Who: Founder of cultural programming agency Present Purpose and marketing head honcho of Zouk from 1998 to 2009, when the nightlife institution was still located at Jiak Kim Street

She says: “Even before I had started working at Zouk, I was already there every weekend as a clubber and then for many years after I quit in 2010. Anniversaries for the club were always an epic affair to look forward to – from the elaborate set design to the marathon DJ sets. Then there were the many events that we had created: Zoukout, Nu Beats (for more experimental sounds), the Wardrobe Fashion Series (a night that spotlight local fashion labels and fresh faces) and so on…

Having that trust, openness and discernment from our community enabled the team to break out with new ideas, new sounds, new concepts and new talent. That and to create parties of such scale – even pre-pandemic, no one was really putting that much energy, money and effort into coming up with completely immersive events that lasted for just one night. It’s probably why I do what I do now: to still be able to experience such environments.”

Wool coat and leather waistband, Bottega Veneta

Who: Media practitioner, set designer at Zouk from 1995 to 2000, and unofficial documentor of the club’s history on her Facebook page titled “Welcome to the house of fun”

She says: “(Zouk in my time) was not just about the club. Singapore’s cultural scene was moving and changing at a time when people, ideas, and cultures were exploding across the world. The world was getting increasingly smaller and smaller.”

“People were travelling more and being exposed to ideas that were blowing their minds. They were more open-minded, adventurous, willing to be wrong yet open to learning about others and themselves. Technology was just at its tipping point. For instance, mobile phones were not yet the ubiquitous appendages they are today. It was all one big party.”

Who: Clubbing pioneer who founded Zouk in 1991 at Jiak Kim Street (pictured here) and turned it into a global institution known for its progressive sound, look and experiences

He says: “One of my favourite memories on the dance floor was when the boyfriend of a girl who had been dancing on the centre podium in the main room proposed to her in the middle of a full crowd and everyone broke into applause. We actually had a photo of this moment hanging in the club’s office.

Another one was when Danny Tenaglia, one of my favourite DJs, came on after a New Year’s Eve countdown and played a marathon 18-hour set all by himself from midnight till 6 pm the same day. We were the only club in Singapore that had a 24 hour operating and bar licence and even served a free American breakfast at 4 am to keep the clubbers going.

I don’t think those days might ever return quite like they were because those experiences were like chemistry – a mix of the music, the DJs, the crowd, the moment. They’re unique and cannot be replicated in their exact form though they could come back in another.”

Who: Founder of boutique music programming, promotion and events agency The Council as well as the brains (and sometimes DJ) of the independent music spaces/techno institutions Headquarters (depicted here with DJ Peggy Gou behind the decks), Tuff Club and Somewhere

She says: “I think music and movement is a big part of what it means to be human. There’s something special and sacred about collective listening and sharing a bond with strangers that goes beyond words. I guess music, dancing and parties have become an integral part of my life because it is through music that I’ve met some of the people I hold closest to my heart.

Music, arts and nightlife contribute to the identity of a city. These are the things that make a city liveable and help form the heart and soul of a city and what makes it truly vibrant. Singapore may be a young city, but the way our music, and arts and culture have evolved through the years is what makes our country truly unique.”

What: A local art collective founded by (from left) Elsa Wong, Rifqi Amirul Rosli, Raigo Law, Hilary Yeo and Zhiyi Cao. Founded in 2019, it aims to provide visibility to under-represented or emerging creatives through various mediums and experiences including art shows and parties.

They say: “The pandemic’s meant that we have had to move many of our projects online. The after-party for an art show that we held in May last year, for example, was hosted on IMVU (a virtual universe/networking site that saw all participants represented as avatars)… The upside of an online party is that we can invite international DJs to spin for us (past names have included Lala B from Thailand and DigitalXAngel from Malaysia) while the IMVU platform adds a layer of interactivity… ”

“With every one of our projects and parties, we pay a lot of attention to the aural and visual as well as the visceral. You come and you feel the music from the first to the last note, and the urge to dance and party hits the nervous system directly.”

Who: Nightlife impresario who co-founded the now-defunct The Butter Factory – one of the most fashion-forward clubs in Singapore in the 2000s – as well as alternative party experiences Mismatch, Baby Boy, Yum Yum Disco Dong and The Glory Hoes

He says: “Almost all creative mediums be it fashion, music, dance or visual arts intersect with nightlife at some point. They all collide on the dance floor and that’s the sort of culture that I love and have always wanted to build. I’m drawn to nightlife because to me, it represents a confluence of various aspects of culture coming together uninhibited. A big part of it is rooted in youth culture.”

“In the ’80s, publications such as i-D, Dazed & Confused and The Face came about and chronicled not only the explosion of youth culture but also club culture because the more established titles didn’t. I grew up reading them and have since always had a big interest in these scenes… I don’t think I’ll ever grow old until I’m six feet under. And if I’m not actively involved in nightlife, I’ll probably be helping out on projects related to it.”

Studio Portraits Veronica Tay Styling Damian Huang, assisted by Yuan Kun Hair Ayako/1TTO + Lim Makeup Beno Lim, using Chanel Beauty & Ying Cui

A version of this article first appeared in the July 2021 Dance edition of FEMALE