The acronym WWF is synonymous with the environmental-friendly World Wildlife Fund and the musical treat, the Worldwide Festival. Singapore was proud to be the host of one of the WWFs mentioned above – the Worldwide Festival 2008. Over the weekend of May 16-18, Singapore was treated to 3 days of music heaven created by DJ guru and record label owner, Gilles Peterson (UK). Known as a trend-setter in the music industry, Gilles spear-headed this music festival in France in 2006.
In a video for the Worldwide Festival, Gilles shared why he wanted to bring the festival to Singapore, “The Singapore situation has always been amazing for me. I’ve been going to Singapore for many years as a DJ, playing at Zouk and the club culture scene there has always been on point. I think it’s because they always get so many great DJs to play in Singapore. It’s a real partying place in Singapore. Singapore has always been super happening for me.”
Co-organised by partners Heineken Music and Kinemat PLAY, the festival’s third run arrived in Singapore over the Vesak Day long weekend, adding to the holiday festivities. Throughout the three days of festivities, the Worldwide Festival drew an almost-equal number of Caucasians and locals, ranging from those in their twenties to fifties. Day 1 kicked off with a closed-event party at Velvet Underground.
Day 2: The Multi-Level Sound Sound System
May 17, 9pm till Late
Odeon Towers
The Basement Carpark
Want a new underground experience? The most authentic underground party in Singapore took place on May 17 at the Basement Carpark of Odeon Towers.
Complete with stunning visuals made up of rows of tube-like incandescent bulbs, it was a pity that the concept of underground music was not a success among the partygoers.
UrbanWire saw about 12 people standing around aimlessly amidst the flashing lights and the sounds of local DJ extraordinaires, Xhin and Angela Flame.
Some attempted to give the dancefloor a try, while others stood hesitantly in the very empty carpark.
The sweltering heat was probably one of the reasons why the stuffy Basement was not a success. It’s a wonder that no one fainted in the heat!
Level 2 – Supperclub Space
The air-conditioned Supperclub space on Level 2 was a great getaway venue for party-goers who wanted to escape from the Singapore heat. Level 2 became increasingly popular as the night went on, with renowned names like Simbad (UK) and Cut Chemist (US) spinning just inches away from the crowd.
To the alarm of the security, the party-goers slowly edged closer and closer to the deck as they were eager to get as close as possible to the DJs.
As soon as the partygoers in the front row were able to touch the DJ deck, security guards came rushing forward to stand between the crowd and the DJ.
Highlight of the Night
The highlight of the night was definitely Cut Chemist’s turn-tables.
Armed with 2 large screens that screened “live” footage of his spinning, he teased the crowd with deliberate pauses in his tracks while shooting an occasional cheeky grin to the excited crowd as he tossed the vinyl records in the air before presenting yet another stunning hit.
Level 3 – The Loof
Against the backdrop of City Hall and Marina, the Loof was a chill-out nest complete with trees, a remarkable view and tribal music to match. While the younger crowd was mostly seen at Level 2’s Supperclub, the Loof-lovers were of the older crowd, ranging from their early thirties to fifties. The open-concept of
the Loof constantly drew in the crowds, making the cosy chill-out area overly crowded. There was limited room for people to sit on the velvet sofas, limited space to set up screens for visuals and a mere area of approximately 25 square ft for a dancefloor. (1 foot = 12 inches)
Partygoer of the Day
Congratulations, Mr Takehiro Iyatomi!
Decked in a purple shirt and fiery red hair, it was easy for UrbanWire to spot Takehiro grooving to Cut Chemist’s tracks right in front of the DJ deck at Level 2’s Supperclub and absorbed in Katsue’s electronica hits at the Loof.
Judging from his enthusiasm and support of the DJs, Takehiro definitely deserves to be the Man of the Night.
UrbanWire’s Verdict
UrbanWire considers the Loof as the best chill-out venue to sit and chat after dancing away at Level 2’s Supperclub. The concept of an underground venue was brilliant but it would only work if Singapore was not plagued by the terrible heat.
Day 3: Best Weekender
May 18, 3pm till Late
Fort Canning Park
Eager to bring audiences a variety of music experiences, Day 3 of the Worldwide Festival had two tents at Fort Canning Park.
The Energy Tent
After passing security, the first tent that caught UrbanWire’s eye was the Energy Tent.
Sponsored by Redbull and pumping with electronica and trance, it was obvious why the tent was named as such. Located on a grass patch just slightly off the brick path, the psychedelic lights and sounds became a magnet for partygoers under 28.
Guess who UrbanWire saw dancing at
the front of the Energy Tent?
Our party-goer of Day 2 – Takehiro Iyatomi of course! The 29-year-old video game developer, dressed in yellow, was back in action for Round 2 at the Energy Tent.
Meeting for the Second Time
UrbanWire caught up with the red-head, Takehiro, to find out what he thought about Day 3 of the Worldwide Festival.
Naming DJ Toshio Matsuura (Japan) as his personal favourite, he shares with UrbanWire why he thinks that Wicked Aura Batucada was the best performance. “I liked the tribal music they played. It was a different experience from the electronica and house that was played yesterday.”
When asked if he came to the Worldwide Festival with some friends, Takehiro explained, waving his hand, “I came alone to the festival but it’s okay because I follow this kind of music closely.”
Our hero Takehiro may be able to party alone but most came in groups of 5 or as a couple.
The Best Outdoors
Guess who else UrbanWire spotted dancing at the
Best Outdoors tent? Local celebrity Fiona Xie and
DJ Steve Aoki!
The bigger stage out of the two, the Best Outdoors Tent gave many partygoers the opportunity to spread out their picnic mats and sheets on the sprawling grass area in front of the stage. While the crowd lazed on the grass, the festival VIP’s were treated to samples of the new Heineken DraughtKeg as they settled down at the Heineken VIP tent and the DBS Live Fresh VIP tent.
With sets by Toshio Matsuura (Japan) and Katsue (Thailand), the crowd was always treated to musical delicacies while they waiting for the great Gilles Peterson himself to grace the stage. Later in the night, Gilles took the stage by storm, performing with some of his best DJs including Diplo and Cut Chemist (US).
The Best of Day 3
The highlight of the night was when MC Ras T-weed (UK) invited the crowd to join him onstage during The Kruder & Dorfmeister Experience.
“It’s just a fence. There’s security, but who cares?” He instigated the crowd to climb over the barrier and on the stage. This alarmed the security, who sent 2 more guards to the barrier.
Despite the outright invitation, there was a lot of hesitation at first from the crowd.
However, after one Caucasian man leapt over the barrier without being stopped by the security, more people took the opportunity to dance onstage with MC Ras T-weed and MC Earl Zinger (UK).
By the end of the set, almost 20 lucky party-goers seized the chance to see the world-renowned DJs up-close.
The Gilles Experience
UrbanWire feels that Day 3 at Fort Canning brought out The Gilles Experience the best and stayed true to the aim of the Worldwide Festival – to bring people together through music.
Day 2 was more experimental in providing varying music and visual experiences for each level of the Odeon Towers.
The Worldwide Festival in Singapore came to a close but the music moves on to Sète, France on July 3 to 5, 2008 with 3 venues for whole new experience.
Special thanks to Singapore Idler for the image of Gilles Peterson.
Special thanks to Komodo Ninja for the image of Fiona Xie and Steve Aoki.
