Great Nights Out
Forget mediocre, anonymous house music. A rash of “boutique” parties is putting great music, from drum’n’bass to desi, back on the decks at Hong Kong clubs.
When it comes to Hong Kong clubbing, it takes a discerning eye and attention to microscopic detail to make it to all the great nights out. Punters in other major Asian cities head for giant clubs, superclubs and a credible lineup of festivals, but we do it on the down low, on the side, in the tiny clubs that, after all, play the best music.
Over the past several months, some great music nights have surfaced. Some have been around for ages, others are spanking new, but all are part of an emerging trend for… well, less trend and more music. “There’s definitely a little scene that’s totally separate from the clubbing phenomenon of the larger clubs,” says Jay Pelmet of techno crew Robot. “People don’t primarily go to those places for music anyway. They’re more for picking up girls or being in the newest hot club. I think it can all get a little self-obsessive and people aren’t very relaxed, so that affects the vibe. I’d rather hang out in a dirty room, but be with real people.”
It’s a feeling shared by many punters. And instead of continuing to flagellate themselves with repeated Juvenile-Nelly-Daddy Yankee nights, they are searching out alternatives: Boutique events.
Robot’s most recent venture, monthly techno night Clockenflap, is just one of a wave of reaction against the mainstream shtick. “When people come to Clockenflap, they’re just so happy to be there. People interact, and are generally just not pretentious,” Pelmet says. “At the last one, they were so blown away by themselves and by each other - by how happy everyone was.” It’s this vibe that fuels the boutique events.
“There are several events for niche music, and they’re run by people who are very passionate about the music and the scene,” says Nick Willsher, founder of clubbing and entertainment website HKClubbing.com. Being passionate is the new too-cool-to-care, as evidenced by Volar’s highly credible electro nights. Home to one of the more progressive electronic music nights in town, Volar regularly books quality overseas house and electro acts for its Friday Fahrenheit gigs, even though unfamiliar electro sounds have cleared the dance floor on more than one occasion.
“Though Fridays were originally dedicated to house and electro, a really inconsistent crowd meant that we’ve had to compromise with hip-hop in the lounge,” says part-owner Benedict Ku. Mainstream hip-hop being the poppy derivative for local clubbers.
So if you’ve been hanging out for something new, something creative, then ditch the overblown club experience and check out one of these nights instead.