ZoukOut, Singapore’s annual outdoor dance music festival, returns to the palm-tree-lined Siloso Beach on December 12, for the ninth consecutive year offering partygoers a spectacular voyage of rapturous music, dancing, art and other festivities.

Inspired by Greek mythology’s illustration of the legendary aquatic nymphs’ irresistible allure, the Sirens’ call beckons the collective buoyant vibes of partygoers to ZoukOut 2009.

With a record breaking 26,000 party revellers last year, ZoukOut 2009 extends its venue to incorporate Siloso Beach’s latest lifestyle attraction, Wave House Sentosa, which will house one of ZoukOut’s stages. Offering exhilarating rides akin to the Wave Houses found in North America, Chile and South Africa, thrill seekers can look to make a wild splash and get their adrenaline fix whether surfing the tube, jumping waves or performing gravity defying flips and stunts.

Following the successful release of "Zouk in the House" in 2008, Zouk is again teaming up  with globally recognised brand, Defected Records, a key player on the international dance music scene, to launch a special twoCD compilation titled “ZoukOut in the House 09”.

Headlining this year’s event is Armin Van Buuren, who’s been voted Number One twice by DJ Mag in the Top 100 DJ poll, has 30 million listeners tuning in to his radio show and constantly sells out his gigs. With his remarkable rise to fame, Van Buuren will rock the decks at ZoukOut with his well known and best loved uplifting, euphoric sets.

With dancefloor smashers from the likes of Martin Solveig, Bob Sinclair, Ame and Kings of Tomorrow, Defected label owner, Simon Dunmore, plans to get all house music lovers grooving with his exceptionally infectious and highspirited sets. Dunmore will also be playing a special set with percussion extraordinaire Shovell.

Making their debut are new bloods on the dance music scene, the Martinez Brothers, Chris, 17, and Steve, 20, who’ve e been flying the house flag at Pacha in New York City and Ibiza), Cielo (NYC) and Social Club (Paris). The boys will bring the party to fever pitch with the high energy sets for which they’re  celebrated.

The ‘Live’ element at ZoukOut 2009, Miss Kittin & The Hacker, promises to be the commanding addition to the lineup. Being pioneers that paved the route for the electroclash movement and producing one of most exciting electro pop tracks at the turn of the century, their celebrity followers include Karl Lagerfeld and Marilyn Manson. The pair now returns with new perspectives and seemingly complementary extremes, to unmask a perfectly accessible and evocative sound, debuting at ZoukOut.

Everyone who has ever attended ZoukOut knows it’s not only about the best in dance music, but about the entire festival experience, an escape into the world of visual arts and merriment for both local and visitors alike.

For 2009, besides the usual outofthis world performers, carnival rides, palmistry, massages and food vendors, Zouk once again teams up with the Singapore Art Museum to present one off installations by Singapore’s premier artists, as part of Zouk’s continued support for local talents.

ZoukOut Facts

• Zouk opened its doors in Singapore in 1991 and has become a world renowned clubbing institution, credited with introducing dance music and club culture to the region and remaining its strongest perpetuator to this day.  
• Zouk has been voted one of the best clubs in the world annually since 1993 to present day in the world’s  leading music publications. 
• ZoukOut was conceived in 2000 to be the region’s definitive dance festival and bring Zouk’s spirit and energy to the great outdoors and an even larger audience.
• Past big names to grace the decks and stages include Paul Van Dyk, 2ManyDJS, Masters at Work, Gilles Peterson, Richie Hawtin, Sven Vath, Peter Kruder, James Lavelle, Armin Van Buuren, Stereo MCs and many more making ZoukOut the largest, most notable outdoor dance and music festival in South East Asia.
• In 2008, ZoukOut saw its largest turnout of 26,000 in attendance, an increase from 23,000 from the previous year, with numbers increasing every year since the first in 2000 that had 9000 in attendance.
• 2008 saw a large increase in visitors from Australia, India and Europe.  
• Musical genres at ZoukOut include house, techno, trance, minimal, electro, progressive, alternative/ indie, mash up, hip hop and of course the ever popular Mambo Jambo.
• 30- 35% of the total turnout come from the region, mainly from Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Hong Kong and also as far off as the United States. 
• ZoukOut 2007 won the Singapore Tourist Board’s “Best Leisure Event Experience 2007” along with Zouk being the “Best Nightspot Experience 2007”

On the surface, everything in Singapore looks flawless, from the moment you arrive at Changi Airport – frequently rated as one of the most efficient in the world. This can no doubt be attributed to the stringent laws in the country – inherited from their colonial powers, which are said to be one of the toughest in the world.

