The Kaleidoscope Of Ciel Social: Gaze Into The Nomadic World Of These Party Promoters
Meet the brotherhood behind Ciel Social, a pop-up party promotion that emerged in the latter half of 2022 (Credit: All images courtesy of Ciel Social)
They’ve crafted picturesque sunset soirees throbbing with the pulse of house music. Nocturnal rendezvous where the sounds of techno and psytrance echo into the night. And even sub-zero jamborees in a frosty snow town. Memorable parties click into place when there’s an undeniably potent social element that ties everyone together, reflecting the essence of inclusivity and amity that defines the role of the dancefloor. Through curated experiences one after another, Ciel Social has begun to generate a surge of positive, communal energy that’s helped uplift the scene. In our ongoing renaissance of comeback parties, Ciel Social is pulling its weight.
Relatively a fledgling, Ciel Social was conceptualised rather recently in the latter half of 2022, just as the revival of the scene was entering an optimistic trajectory. Hailing from different parts of the world, the trio of Andre Marc, Chirag Khandelwal and Halis Can found each other with the shared spirit of giving back to the Singaporean scene that they’d come to adore. They’ve since rolled out a miscellany of themed event series catered to varied vibes and tribes, from those craving tranquil wind-downs to others looking for more debaucherous shenanigans.
Ciel Social threw its first event at The Three Peacocks in Labrador Park
Like several other promotions facing a dearth of venues nowadays, Ciel Social too adopts a pop-up approach in its habitat-hunting. Ciel Social has brought the party to distinctive locales including the sea-facing rooftops of Telok Blangah and the forested hideaways of Labrador Park. And with the heart of collaboration worn high on it sleeve – encompassing partnerships with pop-up market vendors and fellow promoters such as UNMUTE and 4byFour – the Ciel Social movement has championed the DJ profiles of both veterans and fresh faces alike, with a performer portfolio that features Raja Rani, Tom Shellsuit, Jalpari, Zafirah, Huntersson, Dvrk Sistxrs (Aya x Bella), Cosmo Carbon and more.
In light of their upcoming SUBZERO gig on 28 January – a snow town in the middle of Marina Bay – the Ciel Social brotherhood share more about their modest but momentum-building journey. Let’s get socialising.
The Ciel Social crew comprises Chirag, Halis and Andre, who each flaunt different fortes
How did the three of you – Andre, Halis and Chirag – first meet and dawn upon the revelation of starting Ciel Social together? What would you say are your individual fortes?
The three of us – Andre, Halis, and Chirag – first met while attending house and techno events in Singapore in July 2022, a time not-too-far from when nightlife was just restarting. We remember that there were maybe one or at most two promoters who were taking the risk to restart the movement. At that time, Chirag was learning to DJ, and Andre & Halis were contemplating plans about starting their own line of events. We all met through mutual friends at a barbecue, and instantly, we clicked. As DJs who are deeply passionate about electronic music, we shared the love for the scene, and had a desire to create something meaningful.
In July 2022, we were presented with the opportunity to host at a scenic rooftop venue, The Three Peacocks, which we were introduced to by a friend. We also had a close friend who recently started a speaker rental business that we could tap into. We decided to take this opportunity and give it a try. It took us some time to learn the ropes, but with some guidance, past experiences and hard work, we were able to plan and execute our first event within three weeks. But it was truly our friends who pushed us, supported us and made our first event a huge success. You wouldn’t believe, with a week left until Ciel Social Sunsets Vol. 1, we were already sold out!
From organic house to psytrance, Ciel Social’s eclectic programming makes their events unpredictable
After our first event, we realised we had the ability, as a trio, to create something meaningful. Our shared desire to do just that led us to start Ciel Social. As of today, our goal is to give back to the community we love, to curate delightful social experiences, and create a safe space to express through the music we love dancing to.
