Zouk (club)

Zouk is a Singaporean nightclub located in the Clarke Quay district. Opened in 1991, the brand has since expanded to various cities around Asia and North America. One of the country's most prominent nightclubs, it has won the Singapore Tourism Board's "Best Nightspot Experience" award 6 times, between 1996 and 2007. Zouk was ranked number 10 on DJ Magazine's list of Top 100 clubs in the world in 2006, 2007 and 2010. In 2017, Zouk Singapore earned its highest ranking yet at number 3, the top entry for clubs across Asia. In 2021, Zouk Singapore was ranked number 11 while Zouk KL was ranked 33 on the DJ Mag Top 100 Clubs list in the world.[2]

For other uses, see Zouk (disambiguation).

Zouk Singapore
Logo of the Zouk Group
Location3C River Valley Road, The Cannery, Clarke Quay, Singapore
Coordinates1°17′26″N 103°50′46″E
OwnerTulipa
TypeNight club
Genre(s)Various
Seating typeStanding Room, Reserved
Capacity3,300[1]
OpenedMarch 1991
Website
zoukclub.com.sg

In September 2015, one of its founders, Lincoln Cheng, sold the rights of the Zouk brand to Genting Hong Kong, an affiliate of Genting Singapore.[3] The brand and its business was valued at S$40 million by the financial audit firm Ernst & Young in 2013.[4] On 1 September 2020, Genting Hong Kong sold Zouk for S$14 million to Tulipa, a firm owned by Lim Keong Hui, the former deputy CEO of Genting Hong Kong and the son of Genting Hong Kong CEO and chairman of Genting Group Lim Kok Thay.[5]

Etymology

The club is named after the Antillean Creole word for 'party'.[6]

History

Zouk was designed based on Cheng's travels around Ibiza and other Mediterranean coastal countries. The club was housed in three restored warehouses, which were built in 1919, when Cheng acquired it. Three interconnected clubs were housed within the warehouses.

  • Zouk (1991), with a large dance floor, sound and lighting, catering to a variety of artists.
  • Velvet Underground (1994), a quieter, more relaxed lounge that plays house and soul.
  • Phuture (1996), a more avant-garde bar specializing in broken beats and hip hop/R&B.

In December 2016, Zouk moved to its new premises at Clarke Quay.[7] Housed in a revamped warehouse, the new space retained its multi-room concept with three club outlets and two bars:

  • Zouk, the largest club in the complex with a capacity of over 3,500, has a main room that regularly hosts international guest DJs, ‘live’ performances, and other events.
  • Phuture, an underground-esque club outlet for hip-hop and R&B lovers.
  • Capital, a dual lounge and club space aimed at older audiences with open format music nights.
  • RedTail Bar.
  • Queens, a hip-hop inspired cocktail bar inspired by the New York borough. (No longer operational after COVID-19; used as a storage/staff area currently.)

In 2021 (month unknown), amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Zouk further expanded its premises by taking over its neighboring bar, Get Juiced, in the same Clarke Quay entertainment complex. This additional space housed a restaurant and another bar.

  • Here Kitty Kitty SG, which borrows its concept from its sister outlet in Zouk Las Vegas,[8] positions itself as a "vice den" inspired by Shinjuku in the 1950s.[9] Featuring Japanese-fusion bites and speakeasy cocktails, it is generally a more luxurious but more expensive place than the other sister bars by Zouk in the area.
  • Sushi Ichizuke,[10] a high-end omakase restaurant with only 16 seats, featuring "instagram-worthy dishes" at a high price tag of S$450++ per person.

Other locations

Zouk Kuala Lumpur

In 2004, Cheng opened the second outlet of Zouk in Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia, together with Cher Ng, a former Zouk Singapore resident DJ.

Zouk KL underwent a major revamp in 2008, and ultimately moved to newer and bigger premises in 2015 in the TREC entertainment and lifestyle precinct located in Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ng is also one of the partners of TREC.

Since November 2022, it has been rebranded as Spark Club KL.[11]

Zouk Genting

After Cheng sold Zouk to Genting Hong Kong in 2015, the new owners opened a third outlet of Zouk in Genting Highlands, Malaysia in 2019.[12] This entertainment complex, housed within the Genting Casino and Integrated Resort, featured Zouk Group's first proper restaurant, FUHU Genting, a new club concept named Empire and RedTail Genting, a spin-off of the RedTail concept in Singapore.

It also opened AYU Awana (date unknown), a restaurant within Resorts World Awana, a smaller, sister resort of Resorts World Genting just one cable car ride away.

