Hong Kong’s alternative music scene took a blow to the chops earlier this year when underground mainstay Yumla shut its doors due to a change of landlord coupled with a rent hike through the roof. But, in an ironic twist of events, the space’s new landlord couldn’t find a tenant and came back to Yumla owner Dan Findlay to strike a deal. That’s what Findlay tells us. He says the place was already gutted (as per the landlord’s prior request) but he couldn’t pass on the offer and took the opportunity to create a new venue – Midnight & Co – instead. The club soft opens this fortnight as a more mature and streamlined version of its predecessor.

While Yumla was initially created as a bar which eventually morphed into a bumping club venue over the years, Findlay has turned the tables for Midnight to create a space that is conducive to an awesome sound experience from the beginning. Gone are the lowered ceilings, alcoves, nooks and crannies that trapped and muffled sound in Yumla. And while it’s still a work in progress when we visit, we definitely note how spacious the venue feels when stripped of Yumla’s cave-like enhancements.

The music policy is similar to what Yumla’s fans have grown to love but Findlay hopes to create a more focused and structured platform for promoting underground music like techno, tech house and traditional house tunes. Established local DJs Basil Tam and Arun R have already been brought on board to host regular DJ nights at Midnight and Findlay plans to feature a roster of Hong Kong DJs in between.

Further encouraging local sounds, Findlay plans to stream Midnight DJ sets live through web broadcasts on Awdio.com, along with launching a record label to ‘inspire more people to produce, play live and contribute to a thriving electronic scene’. While he knows that Yumla encouraged many to start DJing, Findlay hopes that Midnight & Co, its associated radio show and its label will take things one step further.

Andrea Yu

Midnight & Co opens to the public on Thursday April 12. The official launch is in May. Click here for updates.