The Beat Goes On ...

• Bangulzai

  11 Apr 09, 16:40

  The Beat Goes On ...

  Zaki Jufri susses out the latest nightlife trends and parties for 2009.

  

  Like a caterpillar coming out of its cocoon as a butterfly, an agile blonde gingerly wriggled out her lithe body out of the blue cocoon-like cloth hanging from the ceiling, and with a sharp twist and bending of her left knee, she masterfully twirled around to the delight of the audience below. On a network of steel catwalks up above, voluptuous and scantily clad dancers shimmied back and forth to an electro-techno beat. A couple of doors away, men and women, all dressed to their nines, were entranced by the sultry voices of two French songbirds, the slick moves of the dancers and the cacophony of the orchestra in the background. A scene out of Cirque du Soleil or some fancy club in a casino? Nope, it’s the kind of show you can expect to find at some of our local clubs right now.

  The local nightlife scene has undergone a paradigm shift over the past few months. It was not too long ago that a night out about town would mean making a beeline to a club where a superstar DJ (take your pick from Paul Van Dyk, Ferry Corsten or Nick Warren) manned the decks. But big name jocks don’t necessarily pull in the crowds anymore, and establishments are exploring other ways to attract and entertain the fickle Singaporean crowd. From new entertainment concepts replete with twirling acrobats, magicians and orchestras to trendy theme parties, all-in-one joints where one can eat, drink and then party, these are the latest trends and movements in nightlife.

  Live and Kicking

  Out of the ashes of the short-lived Ministry of Sound rose Zirca, the latest concept by Lifebrandz (also the people behind retro bar Yello Jello and hip hop dance club Rebel)—arguably one of the most talked about new clubs in Singapore. Boasting 20,000 square feet of clubbing space and capable of hosting 2,000 revellers, Zirca literally puts the mega back into our nightlife scene.

  “Zirca is for anyone who is discerning and demands more entertainment in a club than just dance music,” says Lifebrandz’s Executive Vice President Bernard Lim. So don’t expect your usual DJs spinning tunes here. Punters are treated to an aural and visual spectacle of a different kind. The club, which opened its doors late November last year, raises the bar for clubs in Singapore by fusing live entertainment and dance club into one mammoth experience. “Zirca comprises shows and dance performances of international standards, with a truly unique entertainment offering,” adds Lim. “It’s a carnival party concept inspired by Broadway, Cirque du Soleil shows and some of the biggest parties you witness across Europe where there is a high degree of interaction with the audience and performances.”

  While its latest offering may not be as unconventional as Zirca’s, The Arena, also in Clarke Quay, is just as entertaining. It is the first nightspot here to have a dedicated illusion show on top of its regular repertoire. “Ultimate Magic” is a full 60-minute grand illusion show that’s staged six days a week, two shows a day, featuring illusionists JC Sum and Ning Cai—further testament to the draw of live shows here.

  Another live entertainment concept new to Singapore is dueling pianos at Howl at the Moon in Peranakan Place. Launched just before Formula One last year, this bar introduced the American entertainment concept to a captive audience. As the name “dueling pianos” implies, two pianos—baby grands—are involved. Two piano players work together and face off at the same time, delivering a stream of well known tunes that customers can “howl” to as they chug their beers. Requests are encouraged, and the highly skilled performers are trained to deliver a mind bogglingly wide repertoire, constantly interact with the audience, and play different instruments. Every hour, two new piano players come on stage and for a short transition there are four players on stage, during which other instruments like saxophone and guitar might join in. Dueling pianos has its roots in New Orleans and Howl at the Moon is a successful American chain of bars; the Singapore edition brought here by Managing Director Kerry Ball of Clarke Quay’s former 1-Nite-Stand.

  The Bellini Grande in the Clarke Quay, an upsized spin-off of St. James Power Station’s former Bellini Room, also includes a performance element. While the Bellini Room was mainly a swing and big band club, The Bellini Grande features more popular music done in a jazzy tip to attract the bigger and more mainstream crowd that frequents Clarke Quay. To date, the club boasts a whopping 18-piece pop orchestra, four dancers and three singers which play a mean repertoire from singers and acts like Frank Sinatra, Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey and even Creedence Clearwater Revival.

  Andrew Ing, its chief operating officer, explains the trend: “Nightlife comes in cycles—10 years ago, you couldn’t put a live band or performers in a bar or club. We saw this gap when we launched St. James Power Station and have continued with Bar None and The Bellini Grande. Also, there are more bands and songs on radio than, say, five years ago when dance music without vocals was the big thing. Entertainment needs to be visual, not just audio.”

