Where You Should Be Partying In August 2023
A lowdown of the hottest parties of the month by the city's coolest merrymakers.
By Nicholas See ,
It is officially Leo season and the parties lined up this month are perfect for anyone seeking some flamboyance and energy. From a rave taking place at a trendy hair salon favoured by Gen Zers to a tribute party to a progenitor of the local techno scene, here is the 4-1-1 to where you should be going out at night.
Local house music collective Yes You is celebrating its first anniversary this month at Tuff Club (138 Robinson Road). To fete the occasion, the group is bringing in Bangkok-based DJ, Valtteri Alarik, who is also the co-founder of the city's underground party hotspot Grow Room and a fixture of Thailand's music festivals like Kolour and Wonderfruit. Alarik's expansive repertoire, which spans house and dub, promises to leave you sore the next day from all that hardcore dancing. Also performing sets at the bash are familiar names in the Singapore house scene: DJ Zafirah, Taaka and HBN.
Tickets are on sale at $27.74 each here
AUGUST 5: MIDNIGHT SHIFT X CARHARTT WIP: HAPPINESS IS AN INSIDE JOB #CATSONCRACK
Homegrown music label Midnight Shift has joined hands with cult workwear brand Carhartt WIP for a tribute party for Eileen Chan a.k.a. Cats On Crack. The late Chan was the progenitor of the local techno scene who co-founded nightlife venues Headquarters and Tuff Club (where the event will be held). She passed away in Berlin last year at the age of 32. The event will fuse the buzzing energy of the two cities that were dear to her – through a live set between Sam Barker of the Berghain record label Oshgut Ton and the experimental Singapore producer-slash-composer Kin Leonn of the record label Kitchen Label. The duo's collaboration will be released on vinyl through Midnight Shift. Other Singapore-based DJs – Bongomann, Basil and Aya – will also be taking the decks.
Tickets are on sale at $37.26 each here
Well-loved party collective Eatmepoptart’s regular outfit Never Lose That Feeling will be back at one of its home grounds, Moonstone. The Amoy Street establishment will play host to a night of indie sleaze, power pop and alternative rock. The event is free of charge, so partygoers with a recession-proof budget can rejoice.
Free entry
For over a decade, the Mismatch party series has been a rallying call for the queer community with its all-inclusive shindigs. Its newest edition, titled Midnight Mullet, continues to wave that flag high; the party organiser is billing it as "a new party night exploring the spirit of electro and its many catch-all genre variants that resist classification". With tunes from the likes of LCD Soundsystem, Santigold and Grimes pulsating through the No Spoilers Bar at Golden Village x The Projector at Cineleisure, we promise that this is bound to be a wild affair.
Tickets are priced from $10 here
R&B junkies get ready to be hit by a new spin on your favourite genre. This pop-up party by local hip-hop maestros Yafith A. Hamid (better known by his DJ moniker YA5TH) and DJ Ollie'Des is bound to be a crowd-pleaser. The duo has described the night as one that celebrates "left-field hip-hop" and will see them riffing on influences from musical styles like electronica into the mix. The event will be staged at party hotspot Iki By Ikigai at 20 Upper Circular Road, so you know for sure that the vibes are going to be immaculate.
Tickets priced at $25 each are available here
A party in a hair salon? Why not, especially when it concerns a trendy Gen Z hangout like 35A. The space, located in the Kampong Bahru enclave, is being turned into rave central by party collective NoPartyHere. Expect sounds from both seasoned and new local acts like VGTH666, C2AC, CherylEatsChips and Fabricant Fang. Judging by the crowd at 35A's opening party last Dec, expect this to be an equally fashionable affair.
Pay as you wish upon entry
Music and gastronomy event organiser Thugshop is back with another new party named XOXO. With the help of queer event organiser FomoHomo, Ukrainian DJ Dana Montana will grace the decks of Cecil Street party space MDLR with her assorted strains of techno, electro, ghettotech and hardcore. Her '90s-inspired sound has made its rounds in well-known party circuits such as Boudica, Pulse Festival, and Deestricted. Playing alongside Dana are Taaka and Howrong, who will be serving their intense techno-house rhythms to the crowd.
Tickets are sold at $36.94 each here
Party collective Strange Weather is on a roll. After introducing banger after banger with guest acts from the region for its previous editions, its upcoming event turns the spotlight on Elena Colombi who founded the record label Osare Editions in 2019. The UK-based musical artist is known for turning to techno, dubstep, post-punk and even spoken word for her performances. Colombi will be joined by Antarmuka, the Singapore electronic duo helmed by electronic musician and percussionist Syafiq Halid and gamelan musician and composer Rosemainy Buang. Also performing that night will be Strange Weather’s own Aalely, Kindergarchy, Yadin Moha and Yetpet at an undisclosed location only to be announced the day before.
Tickets are on sale at $45.08 each here