VENUE 109


SINgapore, sinagpore asia/pacific/oceania


Zouk Singapore ticks many history boxes. It is an icon for other clubs on the island to aspire to, it celebrates its 21st anniversary in 2012, a rare occasion in world of entertainment venues, and this article marks the third time Zouk - and subsequently Velvet Underground - has featured in mondo*dr magazine. Zouk was born in 1991 when an old warehouse, located on the banks of the Singapore River, was transformed into the world- renowned Zouk Empire. The building is actually sanctioned by the Singapore Government to remain as a conservatory site, Zouk retains and restores the structure of the building as part of this heritage. Some of the original features were restored, equipping the venue with a unique sense of character and charm. This concept has remained at the forefront during each renovation since its inception. From the very beginning Zouk wanted to be a high-end clubbing experience. Zouk’s influence and inspiration stem from Executive Chairman & CEO of Zouk, Lincoln Cheng ‘s annual trips to Ibiza, Spain since 1985 and to Woodstock in 1969. He wanted Zouk to be unique, with an aural and visual feast accompanied


by world-class service. The Zouk complex currently operates five outlets, Zouk Main Room, Velvet Underground Dance, Velvet Underground Lounge, Phuture and the Wine Bar. And it was Velvet Underground, the smaller more intimate club space within the venue that was the subject of the latest redesign. Aside from complete renovations, Zouk believes in a consistent need for maintenance and upgrades, for both software and hardware, to ensure that things are always kept fresh and exciting for clubbers. This includes the addition of LEDs, plasmas, constant upgrade of new lights, moving heads and lasers, and state-of-the-art technology such as video mapping. Lincoln said: “Zouk believes in renovation [in order] to give a completely new feel to all its outlets once every five to six years. This is the third renovation for Velvet Underground since we transformed the space in 1994 from a restaurant to a club. Velvet Underground is considered by many to be the crown jewel in the entire Zouk complex.” The renovation saw Velvet Underground split into two clubs, Velvet Underground Dance and Velvet Underground Lounge. Lincoln explained: “Velvet Underground, with its 1,200-capacity used to cater to the more soulful house and underground sound. With the constant evolution of the dance music industry, and


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