  The Dream Theme

  The local party scene is also abuzz with a growing number of special theme nights and one-off parties organized by clubs, bars and even independent promoters to keep punters entertained and sated. It’s not just Zouk’s Flava With Andrew Chow or Attica’s Fusion Fridays with the Partyman that are still popular. 

  “Every entertainment venue needs variety and these add to the options,” says Michel Lu of Prive. The Keppel Bay hangout—a favourite among clued-up clubbers—plays host to theme nights like Sundays at Prive, which specializes in deep-house and jazz tunes, and Mojito Fridays, where, you guessed it, special mojitos are served alongside a dreamy mix of soulful house tunes unleashed by DJ Kaye.

  Zouk’s Marketing Manager Tracy Phillips agrees: “They’re (theme nights) important because they’re an opportunity for the [club’s] team to flex their creative muscle and engage clubbers in a fresh, new way, adding more variety and vibrancy to the existing nightlife options. They help the club differentiate between various nights, to target the right audience who will most appreciate the event.”

  Indeed, Zouk’s wildly popular (and some say legendary) midweek party Mambo Jambo is still drawing in packed crowds after 16 years and its latest baby, Readyset Glo—a bi-monthly indie disco night—has proved to be another feather in its cap with its nu-rave tunes and raging young crowd.

  Other popular parties and theme nights in town include Café Del Mar’s Aircrew Fridays; Helipad’s 00:01 every Saturday featuring the latest in progressive house and electro; Powerhouse’s hip hop and R&B themed Supafly; Mimolette’s weekly Trybe Fridays and The Butter Factory’s monthly Switch nights, both hot favourites among clued-in clubbers.

  Getting Indie with It

  In the spirit of theme parties, clubbers who bemoan the dearth of alternative options to their usual nightlife diet can certainly find the answer in independent or “indie” nights. These parties are usually organized by independent organizers who are not affiliated with any club or venue.

  Previously held at offbeat places like warehouses and spaces such as the Timberlux Centre, Red Dot Museum or Fort Canning Park, these parties have since moved into the confines of the clubs such as Home Club, The Butter Factory, Blu Jaz, Hacienda and even Zouk after club and bar owners recognized the significance of such parties. With names like Luoco Som Sistema, Pop My Cherry, Pop Tart, Good Times, Dark Friday and music spanning everything from industrial metal, goth, techno, electro, psy-trance, old school hip hop and jungle, these parties are lapped up by the crowd they attract—a mix of hardcore music fans and people just looking for an alternative place to spend a night out.

  “The surge [of indie nights] only proves the potential for growth and interest to nurture a youthful scene. It’s more of a need than a growth in trend with the injection of fresh blood from the younger generation,” explains Kinemat’s creative director Donovan Wong. Kinemat—a stalwart of the indie scene and organizer of past parties such as Re:Percussions and Free the Musique—have gone on to produce and organize bigger things like the World Wide Festival which will happen again this May. The Kinemat boys are currently helming the monthly Luoco Som Sistema nights at places like Hacienda and Home Club.

  No one can deny that these indie parties provide a different and edgier kind of partying experience than a regular club or bar. At Dark Friday parties, organized by the Singapore Alternative Movement—a promoter of the Goth subculture—punters are mostly dressed in punk outfits, Renaissance or medieval style clothes and are often in black attire, makeup and hair. “The experience provided at these nights is distinct from the regular nights available—be it through the selection of music, the theme and dress, or even the type of drinks provided. It is in my view, that independent nights tend to be more freewheeling, daring and open to experimentation,” explains Syaheed Isahak of indie label Bedsty Music, who organizes the Good Times parties at Blu Jaz. And it is this freewheeling attitude and derring-do that makes for a more vibrant and mature nightlife scene, with both punters and club owners accepting and supporting diversity.

  All-in-One

  A growing number of restaurant/bars have also been heating up the local nightlife scene, offering diners more than just greasy finger food to go with their beer, or a paltry beverage list to complement their menus. Gone are the days when you’d step into a bar and order a beer with the de rigueur bowl of peanuts or sit down in a restaurant and tuck into a predictable three-course dinner and a glass of wine. Now you can order foie gras, steak, a negroni, and then head outside on the grass or onto the sand to party. Places like Prive, Mimolette, One Rochester, 1 Twenty Six, Café Del Mar and Oosh are prime examples of multi-directional establishments that already have a combination of food, drinks, live music, DJs and a dance floor; while newer establishments like supperclub, The White Rabbit, Tippling Club, Society Bar, One on the Bund and most recently, OverEasy, are wowing diners and revellers with their unique concepts.