Individually, Andre excels in business development and sales. He has a talent for developing strong relationships and collaborations with like-minded event promoters and picturesque venue operators. Chirag's forte is in marketing, with skills honed over the years in media and marketing consulting for global markets; he ensures that Ciel's social media outreach is strong and the content is engaging to the highest level. Halis brings a wealth of knowledge in sound systems and DJ equipment, and leverages his technical background to improve our processes at Ciel. Together, we make a great team, and are excited to continue growing and creating memorable experiences for our community.
“We believe that by focusing on providing exceptional and one-of-a-kind experiences, we set ourselves apart in the crowded gig-scape.”
Some of you have experiences of growing up in party scenes overseas. How do the scenes there differ from what you’ve encountered in Singapore so far? Are there things that we’re doing better, or worse?
You’re right. Our team has spent a significant time overseas (USA, Australia, India, Dubai, Turkey, etc.) either studying or working. There’s a considerable difference in the party scenes there. For starters, house and techno parties in Singapore are more intimate. If you’re a true music lover, you don’t need to bring a friend along because you’re bound to run into some at every event. It's a warm and welcoming scene, and the DJs experiment to keep things exciting. But having said that, the other side of the coin or the challenge, is size.
In other countries, house and techno events are sizable. For example, India, USA and Australia have frequent events that easily have over a thousand people in attendance. But in the last year, Singapore had very few house and techno events of that size. For promoters to be able to bring bigger talent, and create bigger, better and unique experiences, these factors matter. That’s a challenge we’ve too identified but the community is growing. We see new members turning up at our event every time and we’re happy to see it happen.
Ciel Social has collaborated with other collectives, like UNMUTE, to produce stellar events
Another thing we’ve noticed is the scarcity of venues. Yes, new venues are popping up (love it!) but it’s not sufficient. The community could use the influx of investors and big brands who are not afraid to explore, experiment and create sufficient opportunities for talented young and upcoming promoters to build the scene. We know the community (a little bit) and trust us, the potential is promising. They understand numbers. They’re hungry to learn. Speaking from example, we actively try to work with new brands to collaborate so we too can learn, introduce different sounds to our Ciel goers, and try our best to create a platform for upcoming DJs to experience the feeling of playing to a crowd. We in fact encourage DJs to reach out to us directly via Instagram or at events, instead of waiting to try and find a common friend for an introduction. If their sound fascinates us, we’ll give ’em a shot wherever we can.
In a gig-scape that’s beginning to seem a little saturated, what does Ciel Social wish to achieve in the scene and how does it intend to get there?
At Ciel Social, our mission is to curate truly unique and memorable experiences for our community. We look at primarily three aspects: sound, the atmosphere, and the affordability. We want experiences to be accessible so it doesn’t hurt the wallet to have a good time. We understand that there has been a notable increase in promoters in the gig space, but we view it as a positive sign as it reflects that the community is growing. We support and collaborate with other events and promoters in Singapore, and are excited to contribute to the growth of the scene. With regard to standing out, we personally love playing at unique and picturesque locations, and we strive to deliver top-quality audio-visual performances to create festival-like experiences at our events. Not to forget, we love to experiment. For example, our Social Sunsets event is fondly remembered for the pop-up store market and communal artwork.
We believe that by focusing on providing exceptional and one-of-a-kind experiences, we set ourselves apart in the crowded gig-scape and continue to grow and thrive as a collective. Our ultimate goal is to curate unforgettable experiences that will be cherished by our community, leaving them wanting more.
“Our aim remains the same: to create a fun and safe space for people to enjoy the sounds they love, and have a memorable time while doing so.”
Ciel Social rolls out a range of events from sunset sessions to psytrance and techno affairs. Tell us more about the vibe of each party for revellers who haven’t checked them out before.
Ciel Social offers a diverse range of events that cater to different genres we enjoy playing to. It gives attendees a clearer picture of what to expect at the different events we offer and also helps us build micro-communities for like-minded music lovers. Our Social Sunsets line of events features a diverse set of genres but focuses on deep house, organic house, indie dance, and progressive house. This event is characterised by a relaxed and laid-back vibe, perfect for enjoying the sunset and socialising with friends. The music is meant to create a warm and inviting atmosphere, with a focus on melodic sounds and grooves that set the mood for a perfect evening. But expect the night to get hectic once the sun sets.
