Hong Launches Soniq, A New Series At Phuture Focused On Hard Dance, Techno & ’90s Rave
Hong is bringing underground sounds back to Zouk (Credit: Zouk/Colossal Photos)
Depending on which generation of partygoers you come from, you might or might not recognise the current iteration of Zouk. Yet throughout its shapeshifting programming since 1991, there’s one thing that’s remained undeniable and that’s its intention to educate audiences. The foundation of Zouk’s ethos was designed to echo the trends of the global dance music industry, essentially functioning as a mirrorball that reflected what was dominating dancefloors around the world. In that sense, Zouk hasn’t lost the plot with the launch of its new night, Soniq.
As reassurance to old-timers, it’s comforting to know that Soniq is the brainchild of Hong, one of the superclub’s resident OGs who understands the importance of underground dance music. A stalwart of the industry who’s been with Zouk since 2008, Hong has struck the balance between appeasing younger revellers and satisfying seasoned clubbers. With his Ferng alias, Hong has made several attempts to reinject the Zouk dancefloor with non-commercial sounds through his Soulfeed series, which had brought down techno giants such as Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin, Sven Väth and Âme. With Soniq, Hong now brings back techno but with a modern twist.
Hong recently had a Soniq soft launch few weeks ago (Credit: Zouk/Colossal Photos)
Where he was supported by new face, 505 (Credit: Zouk/Colossal Photos)
While Zouk’s main room will resume its commercial-inclined programming, Phuture will house Hong’s Soniq shenanigans. One listen to his Soniq promo mix (or listen below) is all you need to figure out where Hong is headed with this. It’s a harsh and sprinty assortment of hard dance that fuses ’90s rave sounds, techno, hard trance, acid and even Eurodance. It’s destructive, cheesy, pugnacious and euphoric all at once. It’s essentially the sorta overblown sound that tends to pop up on your 2023 Boiler Room feed, and it’s one that today’s generation of partygoers just can’t get enough of.