  “We know that above all else, Singaporeans want to be spoilt for choice,” says Teng Wen Wee of The Lo & Behold Group, which operates rooftop bar Loof and hip Dempsey joint The White Rabbit. It recently opened American diner and bar, OverEasy, at One Fullerton. In collaboration with hip club The Butter Factory, they’ve created a modern bar concept that blurs the line between drinking and dining while paying tasteful homage to the much-loved American diner.

  On the new wave of outlets, Fannison Leong, sales and marketing manager of supperclub says: “It definitely makes sense to be in a position to offer both; as eating, drinking and being entertained go hand in hand. Guests want to be able to dine and not have to worry about where to go for drinks before or after their meal.” The local offshoot of the Dutch supperclub offers an unusual take on what constitutes dining and clubbing. While enjoying their three- or five-course meals on signature beds, guests are treated to an assortment of performance arts—from spoken word poetry to modern dance—every night. As the clock strikes 12, the DJ ups the tempo of the music and the dining hall turns into a party central where people can jump on the beds and dance.

  While the concept of a restaurant/bar is not a new one, the main difference between the new outlets and other existing establishments is that the older places “are doing it to generate additional revenue from the same venue or ‘evolve’ into bars when they fail as restaurants,” suggested Prive’s Lu. “This is definitely a trend that is catching on, especially with people who are jaded with the nightlife scene here,” says avid clubber and The White Rabbit regular Sean Liu. “At these places, now I can dine at the restaurant, chill out at the bar after dinner and then when the music is pumping, just step out and dance.
  All in one venue—it makes going out a whole lot easier,” Liu adds.

  Fullerton Hits Back

  Things were never quite the same again at One Fullerton after chic trio Centro, Lola and Embargo, owned by Michel Lu’s former company Centro Concepts, pulled out from its premises in 2004. And gone were the long queues and the beautiful people that came with it. Despite its much sought after waterfront locale facing Marina Bay and the Esplanade, One Fullerton has seen a whole slew of tenants like Makino, Onyx and Haru Dining & Sake Bar come and go.

  Fast forward to September 2008, when One Fullerton was relaunched with a big bang by property developer The Fullerton Heritage with hopes of reviving the struggling spot and its immediate periphery—the entire waterfront stretch of historic Collyer Quay—into a new entertainment hub.

  Said Florence So, director of Fullerton Heritage: “It has been more than seven years since One Fullerton first opened its doors in 2001, and we felt it would be an opportune time to introduce enhancements to the development as well as to review the tenant mix so as to strengthen its value proposition as a prime waterfront destination.”

  And thus places like Forlino—an Italian fine dining restaurant—modern Cantonese restaurant Jing, The Tapas Tree and OverEasy are part of the 11-strong tenant list. Even pioneer tenant Pierside revamped its premise to include an alfresco bar. Hot on One Fullerton’s heels is One on the Bund in nearby Clifford Pier—a modern Chinese restaurant and bar—which exudes old Shanghainese glamour with a contemporary twist (they play R&B, sexy house and hip hop tunes).

  Another new addition to the area’s growing list of tenants is The Butter Factory, which is infamous for its hip hop and indie/electro-techno parties. After unleashing two fierce years of infamy at its former Robertson Quay spot with flamboyant parties and even garnering a nomination for STB’s Best Nightspot Experience award in 2008, it prepares to up the ante and take dance floor debauchery to a whole new level at the Fullerton vicinity. The club is slated to take over the space vacated by the former Centro in early March this year.

  “The location is great and the size was exactly what we have been hunting for a long time,” says Bobby Luo, one of its partners. “[And] the view is absolutely breathtaking. Compared to some of the grotty basements we had been viewing, the cathedral-like space at One Fullerton was the most palatial of them all.” Butter Factory regular and writer Mark Tay welcomes the move. “I think Butter’s move shows they have really made their mark on the hip hop, indie and mash-up scene in Singapore. It’s a very good sign for much of their clientele who primarily work in the Shenton Way area already,” he says. 

  Will One Fullerton’s slew of new tenants bring the space back to its former heyday? While it is still too early to tell, most that I-S spoke to are very optimistic, given the fact that the dynamics of nightlife have changed so much over the years. “Together with the other tenants, we are confident of tipping One Fullerton back into the ‘limelight’,” says OverEasy’s Teng.

