“As the full moon rises high in the sky and the trees rustle with an otherworldly breeze, a mysterious gathering occurs deep in the woods’ heart.
Strange lights flicker in the distance, illuminating the way for those who dare to venture into the darkness. As you approach, you can hear the faint sound of otherworldly music and the flickering flames of fire dancers twirling their way through the shadows.
Let yourself be transported to another realm, where the impossible becomes possible, and the unknown becomes known. Welcome to “The Outer Limits”, where the spookiest creatures and most beautiful festivities await.”
Rustival is a 2-day outdoor festival focused on electronic music, with experimental workshops for interactive elements and downtime. Usually, there is no public transportation to this secret island, so don’t miss the chance to explore and have fun with a group of nice people in a safe and open environment.
Mlem fuels your raves and festivals with delicious, nourishing food and big flavours that aren’t you’re average festival fare. Mlem are Yukta @yuktas_99 | Sanika @sanikaisthename | Amanda @_akwan3| Alison @sapphireketchup & our party volunteer crew ❤️🔥
Date: 19th Jan 2023 Time: 9:00-11:30pm Place: Terriblebaby, 4/F Eaton Hotel 380 Nathan Road, Jordan, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
About the album
During the pandemic, DJ Misty Penguin stopped waddling in the local Techno scene and drowned herself in the sea of her old CD collection, listening to a lot of bedroom producers and admiring their DIY / ‘less is more’ / ‘no shits given’ approach to music making.
With this in mind, Misty reached out to her guitarist brother TripleBasil, and together DIY-ed an album of storytelling about Misty’s struggling trans life, and other dark thoughts about self-destruction, titled “<(“)!<(“)!<(“)! Songs for Cleo (And approaching death)”.
The album’s style is a mish mash of music from the old CDs, early Depeche Mode, New Order, under the radar projects like Locust from R&S, indie singer-songwriters like Cellars, with tips from Telvanni of JVSY, and tutorials from dusty old Computer Music magazine.
About the release party and supporting acts
Opening DJ set by Tynee
Tynee has kindly accepted our invitation to play a set for us, she has a long standing reputation in being one of the finest Techno and Breakbeats DJs in HK, and a long time supporter of Misty’s endeavours in creative arts, a sister from another mother. We have invited her to play her favourite tunes that haven’t fit in her usual job as a dance floor general.
Featured Artist
Lezlie Chan 陳映同 is a local up and coming singer songwriter with a similar approach to writing songs – using confessional life experiences in music as a conduit to encourage self-love among peers. She is an icon in breaking gender norms, you have seen her as the face of Eaton’s Women Festival, or in the ViuTV program 肥美人 and she advocates for freedom in talking about women’s bodies, and calls for new aspects in discussing beauty, through her music and exposure. She will perform a suite of new original songs from her upcoming 2023 album. It is an honour to have her as our featured artist, as her content is unique and forthcoming.
Guest guitarist — Casey Anderson
Due to scheduling conflicts, TripleBasil is unable to perform, and good friend Casey Anderson stepped up to the plate to infuse his musical prowess with his guitar.
Casey Anderson is one of the hottest DJs and modular synthesiser advocates in HK and needs no introduction, before coming here, he toured America with dearly departed friend Byron Head, playing guitar, accordion and keyboards when he was a teen. Outside the DJ stage, he is a humble educator, producer, LGBTQ ally, and Misty is forever grateful to have him rocking out together at this party.
Dance Interpretation
Joining Misty on stage is trans sister Briar Armani, who will be making modern dance interpretations of the music.
Briar Armani is a dancer, spiritual partitioner, and educator. She is a transfeminine who fought through mixed cultural settings, she values the importance of authenticity and would like to help spread the beauty of identity exploration and actualisation through heartily artistic expressions.
To round off the night after live performances, there will be a back to back to back DJ session for us to dance the night away.
