By night
FEBRUARY | FEATURE
Access talks to Godwin Pereira,
consultant, DIY & Company
What inspired the look and vibe of your
club?
Aesthetically, most importantly, I wanted
to design it right for sound. We went into
material use that would work, and then the
tonality of what we could use. We wanted
soft lighting, earthy, like a living room. After
they were met, the main factor was the
sound system so we went with a white VOID
to make it stand out.
What research did you do and how is each
market unique?
I’ve been doing this for 25 years so I’ve
been to good and bad clubs. A lot of the
personal experience I have gone through
gave me an overview. I understand what
the market is about. We also have a whole
community that discusses things which
helps.
How did you choose suppliers for the club?
Pure passion and loving sound systems.
I am a sound nut, I spend a lot of money on
audio gear. The choice was based on how
many watts of sound we wanted and what
would work in the space. VOID is what we
were really happy with.
Are there challenges in porting your brand
and does it change in each market?
Of course. That’s the biggest lesson we
ever learnt. The main thing is we are built
around music and escapism. In Singapore
we can do underground nights on Friday
and Saturday, but in Malaysia you have to
do them on the week days. Because of how
About Pereira...
people spend and what they spend. Every
market is different in every city. As long as
you control the music quality you will be
fine.
What are people demanding from venues in
the 21st century?
I think the technology and payment
technology is catching on. Cash is
really fading away. It’s all about pay by
phone technology and I think that is
really interesting. Lights, LED panels,
moving heads, that’s always evolving and
interesting.
Pereira is founder and CEO of South-East
Asian club brand Kyō.
The Kyō brand debuted in Singapore in
2013, becoming one of the city-state’s most
popular clubs and pulling in international
heavyweights such as François K, Osunlade
and Nic Fanciulli for its house and techno
nights. In December 2016, it expanded to
Kuala Lumpur, opening a 770-capacity club
(divided into two spaces, main room Kyō and
smaller space Ren) at the city’s Mandarin
Oriental Hotel.
Since opening, Kyō KL has welcomed DJs
including Seth Troxler, Dubfire, Talib Kweli,
Pan Pot and Jeremy Olander, and recently
agreed a partnership with London’s the Egg
that saw it take over the club in October.
31