Outer Bounce Throws Raves At The Most Unexpected Venues
Whoever’s called Singapore’s nightlife options predictable has clearly not been out much. Following the pandemic, a rush of music-loving party organisers – new and existing alike – has been producing independently spirited, multidisciplinary events that are anything but the typical club experience. The schedule and locations aren’t fixed and often surprise. The music spans sub-genres you might not have even heard of, and art and fashion collaborations are a popular affair. So energetic is the scene that the dilemma for revellers is almost one of having too many choices on any given weekend and not knowing which to head to (or how to conquer them all). Here, we cast the spotlight on rave series Outer Bounce.
THE PARTY: Outer Bounce
STARTED: August 2022
WHO’S BEHIND IT: The folks behind Outer Bounce have requested for anonymity as they prefer not to give the project any human representation or affiliation.
THE LOCATION: Each of Outer Bounce’s parties has been staged in a different location. The first was at Haw Par Villa’s Rise of Asia Museum and helped to revitalise this restored theme park big on folklore and kitsch as one of the coolest new cultural destinations in town. (Several other party organisers have held events on site since.) The site of its sophomore outing? A basement studio residing within an industrial estate in Ubi that, by day, provides additional seating for patrons of the coffee shop right above it. Its third and latest instalment saw it take over yet another unexpected location: a unit within the soon-to-be-demolished Peace Centre that was formerly a food court as well as an Internet cafe.
THE VIBE: One of the most finessed productions here, Outer Bounce has made a name for throwing raves at off-kilter spots. It’s been equally feted for its music curation with the organisers often bringing in some of the coolest acts from Asia’s underground electronic scene. The Peace Centre gig, for example, featured Taiwan’s dark acid maestro Jing Lekker and Japan’s cosmic Balearic savant Yuzo Iwata.
What made you decide to start your own party series? When was it started?
"There wasn’t a lot of interaction between regional scenes with Singapore and lesser knowledge of the region’s scene. We’ve seen so many talented people in our scene embark on a creative diaspora to Europe or elsewhere to pursue their careers because of the lack of proper support and environments - There is an immense amount of great producers and DJs within the region and aren’t as popularly known as those in places in abroad and we hope to change that by making Asia’s electronic an integral staple that we can consistently rely on when it comes to the dance floor."
The third and most recent edition of Outer Bounce took place at a unit within the soon-to-be-demolished Peace Centre that was formerly a food court as well as an Internet cafe.
Where are your parties typically held, and how did you choose these locations?
"We try to pick places that aren’t as familiar with the clubbing and event infrastructure in Singapore. For the most part, we try to occupy spaces with a story to tell, especially in Singapore where land is limited and predetermined by a systematic urban plan, our architectural history and heritage are getting replaced rapidly and we lose a unique breath of ourselves as it goes on - having events in off-kilter spaces helps us create direct memories with them.
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For years, there has only been a handful of locations where we can go for our music and interact with like-minded people and be a part of the community. But having only these few spaces leaves a lot to be desired and it is natural that we would also want new experiences, outside of where have been our stomping grounds are only a limited amount of locations where we are able to express ourselves creatively through the venue and an even lesser amount of locations that we are given the right to dance freely and with so much bureaucracy and costs involved in the process of obtaining a location makes it hard to do things, it boils down to a stroke of luck."
Post-party things.
There’s been a noticeable uptick in independent parties here lately – what’s your opinion on this, given that you’re an organiser yourself?
"It’s always refreshing to see new collectives add to the tapestry of Singapore’s music scene helping add another dimension of curation and sound and grow the scene. Marking Singapore as a boring place is just lazy, there is so much to be a part of if you really pay attention."
Despite the enthusiasm lately for independent/underground parties now, what challenges do you face as a party organiser in this post-pandemic landscape?
"The lack of venues and proper spaces for underground music. There is a stigma with nightlife that it is not a productive and creative industry and strained even further with entertainment moguls who value profit and prestige more than quality which in turn builds a landscape that doesn’t give room for underground club culture to align their creative pursuits and build an audience with significant meaning.
On a more personal note, we think people need to put their phones down on the dancefloor, every so often I see more people interested in capturing the moment on their phones and for social media rather than letting it live in just that 1 night, there’s nothing wrong with wanting a memory to take back on your phone but some moments are best remembered and lived in that space of time than on your photo library. Music after all is a human connection and social media is the least sociable thing you could do rather than being a part of collective people on the dancefloor."
The fast-rising Kindergachy, a member of Singapore-based music collective Strange Weather, was one of the headliners at the most recent Outer Bounce gig.
How would you describe Singapore’s underground party/nightlife scene now? What’s exciting you?
"It has come a long way from sweaty walls and bars once every few months in small spaces to having a proper festival and great nights every few weekends, even with all of the difficulties we are constantly pushing, if you are not excited we'll give you Marquee's address."
READ MORE: Top 10 Parties And Raves Happening In Singapore In December 2023
What would you say is unique to the independent/underground Singapore party scene that makes it different from other cities?
"That we aren’t very visible to the wider public. For quite a while our counterparts within the region and beyond aren’t very aware that there is a scene, and it's always exciting for us to show that we do exist and change the perception that many people who live outside of Singapore have of our city which for the most part has always been rather negative when it comes to entertainment."
READ MORE: Marisse Caine Captures The Soul Of Singapore’s Underground Music Scene
Vibing to a set by Taiwan’s dark acid maestro Jing Lekker.
If you were going to another party in Singapore, what would it be and why this party?
"Strange Weather. They have consistently challenged the way electronic music on the dance floor is experienced through their music direction and spatial design, going against the grain of what is popular and always building on expanding the music palettes of the scene with quality. Music comes first."
Where do you see these parties going in the future? How do you see them growing?
"The curation and quality is definitely getting better, I think as our scene grows even further, people are going to view this music for more than just the dance floor allowing us to push even further with how conceptual we can host nights here."
Ahead, snapshots from the third and latest Outer Bounce party thrown at Peace Centre capture what a night out with this anonymous collective is usually like: playful, edgy and oh‐so‐stylish.
A version of this story first appeared in the Dec 2023 This Great City Edition of FEMALE