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An unlikely pair are driving Hong Kong's house scene in new directions, writes Tina Lee

We’ve criticised the dominant role of mainstream house in our club scene before, but there’s no denying that, for better or worse, it is the foundation upon which our nightlife culture is built. At least some people are trying to make it better. Three house series that have come to prominence in 2008 especially stand out. Ministry of Sound, Hed Kandi and Pure House events have all exploded on to the scene this year, packing clubs and getting parties hopping in Beijing Club and at Club JJ’s. And it’s all thanks to a couple of unlikely entrepreneurs.

Nick Willsher and Manek Hemandas met four years ago through a mutual friend. Willsher at that time was running HKclubbing.com (which is still going strong) and Hemandas was an online marketer who had ambitions to get into the entertainment industry. Realising a shared vision for Hong Kong entertainment, they combined their strengths to form Entertaining Asia, a company that has become one of the best organised event management and consultancy firms in Hong Kong.

Both grew up fancying different music genres – Willsher prefers electronic dance while Hemandas is more partial to rock’n’roll. Their contrasting styles, however, work well together. Willsher, 31, is the structured and organised one, skills he likely picked up from his time at military school, while Manek, 35, is a spontaneous risk taker with a flair for finance. Together they dominate the after-hours, pack out venues, and create a base for local and overseas house talent to thrive.

 “What we’ve been working on is putting more structure and applying more business elements to entertainment, making it clean and nice,” says Willsher. “[It’s about having] more structure, regularity and quality in all aspects of the events we’re doing. We hope that if we start doing it more, then promoters and event organisers will start doing it as well.”

It’s an approach that has served them and the DJs on their rosters well.

“I’ve worked with agencies but they’re the first proper agents that I’ve had,” says Tai Pan Dan, a local DJ who has played EA’s Pure House events. “They’ve booked me up and I don’t have to deal with a lot of stress with Nick and Manek around.”

The team’s ongoing and steady presence in the scene – no mean feat in such a transient city – has given them a platform to help diversify the music scene. Cynics might say mainstream house is an easy bet in a club culture that relies on the safe and known. Indeed, some in the scene have reservations about such shiny labels as Hed Kandi and Ministry of Sound, which may or may not help to fuel new subcultures.

For instance, Dan F, owner of Yumla, says it is simply a matter of chasing dollars. “Commercial MTV hip-hop appeals to horny materialistic kids distracted by shiny things,” says Dan, “and clichéd mainstream house makes cocaine-fuelled city boys feel hip when their reality clearly states otherwise. If you are a mainstream promoter or venue you simply decide which crowd is worth more to your business and pick your music accordingly.” Yumla, a small bar/club in Central, ignores mainstream music in favour of underground techno and house.

Willsher and Hemandas, however, are conscious of being pigeon-holed into the mainstream house category. So they’re branching out by not only acting as a consultancy for DJs but also for performers and bands outside of the club scene. They’re keen to bring in more live music elements into their shows and, with the rapid development of Macau, they’re also preparing to entertain casino guests. Willsher also plans to start a radio show to promote electronic music of all styles. Suffice to say, they’re busy chaps.

Considering the difficulties that come with managing artists and events, it’s common for the duo to pull 19-hour days, splitting their time between the office and the clubs. “We get a lot of people coming up to us and saying, ‘Your job must be fun,” says Hemandas. “I wouldn’t say it’s not, but very rarely do we get to enjoy the fruits of our events because we are running around making sure things are done properly”. Nowadays Hemandas jokes that his idea of letting loose is to not go out at all. By those standards, he’s in for some quiet nights ahead.

Catch Pure House every Friday night at Beijing Club, $300, midnight-late.