In Singapore, every little misdemeanor can earn you a hefty fine, be it littering, or spitting, or even chewing gum! Needless to say, the moral code is pretty high in Singapore. Anything which might put a blemish on Singapore’s clean reputation is quickly quelled and eradicated. Pornography is illegal.

Strangely enough prostitution is legal here but you can be arrested for spitting on the street or jaywalking and chewing gum is a big NO-NO!

That does not stop Singaporeans from having fun. The city offers some of the best nightlife in South East Asia. Singapore boasts one of the thriving commercial sex industries in the region. Some estimates claims there are more than 15,000 commercial sex workers in Singapore at any given time. Most of these sex workers are foreigners on social visit passes, who ply their trade throughout the country during the short duration of their stay there.

Prostitution is legal in Singapore, something it is not countries as Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. Although prostitution is legal, soliciting is not.

Orchard Towers is better known as “4 floors of whores” locally in Singapore, located at the top end of Orchard Road. During the day time Orchard Towers is like most of the other malls on the mile long road; tailors shops, electronics, cameras and a few places to eat.

But some the later afternoon/early evening and everything is about to change. Most of the shops in Orchard Towers will start to close up about 7 or 7:30 to avoid the rush of guys and girls that will soon occupy the malls clubs and surrounding areas.

Around 8pm the girls will start to show up in large numbers and by 11pm the clubs will be full. It doesn’t matter what day of the week it is so don’t worry about that, the girls are there all the time. On some nights you can find over 400 girls within the towers. Many of the clubs have done renovation and really fixed them up nicely.

As they say, “it pays to advertise” and these girls do it well. They know how to get your attention for that glance that will get them to come over to your table for a short chat or night of fun. I don’t care who you are or what you look like you can meet someone in the Towers if you want too. Some times it is just kind of fun to watch all the things that are going on around you in the clubs.

The girls come from all over Asia; Thais, Malays, Indians, Filipinas, Indonesians, Singaporeans, Japanese, Chinese (HK) and ever a few Europeans (mostly Russians). The girls you see in the Towers after 9pm are there looking for a date for the night.

For some the best looking girls head for the Top Ten Disco (4th floor) after 11pm. There is an admission fee and drinks are a bit higher here. Top Ten is surely on the very upper scale of the clubs in the Towers.

The Ipanema and Peyton Place are Filipina hang outs mostly while the other will have mix of everyone else. The Thai girls come down from Bangkok, Phuket and Pattaya for 2 to 3 weeks at a shot to make some money then head back home so the chances of running in to here again may be slim.

Pink Lady Chamoix is a typical Asian-style “gentleman’s club” with friendly hostesses, plenty of drinks and live music – if you don’t want to spend a few hours in the privacy of a private karaoke room.

The 25-30 hostesses – also called “bar tendys” in Thailand – will chit-chat with you, play bar games or join you for a karaoke session in one of the rooms. The hostesses are very friendly and most of them speak basic English as well as Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Most visitors pay an annual fee, which includes liquor, but walk ins are also welcome.

And while Patpong has been sitting on its laurels and stagnating, Soi Cowboy has been up-grading and tinkering with new layouts and designs to put it ahead of the competition.

A 200-metre long pedestrian-only strip located off Sukhumvit Soi 23, Cowboy has more than 30 places of entertainment and is now considered to be Bangkok’s premier zone for heterosexual go-go bars. With the exception of a pharmacy, a couple of pool halls, a general provisions shop and a pub called Old Dutch, every establishment in Soi Cowboy is a go-go bar or a variation of the same.

There are no sex shows and therefore, mercifully, no "sex-show" touts. Instead the street is lined by "greeters", female employees of the establishments who are there to coax you into their bar. This in itself can be fun, and has none of the high-pressure strategy that you get from the aggressive male touts in Patpong.

There is not a lot to choose between the bars. Nearly all the pole-dancers are the dark-skinned daughters of rice farmers from one or another of 13 provinces in an area of northeast Thailand called Esarn.