Our Sense line of events, which is our techno series, that may include psytrance from time to time, is characterised by a more intense and energetic vibe, with a focus on melodic techno, progressive techno, dark techno, and psytrance. These events are meant to be an immersive experience, with an emphasis on driving beats and powerful sounds that will get the crowd moving. Guests experience a more immersive audio-visual setting through curated lighting, lasers and sounds.
Our Special, or Ciel Social Special (how we like to call it) series is purely dedicated to experimental and seasonal events. For example, our last Special was on October 2022 and celebrated Halloween. We tried to create a spooky atmosphere and all our DJs complemented it with some incredible techno music. Moreover, all our guests came dressed up! The next one is on 28 January at Bayfront Ave (Event Space). We’re starting season two (2023) at -10 degrees in a 2,400 sqm area which has slides, snow, ice rings and much more!
In all events, our aim remains the same: to create a fun and safe space for people to enjoy the sounds they love, and have a memorable time while doing so.
The Ciel Social team seen here with Fake Tattoos, their first international guest from India
Curiously, what kind of rep do you think psytrance has in Singapore? Do you reckon it’s blowing up even bigger or is it still rather niche?
From our perspective, psytrance in Singapore is still considered to be a niche genre. Although it has a dedicated fanbase, it hasn't quite reached mainstream popularity yet. However, we do see potential for it to grow in the future. The music scene in Singapore is constantly evolving and we believe that psytrance has the potential to become more popular in the future.
Currently, our focus at Ciel Social is mainly on house and techno events. While we do occasionally organise psytrance events, they are less frequent compared to our other events. We want to cater to a wide range of music lovers and continue to provide diverse experiences for our community.
Will Ciel Social explore more pop-up stores in the near future? It’s not every day you find all-rounded parties with a festival vibe.
Yes! Ciel Social is open to exploring more pop-up stores in the near future. We believe that incorporating pop-up stores at our events adds an extra layer of excitement and inclusivity to our events. We are committed to promoting local brands in Singapore and believe that our Social Sunset series is the perfect opportunity for networking, dates, sharing ideas and promoting local brands. We carefully select each pop-up stall to ensure that they align with our values and contribute to creating a top-quality festival-like experience for our attendees. We are always looking for new and exciting ways to enhance the overall experience for our community and believe that incorporating pop-up stores is one way to do that.
Erwin Linden and Taz Angullia are just some of the several guest DJs who’ve played at Ciel events
What other genres or collaborations would Ciel Social be willing to explore in the near future? Is the Ciel dream evolving?
At Ciel Social, we are open to exploring multiple genres, and collaborations in the near future. While we currently focus on deep house, melodic, progressive, and techno, we are currently exploring organic house and oriental techno. We are also interested in bringing in more international acts to showcase their unique sounds to our community. As for collaborations, we are open to working with not only different collectives but also mainstream brands to bring new and exciting experiences to our community. The Ciel dream is constantly evolving, and as new opportunities come our way, we take them one step at a time. Whether it be within Singapore or potentially even outside of the country, we are stoked to see where the journey takes us.
And any words of wisdom for nascent promoters before they decide to get into the event game? What would you’ve done differently starting out, and are y’all getting better with each event?
As nascent promoters, our advice would be to make sure that your heart is in the right place and that your focus is on creating top-quality music and experiences for your attendees. This industry requires a lot of hard work and dedication, but as long as you have a passion for creating memorable experiences for your community, you will be able to go far. Starting out, we made mistakes and learned from them. As we continue to organise events, we are constantly seeking feedback and using it to improve and give our audience what they enjoy. It's important to always be open to learning and evolving to ensure the success of your events. It’s also imperative to experiment. You may start out with the intention to recreate experiences of your own but that’s going to take you only so far. So experiment, and like Andre always says it, “Trust”.
Follow Ciel Social on its Instagram page for updates on its activities. Its next event, Ciel: Subzero Snowtown, happens on 28 January at Bayfront Event Space. Click this link for more details.
