation," they told The Star on Tuesday (April 7).

The duo said they decided to produce the track as they saw a lot of ignorance on social media platforms after the announcement on the movement control order (MCO) back in March 18.

They gave actions such as “having a last party before the MCO” or another “shopping and drinking session” as examples.

"We thought that it would be funny to incorporate the Prime Minister's vocals into our music to raise awareness and also shade on those who actually defy the MCO by 'bergerak-ing ke sana, ke sini' (moving here and there)," they said.

The track titled "Covid19" went viral on YouTube after it sampled phrases from Muhyiddin's MCO speech such as “just stay at home”; “this government may not be the government you voted for but this government cares for you” and "bergerak ke sana, ke sini" set to thumping, bass-heavy accompaniment.

Muhyiddin, in his economic stimulus package speech for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) on Monday (April 7), remarked about some things he had seen on social media.

"Some husbands are now beginning to wear their wives’ caftans. Some are cycling in their houses. Some have turned my speeches into songs. I hope this is not unusual or out-of-character behaviour. It is part of your creativity to relieve your boredom being too much at home," Muhyiddin said.

Bass Agents was originally formed in Melbourne in 2003 and are known for being the pioneers of the “hardstyle” genre of dance music in Malaysia.