There are no entry charges to any of the bars, and some of them lay on special shows free of charge. Among the best of these are Long Gun and its sister bar next door, the resurgent Rawhide. Tillac Bar has just been refurbished at considerable expense, and although it is probably the most comfortable, pleasant and professionally run bar of its genre in the whole of Bangkok, it doesn’t provide much in the way of entertainment.

Other bars that are popular with expats and bar-savvy visitors include Baccara, Déjà Vu and Suzie Wong.

In addition to Soi Cowboy, Soi 23 is also home to several interesting clubs of the non go-go variety. The most Western in style is the swish but small Bar Glow, which attracts an upscale clientele who still rave about the décor and the excellent DJ music that is played there nightly.

Also in Soi 23 is one of Bangkok’s finest gentleman’s clubs. The Narcissus has been there for decades, but has only recently begun to attract the attention of Westerners looking for the company of a more sophisticated hostess than can be found among the sisterhood of rice-farmers daughters who rule the roost in Soi Cowboy.

Sophistication in Thailand comes at a price, and because of the rather complicated system of pricing drinks, visitors are well-advised to make their first visit to such a club in the company of an educated Thai, by which we do not mean a taxi-driver or a tuk-tuk driver, nor the "full-of-advice" guide who showed you around the Grand Palace or Wat Pho.

Pegasus is right next to Narcissus, and is one of the only clubs in Bangkok where you do have to be a member or be invited by a member.

Access by public transport to Soi Cowboy and Soi 23 is good. Take Exit 3 from BTS Skytrain Asok Station (E4); or Soi 23 Exit from MRT underground Sukhumvit Station.

Thonglor is a 2.5km-long tree-lined boulevard featuring wedding studios, flower shops, design studios and up-market boutiques. Set back from the street are luxurious condominium and apartment blocks. It’s a genteel environment.

In stark contrast, Ekamai, less than 1 km from Thonglor, is run-down and unfashionable, but in fact it is more interesting than Thonglor when it comes to nightlife. Together, the two streets house about 60 places of entertainment ranging from gentlemen’s clubs, to discos, bars, clubs and pubs.

But don’t expect these outlets to be all in a clustered row like Patpong or Soi Cowboy. They are spread-out over a large area and not all of them are within walking distance of each other. This is a zone where you need to identify beforehand what you are looking for and then go there directly.

The Thonglor Ekamai area is home to some very good pubs. There are three completely different styles of pub here: traditional European with good food, like Witch’s Tavern (near Thonglor Soi 10); Thai-country style pubs like The Log Cabin (Thonglor Soi 18), or Best Room (between Soi 20 and Petchburi; and thirdly there are the Thai contemporary-style pub-clubs like Song Saleung (Thonglor Soi 21), Raz Bar (Thonglor between Sukhumvit and Soi 2), Nung Len (Ekamai between Soi 5 and 7), Blog 9 (between Soi 7 and 9), Booze Club (off Ekamai Soi 7) and Y50 Pub on Ekamai Soi 21. All of these have live music, beer and whisky at sensible prices, and a local atmosphere. Foreigners are very welcome, but the pubs are not known as pick-up places.

Many of the growing number of gentlemen who have had enough of the seediness of go-go bars are nowadays heading for gentlemen’s clubs (G-Clubs) such as Sherbet (near Ekamai Soi 1) or the Piano Bar . These two establishments are within walking distance of each other and are under the same ownership.

The Piano has been running for ages, but Sherbet opened in March 2007 and is already considered to be one of best G-clubs in Bangkok. Both places encourage the customer to buy a bottle of whisky for about Bt4,000, the price of which includes mixers and ice. Both establishments have sexy but tasteful dancing shows at regular intervals throughout the evening.

Eye candy at Sherbet and The Piano is of a high standard and many of the elegantly-dressed young hostesses and scantily-dressed dancers speak relatively good English and may be prepared to carry on a conversation after the clubs close, usually 2am. There is another G-bar called Exotica and it tends to favour Japanese customers.

If you yourself want to dance, as opposed to watching young Thai girls do their stuff, you should head for Santika near Ekamai Soi 11. This is a big place, packed out every night with university students and young professionals and staffed by a friendly crew who are as happy to serve you with a bottle of soda water for Bt50 as they are a top-of-the-range bottle of Chivas for Bt3,500. The music is live, and loud. People don’t go to Santika for a quiet chat.

