Singapore super-club Zouk will celebrate its 20th anniversary next week - that makes it at least 100 in dance music years. The club industry is, after all, as fast-paced and unpredictable as ever, and a less than ideal foundation for stable, long-term business. Fun and exciting, yes, but often incredibly stressful; a zippy, neon-lit world where days really can feel like years. Ask any club owner what the global financial meltdown of 2008 felt like….
Zouk’s achievement is undoubtedly impressive. But plenty of other clubs have made a lasting impact over the past two decades, so what makes it so special?
“20 years is a real milestone achievement in this game” Tim Chia, Zouk’s Head of Marketing & Events, says. “We owe our success to the great guidance of our founder, Lincoln [Cheng], as well as passion, team work, love for dance music and the relentless desire to offer a positively memorable experience for every visitor who walks through our doors.”
Lincoln Cheng, 61, Hong Kong émigré and Zouk’s original visionary, has a background steeped in bold, pioneering business. Starting out as an architect, he opted for steel structures in hi-rise buildings when everyone else was using cement. During the 1980s, he became a major corporate interior design supplier, set up a successful designer furniture brand, introduced Singapore to the party-driven boating lifestyle by selling high-end yachts, and proposed detailed plans for a world class marina development in Singapore’s Marina South. The plans were rejected by local bureaucrats but years later and Marina South was thriving as major social destination and nightlife hub….
In his younger days, Cheng had made regular trips to legendary festivals like Woodstock and zeitgeist clubs Studio 54, Paradise Garage and the Hacienda. He’d also frequented Ibiza where the mesmeric house-edged sets of Balearic legend DJ Alfredo held sway and fuelled his dream of one day bringing innovative, underground dance to Asia. When, in 1990, Cheng chanced upon an abandoned warehouse on Singapore’s Kim Seng Road, he quickly envisaged Zouk.
Bold business acumen and a deep-seated passion for house were to prove perfect bed-fellows. Cheng and his former business partners pumped $10m into ‘project Zouk’ – a previously unheard of sum in the club industry – and turned a battered old ‘shed’ into one of the world’s most renowned nightspots.
“Things have definitely changed over the past 20 years, especially with regard to the nightlife landscape.” Chia reflects. “Credit must go to the efforts put in by the government, especially the Urban Redevelopment Authority, and the continuous promotional activity of the Singapore Tourism Board, all of which has made Singapore a must-visit nightlife destination.”
Remarkably, early on in Zouk’s life, local taxi drivers would take eager party-goers to Mandai, where Singapore’s famous zoo is based; the drivers just hadn’t heard of the club. The government, too, had a fairly dim view of nightclubs. In many Asian countries clubbing is still seen as a vice; local industry insiders claim that Zouk’s acceptance has as much to do with its ongoing commercial success, as it does with the government’s desire to re-invent Singapore as a fun, relaxed tourist destination.
Commercial success, Chia explains, is down to Zouk’s ongoing ability to balance community spirit (Zouk is Creole for ‘village party’) with musical versatility. The club employs over 200 highly-trained staff, many of whom have little to do with the music but everything to do with making guests feel at home – at the door, the bar, the cloakroom.
But where the music is concerned, every tasteful taste is catered for. Zouk regularly attracts big name international DJs – the club was, in fact, the first such venue locally to consider overseas talent. In the past 12 months tech-edged maestros including Carl Cox, Luciano and Dash Berlin have played; elsewhere, popular Zouk nights Phuture and Velvet Underground have catered for on-trend hip-hop and R&B, and deeper strands of dance, as, for example, practiced by Osunlade and Norway’s spaced-out disco don Prins Thomas.
“Zouk attracts a cool, energetic crowd that really knows and loves their music, and wants to go crazy on the dancefloor” Chia explains. “How do we attract that crowd? It’s down to a mix of quality music programming, which involves great local residents and world-class guests, great frontline staff who give superb customer service, a top drawer sound system and delicious drinks at the bar! There’s so many factors going into creating the perfect night out, and Zouk has kept working on that formula. You can’t sit still, not completely.”
With the tourism machine in full swing these days, and government officials increasingly tolerant of the dancefloor, other Singapore clubs have also benefitted. Is Zouk feeling the threat of competition?
“There are many more new players in the local nightlife industry and competition has become keener” Chia acknowledges. “But, you know, that all helps us to keep on our toes, as we remain focused on doing what we do best and on maintaining our club at the top of the game. To stay successful you need to evolve to meet the changing needs of the market whilst educating that market at the same time.”
Adaptability has clearly helped in these times of widespread economic woe. “The global financial meltdown took many by surprise and had an impact on almost every country. Singapore was not spared either” Chia says. “Fortunately, we’d already built our reputation to an extent that those problems didn’t affect us too much. Even in recession, perhaps more so, people still need to take time off to relax, chill and meet up with their friends. We’ve served quite an important function in that respect.”
Cheng continues to steer Zouk’s course with absolute precision; some might say perfectionist zeal. His senior staff are intensely loyal and nearly all long-serving; and they follow a number of strict Cheng edicts which includes the direction toilet paper should hang down from the roll (they shouldn’t touch cubicle walls, in case of spreading germs). It is this high level of detail, also including regular overhauls of décor and furniture (Cheng has form in this area remember), that further seals Zouk’s status as a world leader.
“We just want to look after every aspect of someone’s night out with us” Chia suggests. “Looking ahead, we plan to keep offering experiences which are fresh, unforgettable and help us in our relentless mission to educate people on the best dance music in the world.”
Over the next few months, Zouk promises performances from Josh Wink, Bookashade and HI-TEK-SOUL among others. Before all that however comes the small matter of Zouk’s four-day anniversary celebrations next week. Running on consecutive nights, April 13-16, those celebrations will involve Danny Tenaglia, trance god Armin Van Buuren, a special edition of cult Zouk party Mambo Jambo and a party devoted to Zouk’s high quality residents - Jeremy Boon, djB, Hong, JNR, Eclipse and Ghetto.
“The Zouk office is crazy busy, we’ve been running purely on adrenaline and caffeine” Chia laughs. “It’s been a challenge summing up 20 years in just four nights but, ultimately, we wanted to give our steadfast supporters a solid line-up covering all the sounds that we’re known for. We’re confident next week is going to be memorable for everyone.”
Looking back, there have been some big challenges for Zouk – a major drugs bust in 1995 for one, prompting difficult licensing restrictions; before that, the club’s first three years were heavy loss-makers. Cheng bought out those business partners who, over time, lost faith in his enterprise, and he simply persevered.
That dogged perseverance has reaped glittering rewards. Today, the club operates successfully alongside a sister venue in Kuala Lumpur (seven this year) and huge international music festival, the ZoukOut (its 11th edition takes place in December) – both are spreading the inimitable Zouk experience to an even wider mass audience with real style and efficiency.
“Zouk can run by itself” Cheng told local press earlier this week. He has no plans to stop working but, truthfully, his vision is in full, glorious flight.
