Here’s A First Look At RASA, The Upcoming Multidisciplinary Habitat Stirring The Scene

The era of RASA is about to begin (Credit: Courtesy of RASA)

You might’ve heard the chatter through the grapevine by now. There’s been a fervent rah-rah about RASA, a new local nightlife aspirant with hefty hopes to become an inclusive community space with an ambit modestly classified as multidisciplinary. Without that being an empty proclamation, RASA has teased an identity that embraces music, arts and culture with a Southeast Asian edge. And while all that might still sound slightly familiar on paper, RASA is backed by certain aspects that makes it too potentially dominant to ignore – the promise of its founder and its credentials that back it up.

To get it out of the way, RASA is the creation of one Kavan Spruyt, the industry galvaniser who helped shape the legacies of kyō, The Vault, and as co-founder of Midnight Shift over the years. Internationally, Kavan also made a mark living in Berlin handling talent with Ostgut, the acclaimed booking agency for the notorious Berghain. In short, the man knows a thing or two about setting up nightlife spaces that tick global standards, and RASA is his latest culmination that’s a gift to the scene.

We hear RASA will launch a F&B policy that will make head turns (Credit: Courtesy of RASA)

Built by giants in the industry, RASA is a whopping 6,114 sq ft space designed by Berlin’s Studio Karhard, the same team behind Berghain and K41 in Kyiv. RASA boasts two rooms casually labelled Hall and Floor, with Floor’s lighting design steered by Convert Textured based in Bandung. And the sound here is amplified by a TPI sound system made in the UK, designed and installed by Sean Iskhandar.

Despite having that Berghain and Midnight Shift DNA, RASA wants to ingrain in you that it is no techno club. Instead it intends to sweep across the electronic music spectrum with a hodgepodge of UKG, downtempo reggae and funk in Hall from Wednesdays to Saturdays. The sound ramps up in Floor with ’90s and noughties throwbacks on Thursdays, house seasonally paired with theatrical performances and interpretive dance showcases on Fridays, and a kinetic medley of acid house, electro and broken beat on Saturdays. RASA has even announced its first residency with Wild Pearl, which will host its signature Community Night every Wednesday evening to unite the community.

(Credit: Courtesy of RASA)

The ink is still wet and the pages are unfinished. But from what it has revealed so far ahead of its official opening in January 2025, RASA looks to be a cultural benefactor to the scene, bending and ascending with the oft-evolving movements of what the scene wants, and more importantly, what it needs.

RASA, location TBA. Follow RASA on Instagram to stay updated. Register for preview events in December in this link.