2019 In Retrospect: 10 Milestones That Coloured The Local Party Scene This Year

What was your favourite party moment of 2019? (Credit from left to right: The Council, Ice Cream Sundays, Pinball Wizard)

Free from stagnancy and inertia, the local electronic scene here in Singapore is always an evolving landscape. Through the years, the island has shown that it can sustain niche subcultures and grow communities across generations – the resilience of reggae soundsystems, retro arcade-clubs steeped in nostalgia, the rise of techno institutions and world music jamborees are just a few instances skimming the surface. Wherever you look, there’s often an arbiter of change ready to shake things up.

On the cusp of a new decade, 2019 proved to be no different. While it might’ve endured prominent club departures and festival hiatuses, it also embraced a multitude of unprecedented newcomers and steadfast frontrunners that kept the embers glowing. As someone whose curiosity is constantly piqued by these sparks in the scene, regardless of their magnitude, I’m chuffed that 2019 had its fair share of achievements that broke new ground. In this piece, I highlight just some of these ravey milestones that helped the scene make great strides.

2020, you’ve got big shoes to fill.

Manifest started strong in 2019 with parties at SO Sofitel Singapore, Marcello and Tempura Oji (Credit: Manifest Facebook page)

1) Manifest entered the fray with a bang

Agencies and promoters are just as vital as the clubs that buttress the scene, and one emerging entity truly stood out in 2019. Run by nightlife stalwart, Mary Arumeidas, Manifest is a brand marketing agency that launched this year, and it’s racked up quite a reputation thanks to a consistent string of respected, house-rooted events. These have included the rooftop pool parties at SO Sofitel Singapore and the Afro-centric Jungle BEATS at Marcello; both of which feature lifestyle elements that turn partying into all-rounded affairs. The biggest indicator of this in 2019 was the rise of Tempura Oji, a Japanese speakeasy that hides an enticing secret behind its tempura bar concept – if you know, you know.

Run by the folks behind Nineteen80, Pinball Wizard continued bumping up the nostalgia (Credit: Pinball Wizard Facebook page)

2) The emergence of Pinball Wizard kept retro obsessions alive

The Phat Cats are on a roll. Following the high-scoring success of its maiden brick-and-mortar establishment, Nineteen80, the party-preneurs from A Phat Cat Collective bumped expectations even higher with the launch of Pinball Wizard. Similar to the ’80s arcade concept of the former, the newer digs at Sim Lim Square packs a retrolicious throwback with its proud fleet of pinball machines – from old-school analogue relics to digitalised emulators stuffed with over a hundred games. It deserves a spot on this list for its eagle-eyed acumen in understanding punters’ love for nostalgia – a trait that A Phat Cat Collective has mastered – and for setting up shop in an unconventional, city-fringe locale.

Local electronic producers found a new platform to express themselves with UPLOADING (Credit: Matin Latif [right])

3) Intriguant launched the UPLOADING series for beatmakers

I’ve highlighted before that, while the scene has a thriving DJ community, there is also a vibrant pool of electronic producers in Singapore shaping the terrain with original music. Sharing this sentiment is industry veteran and producer, Intriguant, who embellished the gig climate by conceptualising UPLOADING this year. A nomadic bi-monthly series that bolsters rising beatmakers and even established mainstays, UPLOADING has introduced punters to the likes of Halal Sol, Fzpz, OFTRT, Knwn, MZA and more; flipping genres from house and jazztronica to instrumental hip-hop. A hotbed of discovery and a boundless stage for experimentation, the series has helped shift attention to this simmering bunch of talents that might’ve, otherwise, gone unnoticed.

Dancey demons came out to play at the unprecedented Haw Par Thrilla (Credit: Meltem Acik)

4) Ice Cream Sundays transformed Haw Par Villa into a disco

Needless to say, it’s been a cool year for the Ice Cream Sundays crew. They’ve made astounding headway, having evolved from exclusively Sunday daytime parties to jovial pop-ups all over the island well-versed in the vernacular of disco, soul, funk and house. And out of all their venue takeovers, one in particular sticks in the minds of boogiefolk. Together with Mugic Soundsystem, they made history by organising a jamboree in off-kilter, otherworldly theme park, Haw Par Villa. Not often does one get to jive amidst freaky deities and bloodcurdling dioramas, and despite how peculiar it sounds, it didn’t stop Haw Par Thrilla from being a deafening success – so much so, that it even threw two of such events in 2019.

