In the daytime, Asia embraces a true hustle culture; by night, we let our hair down and erupt in a magnificent energy to good crowds and good music. In Tune With meets the electric DJs and music makers of Asia to feel their pulse and uncover why they entered the frenetic nightlife industry.

Chele Gonzalez is no stranger to commanding a room and connecting with people through his work.

In the Philippines, his name has long been tied to memorable meals and a culinary career that has earned him acclaim and admiration from within and outside of the industry. That reputation reached new heights in 2025 when Gallery by Chele received a MICHELIN One Star and a MICHELIN Green Star for sustainability, while Asador Alfonso also earned a MICHELIN Star.

Cantabria by Chele Gonzalez at The Westin Manila and Enye by Chele Gonzalez at Crimson Resort and Spa Mactan, Cebu were both MICHELIN-selected as well. Add that to the everyday, more casual presence of Deli by Chele across four malls in Metro Manila, and it's easy to understand why many know him first as a chef.

But last Labor Day, The Beat Asia met a different Chele — not behind a kitchen counter, but behind the decks.

Long before he built a life around food, Chele was moving — and making others move — to a different rhythm. In 1997, he was a professional DJ.

In his early 20s, while still studying marketing in college, he opened Club Montreal in Santander, Northern Spain, with his best friend, Fernando. It was ambitious for two young men, and Chele admits it was far from easy, but it was where his love for music found a home for a few years before it closed.

When that chapter ended, Chele started another and became a chef, eventually moving to the Philippines, where his work would become widely celebrated. But music was always there.

In recent years, Chele revealed that he has been returning to those roots with a renewed sense of freedom and love for the craft. As DJ Chele, or Cassette, he is mixing, playing, and reconnecting with sounds that first shaped him — a passion that stretches back to his childhood, when he bought Michael Jackson's Bad on cassette and danced to it every day. In 2026, Chele co-founded BGC's newest hi-fi restaurant & bar Got Soul MNL, where he regularly plays and curates vibes. Right after our interview, we had the pleasure of enjoying his set.

In this "In Tune With" exclusive, The Beat Asia sat down with DJ Chele to talk about his love for electronic music, how playing has become both an escape and a form of release, and the spirit behind Got Soul MNL.

You have this deep connection with music which started early in your childhood. Looking back, do you think this connection shaped the kind of DJ you are today?

I think [music] is a seed inside me that, for some time, I was very much into. But things changed in my life, especially when I became a chef, and I had to leave it a bit, put it aside.

But then in the last few years, I connected with it again. It really brings me back to who I am. But the way I now use music, it's a bit different from how I used it before. I grew up during the revolution of electronic music, going to raves, clubs, all over Spain to listen to DJs. Then I started to play music, and I opened my own club when I was only around 21 years old.

[I was] a very young kid opening a business at night, it was difficult to manage, you know? There's a lot of alcohol, a lot of partying. I burned out. And the business side was also a challenge. But everything ended well, I sold the business and got my money back.

When I came to the Philippines, for a few years, I disconnected with music, because it was the time that everything switched to digital. And I had a really hard time moving to digital because of the technique at that time. Now the new CDJs (Compact Disc Jockeys) are much more similar to turntables.

Then in 2020, I started to reconnect. During that time, it was the pandemic. I was on full drive, bought the gear, and started to feel at home and more comfortable with digital. Now with Got Soul, I have my collection from Spain and buy new vinyls every month. In here, I play vinyl.

What sparked that reconnection with music during the pandemic?

I had more time. Because if you really want to take care of your craft [as a] DJ and do it right, then you have to spend hours.

Nowadays, I spend two to three hours every day with music. There are days I spend six or seven [hours]. I'm a perfectionist. If I do something, I do it until the end. If I get involved with something, either I don't do it, or I do it all the way.

Would you say that it's a misconception that DJs don't spend too much time honing their craft?

I think it's like with everything [you do], you know? We have a lot of restaurants here in Manila. You can see a lot in the streets, in the malls. But at the end of the day, how many restaurants are at the top of the top? 

There are a lot of chefs, but it doesn't mean they are all doing an exceptional job. So, same with being a DJ.

In an Instagram post, you mentioned buying Michael Jackson's 'Bad' cassette when you were younger and playing it on repeat. What was the feeling back then, when you were first connecting with music like that?

Actually, it's the feeling that I have now about music. I just turned 50 years old, and I think there are moments in life when you start to look back and realize a lot of things that make you happy, and you understand better who you are. What gives you joy and happiness. And music is one of them.

I remember when I was a kid, I used to listen to Michael Jackson; he was my favorite. I remember buying all the cassettes, or seeing his videos, and dressing and dancing like him. That feeling about music going inside your body and your soul, it makes you feel something. It was early childhood when that happened for me.

