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Tatler Hong Kong hosted a fireside chat with local nightlife legend, Andrew Bull, to reminisce about the golden era of Hong Kong’s club scene and discuss where it’s headed next
After appearing on the cover of Tatler Hong Kong, Arthur Bray, programme director at FM Belowground and founder of the music collective Yeti Out, and Tatler's Managing Director of Events, Sean Fitzpatrick came up with a great idea—that it would be fun to throw a party where he and other music heads “pass the aux cord” to play songs and discuss their significance.
And so, Tatler obliged with Pass the Aux, bringing together members of Hong Kong’s old guard with the new, including three generations of the city’s most influential nightlife figures to discuss the history and future of club culture in Hong Kong.
The guest of honour was Andrew Bull, better known as DJ El Toro, who was a resident DJ at iconic local venues including Taipan Club and Disco Disco in the 1970s, and founded the legendary Canton Disco in 1985. Other guests at the event included Gilbert Yeung, owner of Dragon-i; Benedict Ku, co-founder of Volar; Jason Swamy, founding partner of Wonderfruit Music Festival; and Jason Cohen, director of Ce La Vi Group.
Olivia Mok aka Xiaolin, Arthur Bray, Laura Zhang and Vincent Bocquet,
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From the younger generation came Laura Zhang and Vincent Bocquet of Mihn Club, and Tedman Lee, who co-starred with Bray on the cover and who founded a series of parties called Night of the Living Discoheads, inspired by Kowloon’s disco scene in the 1980s.
It’s rare to see Hong Kong’s nightlife impresarios all in one place—and even more so during the day. But as they’re currently grounded and bound by curfew, there was little left to do but get together and reminisce.
A panel featuring Bray and Bull was moderated by Tatler’s regional managing director of dining and events, Sean Fitzpatrick, as a colourful slideshow of photos from the archives of our social pages played in the background, showing the likes of Anita Mui, Josie Ho and Sylvester Stallone enjoying nights out on the town.
See also: Meet The Rising Stars Who Are Redefining Culture In Hong Kong
Gilbert Yeung
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“There’s your old man, Gilbert,” Bull pointed out, as a photo from 2000 of Albert Yeung playing the bongos at one of his son’s earlier clubs, Pink Mao Mao, flashed across the screen.
The event took place at a recording studio in Cheung Sha Wan, Kowloon. With a full band setup on stage and a table lined with lit-up Dom Perignon bottles and a large bowl of Nomad Caviar, one would be forgiven for mistaking this for a rock star gathering in LA.
“I can’t remember the last time I was at an event where the blinis ran out before the caviar,” one guest quipped as he licked a dollop from his hand.
Coco Marett is a writer and editor who grew up between Hong Kong and Melbourne. She currently heads the travel section for Tatler Asia, and manages the Tatler Travel account on Instagram. She is known for her features on unique, under-the-radar properties and destinations. She's also known for her in-depth interviews that paint a refreshingly candid portrait of influential figures across various industries —from artists to political figures, CEOs to celebrity chefs. Follow her on Instagram @cocomarett