The Martinez Brothers spun at Cercle’s live stream from the iconic rooftop club (Credit: CÉ LA VI Facebook page)

5) Cercle hosted their debut session in Asia at CÉ LA VI

What do Armenia’s Temple of Garni, the Eiffel Tower and Marina Bay Sands all have in common? Ask any desktop-bound raver, and they’ll shed light that they've all played host to the Cercle production team, best known for their live-streamed DJ sessions set against the backdrops of iconic locations in Europe. 2019 saw Cercle’s first foray into Asia, and Singapore’s CÉ LA VI was cherry-picked as the venue for this esteemed honour. Pegged at limited capacity (with a not-so-cheap ticket price), this rare event welcomed The Martinez Brothers to the rooftop decks, as the Singapore skyline behind them faded into glittering silhouettes beneath the sunset. For many, it was possibly their most exhilarating Monday of the year.      

Ice factory raves were just one of the numerous spectacles organised by The Council this year (Credit: The Council Facebook page)

6) The Council got bigger and bigger

This year was a wild one for The Council. Always anticipating and innovating, these scene-defining promoters didn’t let the temporary closure of its flagship space, Headquarters, throw a monkey wrench into its business. While it could’ve shifted all raves to its already existing sister outlet, Tuff Club – which had a blazing run this year as well – it exceeded expectations by launching Somewhere, a spacious multi-use venue that became the interim home for HQ, inciting its community to flock back promptly. That aside, The Council also threw a couple of ice factory raves, a safari fiesta, a rooftop openair and more, continually beefing up its renowned repertoire of pop-ups. And with HQ reopening earlier in September, its ceaseless rhythm looks to trickle into the year ahead.

Kudos to you if you found your way to this hidden rave (Credit: Xhin Facebook page [bottom])

7) Midnight Shift threw a secret cave rave

Even across the pond from their current home in Berlin, the legacy label of Kavan Spruyt and Debbie Chia, Midnight Shift, continued to stir the local scene in 2019. Through its on-the-ball Singaporean ambassadors, Basil Lam and Naomi Clair, the imprint threw a clandestine rave back in June that had even the most seasoned of punters guessing its whereabouts. Dubbed STRUCTURE, with a stacked local lineup that included XHIN, EJ Missy, I/K, Zeekos Perakos, Haan and Jamie React, the one-off event took place in what can be called a cave beside a junkyard. Tapes were even slapped onto camera-phones to prevent trigger-happy snappers from giving away the location, and frankly, when was the last time you attended a rave with nary a phone in sight – at least, in Singapore? Their headquarters might be continents away, but this sweaty, stealthy tech-fest proved that they’re not far from home.                  

There’s nothing quite like the communal vibes of a BREW party

8) Darker Than Wax continued to stir up culture with their BREW series

Instead of riding off into the sunset given its triumph over the years, the Darker Than Wax imprint continued to stand tall in 2019, growing its community specifically with one of its flagship events, BREW. Invigorating the languid Jalan Besar neighbourhood with this bi-monthly affair from Chye Seng Huat Hardware, a trendy café with a dance-friendly courtyard, Darker Than Wax remained pivotal in highlighting the symbiotic link between quality soundtracks and urban spaces – and that the oft-restrictive city of Singapore isn’t always a bore. Few will forget the large-scale Block Party Edition in June, which had the festivities spilling onto the streets forming a merry congregation. For always educating and innovating, they deserve a spot here.

ATTAGIRL! shared their wisdom with aspiring female selectors (Credit: Mark Lewis Tan)

9) ATTAGIRL! started monthly open calls for female-identifying DJs

In 2019, the prolific all-female collective helped shape the future, one selector at a time. Resiliently pushing for equal representation since 2013, ATTAGIRL! launched a new initiative in August this year, hoping to spark off interest amongst female-identifying individuals aspiring to become DJs. Taking cues from past inspirations like the game-changing FFF Girl DJ Bootcamp, ATTAGIRL! rolled out monthly jam open calls at various venues (including White Label Records and Choice Cuts Goods + Coffee), where fresh-faced deck-dabblers could sign up for a session of practising and networking. Led by ATTAGIRL!’s own crew of residents, these go-getters would learn a thing or two at these sessions and even clinch a rare moment to perform in public. Perhaps, we’ll even see one of these alumni achieve greatness in 2020?

Regardless of your inclinations, you can’t deny the disruptive addition of Marquee to the scene (Credit: Marquee Singapore)

10) Marquee changed the face of commercial dance music in Singapore

 

Love it or hate it – depending on which end of the dance music spectrum you lie on – there’s no denying the significance of the New York-imported superclub. Marquee Singapore has made kidults out of VVIPS with its giant slides and indoor Ferris Wheel, and punters starry-eyed with its gigantic 8k resolution screen. But more significantly, it’s rustled the status quo of big-time commercial bookings in the scene. In less than a year, Marquee has toppled Zouk off its monopoly, having brought down titans like Tiësto and Above & Beyond. How Zouk responds in 2020 should be an interesting development, but from the way it looks, there’s no hindering the shimmering momentum of Marquee. Oh, and who remembers that one time it brought down Carl Cox?