Ng Cher Yong (born 1972), known professionally as Cher Ng, was a
Singapore
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
an DJ under the moniker DJ Cher. He is the co-founder and managing director of
Zouk Kuala Lumpur, and co-founder and property developer o
TREC– Malaysia and Kuala Lumpur's largest entertainment and F&B enclave.
Early life
Ng was born in Singapore in 1972. He attended
Pei Tong Primary School
This is a list of primary schools in Singapore. Children typically start their primary education in the year they turn seven. Primary education lasts six years, and is compulsory for all Singapore citizens.
Primary schools in Singapore are clas ...
and
Fairfield Methodist School (Secondary) . He was 15 when he started working on weekends as a
Roadie, loading and unloading equipment for a mobile disco outfit. After his O levels, he entered
Singapore Polytechnic
Singapore Polytechnic (SP) is a post-secondary education institution and statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Education in Singapore.
Established in 1954, the institution is the first and oldest polytechnic in Singapore and is ...
to study
Electrical and Electronics Engineering. But he dropped out to cut his teeth on the deejay circuit working for a couple of companies and spinning at various clubs before he was signed up by The Music Force.
Career
1991–1996: Career Beginnings
Ng began his foray into the electronic music scene as one o
Zouk Singaporeearliest resident DJs upon meeting entrepreneur and art collector Lincoln Cheng
ho later became his mentorat the former Warehouse disco in Singapore. Cheng, who is the owner of Zouk Singapore, offered him a full-time job at the club. Ng was part of Singapore’s first electronic dance music outfit, ''Transcendental Experience''. In 1996, ''Transcendental Experience'' got signed to
British label
React Music, and their music was released in
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
.
1997-2003: Music Festivals
Ng left Zouk Singapore several years later in 1997 to become one of the earliest electronic dance music festival promoter, organising a string of successful electronic music gigs in Singapore and
Kuala Lumpur
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,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, featuring many internationally renowned DJs and music acts like
Deep Dish,
John Digweed,
Incognito
Incognito is an English adjective meaning "in disguise", "having taken steps to conceal one's identity".
Incognito may also refer to:
Film and television
* ''Incognito'' (1937 film), a Danish film
* ''Incognito'' (1997 film), an American crime ...
and
Paul Van Dyk.
He also co-organised the first ever
ZoukOut
ZoukOut is an annual dance music festival held in Singapore since 2000. One of Asia's biggest music dance festivals, it is organised by Zouk Singapore. DJs that have performed at ZoukOut include Paul Van Dyk, 2ManyDJS, Masters at Work, Gilles Pet ...
with Zouk Singapore in 2000 and 2001, which remains to be one of Asia's biggest music dance festivals.
2004-2010: Establishment of Zouk Kuala Lumpur
In 2004, Ng launched Zouk Kuala Lumpur, the sister club to Zouk Singapore. However, the initial years were met with many obstacles, and Zouk KL underwent a major revamp in 2008, dividing its existing rooms into 7 rooms catering to the growing demographic.
The revamp paid off; Zouk KL went on to clinch many media accolades for Best Club, including the prestigious Kuala Lumpur Mayor’s Tourism Awards (Nightspot Category).
Zouk KL later earned endorsement from the
Ministry of Tourism & Culture as a National Key Economic Area – the first for an entertainment venue.
2012-2014: @LiveKL
Cher also created @live KL, a multisensory entertainment concept that married high energy cabaret shows featuring a 22 piece band with F&B in a club environment. The concept took the scene by storm and spanned two very successful outlets in Sunway, Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur city centre.
2015-2020: ZOUK KL & TREC
In the second quarter of 2015, Zouk KL relocated to TREC (Taste.Relish.Experience.Celebrate, of which he is also the co-founder), an entertainment and lifestyle precinct located in
Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The new reiteration of Zouk KL consisted of 11 rooms and was considered the largest super club in Asia with a capacity of over 5000 clubbers. Zouk KL, which until 2020 saw half a million clubbers a year, was awarded a position as high as Top 13 in The World’s Best Clubs according to the
DJ Mag Best Club Awards as well as simultaneously being the 3rd best club in Asia.
During this time, Cher also launched two new projects situated within the TREC development. Firstly, in 2017, was YG Republique, a Korean grill restaurant, k-wave bar and one of the trendiest hangouts in town in partnership with
YG Entertainment.
Cher also founded and launched Iron Fairies KL which is to date one of the most expensive bars built in KL, is a partnership with interior designe
Ashley Sutton The outlet had a footprint of 10,000 square feet, the biggest Iron Fairies bar to date as well as a second area called the Butterfly room which featured, 50,000 metal butterflies mounted from the ceiling
TREC is Malaysia's first and largest purpose-built entertainment and lifestyle destination. It comprises five zones that houses bars, restaurants, eateries and cafes with over 30 F&B and entertainment brands. Cher successfully led the TREC team to be designated a Malaysia National Key Economic Area project under the EPP 8 programme.
In 2016, Ng was awarded the prestigiou
HAPAIcon of the Year award for his work at Zouk, which also clinche
The BrandLaureate Award– the first for a club brand as a recipient.
2020-Present
In 2020 just before the global pandemic hit the industry, Cher exited Zouk KL. He remains as a partner in TREC KL. He is currently based in both Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, concentrating on developing new future forward concepts within the F&B scene.
Personal life
References
External links
Zouk Kuala Lumpur
TREC
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ng, Cher Yong
1972 births
Living people
Club DJs
Singaporean DJs
Electronic dance music DJs