Sunday 5 May 2013

WHAT IS UNDERGROUND SOUNDZ AND WHAT DOES IT WANT?


Oran Bilsen gives the inside story on KL based promoters Underground Soundz


Who are we, actually?
We are simply a group of eight friends living in Malaysia who share a love for non-commercial dance music. Three of us are DJs: local boy Ano ToMY, French producer JP and me, Oran Bilsen, from the UK. 

Ano ToMY


The DJs are the public faces of Underground Soundz but there another five hardworking guys who handle the other tasks involved in promoting parties, including the talented Jiet Wong, who is our one-man art department. 



Just recently we teamed up with  the Rainbow Weekend Facebook Community to do some cross promotions for the relaunch of our celebrated party Cruise.

What’s the idea?
It's simple.  We   create parties in KL that cater to people like us…boyz who love non-commercial dance music. 

How long have we been around?
We started in 2010 with Friction at Marketplace. It was a Thursday night party. On dry nights we held it on the roof and on rainy nights in the lounge. Friction gradually morphed into a new night on the eve of public holidays called Freedom.

What was the idea behind Freedom?
Freedom was all about individual expression and fun. Every event would have some feature that allowed people to show their individuality. A couple of nights we brought in a face painter -  the crowd looked so cool that night! 


We played underground music at a commercial music venue and we’re now in our third year of parties at Marketplace.  Freedom has proved to be the club’s biggest draw apart from its usual Saturday night.
French music producer JP

So what about Cruise?
We started Cruise  last year on a Sunday night at Bakita in Bukit Bintang. We ran for just over two months but we  all found doing a weekly party too stressful! Underground Soundz has never been  about making money…it’s about creating dreams. Doing a weekly party felt too much like a hard routine, especially on a Sunday night!
Cruise at Bakita in 2012


So we took a step back until we could get a Saturday night and do a regular monthly party. It took a year but we found a brilliant new venue called Quinte. It’s small, intimate and classy. It’s also got an amazing sound system. The management and staff are very enthusiastic about Cruise and are right behind us in the planning. This is going to be a really fun night.

Who do you think will come to Cruise?
Well, of course, everyone is welcome but we only have room for 200! We expect a slightly older, more professional and fashionable crowd. Quinte has its own regulars on a Saturday and there are lots of other people on Facebook talking about going who we’ve never met! 


So let’s see what happens...You never know how a new night will turn out but we think it’s going to be a happy and joyful mixed crowd like Bliss used to be…

What kind of music will you be playing?
The music will be catchy, exciting and distinctly underground! That means you won’t hear Britney or Rihanna, unless it’s an exceptional remix the DJs have dug up or created themselves. You won’t hear top 40s either.  Instead you will hear a variety of genres from a rotating team of resident and guest DJs… Expect something upbeat. Underground Soundz is about mixing  non-commercial dance music with a big sense of fun. We don’t take ourselves too seriously! 

What else will be good about Cruise?
Apart from the super-cool people, the great DJs and the amazing venue? I think it’s worth mentioning the drinks promotion. There will be a whole bunch of special drinks promotions running from 11pm till 3am. These are not the regular Quinte drinks prices - Underground Soundz managed to get a special rate for Cruise hours!!

Any cocktail glass RM30
Spirit and mixer RM25
Cocktail jugs RM75
Bottles: Jack Daniels, Black Label, Absolut RM350
Shooter trays RM150

Champagne (Moet) RM350  2 btls RM600



We've also got our very own custom  drinks menu designed by Quinte mixologist Danny O'Driscoll. We really had fun with the cocktail names..some old favourites revamped and given Cruise friendly names...check out the Top Collins, Muscle Mariahs and Cocksucking Cowboys when you come!

Quinte’s barman Sham Flair has won several of Malaysia’s top mixology awards. In other words, last year he was rated as the best barman in Malaysia: that's quite an accolade. He’s a total showman...more like a circus act than a barman. Expect your drink to  be mixed in three heart-stoppingly gravity-defying  dimensions!!! 

When does it start?
Cruise opens on May 11, and from June onwards will run on the first Saturday of the month:
June 1,
July 6
August 3 

Any deals on prebooking?
Yes, you are free to reserve a table or buy presale tickets, which are RM30 only…contact our friends at Rainbow WeekendFacebook Community.



The Underground Soundz Commitment
At Underground Soundz events, you’ll always find a warm, friendly space to be yourself, and while the outside world may not celebrate you, we always will. See you at Cruise!!!




For more info go to 

CRUISE WEBSITE


PREBOOK TABLES 

Info and updates on facebook

Info and updates on facebook
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