This Is What Singapore Youths Call Partying Today
While the dance floor is definitely not dead in a post-pandemic world, there is new meaning to club culture for the majority of new-gen party goers today.
By Keng Yang Shuen ,
By now, nightlife in Singapore is in full mask-optional swing and pulsating with life. Major commercial clubs have reopened, while new ones have sprung up. Adding spark, spunk and diversity to the scene is a whole host of independent pop-up parties ranging from kiki balls to DIY-style techno raves and indie night takeovers.
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And bringing a whole new energy and etiquette to these boisterous affairs is a generation of party goers who never quite grew up in an era of hedonistic glamour and might have only turned legal in the pandemic years. Instead of going on all-night ragers, they imbibe good vibes and infectious tunes of every (or no one particular) genre – a state of “self-high” as one of them put it.
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While clubs were regarded as places to see-and-be-seen at and thrived on exclusivity pre-Covid, the preferred mood now is one of camaraderie (cue the singalongs) and inclusivity. Everyone’s invited as long as they keep the space and community safe, and free from judgement based on looks, moves or identity. And, of course, there’s their style: a creative co-opt of that of various dance floor subcultures – or at least a personal take on the night’s theme, because it’s about having fun and expressing oneself.
Here, a peek at the faces and future of nightlife captured at three parties last month.
WHAT: A new DIY-style pop-up night organised by a Gen Z art collective known as Orbit.
WHERE: The first edition on Aug 6 was held at Kult Kafe at The Grandstand on Turf Club Road.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: A gathering for queer folks of every stripe as well as their allies (guests were even given label stickers for their preferred pronouns) with a programme that, on its debut, included drag and movement art performances, and a roster of emerging, techno-loving creatives behind the DJ deck.
WHAT: Never Lose That Feeling – the lead, genre-bending monthly night by Eatmepoptart, one of Singapore’s longest-running party outfifits helmed by veteran DJ Adrian Wee.
WHERE: Hard Rock Cafe on Cuscaden Road.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Feel-good vibes and an infectious setlist melding both classic and new indie-pop anthems that just keeps the millennials and Gen Zers coming (though every age is welcome!). The same spirit permeates Eatmepoptart’s other two party series, Electric Feel and The Kids Are Alright, which specialise in ’80s hits and unadulterated post-2000s pop respectively.
WHAT: A regular night by the always fantastically dressed nightlife impresario Bobby Luo that originated back in 2010 when he was still running the legendary, art-influenced nightspot The Butter Factory.
WHERE: Projector X: Riverside
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: In the words of Luo, it’s a “queer alternative night” for those who want to dance to music that isn’t being played at mainstream venues. “We started out playing electroclash, then went through many sounds: electro house, indie dance, rave, fidget, nu disco, tech house, funky house, et cetera. At its core, though, it’s always been about house music.
Photography Stuart Chen Coordination Pang Jia Wei & Keng Yang Shuen
All safe management measures in place at time of production were adhered to, with subjects removing their masks for the sole purpose of photo-taking.
This article is adapted from a story in the Sep 2022 The Kids Are Alright! edition of FEMALE. Grab a copy of the print issue for a full version of the feature.