Sypnosis

Rave culture in the Thatcher era was likened to a youth movement on a national scale, a release and gathering point for young people feeling isolated by the profit-seeking, each man for himself, I want it and I want it now greed-driven system that benefitted the few. More than an event, it became a state of mind where it didn’t matter what your skin or class was and where rivals danced instead of fought. Rave was about a feeling of togetherness, a feeling of being in the moment, and in a state of transcendence where you found that amongst the mass of diverse throbbing bodies, you were capable of love.

Running with Strippers 2019: Rave is a creation of a state of mind, where the atmosphere is the event, where the performance is presence in the present moment.

In an unusual move, this year’s Strippers is a party, actually. In collaboration with Syndicate SG, take in dose after dose after dose of heady music in specially curated DJ sets. Come let music speak, pure and unadulterated, dance or not, it’s up to you but be certain of catharsis in an atmosphere where music has the power to draw you out of yourself even for a while. And don’t we know any relief from all that screwed up fear, anger and frustration is a needed escape. No need for words, no need to for manufactured happiness, just music in a room that longs to welcome you and doesn’t give a care about the rest of it.

Running with Strippers is presented and produced by Cake. Running with Strippers began in 2011 as Decimal Points, a space for artists from a range of disciplines to make performances from the vantage point of their unique artistic perspective. This was our commitment to experimentation, to show alternative. Strippers has grown to become a resistance against institution, coercion, the status quo - rolled like a nomad, occupying odd non-spaces; un-defined in- significant spaces, and moving on. The more momentum it garnered, the more Strippers defined for itself what it wanted, the proliferation of the fiercely alternative in the arts.

Syndicate is Singapore’s foremost forward-thinking audiovisual collective and independent record label. With an ethos focused on experimentation and self-expression, its artists have presented a versatile range of works - from live electronic music showcases to architectural projection mapping, art installations and photography. Since 2010, Syndicate artists have represented Singapore globally playing capacity crowds in intimate clubs, international music festivals and cultural institutions.