Launched in March 1991, Zouk has grown into a club like non other in Asia. With the central aim of propelling Asia's dance music culture forward and leading Singapore to the forefront of global clubbing by continuosly pushing boundaries, Zouk has managed to not only put Singapore on the world dance map, it has evolved into a subculture of its own.
This phenomenon has been reflected by many international publications such as Rolling Stones (US),The Face (UK), Arena (UK), Time Out (UK), Wired (UK), Time (US), Newsweek (Asia), British Airways' Highlife (UK), The South China Morning Post (Hong Kong), Elle (Germany), Vogue (France) and Wallpaper just to name a few. It has also been covered extensively by the main dance culture magazines, namely Mixmag, Muzik, DJ and IDJ magazine.
The allure of Zouk is generated by four distinctly different clubs all within the Zouk complex - Velvet Underground with its own entrance, thick velvet-covered walls and prized art-collections; Phuture with its futuristic design, non 4/4 sound and impressive LED wall; The Wine Bar with its indoor outdoor seating where people meet up for drinks and lounge before entering the complex for a night of hedonism and the main Zouk room, with its extensive use of Gaudi inspired Moorish tiles and forms, cutting-edge sound system and lighting, sprawling multi-level dance floor and pockets of bars.
But the real heart of the club lies in its staff, the music and the open-minded crowd it draws that helps to make magic each and every night.
Zouk - From a historic warehouse to superclub.
The building itself - consisting of three warehouses built on the Singapore River in 1919 -- is part of Singapore's history. When management tendered for the space, the buildings were dilapidated and roofless with crumbling walls. Zouk sought to restore the facade to its original state. Existing walls were conserved and new levels and compartments were added to create a modern interior. New timber trusses bolstered the roof while maintaining the traditional warehouse architecture of Singapore.
Zouk has since revamped itself many times, ensuring its relevance to every new generation. The last revamp being in September 2005, when Zouk closed for a month and re-invested S$7million on refurbishing the entire complex, from the facade to all its 4 signature outlets; Zouk main room, Velvet Underground, Phuture and the Wine Bar.
From the beginning Zouk has delivered an innovative and progressive clubbing environment, introducing Singapore to the world's freshest dance music - from house to garage, from techno to progressive, from big beat to breaks. The pioneer clubbing institution in Singapore, Zouk was the first club to introduce house music, bravely steering away from the popular trend of Top 40s and retro playlists, establishing itself as a groundbreaking trailblazer.
Since then, Zouk has played host to hundreds of top name DJs and artists like Carl Cox, Paul Oakenfold, Danny Tenaglia, Sasha, Louie Vega, Luciano, Derrick May, John Digweed, Norman Cook, Laurent Garnier, Jeff Mills, Richie Hawtin, Sven Vath, Roger Sanchez, Ricardo Villalobos, Frankie Knuckles, Gilles Peterson, Nick Warren, Joe Clausell, Bjork, Chemical Brothers, Peaches, Primal Scream... the list goes on and on...
And now it's the Zouk's residents that are making waves, playing around the world and releasing their tracks on prestigious international labels, helping to spread the Zouk spirit and sound, to all corners of the globe.
Accolades awarded to Zouk includes being consistently top-ranked as one of the Best Clubs in the World serveral times over. Locally, Zouk has been bestowed similar honors from the "Nightspot of the Year' award by the Singapore Tourism Board a record-breaking 8 times. Emerging as a double winner at the recent 2008 awards, with ZoukOut being recognized as the Best Leisure Event Experience for the 2nd time.
Top 100 Clubs in the World
Ranked 5th - 2012
Ranked 9th - 2011
Ranked 10th - 2010
Ranked 13th - 2009,Ranked 11th - 2008
Top 50 Clubs in the World
Ranked 10th - 2007]]>
Nightspot of the Year' Winner
1996, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2005, 2008
Singapore Experience Awards - ‘Best NightspotExperience'Winner
2009, 2010
Best Customer Service-Nightspot
2010
Best Leisure Event Experience' for ZoukOut
2005, 2008]]>
One of the Top 3 Clubs on the Planet
1999]]>
Best Club
2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
]]>
Best Nightspot, Best DJ Gig, Best Theme Party, Best Party
2011
Best All Time Favourite Bar/Club
1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2010]]>
Winner of Best Entertainment Experience
2009, 2010, 2011]]>
Party of the Year' for ZoukOut
May 2006]]>
Best of Singapore Award' for Zouk
2005, 2006]]>