A Tribute To Headquarters: From Local DJs And Music Lovers

May 2026 marks an astounding 10 years of Headquarters in Singapore. It is also, unfortunately, its last month of operations.

The renowned club, known informally as HQ, will say goodbye to 66A Boat Quay on May 30th. Thugshop, the group that currently runs HQ, has not alluded to its future beyond the location. But it’s safe to say that a special era in Singapore’s club circuit is coming to a close. Of course, whenever good things come to an end, they will end spectacularly: May 30th will see a 10-hour rave at the venue from 6pm, with a line-up of selectors from HQ’s past and present.

HQ is best known as a techno club, though its four-by-four heartbeat was never shut off from other dance music styles. It played host to a remarkable spread of DJs and producers from across the globe, bucking trends in favour of the deeper underground – often championing the Singaporean selectors who would conversely help shape HQ’s identity in ways big and small. It also stayed resilient through tides aplenty, from nightlife restrictions to personal losses.

The two-storey club was founded in 2016 by Eileen Chan, best known to partygoers as DJ Cats On Crack, and Clement Chin, both of whom formed the collective The Council behind it. They were promoters who carried a richer vision for Singapore’s dance music scene which was, simultaneously, more ambitious and less flashy than what had come before it – and that’s not just about its strict ‘no flash photography’ rule. 

The club’s refreshingly no-frills philosophy resonated from its industrial, graffitied interior – which would be cloaked in crimson by nightfall – to its studiously plugged-in programming, which dedicated itself to sounds and styles just emerging from all over the region and the wider world. Upon its launch, it felt unthinkable such a space could persist in Singapore, where its nightlife circuit, primarily out of survival, busied itself with patrons hungry for familiar EDM hits and bottle service. 

Chan was chiefly responsible for the club’s weekly sounds, where she tirelessly brought emerging names to packed crowds – sometimes it could mean literally guiding Peggy Gou by hand to the DJ booth before her set in 2017, with Chan fending off a sea of gawking fans. These crowds, whether by nature or nurture, learned to bring open ears instead of song requests, and it was due to the warm atmosphere that Chan and Chin cultivated in the club’s early years. There was no love lost if you couldn’t abide by the rules – anyone could buy tickets and drinks, but you were out the door if you dared to disrupt the vibe.

The parties would later extend beyond Boat Quay – from warehouses to a riverboat – but HQ’s indelible stamp was always recognisable. There was always trust in HQ’s crafty pursuits. In 2022, Chan tragically passed away at age 32, with Chin continuing its doors with Thugshop.

HQ changed many lives, not least those who were there from the beginning. It’s hard to estimate the collective impact that a small club could have on a small country. But it’s evident from the stories people have already shared online – since Chan’s untimely death, and since the announcement of its closure. 

Here, F ZINE shares just a handful of tributes from people who’ve called HQ home at one point or another. To us, them, and countless others, it will always be the place.

Daryl Knows (DJ)

“My fondest memory of HQ was New Year’s Eve in 2018. It was a B2B2B night between Muto, Ulysses, and myself. Due to other DJ commitments beforehand, I only arrived close to 1am, and the atmosphere was buzzing. 

I remember having to squeeze my way from the entrance to the DJ booth upstairs as the venue was packed. It was one of those nice crowd moments though; every single person was a familiar face. Finally, at the booth, I saw Eileen, and she greeted me with “Welcome home!” It hit hard. It really was home. No other venue fostered a community the same way HQ did. 

Never would I have thought that the impromptu Melbourne trip with Clement and Eileen three years prior would plant the seeds for HQ, the venue that would change my life. Not only did it give me a platform to hone my craft, it also allowed me to see and play alongside my heroes. HQ really was the place.”

Zenon / Metamoksha (Bussy Temple, DJ)

“One of the first underground techno clubs I ever went to before I started DJing and organizing with Bussy Temple was HQ. Almost a decade later, getting to host a night and DJ there felt like a beautiful full-circle moment.

HQ remains the only dedicated techno club in Singapore and continues to hold space for independent collectives and communities to grow through it. Some of my core memories from my younger days were formed in this room, and it’ll always hold a special place in me.