  A newer and hipper One Fullerton, underground parties worth making a beeline for and live acts that will send you on a frenzy—the local nighlife scene has never been more eclectic or erratic—there’s lots to look forward to this year.

   

  See and Be Seen Parties You Shouldn’t Miss

   

  00:01

  Those of you who remember the infamous parties at the defunct Liquid Room will want to get twisted again as the very same people behind those parties bring us 00:01. Every Saturday after midnight, the Helipad turns into party central with DJs Hook and Foulworks Independent Movement spinning house, disco and electro-pop tunes.

  Log on to www.helipad.com.sg for more info

  Dark Fridays

  Especially for the denizens of the dark and those who want to channel their inner Goth, Dark Fridays is the only indie party in Singapore that features exclusively gothic, industrial, electronic body music (EBM), darkwave and future pop music. Organized by the equally dark Singapore Dark Alternative Movement, this tribe hopes to revolutionize local club culture with their brand of music mayhem with DJs Saito Nagasaki (Aesgrade), Mentor (X’ho in a guise) and Murderfreak.

  For more info log on to www.sdam.asia

  Luoco Som Sistema

  After last year’s successful outing amid forest greens at Hacienda, the Kinematicians decided to go urban and underground this year and brought their Luoco Som Sistema nights to Home Club. Sonic jocks Don, Max Lane, Christen Danse churn out surreal ghetto mash-ups and twisted anthems served with bouncy beats, wobbling basslines and dirty samples. 2009 also marks 10 years of Kinemat, so we can expect lots of parties and surprises from them.

  For more info log on to www.homeclub.com.sg

  Readyset Glo

  Stocks of glo-sticks and fluo-face paint are depleted every time Readyset Glo is in session. Since early 2007, Readyset Glo has been raving things up at Zouk with its electro and indie ear wax. This bi-monthly event has seen the likes of Steve Aoki, The Rapture, Boys Noize, IDC, Shitdisco and the Bang Gang DJs spitting out choons laced with fluorescence to the hungry hipster lot.

  For more info log on to www.readysetglo.net

  Trybe

  For the past year, Mimolette’s uber cool Trybe supper club parties have been reinventing how Singapore’s uber chic are spending their Friday nights. This invitation only party’s guest list usually reads a long list of A-listers which includes socialites, debutantes, fashionistas, advertising types, influencers, tastemakers and the all important models.

   

  Where the Parties are at:

  1 Twenty Six, #01-26 Playground @ Big Splash, 902 East Coast Parkway, 6348-2126

  The Arena, #01-08 Blk. B Clarke Quay, River Valley Rd., 6338-3158

  Attica, #01-03 Blk. A Clarke Quay, River Valley Rd., 6333-9973.

  The Bellini Grande, #01-01 Blk. B Clarke Quay, River Valley Rd., 6336-7676

  Blu Jaz, 11 Bali Lane, 6292-3800

  The Butter Factory, #01-03 Riverside 48, 48 Robertson Quay, 6333-8243

  Café del Mar, 40 Siloso Beach Walk, Sentosa, 6235-1296

  Hacienda, 13A Dempsey Rd., 6476-2922

  Helipad, #05-22 The Central, 6 Eu Tong Sen St., 6327-8118

  Home Club, #B1-01/06 The Riverwalk, 20 Upper Circular Rd., 6538-2928

  Howl at the Moon, 2/F, Peranakan Place,180 Orchard Rd., 6838-0281

  Mimolette, 55 Fairways Dr., 6467-7748

  One on the Bund, Clifford Pier, 80 Collyer Quay, 6221-0004

  Oosh, 22 Dempsey Rd., 6475-0002

  OverEasy, #01-06 One Fullerton, 1 Fullerton Rd., 6423-0701

  Prive, G/F Marina at Keppel Bay, 2 Keppel Bay Vista, 6776-0777

  Rebel, #01-01/08, Blk. C The Cannery, Clarke Quay, River Valley Rd., 6333-4168

  Society Bar, #01-20, 10 Dempsey Rd., 6474-7427

  Supperclub, 2/F Odeon Towers, 331 North Bridge Rd., 6334-4080

  Tippling Club, 8D Dempsey Rd., 6475-2217

  The White Rabbit, 39C Harding Rd., 6473-9965

  Zirca, Blk. C The Cannery, Clarke Quay, River Valley Rd., 6333-4168

  Zouk, 17 Jiak Kim St., 6738-2988