Amplify is a series of live music and community gathering events hosted by gongsik @gongsik852 and Drastic Social @drasticsocial :: Amplify is an attempt to manifest one corner of a larger work-in-progress: it is the hard and necessary work to create spaces centering joy, affirmations, and rest as the foundations for resistance. Held at The Aftermath, we hope to support an important Black-owned community space during a challenging and uncertain time. :: Born out of the particular afflictions of our times, Amplify invites you to unwind/let go/heal/start anew together to witness the art defying norms, to practice radical honesty collectively, to process some of the most pressing issues affecting marginalized groups of people in Hong Kong, and to hold space for each other. :: Featuring a Gongsik Chat, an open conversation on art and imagination as activism for community-building, and music performances by R.I.D.D.E.M @riddem_official and Wesley Jamison @rnbwesley Speakers TBA :: 30 April 2021 • 6-10 pm • The Aftermath (Sunny Building, LG, 57-59 Wyndham St, Central) ::
An amalgamation of senses forming our communities, shapeshifting by the agency of collaboration
Date: 2& 3 April 1900-2300 & 4 april 1730-2130
Synesthesia – a collaborative event
3 nights only, limited capacity, secret location
A Sensory exploration – MusicVisualsTastesFeelsPlay
The idea to create an intimate event where the audience feels like they can immerse themselves in the environment of the artist’s private space, to learn about the band’s stories, the emotions behind the songs, and the memory of taste infused with the music and mood.
Join us this Wednesday for a Drastic Social X Puurr event exploring SEX, GENDER & IDENTITY at 8pm! Program below from 8pm till late- Introduction by Beatrice Wong (Misty Penguin) – Panel Intro by Siu Fung Law (LGBTQ+ and gender fluid advocate) – Discussion Panel w/ Siu Fung, Vita Starkin, Rose Rage, Natasha Arce and Nyx. – Natasha Arce – A representation – Rose Rage – Stand up Comedy DJs Momo and Marie-Jo Address: 4F, 279 Des Voeux Road Central, Sheung Wan, Hong Kong Time: 8pm – Late Price : 100$ (tickets available on eventbrite & door)
Have you recently attended any pride month events or repost resources to help the LGBT community be normalised and be seen? Yes? That’s great! No? May we ask why? Also, you must then come to this one.
Do you have some burning questions you dare not to ask at the events or on internet space simply because you don’t know how to approach the subjects? Or is it because in your circle, you do not know too many people from the LGBT community?
Whatever the reasons are, we are here to help.
We exist to create an inclusive space for all of us to thrive in, therefore, the first step is to learn to talk about diverse subjects.
This coming Wednesday, you can witness the first Drastic Social x Puurr event, as we build things from the ground up.
How? We uplift the people in our community who needs support and attention the most, so we make space for them first.
Who am I referring to? It’s our friends in the LGBTrans community. The bias and prejudice many of them are facing daily is hard to imagine, for some of us cisgender or binary folx. Also, do you know that, when it comes to gender, some trans folx are binary and some non-binary?
Do these things sound very foreign to you? What are these terms I am using?
As we are embracing diversity and inclusivity in 2020, it’s the best time to come and learn about it.
These terms are very simple, they are created to make everyone feel visible so we can learn to live in unity by respecting people’s sex, gender and identity.
Let me introduce you to our guest speakers, performers and volunteers of the night we are honoured to have. Also, the rundown.
8:15 Introduction by Beatrice Wong 8:30 Panel Intro by Siu Fung Law 8:40 Discussion Panel w/ Siu Fung, Vita Starkin, Rose Rage, Natasha Arce and Nic. 9:30 Natasha Arce – Their Story 9:50 Rose Rage – Stand up Comedy 10:30-00:00 Puurr club night DJ Momo and Marie-Jo
Special thanks to A.for.trans.hk – Volunteer for Cantonese material translation
Now, please have a read of below, to get to know our collective a little 🙂
“Misty Penguin plays around with the Yin and the Yang in her, her sunny outlook and life attitude pushed her to become ‘Yang’ Misty, playing sensual positive grooves to jack your body. And only when she relapses into ‘Yin’ Misty will she occasionally play an intense set, letting people temporarily escape reality and indulge in the cosmos of electronic beats. Find her at Mihn, Oma, Eaton of the sorts.”
