When you’re partying at the fifth best club in the world, chances are, you’re in a world of your own. There’s little observed about Zouk Singapore beyond the drink in your hand, the music in your ears, and that guy who looks like he’s about to take off his clothes to reveal a wobbly belly. Although the world-renowned establishment turns 21 this year (did you know that Zouk was the first club to import Red Bull from Europe back in the days?), there might be a few things you and Wikipedia didn’t know about. Here are 10 more of them.
What’s In A Name?
The club’s logo has remained unchanged since its birth. Founder Lincoln Cheng, together with his previous partners (who were in advertising), cracked their heads for a suitable design. “The Zouk logo uses pseudo Arabic script because of the origin of the word ‘souk’,” explained Zouk’s Head of Marketing and Events, Timothy Chia. “The logo is a mixture of the sun, the all seeing eye and the sea.” As for the logos for popular nights like bass-centric, Bassic, and discerning techno and house party, Parallel, the art team took cues from the marketing and entertainment departments. “The brief usually includes references to inspirations behind the event; whether it's art, architecture, fashion or anything that might influence the way we envisage the night to be. Music is, of course, the most important influence behind each night,” Timothy added.
Mad Props
A quarter of a million dollar is invested on props alone every year. It’s how the club creatively refurbish its given space that transports revellers into another world night in and night out. Whether dressing the club up for its birthday bash or spooking you out last Halloween with decapitated and semi-burnt dolls, Zouk doesn’t curb its enthusiasm when it comes to cosmetic upgrades. “We spent as much as $35,000 on the club’s 20th anniversary,” enthused Yasee Poh, Zouk’s Senior Designer; an amount which doubled for last year’s Halloween. As for the most expensive prop? “The birthday cake for the same anniversary; it costs around $6,000!” Now, that’s a lot of cake.
Exclusive Membership
There are around 3,000 official Zouk members. “To become a member one must be invited or referred to by other members or a Zouk staff,” Timothy explained. Privileges include free entry on top of signing a guest in, invitation to members-only parties and discounts from the club’s partners.
Top Tipple
“The current generation of young clubbers enjoy sculling their drinks,” Zouk’s Bar Manager, Darren Ho observed. And as such, it’s no wonder that a selected few off the menu are perennial picks. This includes shooters like Sour Plum shots, and Red Bull-infused cocktails like the no-fuss, Limon Bomb and Jagerbomb. Yeah, you know the drill.
Soundtrack Of Our Lives
The most requested song last year was “Sun & Moon” by Above & Beyond recalled Zouk’s veteran resident, FORMATIVE aka djB. The trance track – which has been remixed across all genres – featured the vocals of British singer Richard Bedford and has become a favourite dance floor karaoke anthem for the dance floor massive; probably the only time you’d hear “I’m sorry baby” echoed by so many people. However, djB wants us to move forward. “It's not really my kind of track but I have nothing against it,” he opined. “Though it might be time to try something new since it's 2-years-old.” He’s right.
For The Record
The DJ library (or the vinyl vault as its endearingly called) is located between Zouk’s main room and Velvet Underground –a room where a few hundred thousand vinyls are stored. “Some of us still use vinyls,” said the club’s resident DJ of 21 years, Jeremy Boon adding that the oldest vinyl is from The Beatles. The vinyl vault now acts as a room for artist interviews, an office and a mini studio for the resident DJs.
Last Night A DJ Saved My Life
On average last year, an international artist performs every two and a half days. “Including ZoukOut, David Guetta’s concert at Fort Canning, and Heineken Green Room, we made a total of 153 bookings,” Zouk’s Head of Entertainment, Wayne Lee summed up. With fees reaching as high as six-figures, Wayne and his team susses through programming needs and artist availability. “It’s like spinning plates and moving chess pieces, really.”
Big Brother’s Watching
You’re free to do just about anything in the club. Well, bearing in mind that 96 closed-circuit television cameras and around 40 bouncers are eyeballing your every move. “The entire complex is divided into individual outlets in order of stations, its particular areas and its respective bars. Each outlet is headed by a manager and their team of supervisors and team leaders,” Benny Heng laid out. The club’s General Manager added that the bouncers are stationed at strategic locations during their shift. Look out for their torch lights directed at certain parts of the dance floor. You don’t want to be anywhere near that area when a horde of burly men bulldoze their way through to control a situation.
Strength In Numbers
The club’s workforce is numbered at 150 full-timers with floor staff making up the bulk of it (33 full-timers.) The longest-serving member of the team is Anthony Wong, the club’s Chief Financial Controller who has been working with Lincoln Cheng for 30 years –even before Zouk started. Madam Ho Geok Lan, the club’s endearing cleaner for over 14 years is the oldest in the company. “We should never reveal the age of a lady though,” said Timothy.
All Sorts of Parties
It’s not always about fist-pumping the air over chugging electronic music. The club also host a plethora of non-music related events that includes fashion shows, networking sessions, press conferences and product launches. Timothy’s most memorable one was a large-scale Zumba event. “I've never seen so much spandex on the dance floor before and that really was quite a sight to behold!”
10 THINGS YOU PROBABLY DID NOT KNOW