Zoukout Nokia Remix @ Marina Bay Waterfront Part 1

Part One: The Venue

Malaysia has long been a haven for thrill-seeking Singapore clubheads but the recent spate of crackdowns by the police have left Kuala Lumpur's scene bereft of its usual dens of hedonism.

Luckily for nightlife enthusiasts then, that Zouk's annual outdoor festival, Zoukout, was taken out of its Sars-enforced deep freeze just in time to sate appetites on both sides of the Causeway.

This year's party, dubbed Zoukout Nokia Remix (branding, anyone-), boasted a lineup that matched any of its predecessors.

The expanded two-day event featured mainstream heavyweights like Dirty Vegas, James Lavelle, Sasha and Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez to pull in the crowds and fringe artists like Toshio Matsuura (of United Future Organisation fame) and Bugz in the Attic for some essential leftfield cachet.

Despite the excellent lineup, Zoukout's ace still had to be the superb virgin location on the Marina Bay waterfront. With four arenas spaced out across pristine green fields against the glittering skyline of Singapore's financial district, this year's edition easily trumped Sentosa's tired beaches.

Coincidentally, the venue was across the water from One Fullerton, the exclusive address of Centro360's entertainment complex. Zouk's emerald lasers were practically bouncing off Centro's chic facade - perhaps a none too subtle reminder from a veteran on top of its game to an aggressive new player in Singapore's superclub stakes.

The meat of the festival was undoubtedly Day two, where an estimated 20,000 people converged by train, bus and automobile for 12-hours of dance music. The festival ground was divided into four arenas, the largest being the Global Underground arena, which was flanked by the Regional arena on one side and the Velvet Underground and Mambo Jambo arenas on the other. In between the arenas were fairground rides, lots of bars, the requisite VIP tents, massage stalls and refreshment outlets.

A big plus for Zoukout were the inexpensive fairground rides and food. Unlike its counterparts in the UK, which invariably milk clubbers for every cent in their wallet, Zouk kept inflation at bay. Thrillseekers could climb into the lion-shaped bouncy castle or strap themselves into the human gyroscope for free or pay a mere S$5 to ride on what can only be called the Swing From Hell.

Those of a more gluttonous temperement could partake of Vietnamese pho, excellent hot dogs, Turkish ice cream, something called 'DJ Popiah' (perhaps a Zouk resident's secret nickname-) and chocolate fondue for extremely reasonable prices (a hotdog only cost S$2.50), given the nature of the event.

Go to part 2 : Velvet & Beyond
Tags