Where You Should Be Partying At In July 2023
We're halfway into the year and the party scene is just only getting started.
By Nicholas See ,
If you've been following this monthly column, you will realise that the first half of 2023 has been an electrifying year filled with headbanging ragers and raves thus far. The line-up for this month's parties seems to keep the momentum going with a chockful of events and DJ acts that will cater to various communities hitting the dance floor. Scroll on to find out more.
ICYMI, The Cathay at Handy Road is shuttering temporarily for redevelopment works. Adding to that bittersweet moment is the closing of The Projector X: Picturehouse Cinema, the pop-up in the building by indie cinema The Projector which opened in August last year. For its final curtain call, the cinema is throwing a 12-hour party at the premises. From 1pm to 4pm, Salsa y Comida, the purveyors of Latin dance and music here, will be throwing its own fiesta with resident DJs May Leong and Vijay Singh at the helm. Kampong Boogie party collective, known for its eclectic offerings will be taking the floor between 4pm and 8pm, with music maestros that include the likes of Amanda Keisha Ang and Francesca Aurora Way leading the way. Later in the evening, veteran music collective Eatmepoptart will be hosting a four-hour party from 8pm to midnight featuring local DJ stalwarts Adrian Wee and Yafith A. Hamid on the decks. Now, who's ready for a long night of fun?
Free of charge
Celebrations are in order as the budding, hyper-hip NAGA empire – comprising the much-talked-about, Japanese-inspired eatery NAGA House on Lorong Telok and the music arm NAGA Sounds – turns one with a multiday line-up that lives up to its dynamic and boisterous nature. Its recent July 1 event Pinchu recreated Northern Spain’s hearty bar culture at NAGA House, while the closing NAGA Sounds party on July 15 at Tuff Club will boast four genre-spanning DJs guaranteed to keep your feet moving.
Since its inception this February, pop-up party series XXL has already found fans here for its electrifying techno raves. Conceptualised by eight-year-old music and gastronomy event organiser Thugshop – the same mastermind behind beloved techno landmark Headquarters – its upcoming edition at MDLR (62 Cecil Street) on July 22 will feature the hypnotic anthems of German electronica and tech house master Jonas Saalbach, who is deft at mixing deep and sophisticated sounds with a hardware-based approach.
Tickets are on sale at $42.10 each here
The alternative electronic party organiser Revision Music has been churning out raucous gigs fronted by a diverse range of international DJs since 2015, and the man leading the decks this time is Tamen. With his experimental take on breakbeat, this Melbourne-based producer has delivered high-energy sets at major festivals such as Outlook in Croatia and All Together Now in Ireland. Prepare for a night of cavernous, sub-frequency basslines at iKi, with support from Revision Music’s resident DJs, Gahmen and Helios XL, and special guest Dexter Colt of Darker Than Wax.
Tickets are on sale at $27.29 each here
Calling all Berghain fans. Two behemoths within the party scene – music label Midnight Shift and organisers Thugshop – are bringing Answer Code Request, an artist straight out of the legendary Berlin club's record label Oshgut Ton for a one-night-only event at Tuff Club at Robinson Road. Expect to be pumped up by his signature hybrid style of sleek breaks and industrial sound. Answer Code Request will be supported by Midnight Shift's very own Jamie React and Basil, who will be bringing their dark and eerie techno beats to the night.
Tickets are on sale at $36.94 each here
With two generations of intrepid independent party authorities at the helm – the four-year-old North East Social Club (NESC) and Thugshop, you know you’re in for one helluva fun time. Add the cult UK-based Salute – loved for his infectious and melodic mixes of grime, garage, drum and bass, and dubstep – for a headliner in his very first gig here at Tuff Club; and three local techno powerhouses – GTHB, Strange Weather’s Kindergarchy and NESC’s very own Tashasan – as supporting acts, and we’re already declaring this one of the parties of the year.
Tickets are on sale at $42.99 each here
Club Kiki is the barely-year-old organiser of queer events that’s gained a growing following for its feel-good, tech-house parties that merge lifestyle, music and art, and Oonik is one of its most anticipated monthly affairs. On the programme this time round is a full female/femme line-up of eight artists (the organisers believe that June and July are the months in which “the Goddess of Divine Femme emerges”), including EJ Missy and Muttiah Ashnim. Booths offering the likes of handmade jewellery, tarot card readings and live drawing sessions complete this breezy way to cap the week.
Details to come