Reflections And Resolutions: The Party Scene Bids Farewell To 2022 And Onward to 2023
It’s been quite a year for local DJs and promoters. Here’s what they have to say (Credit: Thugshop)
2022 has been an eventful year to say the least. While it began enduring the prolonged aftermath of the pandemic which slaughtered gigs for two years, it vengefully changed gears and slipped into a gloriously upward trajectory. Raves are back in full force, DJs are back in employment and promoters are popping up faster than a drum & bass tempo. The sentiment on the ground is clear: the scene’s ready to leave the negativity of 2022 behind and push on to greener pastures with the wind in its sails.
In this feature, we ask DJs and promoters to look back on the whirlwind year and their resolutions for 2023. Farewell 2022, you won’t be missed.
This year, aside from its restoration of raves, Thugshop launched Eat Sum Thing which currently hosts the boozy brunch series, Sunny Side Up (Credit: Thugshop)
“The entire second half of 2022 was a ‘bang’ ever since nightlife was allowed to reopen, and our entire line-up for December is dedicated to our ravers for sticking through COVID and supporting us through it all. Looking forward to creating new experiences and seeing new smiling faces in 2023. We’re definitely glad to leave COVID behind!”
– Clement Chin, Thugshop
Darker Than Wax continued to made strides with its events like BREW and Botanika
“Our last party for the year will be with the excellent Musclecars from NYC. We don’t do a lot of international bookings and generally prefer to spotlight local and regional selectors, but we always jump on the opportunity to bring in an act that naturally aligns with our ethos. Through their Coloring Lessons party and label, Musclecars are carrying the torch of NYC’s dance music heritage and we’re super excited to bring them here. Lots planned for 2023 but can’t share any details at the moment!”
Industry veteran Joshua P has been instrumental in shaping the identity of Mandala Club this year (Credit: Manifest)
“I will be wrapping up 2022 by attending a nice countdown event at Mandala Club followed by going for an intimate gathering with family, friends and colleagues. Cliché and simple as it is, I missed this for the last two years!
I think it took me a while last year to get back on my feet. I made some bad decisions. I joined or consulted for a bar as their manager earlier last year and that was really an impromptu decision. It made me really negative and one thing I learnt for sure is not to rush into things. I would love to ensure that, moving forward, I don’t make rash decisions.
I hope to see more venues open in terms of club concepts; hopefully I can help in that area (hint!). I think our Singaporean nightlife is evolving and I hope to see younger promoters come into the scene with some fresh ideas. Apart from that, I personally hope I get to DJ more while ensuring I promote my Indian culture in all my sets.”
– Joshua P, Mandala Club
From live gigs and techno shindigs to flea markets, North East Social Club has helped push culture forward (Credit: Jaya Khidir)
“We’re throwing a farewell party for Projector X: Riverside on 10 December. It’ll be a rager as usual, and a bittersweet way to send off this magical venue that hosted us throughout the pandemic; the events that put us on the radar happened here. Looking forward to further streamlining our process to bring better experiences to the people.”
Kiat shares the successes of audio-visual collective, Syndicate, this year (Credit: Dju-lian Chng)
“I’m grateful for the opportunities in 2022. Looking back, we staged a visual art exhibition, ANTINODES, at Singapore Art Week, presented +EAT post-pandemic digital art capsules at Singapore International Festival of Arts, and I played for Cakeshop (Seoul) and also REX & fono (Kuala Lumper) and Lazy Bar (Penang). On the DJ tip, I’m looking to begin the year in Melbourne with a set at the DOT alongside Chase and Status, DJ Marky and Carmack.
For SYNDICATE, we have three music shows lined up for Singapore Art Week 2023 at Singapore Art Museum and the National Gallery. Label-wise, we will also be dropping a release by Claude Glass and Deførmed featuring album art by visual artist Cybercesspool.”
– Kiat, Syndicate
Zig Zach of Blackout Agency took the opportunity to revive its Ritual residency at Iki (Credit: Iki)
“We’re wrapping up 2022 with a Thursday night party on 29 December with Gerd Janson. 2022 hasn’t been all that bad for us. I’ve had killer line-ups with the Ritual residency and that was all done on very short notice, so overall I’m just happy to be back doing what I love. I’m looking forward to bringing more interesting artists and headliners and potentially returning to do some pop-ups in 2023. Thanks for a great 2022 everyone. It’s good to be back.”