When I was a teenager, [I'd go to] an afternoon club, [where] you cannot drink alcohol. It was called "afternoon session," from 6 to 10 PM. I remember [listening to] Madonna, dancing to "Vogue." I even used to breakdance.

Now, reconnecting and going back, I can feel those moments when I was dancing to Michael Jackson and Madonna all the time. That is the same feeling now when I play music.

Music, for me, it's energy, it's soul, it's art, and connection. It's deep.

How did you reconnect with that feeling during the pandemic?

I needed to educate myself again. Because the digital world was new for me, I had to shape [up], get deep, and get comfortable with the records.

There is a spiritual connection with records. You see a record; you know the songs on the record. When you take a record and put it on the turntable, the needle starts to play, and it can transport you to moments in your life. It's like a perfume or if you go to a place you haven't been to in a while, it brings back emotions.

But when I was learning digital, I would just see the name of the artist on the screen, and I was not connecting to it. That's why it was hard for me to move to digital, because it felt so cold. But slowly, I learned to adapt to it.

Every month, I push myself to download music. Every day, I research online. Then I start to create playlists, depending on my mood, if I feel a bit more disco, more minimal, more techno, etc. I play [anywhere] from Downtempo to Jazz House to New House and so on.

It's a never-ending road. If you are really passionate about music, it's so diverse, so many genres out there, it's just beautiful.

I [also] use music as a mental therapy. When my wife got pregnant, I decided that I wanted to change a lot of things in my life and be healthier. I dedicated time and did personal therapy to go deeper within myself. And in the middle of this evolution, music came back in, and I found that it really relaxed my mind, especially during weekdays.

I manage so many things, people under me, so many businesses. It's very stressful. I love what I do; I'm not complaining, but it's also a high level of responsibility.

How has the shift from analog to digital shaped your journey as a DJ?

For me, it's about having different sides, two different ways to play music and be a DJ. What makes a DJ is to have the ability to connect with people and connect people with the music.

There's Cassette, going back to the roots and the essence of what is analog. When I play as Cassette, it's a little more cultural. But if I go to a club tomorrow, I will play something much more energetic. Because it's about energy. So, in my sets, where I get more into the dance floor, [that is] as Chele. One is cultural, more deep. One is club, more dance floor.

I always push myself to put records that [are part of that era] that shaped electronic music today. Because I was there, I try to educate and put songs that are part of the history of electronic music.

But when I go to the vinyls, my style is softer. It's more soulful. And what I really like the most is deep house. Super elegant, defined with a lot of texture and structure. As a European, my culture of electronic music is different from the American one, where it's more disco. Mine is a little more German in the sense that it's a bit more minimal, deep tech.

When you're a chef, you prepare things for hours to be cooked in under a minute and served. With digging [for music], it's the same. You spend days, weeks, and months researching, and then you are going to prepare for each gig.

How has your work as a chef influenced your work as a DJ, and vice versa?

To be honest, I don't think they influence each other. They're like two parts of myself that are connected as art expressions. The same methodology: you prep, or what it's called in cooking: mise en place. You spend time cutting, preparing, and then it's service time, where the real art happens, where you have to cook, plate. As a DJ, you research, and then the real art is reading the energy when you go live.

But what I try to do with music is actually to escape from everything that it means to be a famous chef. When you have awards, that comes with a price. The price is that you need to be consistently at the top of your game. And I love what I do, I love being a chef, and the creativity. But the pressure is also very high. So I use music to escape from Chef Chele and just be Chele, you know?

But the thing with me and music is that I don't need to prove anything to anybody.

If I'm Chele, I'm focusing more on the dance floor. I give completely without compromising who I am or the quality of music, but I can go a little bit more mainstream. But with Cassette, it's more me and a little more personal. It's who I am, playing vinyl records for 30 years. So, these two personalities also go together.

What advice would you give to young DJs, especially when it comes to crafting their own style?

With young DJs, I feel they sometimes try to play either for themselves or for other people, and what other DJs would think, and that's a big mistake. You cannot be selfish and not connect with people. Your responsibility is to please and connect with the audience. That comes with maturity.

Even with Cassette, while I'm a little more selfish, you are coming into my world, and I'm going to bring you on a journey and tell you stories. I'm telling you where House Music and Techno Music started. It's history and culture. With Chele, I adjust to the dance floor and give a little more. But again, I have a lot of hours behind the decks. I don't care about what anybody thinks about me as a DJ. If I have to prove something to anybody, it's to the people coming that night to listen, to give them an amazing experience.

But first, you have to enjoy. Understand that it takes time, it requires technical skills- that's the easiest part. [On the other side] it requires connecting with people.