Another place with a dance floor is We-Za (Ekamai, between Soi 21 and 23). It’s more down-market and much smaller than Santika, but is a favourite with vocational-college students looking for loud music and beer.

The best live music in the Thonglor / Ekamai area is to be found at the Nung Len pub between Ekamai Soi 5 and 7. Be warned, the music is full-on and the place is absolutely jam-packed on Fridays and Saturdays. They do have a few seats but people stand on them in order to get a better view of the band which could be playing anything from Thai pop to hard rock or hip-hop.

As at November 2007 all nightspots in the Thonglor/Ekamai area are supposed to close at 1am but in practice they usually stay open until 2am or even a little later if there are plenty of paying customers.

For Thonglor take the Skytrain to BTS Thonglor (E6). Use Exit 3 and double-back before taking a taxi to your chosen venue. For Ekamai establishments get off the Skytrain at BTS Ekamai (E7) and take Exit 3.

Just around the corner is QBar, another of the capital’s most celebrated nightspots. Attracting some of the best international DJs in the world, QBar has a devoted following built-up since the opening of the club way back in 1999. Open daily from 8PM until late, it has a capacity of about 600 revellers.

Bangkok’s newest nightclub, Twisted Republic, is also located in Soi 11 and looks set to be one of the most popular. A london-style club in Bangkok, with a heavy emphasis on music spun by top international DJs, Twisted has all the makings of a successful venture and is already making its mark. Right opposite QBar is the soi’s only gentleman’s bar. Called The Ritz (recently legally forced to change the name to The Riti), it is one of the finest of its kind, and is a favourite of Japanese businessmen.

Closing times on Soi 11 are variable, but the clubs are not known for closing early or on time!

Nana (E3) BTS station is located very near the entrance to Soi 11. Sukhumvit underground station is about 1km away.

It all started about 20 years ago, when about three shop houses were converted into cocktail bars for the discerning gentleman having a night out on the town, and not necessarily with his wife and family.

Because of the nature of the clientele, Soi 33 is actually busier on weekdays than it is on Friday and Saturday when most patrons are out of town, playing golf or at home with the very same people they are trying to avoid when they visit the cocktail bars.

Many of the bars belong to the same owner who has a deep interest in the fine arts and has named his outlets after famous impressionist painters such as Vincent Van Gogh, Renoir, Degas, Monet, and Gauguin. Carrying on the artistic tradition, other clubs include Dali and Goya Club.

They are all quite similar, both outside, where the best of the goods may be on display wearing evening gowns and high-heeled shoes, and inside where seating and décor can best be described as being somewhere between Chinese Kitsch and Jewish Renaissance. The ambience of the clubs is supposed to be sophisticated and relaxed, but of course it doesn’t always work out like that!

The price of drinks and other items is of course higher than in a go-go bar or pub disco because everything is dressed up that little bit more and service is to match. A bottle of Johnnie Walker Black Label that might only cost Bt1,200 in Hollywood Awards on Ratchadapisek Rd would be priced at up to Bt3,800 in Soi 33.

Rather different to the cocktail bars, but in the same area, are three relatively new establishments that may be of interest. Newest of the bunch is Mojo’s, where they have live bands, pool, good food, sensibly priced drinks, coyote dancing and a lively mixed crows.

Right opposite Mojo’s is The Office, which promotes itself as a sports bar. Just around the corner is Lookie Lookie Bar, a lively cosy place that attracts a predominantly expatriate crowd looking for fun at a sensible price.

The closing time in the Soi 33 zone is 1.0am, but quite a lot of bars stay open until 2.am if enough customers are still spending money.

To get to Soi 33 by public transport take the Skytrain (BTS) to Phrom Pong station (E5) and use Exit 1 before walking about 200 metres to Soi 33. The nearest MRT underground staion is Sukhumvit, and is about 2 kilometres away.

RCA is undergoing a resurrection. Five years ago (2002) it was dead and buried, because of a reputation for poor facilities, mile-long queues for toilets, and the belief that all patrons were under the legal age to drink.