– Zig Zach, Blackout Agency
James Selva has had quite the year with bookings all over the island (Credit: Mark Lewis Tan)
“It’s been full steam ahead since the reopening and I’ve been loving every single minute of it. Being contained for two-plus years just gave me an impetus to truly enjoy every single moment when I finally got the chance to! 2022 has been absolutely amazing thus far, and I’m planning to end the year off with my first gig in KL at Ace on Christmas Eve, as well as end it in style at the Manifest NYE pool party. As for what I’d like to leave behind, I’d probably just be switching the tequila shots to tumeric shots tbh…
I’m looking forward to working with more artists and collectives in Singapore and the region in 2023, as I believe we have so much talent here in Asia. There’s gonna be a few special experiences lined up with the Algorhythm team as well which I’m really stoked for!”
– James Selva, Algorhythm
Lilian Hautemulle and Sivanesh Pillai coloured the pop-up party space with Sivilian Affairs (Credit: Miss Lil, Afiq Omar)
“We will actually not be wrapping up 2022 with a bang. We are currently waiting for our home to have some reconstruction done and therefore dipping in and out of town until February. Coupled with the fact that there's a bit of congestion and saturation going on in the pop-up space, we would really like to let the other parties and collectives shine throughout the new year so that we can collect ourselves and properly position Sivilian Affairs for a strong 2023.
When we look back at 2022, we have had the privilege of going to a lot of different countries both in and out of Asia and have drawn inspiration from the sounds, parties, people and venues we've seen. As we look forward to 2023, we are excited to curate experiences that stand out while supporting the overall health, vibrancy and diversity of our scene.”
– Lilian Hautemulle & Sivanesh Pillai, Sivilian Affairs
The return of parties introduced many new faces to the DJ circuit, including Jace (Credit: Courtesy of Jace)
“I’m gonna be serving some super chill outdoor vibes with Rumours and bunkerbunker for the year-end. Super excited to b2b with Yujin; first time with the OG disco man, and Robo X; always good times sharing the decks with him! I’d leave behind dancing in the bedroom and looking forward to more b2b sessions, discovering more music and playing at new places and events.”
– Jace
Ice Cream Sundays brought back its Haw Par Thrilla series with a bang (Credit: Ice Cream Sundays)
“We're wrapping up the year by bringing in Parisian DJ collective, La Mamie's, for a show at Haw Par Villa on 10 December – those guys always bring the heat! As for what we'll be leaving behind, like many others, we hope to make the isolation and restlessness of the pandemic a distant memory. In 2023, we're looking forward to stepping up our production with more quality events, continuing to build the ICS community, and bringing to life our biggest project to date.”
– Jake Camacho (Toppings), Ice Cream Sundays
Geylang Crunk lives on through the antics of Metamo Industries (Credit: Yuzu Glass House, Metamo Industries)
“2022 was a huge year for us. We began in high gear with our most public-facing work yet with simultaneous art installations for Singapore Art Week and we never took our foot off the pedal. We followed up with a pair of exhibitions here and in Japan, and a couple major VR projects, finishing one in the past month that will hopefully be quite “Notorious”.
We just closed out our work year at Culture Cartel which felt like a homecoming for us. Looking forward to next year with COVID firmly in the rear view mirror. We’ve got big plans for more parties and exhibitions, as well as continuing to bring the world of Geylang Crunk to life. We are just starting to really hit our stride and can’t wait to bring everyone along on our journey together!”
– Race Krehel, Metamo Industries
Helming The DJ Dispensary and #SaveMusicSG, Matty Wainwright’s dreams of bringing music back to the fray have finally come true (Credit: Courtesy of Matty Wainwright)
“What a rollercoaster year 2022 has been, especially for those of us working in music! From 0-200mph in the space of a few short days at the end of March, and it’s been non-stop since then. My plan is to go back to the UK for the first time in four years and introduce my baby girl, Heidi, to the rest of her family for the first time. I can't think of a better way to end the year to be honest.
There is nothing I want to leave behind from 2022 really, although I am hoping to make my life a bit easier by investing in some software to help me with my monthly DJ scheduling. It's a bit like rocket science at the minute with so many gigs, venues and DJs to organise.
There is loads to look forward to next year – continuing to work with our amazing venue partners and DJs here, broadening our reach in Singapore and spreading the good word of quality music, helping it become the norm and not the exception. We are lining up some pretty special international bookings as well as some quality overseas residencies – bring it on!”
– Matty Wainwright, The DJ Dispensary
Aresha Krishnan of Kings of Bass gave the scene a good jolt with jungle (Credit: Kings of Bass)
“After four massive Kings of Bass sessions this year, we're thanking our loyal ravers with a 2022 season finale: KOB005 on 9 December with an all-star triple bill featuring ETHERWOOD (Hospital Records, UK) and ORAM (Jungle Cakes, UK). We leave with memories of all your bassfaces – and of course, look forward to making more in 2023!”
