• 
• 

Billed as Southeast Asia's best beach party, Zouk Out on Sentosa Island is Singapore's answer to Thailand's monthly fullmoon bashes but far more stylish, with throngs of wellheeled clubbers heading to the beach for a night of music, dance and art.

This year, Zouk Out takes place on December 13 and in fitting with its golden theme, the opening is being brought forward to 6.30pm to capture the sunset and allow quality acts to perform during the precious sundown hours.

French collective Nouvelle Vague will treat the crowd to their Bossa and Caribbeaninspired arrangements of rarely covered songs from the 1980s New Wave and punk era that have made them a worldwide success, with earopening renditions of classics like Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and Depeche Mode's "Just Can't Get Enough".

Complementing the sunset lineup are remarkable homegrown bands like Moods, who are primed to release their new album and Bloco Singapura + NovoBloco, an eightpiece band and a 40strong percussion team playing carnival rhythms fused with contemporary sounds. After an unforgettable debut at Night Festival in July, this rousing act is bound to get the crowd moving.

Electrico, Singapore's favourite band, will return with new arrangements of tracks from their latest record and will be showing another side of their music as well as building on the momentum of the artists playing before them.

Zouk Out debutant Henrik Schwarz will inspire with his deep, infectious technoinfused live set. With releases on the coveted "!K7" and the seminal "Innervisions" he's just the man to get the groove on for this all out sweat fest.

Worshipped by bands and DJs alike, electronic idol Erol Alkan makes his regional and Singapore debut at this year's festival. He'll be followed by dancemusic pioneer and stadium filler Sasha, back at Zouk Out after a fiveyear hiatus. A hectic tour schedule, ongoing production work on top of running his new label "emFIRE" is how Sasha stays ahead of the game and maintains his position in the Top 10 DJ list.

Also making its debut is French synthpop band the Teenagers. With their pervy wit, sunshine strumming and classic synthwork, they'll be bringing Parisian attitude and rock posturing to the beach.

Worldrenowned trance triumvirate Above & Beyond, currently ranked No 6 in the Top 100 DJ poll, need no introduction. Their special blend of beats mixes gentle vibes with emotionally charged melodies that sweep dancers off their feet.

The last of the Zouk Out debutants is MSTRKRFT (pronounced Master Craft). Combining the exciting world of punk with electronic sensibilities, these Canadian noiseniks have been smashing boundaries between hiphop, house, rock, grime and electro. To sum up MSTRKRFT in their own words "We don't know what the hell we're making, but we know it's danceable."

Touted by Q magazine as one of the DJs you must see before you die, and called one of the top three DJs in the world by Hip Hop Connection Magazine, DJ Yoda is back to wow the crowds at the Mambo Jambo/ Hip Hop Arena with his flawless cutandpaste mixing techniques.

Everyone who has ever attended Zouk Out knows it's not simply about the best in dance music: it's about the entire festival experience, an escape into a unique entertainment wonderland for locals and visitors alike.

Besides the performers, carnival rides, drumming lessons, palmistry, massages and food vendors, Zouk is teaming up with the Singapore Art Museum to present several oneoff installations by Singapore's emerging artists.