Caleb White is a nightclub DJ.
Speaking of DJs, it's necessary to clarify that DJ is a profession, not a music genre. Many people mistakenly believe that a DJ is synonymous with an electronic dance music producer, but this is not entirely true. A good electronic music producer will certainly be a good DJ, but a good DJ may not necessarily be able to produce electronic music. A DJ's main job is to 'spin' — using turntables and a mixer to blend and cut multiple dance tracks, coordinating with stage lighting and other elements, to create an atmosphere that gets the customers hyped.
Caleb isn't actually a professional DJ. In fact, by 2065, DJ was pretty much an extinct profession. This is because most nightclubs introduce sonic music that directly stimulates the human cerebral cortex to evoke excitement and joy, creating an atmosphere far more effectively than pure DJing. Today, nightclubs with resident DJs are few and far between. Many electronic dance music producers also chose to change professions after the significant reduction in their audience and distribution channels.
The reason Caleb pursued this rare profession was, firstly, out of interest. He personally loved electronic dance music and was passionate about its production. Secondly, he felt that the passionate, adrenaline-pumping work environment of a nightclub was beneficial for treating his bradycardia.
His workplace is a medium-sized nightclub called Night Owl on 7th Avenue in Harbor District, Coastal City. The owner, David Lee, is Caleb's university classmate. His working hours are from 8 PM to 2 AM every night.
If he takes the elevated road on his maglev motorcycle, it only takes twenty minutes to get from Caleb's home to Night Owl. After parking his motorcycle in Night Owl's underground garage, Caleb took the elevator directly to the 3rd floor. Part of this area is dedicated to the staff lounge, which also includes owner David Lee's office.
It was only 7:30 PM, and Night Owl hadn't officially opened yet. Caleb walked straight to David Lee's office.
David Lee is a typical rich second-generation. His family's influence and financial scale are not small in Coastal City. The Lee family's rule is that after their sons come of age, they are given one opportunity to pursue a career of their choosing, and the family will also provide a substantial amount of funding during the initial startup phase. David Lee took the startup capital and opened this nightclub called Night Owl, becoming a hands-off boss who spends most of his day holed up in his office playing games.
"Hello everyone, I'm Louis Koo, playing 'Legend of the Blue Sea'. This is a brand new version you've never played before. Just try it for three minutes, and you'll be just like me…"
As soon as he opened the door and stepped inside, a loud game advertisement blared out.
David Lee was sprawled on an ergonomic chair like a dead dog, his feet propped up, drawling loudly: "Sell, sell, sell, everything sold out… I'm never playing this game again."
He was a burly man over 1.8 meters tall. Even a stranger glancing at him could estimate his weight to be over 220 pounds.
Seeing Caleb walk in, David Lee sat up slightly and greeted him: "Caleb Blaze (this guy once mistakenly called Caleb 'Caleb Flower' for a while and then, being creative, split the character 'White' to form a brand new nickname), you've come at just the right time. Don't go perform later, come double-queue 'Pale Dawn' with me?"
"No way, if everyone goes to play games, how will this club operate?" Caleb noticed that the projection screen in front of David Lee was paused on a game forum, its interface already drowned in dense barrages of comments.
"I bet you, no one will come here to play tonight." It was hard to imagine such words coming from the mouth of the nightclub owner. David Lee pointed to the projection screen in front of him and said: "Just now, the global pre-registrations for 'Pale Dawn' have already exceeded 600 million. That number is pretty much the total number of gamers in the world, isn't it? Everyone has gone to play games, only a ghost would come to a nightclub to dance."
"Not necessarily, I actually think quite a few people will come to play tonight." Caleb rested his hands on the desk and added: "Didn't you say you have to go home and report on your startup progress in two months? Last quarter's performance didn't meet the target either. If you keep indulging in games, you won't be able to apply for subsequent family financial assistance."
"What's the rush? There are still two months," David Lee licked his lips and chuckled, "As the owner of this establishment, I order you to take the night off and play a few rounds of games with me, how about it?"
