DJ Hyo took over the mixing console at House Manila when the clock hit midnight. For the next hour, she was the puppet master and everyone followed her command as if they were in thrall.

“Bounce!” she told the crowd. They happily complied. Save for the time she sang bits of “Gee,” that was the only thing she said the entire night. But words were unnecessary anyway.

She used movements to speak to everyone. She clapped her hands to show how it’s done and she swayed from side to side to encourage everyone to dance. It’s hard to stay still when DJ Hyo is in command.

DJ Hyo’s set included Girls’ Generation’s “Gee” and her own track “Punk Right.”

Hyo is the stage name of Kim Hyo-yeon. But you might know her better as Hyoyeon–the main dancer, rapper and vocalist of the South Korean act Girls’ Generation. But she made her solo debut as a singer three years ago with tracks “Mystery” and “Wannabe.”

Then she debuted again as a DJ in 2018 with the track “Sober.” She has been actively promoting herself as a DJ under SM Entertainment since then. She placed fourth in the 2019 Top 100 DJanes of Asia while she’s placed 61st in the Top 100 DJanes of the World.

SoNEs came armed with their light sticks and chill attitude.

On Feb. 8, SoNEs were able to listen to her tracks that included “Badster” and “Punk Right Now.” They waved their pastel-rose pink light sticks in the air as she played it for them.

But the crowd went wild when she started playing Girls’ Generation’s song “Gee.” She sang bits of the song and pointed the microphone to the crowd. The SoNEs did not disappoint as they sang with her and did the fan chants for the song.

DJ Hyo was in her element as she mixed K-pop songs with Aqua’s “Barbie Girl” and Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida.” It was a different kind of K-pop scene. There were fears of this event being canceled, but when it pushed through, its organizers FanLive and Istudyo Ni Pipay took the necessary precautions. Hand sanitizers were available at the entrance surgical masks were being given away.

Nadine Lustre and James Reid were spotted partying to DJ Hyo’s set. —PHOTOS BY JAM STA. ROSA

The crowd was chill and even when they were allowed to use their cell phones and record, they didn’t. They chose to dance and bounce. Most of them have been fans of Girls’ Generation for more than 10 years and they were just there to enjoy the moment.

It helped that DJ Hyo was enjoying that moment with them. She would point at her fans, smile at them, wave at their phones and hold the banners that they prepared for her. But the ultimate fan service she did that night was the music she prepared for them.

One hour of nonstop music finished quickly. Lox, Nyx Damn P! and Angelo G were the opening acts of the night. They were onboard for half an hour each. DJ Hyo’s set was the feel-good party you did not know you needed to end the week with.