After experiencing a weekend of bliss and bass on Siloso Beach, it is evident that neither Zouk nor her 50,000-strong turnup want Out in this lifetime.
Following a dramatic and for many, emotional #SaveZouk episode earlier this year, we thought we really should not take the nation’s biggest dance music festival for granted. And what a right decision we found that to be – as we stood under a sky full of sparkle in the form of streamers, confetti, fire and stars. Don’t even get us started on the NDP-reminiscent firework showcase that had partygoers transfixed for a good ten minutes.
Of course it wasn’t all a picturesque soundscape. Minor technical glitches, the occasional watered down cocktail and that nasty burrito which burned a hole in our pockets were little nuisances typical of long nights and short sleeps. But for the seasoned ZoukOut attendee, nothing was close to getting in the way of the most two fanatical nights of 2014.
Dutch Duo W&W playing their Vendetta Mix
One of the most pleasant surprises was finding that the Star Stage, a smaller, almost-enclosed arena which featured the likes of Magda, Damian Lazarus (what a gem!) and Dubfire in no way paled in comparison with the Moon Stage. It had a more pronounced surround-sound effect, a mesmerising laser light display and LED panels fit for intergalactic entertainment.
We reckon the more “loungey” and eclectic music played there isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, which is why there was significantly more room for breathing.
But that only meant more action at the brimming Moon Stage arena, where a handful of the world’s brightest sparks in electronic dance music converged to set the night on fire. We marked our handy lineup sheets and made darn sure to be present for Above & Beyond, Showtek, Steve Aoki and Steve Angello amongst other stellar acts.
Steve Angello’s Children Of The Wild
Another 1.5 hour-long moment that forever goes down in Popwire’s book of rave faves was Skrillex’s set.
Everybody’s night seemed to only go up from there. We’re talking the most amusing hype man phrases, bizarre alien + emoji graphics and most crucially, earth-quaking dubstep that’s in a league of its own.
When met with the crack of dawn, something transformative broke over the party, as though nobody could be weighted by the cares each day brings.
So that was ZoukOut ’14 for us, a nightlong swig of revolutionary EDM and an education on not only a billion subgenres, but also how to be incredulously free.
In the safety of fellow well-intentioned strangers and beyond the reach of the formidable selfie stick, of course.
