ZoukOut 2009 : Groove With The Music @ Siloso Beach, Sentosa Island

Posted by melo in Wednesday, December 23rd 2009

Certainly, one of Singapore´s best tourist attractions is its nightlife. It was my third day in Singapore and I´ve been to several party places and all I can say is "Too many Parties, Too little time".

I was invited to visit Singapore last week to experience ZoukOut 2009 in Silosa Beach, Sentosa Island and It was a fantastic experience.

Now on its ninth year, ZoukOut is considered as Asia´s biggest beach party where renowned DJs from all over the world are invited such as the Stereo MCs, Armin Van Buuren, James Lavelle, Peter Kruder, Sven Vath, Richie Hawtin, Gilles Peterson, among others.

Lets get the party started

With a unified crowd of both locals and visitors from other countries, ZoukOut is an event that breaks down cultural barriers and joins people from all of Asia and the world, truly embodying Zouk´s inimitable spirit – One World, One Music, One Tribe, One Dance.

From out-of-this world performers and costumed buskers to art installations, carnival rides, colorful laser shows, music and drumming lessons, from massage and holistic tents to scrumptious food stalls, and a myriad of fringe activities complete the festival feel.

Crowd is getting Wild!!

It was already 8pm when we left the Taste of Singapore restaurant for our dinner. Since a lot of partygoers were expected to attend, most of the roads were closed which saw us going by foot to Siloso beach.

Sponsored Games

The gates were already opened and a lot of people were already queuing for their ID pass when we arrived; it´s one those moments that being a member of the media comes in handy.

Giant Ladies

The whole beach stretch was still almost empty when we arrived. Together with my companions,Wilson and Jan, we went straight to the media booth for another briefing and to check our interview schedule with the participating International DJ´s.

Playing with the lights

While people started to flock in, we stayed in the media booth enjoying the free booze that was sadly only available ´til 11pm! Tequila, Tequila, and never ending Tequila! But I´m not complaining! Thanks to Jan, he interrupted my increasing number of tequila shots by inviting me to roam around the area to take photos.

Free Booze (Photo by Jan Shim)

Apart from local partygoers, I saw people from different parts of the globe spending the night grooving to the music. After almost two hours of capturing photos in between shots of tequila, I can say that ZoukOut is definitely Asia´s biggest outdoor music dance festival.

Ripcurl Girls

Last year´s Zoukout Party had a record-breaking number of 26,000 party lovers with 40 percent of the crowd estimated from overseas; based on the estimated numbers, organizers said that this year´s crowd was definitely bigger.

Cooling Tower

It was around 11am when I got a call from Wilson; we were lucky to get an earlier interview schedule with THE Armin Van Buuren Wow!. The catch? We had to walk all the way to the Rasa Sentosa Resort where Armin was staying and it had to be really quick since Armin needs to take a rest. It was a long walk but it was worth it.

Jump Forest Jump!!!

I was able to throw couple of questions to Armin:

Interview with Armin (photos by Jan Shim)

Melo : Whats your favorite tune of all time?
Armin : I think I´m the only DJ who purely loves Trance music.

Melo : Being the #1 for 3 consecutive years, What advice can you give to up and coming DJ´s?
Armin : As an artist, you really have to find something that will make you unique.

Melo : How do you like Singapore?
Armin : I love this country. It has a very relaxing athmosphere and Youve got to love the Food!

Melo : How does it feel being the #1?
Armin: It feels amazing that I can do what I love to do. Its always a passion. It makes you the happiest man in the world.

Melo : Whats your personal inspiration?

Armin van Buuren (courtesy of Jan Shim)

Armin : I love listening to other peoples music. I can listen to all types of music from ColdPlay to Kylie Minogue. Music makes us happy.

Melo : What do you do outside of the dance music scene?
Armin : I watch movies, workout and takes care of my cats (Knurfja and Dwarrel).

Melo : Are we expecting you in ZoukOut 2010?
Armin : I´m more than happy to go back next year.

Melo : What makes you the best DJ?
Armin : When people are dancing and all having fun that means Im working.

Melo : Any upcoming album?
Armin : I can´t tell you the details yet but it´s going to be released in June 2010.

Live Bands

Apart from couple of Filipino expatriates in Singapore, I also met several celebrities in ZoukOut like Maegan Young and JM Rodriguez – the Channel Head of one of Channel V Philippines. I also managed to ask him few questions about his ZoukOut experience:

Melo : Whats the best part of Zoukout 2009 that you enjoyed most?
JM : The best part about the Zoukout is it is the biggest dance music festival in Asia and I am a big fan of dance music specifically house music. Flying in top djs in the world and throwing a beach party with 25,000 people jumping around is definitely a wicked idea.

Melo : Do have plans of visiting Singapore for Zoukout 2010?
JM : Yes I have plans of coming back to the Zoukout but this time I wanna bring a bigger group of friends to represent Manila.

Melo : Who´s your favorite DJ?
JM : I really enjoyed the Martinez Brothers. Armin van Buren and Aldrin.

Jm Rodriguez, Cat Arambulo and Ronald Singson

There are several things to look for when you are visiting Singapore, and ZoukOut is just one of them. It´s about the best in dance music and the entire festival experience.

With Channel V VJ Maegan Young

The nightlife of Singapore will tempt you and if you desire to have a nice party time, then it´s about time for you to experience next year´s ZoukOut Party. See you there!!!

** Many thanks to Singapore Tourism Board for the wonderful ZoukOut Experience:)


To read more Singapore blogs, visit www.outoftownblog.com