"I think I'll pass. You might not worry about your job, but I need to take my work seriously." Caleb shrugged, dropped that line, "I'm going to set up the equipment." Then, he ignored David Lee behind him, who continued to jokingly threaten him with things like, "You rebel, how dare you defy your boss's orders?" and "Believe it or not, I'll fire you right now," and walked straight out of the office.
Night Owl is just a medium-sized nightclub. Although the venue isn't large, it's fully equipped. David Lee is not stingy with money at all, having invested heavily to create a full set of the most advanced holographic stage setups for Night Owl. The venue can not only simulate various beautiful scenes, whether real or from a fantasy world, but also comes with extremely cool lighting and color adjustment effects, creating a stage atmosphere that can ignite the maximum enthusiasm of the entire audience.
Caleb's performance stage is at the front of the venue. A square platform rises there, holding a complete set of turntables and a mixer—this equipment was not easy to acquire. As the DJ industry became extinct, these outdated devices were more often collected as artifacts by enthusiasts, rarely seen on the market.
After Caleb meticulously checked the equipment, it was exactly eight o'clock in the evening, and Night Owl's business hours had arrived.
However… David Lee was right. More than half an hour had passed since opening, and there wasn't even a soul in the huge venue. Caleb played a few tracks he had prepared earlier. The stage lights flickered, creating an intoxicating atmosphere, but with no audience interaction, it felt like playing a single-player game. Even the most dazzling stage felt somewhat desolate and lonely.
Around 9:30 PM, customers gradually started to trickle into the venue. Caleb switched to Zedd's "Beautiful Now" and began to sway his body to the music, energizing the customers on the floor.
At this moment, David Lee, wearing large sunglasses, came onto the stage with a gloomy face, picked up the microphone placed beside him, and let out a few cathartic yells. Not only did he fail to match the drum beats, but he also somewhat spoiled the mood of the few customers who were just getting into the dancing groove.
"Damn it, that's so annoying. They said my heart rate detection was too high, so the matchmaking interval is 12 hours, what the hell!" He put down the microphone and whispered loudly into Caleb's ear.
Caleb didn't answer him, a look of 'I knew you'd be like this' schadenfreude on his face.
David Lee, finding no amusement, picked up the microphone again to help Caleb shout a few times to liven up the atmosphere. By now, the number of people on the dance floor was gradually increasing, and people were continuously walking in through the main entrance.
"What track are we playing next?"
"Samsara."
"What?" David Lee hadn't even heard Caleb clearly when Caleb had already quickly switched to a new melody.
A gentle prelude began to play, followed closely by a soft female voice singing:
'Time is running out, the clock is ticking' 'I've meticulously planned my life' 'Do you believe in karma?' 'Let's party like it's Samsara' 'Maybe someone told you life is stagnant' 'But with us, gloom isn't the only way' 'Come on, let's set the tone' 'Get excited with the music' 'Take me home, like Samsara' 'Don't be constrained, like Samsara' 'Come join us, we can succeed' 'Come join us, we will accept' 'Take me home, into Samsara…'
As the female voice sang to this point, the drum beats kicked in, and the energy accumulated during the prelude began to unleash. Then the rhythm gradually slowed, like the calm before a storm.
"Samsara!"
David Lee also knew how to cooperate, and at just the right moment, he threw his head back and let out a loud roar, accompanied by the sudden brilliant and dazzling lights, completely igniting the entire venue.
The rhythm was instantly pulled back by Caleb. The drum sounds were amplified to maximum volume, like heavy hammers striking the heart. At the same time, his hands moved swiftly across the turntables, beginning to scratch rhythmically. His body vibrated regularly, and under his dreamlike hands, the melody was blended into a unique rhythm—sometimes fast, sometimes slow, yet clearly layered—a commotion powerful enough to ignite the soul, pushing the atmosphere in the venue to its climax.