I’ve got sad news today. Just as a record must eventually reach its inner groove and stop spinning, my tenure here at Behind the Decks’ headquarters must also come to an end.

It’s been about two years since I was given the most excellent title of “resident DJ” at Time Out, with a very specific brief to write “whatever the fuck you want” about the local electronic music scene. I guess I was asked to do the column because I have been a devoted clubber and DJ for 12 years in Hong Kong, and my antics must have somehow brought me to the attention of this fine publication.

And I’ve ranted pretty much non-stop about all that’s gone wrong in our scene, from the piss-weak sound systems and the lemming-like club owners to the miniskirt/school uniform parties and the general apathy about honest-to-goodness, bad-ass, quality underground electronic dance music.

It’s probably that last gripe that has riled me the most, and nothing’s really changed there. As an example, look back to the other week when breakbeat don Elite Force and Berlin minimal freak Daniel Dreier played at two separate parties on the same night. Keep in mind that these guys appear before thousands of people in Europe.

Both events were promoted properly: press coverage was decent, posters were slapped all over Central and Causeway Bay, and the organisers constantly annoyed the shit out of everyone on Facebook. And still, each event sold about 100 tickets.

But I’ve come to accept that our scene will never rock like it does in London or New York. It just won’t. And I don’t really care: I live in Hong Kong, I’m in love with this city, and if people such as the beautiful crew at Yumla are still bringing over the likes of Martin Eyerer and Philip Jung for such intimate appearances then I really don’t have much to complain about.

We’re not going to just suddenly get a world-class super club, all of the different promoters aren’t going to start working together for the common cause, the mainstream clubs here will always play crap music, the police aren’t going to stop bothering underground events and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups just aren’t going to fall from the fucking sky. Let’s just deal with it, people, and enjoy what we’ve got.

Because what we do have happening here is a whole load of cool shit – you just have to scratch beneath the surface a little. That’s where you’ll find the likes of Kongkretebass, Pimpin’ Aint Easy, Asia Artist Alliance, Resonant Frequencies, Intermix, Heavy and PUSH, all crews made up of people who truly love their respective music and are in the game for the right reasons.

Let’s just continue what we’ve been doing, but focus more on the details. Promoters, think about your sound systems. Think about decoration and visuals and create a better experience for people. Pay for professional design work on your flyers and posters. And don’t think for a minute that you can solely rely on Facebook for promotion.

Anyway, it’s been a pleasure writing the column. Thanks for bearing with me. And as the sample from DJ Shadow’s 1990s classic In-Flux says: “The record ends, but we must begin again.” See you all from behind the decks.