“I am Siufung Law from Hong Kong. I identify as genderfluid and is actively promoting gender inclusion and diversity in Hong Kong and Asia. I lecture publicly on gender and transgender studies in universities, community colleges and high schools. I advocate on gender fluidity in local and international media, in corporate companies and various NGOs. I am currently an Ambassador and Sports Lead of Gay Games Hong Kong 2022 and I was the finalist of 2018 Hong Kong LGBT+ Inclusion Awards. I am also a professional female bodybuilder who has been competing since 2015 and have won several international champions.”
Originally from Atlanta, Georgia, Rose Rage is a transgender comedian, composer and conductor who taught music for 30 years in Hong Kong while presenting as male. A founding member of People’s Liberation Improv, Hong Kong’s longest-running comedy improv troupe, she has performed with them in Beijing, Seoul, and Manila. A trans-media artist, she also works in painting, sculpture and computer graphics. She is the author of the article Creativity, Comedy, and Composition. Her CD Multiple Worlds is published by Ablaze Records.
Natasha Arce – Guest speaker
Natasha is an international librarian that has lived and worked around the globe.
As a non-binary person it is important to Natasha that people not be judged, devalued or dismissed based on their pronouns or presentation.
Ultimately, Natasha feels that society should strive towards gender neutral speech and education to remove gender-related expectations from skills, emotions, and relationships.
Vita Starkin is non-binary and has been out for 8 years. A musician and creative director, born in London and based in Hong Kong. They are trained in Piano and Organ as a teenager before delving into Cabaret and Rock Music.
Vita is also a creative director, their company “Light of Prometheus” specialises in producing films and other digital content for brands in Asia, Oceania and Europe.
Nyx – Guest speaker
Nyx is a non binary traveller from the UK. They are an active organiser of the polyamory scene, both in the UK and Hong Kong. They founded and co-admin Hong Kong Polyamory Group – a polyamory support group, at the same time co-admin a regional polyamory group in UK.
They are passionate about creating communities and safe spaces for polyam/lgbtqa+ folx, whilst running fun events. They like to experiment with a variety of performance art: hooping, poi spinning and a dash of burlesque.
Allies for Trans HK🇭🇰🏳⚧👥我地係一班關注跨性別人士嘅香港人🇭🇰 🏳⚧希望透過呢個IG令大家增加對跨性別嘅認識💬 👉🏻咩係跨性別？🤔 👉🏻跨性別同其他性小眾有咩唔同？🤔 👉🏻我地要點同跨性別人士相處？🤔 🙆🏻♀️等我地一齊認識下啦！🙆🏻♂️
Allies for Trans HK – We are a group of Allies from Hong Kong who cares and provide supports for our trans friends. We hope to raise awareness about the trans community with acknowledgment through our IG!
What is the different between T and the rest of the LGB+? How do we learn to communicate through our differences? Let’s find out together!
Event info:
Date: 15 July 2020 Time: 8pm-12am Location: 宀 (Mihn) Club – 4F, 279 Des Voeux Rd Central, Sheung Wan
Au Yueng Cheong is a calligraphist who has been stationed in the shopping mall in the State Theatre Building for over 30 years.
At the peak of his career, he was commissioned to produce thousands of commercial signage all around Hong Kong. He is especially proud to have once produced work for a politician.
Cheong explained that he is now the only person in Hong Kong honing the skill of writing the “TRUE FONT”, which is identical to traditional Chinese characters, and that he would like to conserve the heritage. “The “True Font” can still be found at a few places in Mainland China nowadays” the calligraphist claimed. If this is true then our guess is that Traditional Chinese was used before the CCP took over, and so the writing became a rarity since it was replaced by Simplified Chinese as the official written form of Chinese in the 50s.
In recent years, China is slowly gentrifying Hong Kong into becoming like the rest of the cities in the mainland, Simplified Chinese has also been introduced into the Hong Kong school system to replace our traditional culture.
Mr Au Yueng’s livelihood and the future of Hong Kong seems to be facing similar destinies, as both are to be slowly eliminated where we fail to see the value and the importance of heritage conservation as a city.