For me, I will only respect a DJ as an artist when they really connect with the people and turn stories into a set. Not because they're putting some songs that are cool or what others think is cool.

Well, sometimes you need to educate. That's why I have Cassette, which is more underground, culture, history, heritage, and many other things. I really want people to understand that better.

Are there any lessons you learned back when you opened Club Montreal that you still apply to this day?

For me, personally, I'm a much better DJ now than back then. I have a strong respect for the community back in the days because to be a DJ then, you needed to have taste. You need to have a strong idea of who you are, what you want to play, and your style. But at that time, I was young. Too much partying, too much alcohol. So when I was playing then, I was not 100% myself. Now, when I play, that's 100% me.

But it's an evolution. It happens to everyone where you're given opportunities, and sometimes they're up there, and you don't see it. But we all have the chance to rebuild ourselves. I've experienced that in my life several times, certain moments where you're given two choices. And if you're able to see that opportunity for what it is when it's given to you, then you have the choice to step up, evolve, and mature.

I think that happened with me when it comes to music. I got this opportunity to reconnect with music, come back in a very beautiful way. I feel so happy now because I can experience music in its purest form, just the music and myself.

One time, my wife noticed me spending a lot of time with music. And I said that I also need to give time to myself. Outside of the time I spend with her, our daughter, my 200 kids (or the people who work under me), music helps me destress, to be less frustrated, less anxious. I think it even helped our relationship because it puts me in a better, calmer mood and helps me be more present in other aspects of my life.

Your ventures explore your passions for both food and music. How do you protect your passion while at the same time, run them as a business?

I'm hands-on and very responsible, so Got Soul needs to be a positive business because what's the point if not? But at the same time, I don't allow people to call me "Chef" here. I just want to be Chele Gonzalez, who curates the music. For me, this is a happy place. I like to come here and enjoy, not to feel the pressure of cooking or people expecting MICHELIN dining.

We created this place because we all wanted to connect with ourselves. And each one of us put something. Benjo [Marquez] made the design, and Jason [Soong] connected us all together. Jason is also a partner in Nokal, and we met way before. We connected a lot because of music, and we talked about opening a place.

It's a very personal project where we all want to enjoy. Of course, it needs to be sustainable and make numbers, but this is a happy place for us.

Is there a specific sound, genre, or artist that you feel deserves more attention?

Matthew Herbert. He's a big influence for me because he was in between Deep House and Minimal House. If I had to describe my style, I would say that it's really Deep House, from Jazz and Disco to Minimal Techno. I also like Afro and Downtempo. Matthew Herbert, an English producer, has a very defined sound that can be Deep House, but Minimal House too, and it connects very well with a European sound. But right now, he's not producing much anymore.

One of my other favorite producers is DJ Garth from San Francisco. Together with E.T.I., they have a group called "Rocket." They have a label, Grayhound [Recordings]. For me, they did one of the best underground [music], something in between House, Disco, and Deep Tech House. He has a strong influence on the way I understand music.

Another producer is Schwag, another English producer. Very innovative, very electronic.

Are there any other misconceptions about DJs you'd like to debunk?

In the underground scene, everybody's normally criticizing Afro House. In Afro House, there are very quality and good productions, but there are shitty ones. Not because it became trendy, but the underground scene and DJs are also very fashionable. But I think it's the wrong approach to categorize that genre. It's better to analyze the sound by itself and not put them all in the same bucket. Don't generalize.

We need to understand that Afro House is warm and very easy for people who are not used to the underground scene. It's understandable. Sometimes the structure and way it's composed is very fine and well done, so it's not fair to exclude or criticize it.

In the late '90s and early 2000s, if you went to a club, everything would be House. And many of the songs that everybody now is raving and talking about, that was the essence of House music. At the time, it was part of Commercial House. So, you know, we need to understand that sometimes we need to be more open.

When I [first] experienced electronic music, it evolved so much because I was there in the beginning, where everything was innovation and avant-garde, somehow. During that time when I was going out, Electro was born, Techno was born, Minimal was born, House was born in many varieties. I remember you went out and you would be experiencing a new sound. It was amazing.

You've been a DJ for 30 years and your connection with music runs deep. Is there a key to longevity as a DJ?

Back in the days, we thought that being a DJ would only last 10 years. That after 10 years, people will stop DJing because they cannot party so much. But it's not true. Aside from the names that I mentioned who have disappeared, I would say 70 to 80% of the DJs have stayed alive [in the scene], producing and building, even at 50 or 60 years old.

If it becomes a career, that career can last until your last breath.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

To know more about DJ Chele and his sets, follow him on Instagram. Follow Got Soul MNL on Instagram for more information and updates.

Enjoyed this article? Check out our previous In Tune With profiles here.