Jen Ng’s Soundscapes of Williamsburg: Retracing Brooklyn’s DIY Past

Jen Ng, the daughter of Chinese immigrants, grew up in the Midwest and discovered underground music scenes through AOL chat rooms. We met in New York through the marriage of mutual friends—I knew the bride, she knew the groom—and bonded over our shared love of indie rock, K Records, and singer-songwriter Lois.

For as long as I’ve known her, Jen has had two passions: music and community. She’ll share stories of both at her upcoming Jane's Walk, "Soundscapes of Williamsburg: Music, Memory, and DIY Culture,” on May 2 and 4, 2025.

The Municipal Art Society (MAS) organizes this annual weekend of volunteer-led free walking tours in tribute to urban activist Jane Jacobs. On Jen’s tour, she’ll share exclusive oral histories from musicians, promoters, and others who have shaped Williamsburg’s DIY culture since the late ’90s.

“I think of DIY as an openness.

Everyone's down to help each other out. If something needs to be done, you roll up your sleeves and do it.”

Jen at work on a music video shoot where she art directed butts. Photo by Jacki Huntington.

What inspired you to create this tour?

Unlike some Jane’s Walks, this one’s not really about the architecture—it's more about the community. Some of the places we’ll visit are no longer there. For example, Monster Island Basement is now a Trader Joe's. It’s just a completely different structure.

I'm not a historian. I'm more of a documentarian and a curator and a storyteller. So, we’ll be listening to recorded memories from many of the players in this DIY world as we walk around the neighborhood. I’m thinking of it as a live zine.

Where does your love for DIY come from?

In the mid-90s I was talking online with these boys from the East Coast in internet chat rooms. I’m sure it was when they were making me mix tapes, or talking about music, that I first heard the term.

I can also remember going to bookstores and seeing these edgier-looking publications that spoke to me visually. I started recognizing certain band names connected to a certain scene, and a whole universe opened up for me.

What is it you find special about community?

There's a strength there. I mean, no single individual will ever be able to provide all the things that the world needs. There's a power in collective creativity and in collective ways of thinking, doing, and making.

I feel like a community can't really exist unless you have some sort of organizing principle, and that could be in the form of a person who sees the potential and understands the greater vision of something and can bring people together to support it. I feel most in my element when I'm able to bring the different players together.

If you have the right people and the right kind of vision in mind, then that's a very magical combination of getting shit done.