If people make cities, the youth make clubs. Gig hoppers and clubgoers cement the legacy of spaces they choose to inhabit. From ’90s rock mecca Club Dredd to the ’00s now-defunct, subculture-agnostic compound B-Side Makati, these spaces are more than Manila nightlife staples—their walls hold anecdotes of the city’s current children.
But where do the kids go these days? Enter Club Matryoshka: the virtual music club based in Manila, hosted on a private Minecraft server. Similarobjects, one of the co-founders of the digital space, was guided by a strong DIY mindset to deliver and recontextualize the musical experience. Club Matryoshka has become the newest hub for musicians, gamers, artists, tech people, hackers, illustrators, animators, meme lords, trolls, and beyond.
Through Discord servers and Mixlr, similarobjects and his fellow founders Obi a.k.a. Seadollar (cavill), Jaime San Juan (dot.jaime), JP del Mundo (John Pope), and Patis Soriano-Del Mundo are experimenting with what else gigs can offer.
“It started with my frustration as a gig organizer in Manila. I've been organizing shows for so long, but there's been a huge decline in support and attendance in recent years,” says similarobjects. “On the real, I've been throwing parties for so long and I've basically been throwing money away. It started to feel like such an empty ordeal for me seeing no change nor improvement.”
With the decline of gig attendance in recent years, the idea of Club Matryoshka became a perfect trial solution for gig culture’s survival.
What inspired this unique virtual gig spot?
This story is from the October - December 2019 edition of Scout.
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This story is from the October - December 2019 edition of Scout.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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