But it has staged a spectacular recovery, and is now considered by young, and many not-so-young Thais, to be the best nightspot area in town, not least because of the choice of live music that is available every night of the week. Low drink prices, free entry everywhere, and the party atmosphere that pervades much of the strip are other factors that are bring patrons back.

The biggest and best-established of the nightclubs are Route66, Flix and Slim. The 90-metre long (yes, 90 metres) Route 66 survived the downturn and after a major refurbishment in December 2004 reopened with four zones, one of which, as if to answer the critics, has the fanciest ladies toilets in Thailand. Which other toilets offer customers a live band, racks of magazines, and a make-up room as well as the usual stalls and wash-basins?

Like many other clubs in Bangkok, Route66 has separate zones for different styles of music. For example the West Zone features mostly Thai pop songs, while the East Zone is hip-hop and by definition the loudest.

The equally large but much more contemporary and beautifully designed Slim Club is a two-zone place with live music and three different bands nightly in Room One, and Hip-Hop in Room Two. Its sister and next-door neighbour, Flix, is also very modern in design and plays some of the best Hard House music you are ever likely to hear, far better than what’s on offer in most UK or USA clubs.

The newest club in RCA is owned and operated by the highly professional Santika Company. Called Hobb it is modern and comfortable and offers clubbers some excellent local bands playing a mixture of Rock, House, Hip Hop and Thai Pop.

But there are also some specialist venues. In stark contract to the massive clubs we have already mentioned, the tiny Ezze (Greek for Easy) club plays nothing but Trance, and mostly courtesy of its DJ owner, Mr Aod. The very friendly Prop Bar, which targets 25 to 35 year-olds, has three different bands every night of the week and plays only Thai Pop.

For the purist there is The Overtone Music Cave. The only non-smoking club in Bangkok, it is a medium-size contemporary venue with all seats facing the stage so that enthusiasts can focus on whichever band is on. They attract some seriously good musicians.

RCA is also home to one of Bangkok’s best gentleman’s clubs (G-clubs). Called The Forte, it provides customers with excellent eye-candy in the shape of scantily-dressed coyote dancers. Like all G-Clubs in Bangkok, they encourage you to buy whisky by the bottle, and to also buy drinks at high prices for one of the girls. To offset the high cost of lady drinks, which have to be consumed within 45 minutes, The Forte is very reasonable when it comes to buying your own. Bt2,000 for a bottle of Chivas (including four mixers) is a bargain by any G-Club standard. As in all G-Clubs, the availability of the dancer after closing-time is by no means guaranteed, but may well be an option.

For most people, getting to RCA has to be by taxi. The nearest Skytrain BTS Station is Asok (E4), five kilometres away (use Exit 3). The nearest MRT Underground is Petchburi (use Exit 1) about three kilometres from RCA.

This is not an area to go for a quiet conversation, nor even for a loud conversation. Live bands, like the ones found in Rad Pub or Baku Pub are selected not only for their musical talents but also for their ability to pump-up the decibel level.

Nor is this area a place to sit down. Many of the pubs have a few bar-stools but most patrons stand up at navel-high cocktail tables, and although a few places have a designated dance area most people jig around wherever they are standing.

Beer is good value, averaging Bt100 for Singha, or Bt80 for Chang; but a high percentage of people choose to drink and share a bottle of Johnnie Walker Red which sets them back about Bt900 including half a dozen bottles of Coke, soda water or Sprite.

The clientele is young, not as teenie as it was before the ID law started to be enforced, but the average age is probably not much higher than about 22, and in the early evening it looks like a lot less than that.. They are a lively crowd, mostly getting to and from the area in groups of three or four.

And although they are happy enough to see the occasional visitor, most of them are not looking to pick you up, that is, not unless you are a 20-year-old pop star or your name is Brad Pitt.

The Soi 4 pubs open around 9.30pm. Closing time in this zone is 2am or sometimes a bit later if enough people are still spending enough money to make it worthwhile staying open. Rad, Baku and Zaleng are among the best of the bunch, but they all have a live band or constant DJ music and, with the exception of Jow Chou and Pure Bar, they are all busy nearly every night of the week and they are all a lot of fun.

To get to Rachada Soi 4 by public transport take the MRT (underground) to Thailand Cultural Centre and use Exit 2. Soi 4 is a 400-metre walk from the exit. The BTS Skytrain doesn’t go anywhere near here.