Singapore’s techno underground would not exist in the way it does today without HQ! ❤️”

Hidzir Junaini (music and culture writer)

“After Home Club closed, Headquarters across the street became my home on the dancefloor for a very long time. I was there from day one, and it grew into one of the most formative places in my life – not just for music, but for community, identity, and belonging.

It stood as a champion and safe haven for underground electronic music in Singapore. More than that, it was built on the late Eileen Chan’s vision, spirit, and impeccable taste as Cats On Crack. There were far too many unforgettable nights there to count, and so much of its magic came down to her programming.

During those first few years, Headquarters was somewhere I returned to religiously without checking the lineup, and often without any friends. Whether it was a local DJ or an international headliner, I trusted Eileen’s curation completely, as well as the community she gathered around it. I knew I would find kindred spirits on the floor.

I haven’t been back as often in recent years, but my final night there was the recent Ice Cream Sundays afterparty, where Muto closed. After his set, the whole dancefloor broke out into a spontaneous chant of “CATS ON CRACK! CATS ON CRACK!” It was a lovely, moving moment – one I’ll forever cherish as my final memory of the space.”

Kin Leonn (Musician, DJ)

“I recently searched my chats for “HQ” and went over hundreds of texts over the years: “Who’s at HQ?”, “Hey come to HQ tonight”, “Heading to HQ”, “You at HQ? I’m at HQ”, “See you at HQ.”

It was a little emotional going through them... each instance a hazy portal into a different night and a different time, all anchored by one institution which had inadvertently become a safe place and home ground for all of us. The absence of this space will no doubt be felt in ways we will not be able to process fully.”

Sheryl Sho / sho&tell (Thugshop, DJ)

“I still remember the first time I stepped into Headquarters with my friends. I never expected it to become a second home to me, to the point where I felt comfortable showing up alone to the club. Over the years, so many friendships were forged through those nights. Some of the people I hold closest today are people I met through HQ.

I’ll miss the random curbside chats outside the entrance, catching familiar faces every weekend, and watching my friends lose themselves behind the booth and on the dancefloor. What made Headquarters special was how intimate it always felt. No matter who was playing, the space was always driven by the people inside it.

I’m incredibly grateful to have grown alongside the space, from being just another dancer on the floor to eventually becoming part of the team. HQ shaped not just my relationship with music, but also gave me a sense of community.”

Isabelle Ee / Gothhobbit (DJ)

“I was naturally trying to find similar spaces to experience music back home after graduating and returning from university in England. Through reconnecting with old music friends – whom I discovered were also in a similar trajectory of electronic music, party, and counter-culture appreciation – the spaces and communities revealed themselves to me. 

Headquarters was one of those spaces that came about at the right place, and the right time as a go-to for underground electronic music, as with many other shuttered spaces and venues (I long for White Label and Kilo Lounge to come back). I can’t recall most nights there but the feeling of being able to show up week to week, seeing familiar faces who are music lovers by default provided a sense of togetherness and a cherished common experience that seems to have been lost over the last couple of years. 

I appreciate how it has shaped my early 20s, and despite its closure, it has paved a way for the many counterculture collectives in this new generation to exist and thrive.”

Nick Bong / Bongomann (Ice Cream Sundays, DJ)

“HQ - a truly special institution. The people, the vibe, the music, the etiquette, everything was on point. 

I loved how respected the no-phones thing generally was, I loved how you could rock up without making plans and seeing people you know, I loved how tight the programming was, I loved being able to learn from older DJs, I loved learning how to play a small room, I loved the crew that ran such a tight ship. 

Shoutout to all the Council-era crew for giving us the space we needed, and shoutout to Thugshop for truckin on with new crew! Some of those nights will forever be seared in my memory, from Barker to Max Graef. But also to the local heroes holding it down week after week - Daryl Knows, Haan, Muto, Yadin, Uly... Many lasting friendships have been made in HQ too - I met Daniel and Meltem there and joined Ice Cream Sundays soon after!”