::Wayne's Diary::

Underground Clubbing 

by Wayne Lee, 06.08.01

Underground: / (n) secret group or activity esp. aiming at subversion.

Subversion…or subversive thinking?

Hello readers, welcome once again to another edition of Wayne¢s Diary. This entry addresses the term ¢ Underground ¢. In this sense, ¢underground clubbing¢. Alright, I know a lot of local ‘zines and readings have touched on this topic, but let me give this a shot too… pretty please? ( p.s. I need readership man…..hehe)

What is the actual meaning of underground clubbing? Does it mean, having a night out in a way somewhat different from the norm? Or perhaps differing from the usual mainstream of partying and clubbing in a different space and sense?

How does one deem a sort of clubbing as ¢underground¢ ?

Phew. This is a tough one.

The moment I started getting more involved in the local dance scene , I was baffled by  jargon like ¢ psychedelic¢, ¢rave¢ and ¢underground¢ etc. I mean, how did these terms find its place in dance music at all? And how did it fit into this jigsaw puzzle of our clubbing population? Weird, I thought to myself. Either these terms were created by some wacko ¢wannabe¢  philosopher, or it really did mean something. Who pioneered all this? hmm…..

Later along the way, only through more exposure to the various sorts of dance music genres and works by producers, artistes and DJs, did I find some peace and solace in placing these terms rightfully into my grey matter up there.

Before I start saying anything, I need to clarify an issue here. What I will be addressing in the paragraphs below will be my own opinions and views. Please do not quote me!!! You can slam me, you can insult me but please please do not quote me! I do not have the money to face any legal action taken against me because of my big mouth! LOL.

Here goes:

Lets see, ¢Underground¢ for me, means differing from the norms and practices of a usual clubbing experience.

 Take for example: a usual night out for me would be going to a normal club, with a familiar dancefloor, bouncers, a bar, waiters etc.  I will be dancing my heart out to the resident DJ¢s ( he can be considered a familiar face) music, and drinking to my heart¢s content.( though I personally hate alcohol. Let’s just take this as a reference in my example yeah?)

Okay, now lets paint out a picture of an Underground Clubbing scene: Location is unfamiliar, the crowd arrives from all walks of life (I may be stereotyping here, but usually it comprises of  the arts-based folk. You may have seen a fellow underground clubber once before and never again!), the DJ is alien ( please refrain from mis-interpreting this!! In this sense, I mean ¢unknown¢ or ¢unfamiliar¢) and the drinks…. ( hmmm. I may be wrong here, but the drinks are a necessity of course! But probably not of importance for an ¢underground¢ night out).

 I would quote some events like the Destination Unknown, Enroute, Sluice and Hardcore series(s) as some examples of underground clubbing.

For these events, the location is always changing, and for some instances, you do not even know the location till the thirteenth hour ( e.g. Destination Unknown), the DJs are mostly local, no alien examples in this sense, and most are well respected and long-standing DJs ( But, they are mostly not residents of any club - that means independents, and you might not have heard some of their DJ-ing work before.) Some are young and fresh blood, raging to show you his/her worth.

And erm, the drinks don¢t really suck… but maybe the variety of drinks available is less than what you get at a club. But then again. I did mention that at such events, perhaps the liquor might not be of a much importance! Hehe... music is what matters right? J

As one girl friend of mine cutely describes it: " Underground dance events means having ¢compulsory¢ technical and sound screw ups, black-outs and watered-down drinks! That’s what makes it so unique!"

Quite a thought eh?

What¢s most important is that the organizers of these ¢underground¢ events are ¢nomadic wanderers¢ in some sense! Like Kinemat, Kefm, groove genetics, tacpromotions, frontal, Awakening Productions,guerilla massive, 3 Legs, Fluid-mix, Renovation Productions and Solace Events to mention some – these guys are like always thinking of new and fresh ideas, venues and musicians to bring the best of partying to the masses. In other words, they are always moving to ¢new pastures¢. And that’s ¢underground¢ to me. I feel, cause its different from the norm!

Look at enroute: the successful first stint was held at Altivo Bar on Mt Faber ( imagine! above sea level!!! in some sense…). And the second offering? At Sentosa! Furthermore, one was a pretty grunge-y affair (as described by a source) while the latter was a pretty different concept: Let-loose and casual pool-party style, yet maintaining its level of great music and fun!

Most importantly, The ¢underground scene¢ in Singapore is aimed at promoting ¢drug-free¢ fun!  As quoted by Awakening¢s Glenn  sometime ago in an interview with a local paper. Which I guess they have achieved! No ¢triggering¢, no ¢shooting¢ and no ¢popping¢. Just lotsa ¢ dancing¢, ¢grooving¢ and ¢ banging¢ (of beats yah? Hmm…What were u thinking? tsk tsk)

I guess at this point, I can foresee a lot of individuals immensely pissed at my commentary so far. In their heads, its probably going: " What the hell is this dork talking about? Duh!!! Take him off this columm and crack his skull or something!!!" Err…..I apologize first to the (predicted) infuriated ones yeah? *cringe*

But don¢t worry mates, I am coming to the end…..

To sum it up, what you have read so far is how I deem ¢Underground clubbing¢.

Different yet enjoyable.

You may or may not agree with all the talk and explainations  that I have put forth so far , but one thing is for sure, and I bet this is a common point we agree on ( yay!!): we have to thank all these dance promoters and independent DJs for keeping it going!

That’s the way it should be, ¢underground¢ or not, it doesn¢t really matter.

p.s. Btw, did you all catch Moulin Rouge? I thought it was one hellavu good movie. A total soundtrack in one reel… so do try to catch it if you haven¢t!

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