From The Straits Times    |

Photo: Kilo Lounge

 

Come year end, The Kilo Lounge will bid farewell to its current location at Tanjong Pagar Road after opening doors almost three years ago in December 2016.

The night club, tucked away in a corner of Duxton, is a hidden gem, known for underground house and techno music as well as live gigs. The Kilo Lounge first opened in February 2014 in 66 Kampong Bugis Torre Building, before shifting to Tanjong Pagar. Recently, they announced the closure, citing an increase in operational costs and saying it was no longer financially sustainable to run the spot.

Kilo Collective co-founder Joshua Adjodha told The Straits Times: “We rode out our lease while continuing to do what we love best – bring quality music and entertainment to our community, but right now the focus lies in finding a place at the right price, and then, the challenge is to find such a place that will get approved for licensing.”

Before the shutters go down, Kilo Lounge will bid farewell in the most stylish of ways, with a slew of parties headed by local and international DJs.

The month of November will see a host of exciting acts that are already fast selling out.

Last weekend, one of Asia’s biggest DJ exports, DJ Aldrin, spun on Nov 8 (Friday). Saturday night (Nov 9) saw Brendon Perera, JB & Stephen Day presenting an eclectic mix of music across the Disco Spectrum – from back in the day, to the present day, and from Organic to Electronic. Brendon Perera, better known as Brendon P, who started out in 1980 in the local mobile circuit, and moving on to Clubs a year later, has decades of experience in the scene here, including long-term residencies at Zouk and Ce La Vi. JB, whose full name is Jean-Baptiste Berchoteau is also the founder of The Jam Parlour party events, which aims to support underrated local DJs.

 

 

The party continues this Thursday night. Groove to the beats of Ollie’Des & Fadille on Nov 14. The talented duo will bring partygoers the freshest and finest cuts of everything from hip-hop to reggae, dancehall to trap. Ladies can redeem their first complimentary cocktail from 11pm-1am.

Legendary German DJ duo Ame, comprising Frank Wiedemann and Kristian Beyer, will take centre stage on Nov 15 (Friday) with their prolific beats. The prodigal Indonesian collective Tripo3000, a vital part of Jakarta’s underground network parties will see Invasion reboots with a fresh lineup of DJs on Nov 16 (Saturday).

Canadian-Filipino hip hop duo Manila Grey also made their sellout Singapore debut earlier this month.

Kilo will continue to hold pop-up parties with acts that have been booked for Kilo Lounge Jakarta. Mr Adjodha says the club’s final three parties at its Tanjong Pagar location will focus on what made both venues successful: the DJs of the Singapore scene. All these parties will culminate in a big bang on New Year’s Eve. He says: “We have invited everyone who has ever graced our decks to jump on for individual or back-to-back sets, saying goodbye by taking charge of the dance floor in our space once more.”

Brendon P will be one of the DJs spinning at Kilo’s farewell gig on New Year’s Eve. The nightlife veteran says that Kilo was unique “because they had a mission to play alternative music”. He says: “I will always welcome a place that champions music above and beyond the norm of your commercial top 40 or EDM (electronic dance music).”

 

Photo: Kilo Lounge

 

Mr Zaran Vachha, co-founder of events agency Collective Minds, notes the challenges that Kilo faced: “During Kilo Lounge’s genesis at Tanjong Pagar almost three years ago, there was not much competition, but now you have venues like Tuff Club, who are only open a few nights a week, and the other end of the spectrum with places like Marquee that can spend money bringing in acts.”

However, the founders are not deterred. If anything, they are certain that the future for Kilo Lounge will be bigger and brighter than ever, as the search for a new location continues.

Mr Adjodha declares with confidence: “We have learned a lot from the last two iterations of Kilo Lounge – figuring out what works and doesn’t – and Kilo Lounge 3.0 will be the best version yet.”

For more information about the club and events, visit https://kilo-collective.com/en/kilo-lounge-singapore/

Address: 21 Tanjong Pagar Rd, Singapore 088444

 

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