While The Glass Hut lost its home this year, it has big plans bubbling on the horizon (Credit: The Glass Hut)
“We were actually birthed *during* the pandemic. People needed people. People needed an outlet. People needed hope. People needed to create!
Last weekend, we collaborated with Chill Sessions Records to present Forest Frequencies. We had 18 musicians and one visual artist on the line-up across two stages where all 18 musicians played at least two sets of varying sounds. The Glass Hut was fuelled by live music before moving to the big Hut where we had to do more electronic music nights to pull in dough for rental, so getting to throw an event that had so many amazing live musicians was a pretty big bang for us!
We believe in the butterfly effect. We may not have significantly contributed to the wallets of our creative collaborators / community / team, but we see how our support and encouragement to take someone’s hobby / passion to the next level has brought them a plethora of opportunities from the government and other entities that have the financial capacity to contribute to their income. It’s truly heartwarming to see people come back to us to thank us for supporting them in their craft and building the initial stage for them to showcase and shine. We hope to infect and inspire everyone who crosses paths with us with our altruism and genuineness in growing together as a society.”
Dione Keh, co-founder of The Glass Hut, shares more about the institution’s future prospects (Credit: The Glass Hut)
“We’re looking forward to a new pop-up space from January to April in 2023! The contract isn’t signed yet so fingers crossed; if we don’t get that space, we do have other alternatives. If you’re reading this, do look out for our open call! We have plans to have more free access activities for groups such as migrant workers, and low income groups who do not have the luxury of disposable wealth to enjoy the experiences that many of us do on a regular frequency. We also want to promote more intimate conversations of varying topics so that people can have a safe and nurturing space for support that they may not get to experience in their home. Music and arts will very much still be the core and glue of The Glass Hut. However, we want to grow our branches deep and wide to make sure that everything we do has a high quality of entertainment and impact.
We’re also looking forward to being kinder to ourselves and having more work-life balance, but it’s been proving difficult for us because we just love what we’re doing at The Glass Hut. But our physical and mental health are screaming. We can’t wait for 2023! To meet more lovely people and to see magical things happen at The Glass Hut! Peace, love, safety <3
– Dione Keh, The Glass Hut
From housey pool parties to techno shenanigans, Manifest hustled hard this year (Credit: Manifest)
“We're closing the year with some quirky parties like Christmas Eve at Neon Pigeon with a Ghetto House night, and for New Year’s with what we do best, which is the Pool Party at 1Altitude. For 2023, we will be focusing more on our niche with the pool parties and steering more to the daytime soirées. We are already speaking with respected brands to bring you some original collaborations, so stay close to the magic.”
– Mary Arumeidas, Manifest
Jalpari is another relative newcomer who’s been making a splash in the scene (Credit: Courtesy of Jalpari)
“2022 has been such a good and tumultuous year all in one. And if there's one thing in all the frenzy that kept me going and that I'm looking forward to in 2023, it's the community and support of everyone on and off the dancefloor. I would love to expand that community in Singapore to broader Southeast Asia! What I wish to leave behind is the hustle and grind that this sudden boom has brought, leaving almost little time to rest. I'm planning to wrap up 2022 with a soft pop rather than a bang, back to my roots with nature, where all my passion for deep and melodic started and continues to thrive.”
Aldrin recently launched Coldcuts, a new series located at the Tuck Lee Ice factory (Credit: One with Aldrin)
“It's been a crazy ride since the reopening of nightlife and I'm just really grateful for all the opportunities that have come my way. Looking forward to the final ONE for the year at Tuff Club on 17 December and ushering in the New Year with a Studio 54-themed disco boogie at Manhattan Bar. 2023 is already looking busy as I'll be rolling out a remix compilation on my label featuring producers from around the region. Next year is also the 20th year of ONE, so plans are underway for a special two-night celebration, with the first night throwing back to the Jiak Kim Street years, and the other focussing on where ONE is currently at, musically. Exciting times ahead!”
– Aldrin Quek, ONE with Aldrin
Therapy Room threw their first anniversary event at Iki with a multimedia setup (Credit: Therapy Room)
“Therapy Room ended 2022 with our 1st year anniversary at Iki and a collaboration with Manifest. We’d like to shout out to all the artists and friends who have shown us loadsa love. Do continue to support our streams on YouTube as we feature more from our local entertainment circuit. 2023 looks exciting with some massive collabs with collectives; the idea is to work together, not against each other. And we’re also moving to a new space!”
– Deepak Prashad, Therapy Room
