Rave New World: Singapore + The Last Year of Darkness—A Screening on Asia’s Rising Rave Scenes

Free RSVP here.

This event is a part of Montez Press Radio’s library residency titled A Word Misheard is a Thing Remade at Canal Projects. As a sub-resident, Michelle Lhooq has been producing new dispatches of her radio series Rave New World and will host this live event and film screening on-site at Canal Projects.

In recent years, an exciting new era of nightlife in East and Southeast Asia has been bubbling up, buoyed by a loose network of party collectives and clubs that are responding to the unique cultural conditions of the region. Held at Canal Projects, this double-bill screening will explore Asia’s underground rave renaissance — as well as the often harsh political conditions that they are mired in — via two back-to-back films.

First up: a short documentary about Bussy Temple, a queer cyberpunk rave in Singapore, hosted by Rave New World’s Michelle Lhooq, and filmed/produced by LA filmmaker Brian Echon, journalist Alice Hines, and Singaporean nightlife chroniclers Marisse Caine, Rin Tachihara, and Nate Ng. This film is part of a broader project about global rave culture that Lhooq and her team are hoping to continue in the future.

Next up: a feature film The Last Year of Darkness, a 2023 documentary directed by Benjamin Mullinkosson that follows a group of LGBTQ youth in Chengdu, China as their lives revolve around the closure of a beloved nightclub. The Last Year of Darkness is one of the best depictions of contemporary rave culture in recent history, and we are thrilled to present it at Canal Projects at this special screening.

Afterparty at Shinsen to follow.

This event will take place at Canal Projects, 351 Canal Street in our ground floor gallery. This gallery is accessible by a small flight of stairs or an ADA accessible lift. Please reach out to us@canalprojects.org with any questions.