Zouk Las Vegas

In 2022, Zouk opened a fourth outlet in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA at Resorts World LV. The concepts present in this new outlet mirror the concepts in other existing outlets.

  • Zouk Nightclub, the main venue for many famous DJs. As of January 2023, Tiesto, Zedd, DJ Snake, Kaskade, and G-Eazy have all been named as resident DJs of this club. These nightclubs ran and operate by Jared Garcia, who was named director of artist relations for Zouk Group.[13][14] Ronn Nicolli, CMO, Resorts World and vice president of nightlife marketing, Zouk Group[14] Andrew Pacheco, executive director of customer development, Zouk Group[14] Michael Waltman, executive director of operations, Zouk Group[14]
  • Ayu Dayclub and Nightclub, borrowing its concept from its sister outlet in Genting.
  • RedTail Bar, similar to its sister outlets in Singapore and Genting.
  • FUHU Vibe Dining, similar to its sister outlet in Genting.
  • Here Kitty Kitty LV, similar to its sister outlet in Singapore, although the Las Vegas outlet opened first.

In addition, it has a relatively large food hall named Famous Foods Street Eats, featuring 16 different dining concepts, in particular Singaporean and Japanese concepts.

Zouk Tokyo

In 2023, Zouk has announced its expansion to open its fifth outlet at the newly built Granbell Square in Ginza, Tokyo. The club will be open in September 2023.[15]

ZoukOut
Main article: ZoukOut

In 2000, Zouk started an all-night dance music festival, ZoukOut.[16] The dance festival was held at Siloso Beach at Sentosa, Singapore.[16]

ZoukOut was held annually with the exception of 2019 to 2021, due to the festival taking a break and COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore.[17][18][19] The festival resumed in 2022.[19]

See also

References
  1. "Poll Clubs 2021: Zouk Singapore". DJMag.com.
  2. "Top 100 Clubs 2021". DJMag.com. Retrieved 10 September 2021.
  3. "Zouk being sold to Genting HK". The Straits Times. 21 October 2015.
  4. Lim, Jessica (15 September 2015). "Iconic Singapore nightclub Zouk put up for sale". The Straits Times. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  5. "Lim Keong Hui buys Zouk nightclub brand from Genting Hong Kong just days of stepping down as Deputy CEO". IAG. 1 September 2020. Retrieved 2 September 2020.
  6. "zouk | Description, History, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved 15 April 2022.
  7. Auto, Hermes (17 December 2016). "Zouk opens doors at new home in Clarke Quay | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  8. "HERE KITTY KITTY VICE DEN". Resorts World Las Vegas. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  9. "Home - Here Kitty Kitty". Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  10. Ang, Daniel (19 November 2022). "Sushi Ichizuke – Hidden Omakase Restaurant At Clarke Quay With Lobster Sashimi, King Crab Leg, And Cool Modern Vibes - DanielFoodDiary.com". Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  11. Ng, Scott (17 November 2022). "Malaysia's Zouk KL nightclub officially rebrands as Spark KL". NME. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  12. Emmanuel, Priscilla (21 May 2019). "Grand Opening Bash of Zouk Genting Raises the Bar for Nightlife Entertainment". ExpatGo. Retrieved 30 January 2023.
  13. "MEET THE MIND: LAS VEGAS NIGHTLIFE LUMINARY JARED GARCIA JOINS ZOUK GROUP". 14 May 2021.
  14. "ZOUK GROUP EXECUTIVES TAKE YOU BEYOND THE ROPES OF ONE OF LAS VEGAS' HOTTEST CLUBS". 21 October 2022.
  15. "Zouk Group Announces the Opening of New Club Concepts in Tokyo, Ginza and Los Angeles, West Hollywood | Luxe Society". 16 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  16. "Zouk-topia! Tequila Sunrise ... with a twist". The Straits Times. 23 October 2000. pp. L1, L6, L7.
  17. "YourSingapore.com - ZoukOut". 10 March 2010. Archived from the original on 10 March 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  18. Sofia, Izza (6 December 2022). "An unforgettable ZoukOut 2022: Mini fires, sinking tents, heavy rain, and thumping beats". Time Out Singapore. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  19. "ZoukOut 2022 is finally here: Here's the full lineup for the 2-day dance music festival". CNA Lifestyle. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  • Boey, Dylan. Mambo Rocks in Sunday Times 8 August 2004. Singapore: SPH.
  • DJ Adam Low. (1998) Mambo Jambo Wednesday Night Live. Singapore: Avex Trax.
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