Adrian Wee Is Ending His Eatmepoptart Party Series After 20 Years

LET’S START FROM THE BEGINNING: WHAT DROVE YOU TO CREATE EATMEPOPTART?

“If my memory serves me right, it was sometime in 2004. I’d been a full‐time DJ for what was already around four years then and thus felt a bit worn out. Club nights at that point in time felt very repetitive and devoid of meaning, and I longed for an experience in which everyone, including the DJs, could connect on some higher level. The music that has always resonated with me most has been the indie, alt rock and Britpop tunes I was into during my teenage years. One evening, when in the company of some friends and in an inebriated state, the topic of an indie club night came up and we decided to start what would eventually become Eatmepoptart. So, yeah, it was mainly because of the booze.”

HOW MANY EDITIONS OF EATMEPOPTART HAVE THERE BEEN SINCE?

“Hundreds? I don’t know. I’m a DJ, not a calculator!”

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YOU RECENTLY ANNOUNCED THAT EATMEPOPTART WILL END AT THE END OF THIS YEAR. WHAT BROUGHT ABOUT THIS DECISION?

“At the start, the team behind Eatmepoptart comprised DJs Jah and Zaidi, and me, but over the years, Jah and Zaidi dropped out due to personal and career commitments. So I – this fella who refuses to grow up – continued on alone … My body’s not what it used to be though, and I’ve reached a point when I need to take a breather and a step back, and focus on more important things in life – such as playing video games.”

HOW EXACTLY DID YOU – AND DOES ONE – SUSTAIN A PARTY FOR 20 YEARS?

“I think for us, it was never about the hype. We started something we believed in and stuck with it, only throwing in a bit of whatever was trendy but still on brand for us every now and then to keep things current. I think and hope we were genuine in everything we’ve done. Crowds are not dumb and will eventually spot bullsh*t. Honestly, in what feels like a blink of an eye, 20 years have passed and I have no idea how we kept going … I still get so much anxiety planning an event and before every single set, but that all goes away, and turns into exhilaration and a dopamine rush as soon as I see the dance floor going off.”

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DESCRIBE THE EATMEPOPTART CROWD.

“I love everyone in it. Many are a mix of weird and awkward, yet super adorable. After speaking with them, we realise that we’re all the same: just fumbling our way through life and trying to find some meaning in the process … If anything, it’s the people that I’m going to miss most about running Eatmepoptart. I love chatting with everyone in our various levels of crazy by the bar or at the smoking area, and listening to their life stories, their dreams and ambitions, and their tales of love lost and found.”

YOU’VE SAID IN PREVIOUS INTERVIEWS THAT EATMEPOPTART HAS ALWAYS EXISTED OUTSIDE OF CONVENTIONAL PARTIES AND CLUB CULTURE. TELL US MORE.

“Yes, we’ve always been fully conscious of how we don’t want Eatmepoptart to end up like a conventional club night. Our events are stripped down to the bare bones and we always let the music be the sole focus of the night. That means no bottle service and silly bottle girls, no fancy lasers, no dancers, et cetera. Instead, it should be just sweaty bodies celebrating music.”

HOW DOES PARTY CULTURE LOOK LIKE IN 2024?

“This requires an essay! There was a huge cultural shift in nightlife post‐Covid‐19 pandemic. Plenty of new parties popped up after the circuit breaker was lifted – some were really awesome, others not so much. The absence of social activities for youths during the pandemic, combined with inflation and a new way of consuming music through social media and memes, has resulted in a generation of kids doing DIY parties and DJ‐ing, skipping the ‘entry‐level’ process of sneaking into clubs for a good time. This is also why we’re now spoilt for choice, with plenty of pop‐up parties at alternative venues rather than clubs – I love how open and expressive the people at some of these nights are with their fashion, lifestyle and attitude.”

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WHAT’S YOUR TAKE ON SINGAPORE’S PARTY SCENE NOW?

“I think it’s in a somewhat transitional period, with most mainstream or traditional party venues and organisations buying time and banking on throwback themes as they wait for some big cultural trend or shift to happen. Independent organisers, on the other hand, have taken a more focused approach, creating experiences that cater specifically to the groups they’re targeting. I’d take an ear‐bleeding rave in an abandoned office building over afro beats at an expensive table‐service club any day! Oh, there’s also this trend of introducing a DJ just about everywhere. I really don’t think there’s any need for DJs blasting EDM in a supermarket to uplift my veggie‐buying experience.”

WHAT SHOULD PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT THE FINAL SERIES OF EATMEPOPTART PARTIES?

“We’ll be holding four parties across November and December, each with a different theme: indie, the 1980s, the ’90s and the 2000s. For the final event on Dec 21, we’ll be going back to our roots with an indie rock, indie pop, indie sleaze, Britpop and alternative rock night. It’ll be held at Phil’s Studio, a no‐frills venue with an intimate capacity of 200 – just like how things were when we first started.”

WHAT’S ONE THING YOU WANT EATMEPOPTART TO BE KNOWN FOR?

“I’d like it to be known as the party that no one remembers going to because everyone got too happy and drunk.”

THIS INTERVIEW HAS BEEN EDITED FOR BREVITY AND CLARITY.

This article first appeared in the November 2024 Party Edition of FEMALE