The Comeback Of Ritual: Blackout Agency’s Signature Series Lands A New Residency

Tim Sweeney performing for Ritual on the rooftop of Golden Mile in 2018 (Credit: Courtesy of Blackout Agency)

The lights are back on for Blackout Agency. It’s flipping the switch with full force with the return of its signature Ritual series. The return of Ritual marks the revival of Blackout Agency as a party powerhouse, following a two-and-a-half-year hiatus no thanks to the pandemic. While the mastermind behind Blackout Agency – run by Zig Zach – has kept busy with several initiatives including fundraiser broadcasts, its Sunday Social markets and even a thriving falafel business, the comeback of Ritual marks a victory that’s long awaited.

Ritual is a signature series of Blackout Agency run by Zig Zach (Credit: Courtesy of Blackout Agency)

Ritual first sunk its roots at the now-defunct kyō, and subsequently threw raves at lifestyle destinations like The Great Escape and The Substation. Past acts have included international names deft in the art of left-field house and melodic techno, such as &Me, Culoe De Song, Eric Volta, Tim Sweeney, Chida, Orpheu The Wizard and Perel. With a reputation like this, you’d expect the rebirth of Ritual to hit hard with a vengeance. Thankfully for partygoers, Zach sure knows how to throw a punch. 

Ritual isn’t just back for a one-off show, but a residency that stretches all the way to November. It’s currently found a home in IKI (which coincidentally also represents a new chapter for Ikigai, formerly owned as Canvas and Home Club), and it’s firing off the flares with two mega gigs this month of August. Kornél Kovács (Studio Barnhaus) returns to Singapore on 6 August with his jaunty and effervescent selections, as does Radio Slave (Rekids) on 19 August with his dexterous and explorative mastery of techno.

Ritual is back in action with Kornél Kovács and Radio Slave in August (Credit: From artiste socials)

For Zach, having a semi-permanent home for Ritual is a godsend; a solution for the inevitable obstacles that he’s had to endure as a promoter in his career. “Over the last eight years, I did countless pop-ups back-to-back,” Zach explains. “I was constantly finding venues, applying for licenses, setting up, tearing down and all the logistics that came with it. It was great, but it was also just very stressful on many levels. Also, because of all the costs involved in each pop-up, it always meant that I had to be VERY selective of the artist I wanted to bring down to play, but couldn't for whatever logistical or financial reason.”

Perel at The Substation in 2019 (Credit: Courtesy of Blackout Agency)

But with the open-minded support of IKI, Zach is not only able to eliminate these woes but push his vision for Ritual like never before. “Personally, I’m just glad that when I spoke about the idea with Roy Ng [owner of IKI], he was very supportive and he trusted me to do my thing. Having a residency where it's just plug-and-play helps take away a lot of that stress and allows me to be more flexible with dates, bookings and costs of an event. I feel like I've got the opportunity now to book acts more frequently and also be a bit more diverse with my bookings – something I couldn't really do with pop-ups,” he shares.

Chida was another selector who graced The Substation for Ritual (Credit: Courtesy of Blackout Agency)

And like the newfound energy that’s pulsating through the scene, the motivation that’s running through Zach’s veins is flowing ferociously like a thunderous current. This is the Blackout that we’ve been waiting for. And it isn’t disappointing one bit. “I’m looking forward to bringing interesting acts and doing more collaborations with this residency now. It could be a local, regional, upcoming international, or a headliner for Ritual. I was already helping kyō and Kilo back in the day with a number of bookings, so I feel like I get to now put that energy into my own night, Ritual.”

Follow Blackout Agency on Instagram and Facebook for more information of its Ritual series. You can find out more details by clicking on the links for Kornél Kovács and Radio Slave respectively.