New World Development, a Hong Kong based firm, purchased the premises at HK$740 million with the intention to tear down the whole building as its commercial plan in the first place. The 67-year-old State Theatre Building (formerly known as Empire Theatre) is now the only post-war standalone theatre, and 1 of the 172 Grade 1 historical buildings in Hong Kong. According to the Antiquities Advisory Board in Hong Kong, a Grade 1 building or structure is one that “has outstanding merit, which every effort should be made to preserve if possible”
We appreciate the campaigns made by several organisations wanting to conserve the historical legacy of Hong Kong; without the passionate people working to keep Hong Kong’s characters alive, there would be one less heritage structure left every time a new development plan comes into place Hong Kong would become faceless in no time.
Check out Instagram Media @likewise’ s video to have a last glimpses of this legend.
A collaboration with Purr by 宀 (Mihn) to create an intersectional femme-centric space in Hong Kong.
At the Stardust art exhibition, I was introduced to Laura, who is the art curator at宀 gallery. We talked about how we both wanted to create an alternative space for our femme centric communities and form an inclusive collective of music and culture enthusiasts in Hong Kong.
The idea of Puurr was born. We then recruited a few talented friends to drum up the basis of Puurr, and we have been actively discussing how to expand on the idea since...
What is PUURR?
“PUURR” is an inclusive cultural collective empowered by 宀.
We are an intersectional femme space focusing on activities that unite us together. There have always been limited spaces that support marginalised groups in our society, and we are here to make this space for all to safely express ourselves.
This is the PUURR Manifesto,
“We are them, They are you,You are all of us.Together we are whatever we want to be!
We donʼt know where weʼre going, and itʼs okay.
We keep dancing and moving forward to expand the boundaries of space.
For us, for them, and FOR ALL.”
Who are PUURR’s core members?
Laura Zhang – Art curator of 宀 Gallery, Co-Founder of Puurr
On the 1st of March, before the COVID-19 started affecting us locally, we organised a focus group meetup to ask 30 individuals in the music and creative space.
We opened with a teaser by showcasing some of our collective’s passion projects
Stephanie Teng – Photography for Madame Figaro: Louis Vuitton Editorial with Model Shawn McRae
Tiffany Huang – Spill Stories
Alison’s Tan – Art performance: The Complimentary Waffles
Megan van Wyk, Singer-songwriter – Song: “Safe Space”
During the event, we also discussed 2 important issues that give us some direction for inclusivity to develop some ideas and guidelines for future events.
1.What are some of the issues with the current clubbing culture?
Attitude: Toxic Expat Entitlement, “Ladies Night” Culture, Sexualising womxn for financial gains, No real connections
Intersectionality: Lack of space that draws in both locals and ex-pats, LGBT spaces generally caters to G only
Environment: In general gross-ness of clubs, need space for conversations, spiked drinks, and groping problems
2.What do you want to see in an inclusive club space?
Music: Different types of Music – Disco, the 80s, House, Hip hop.More local talents, Femme and POC (People of Colour) DJs.
Event Ideas: Sober Nights! Dance night without alcohol Liberating Events, Dress Up nights (All Puurr events are dress-up nights!), Drag Brunch, Cabaret with a diversity of genders, nude talk + drawing, Day Waves, Earlier parties, include men, 宀 cuddles, Celebrate Trans/Non-Binary identities, featured artists
Space: Sex inclusive + exclusive toilets, female bouncers, wheelchair accessibility, safe space policy, visual contents, installations, footwork, More femme/ POC DJs
Food & Beverage: Food! Bread <3, variety of non-alcoholic beverages, CLUB MATE lemonade, Tea! 宀 Brunch, Water fountain / Cup deposit
Whats next?
We have gathered this information to design our next event, exploring different subjects and create together with our collective an inclusive environment to discuss different topics. After 5 months of corona time, we are finally able to launch our first event next week on 15th July.
If you would like to be a part of Puurr collective and attend our community events, please subscribe to our newsletters and we will see you soon!
at 8pm!
DJs Momo and Marie-Jo 
Drastic Social 
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