Eight years of Savage; a beacon of the Asian underground

Few clubbing experiences in Asia can match the Savage's anniversary weekend a few weeks ago.

Sure, the venue is remarkable, and the music consistently electric, but it’s the intangibles that set it apart. The energy, the vibe, the connection between the crowd, the artists, and the space—a rare synergy that was in full force and is seldom seen in nightlife. It wasn’t just a celebration of Savage’s eight years; it was a celebration of Asia’s underground, all under one roof.

But before diving into the weekend itself, let’s rewind and take a look at how Savage became this epicentre of community and music.

Back in 2016, while most major cities in Asia had a dedicated venue for the underground, Hanoi was missing its own. That’s when Savage was conceived.

Ouissam, who currently runs the venue, tells me, “We had the right community, promoters, crowd, and energy—but no home base.”

Savage was the answer to this—a hub for Hanoi’s emerging underground scene. The idea of introducing a space like Savage to Hanoi was ambitious, especially a venue with as forward-thinking a sound as The Red Cube and The Anteroom.

The road wasn’t smooth, but despite slow starts and some inevitably dreaded empty dancefloors, they built trust and developed the community from the ground up.

The typical club for the city (and a lot of Asia) were bottles, bikinis and big rooms, with the ‘underground’ left for private small-scale events. Savage introduced a new kind of space and sound to the city—a place where both locals and expats could connect through music.

A pillar in Savage’s success was its conscious shift from being an expat-centric venue to one with a diverse team and audience, something they struggled to balance at the start.

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Crowd and organisation aside, they also went from hosting only international artists to featuring and spotlighting local and regional talents more and more, the sign of any solid underground club.

This year’s anniversary was a testament to that shift. The lineup was entirely regional and local, drawing in crowds and artists from all across Asia.

It’s easier to remain local and regional when your locals are as talented as theirs. The current residents at the club are stellar, and although we’ve seen them across Asia at various events over the years, Savage is really where they come into their element. Cong, Di Linh, Zwi, Park:ING, TaoFu, Gonno, Telephones, Barry Sunset, Manikk, Sam Futura, Khoi Mai, Miya and Ouissam. Some of Asia’s finest, are all at their best under this one roof.

That said, although they focus on their locals and regionals, they’ve not been blind to internationals. Their past line-ups are among the best, including people like Ben UFO, HAAi, Ben Klock, Wata Igarashi, DJ Stingray, Gerd Janson, and Bambounou, to name a few.

It’s easy to see why the club went from only internationals to a more local and regional angle. Talent like this outweighs so many other scenes and through championing and providing a platform for these artists, they’ve gained notoriety and prestige across the continent.

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Ouissam explained, “While it was a significant risk, we remained true to our vision. Instead of opting for a short-term approach that relied solely on international artists for every event, we prioritized a mix of local and international talent, giving everyone a prominent place in our lineup. For over eight years, we've been building trust between regional acts and our community.”

Even the line-up for the anniversary, the biggest day in their calendar, was 100% regional and local. They gathered their favourite crews and artists from each city and threw them all together under one roof in a hodge podge of blistering beats and beautifully organised chaos.

From day one they’ve been committed to supporting regional artists, from Magico from Seoul who played opening year, Malaysia’s Jonny Vicious, Manila’s Emel Rowe, Taiwan’s Diskonnected, are just a few of the regional heroes who’ve graced the stage.

In October alone, 80% of main acts have been regional, including Antwork (Seoul), PNNY (Bali), Yama (Osaka), Badkiss (Manila), and Kyper (Seoul) just to name a few.

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That isn’t to say having only regional and local lineups is a guaranteed success. Many clubs do this out of necessity and get the curation, programming and just overall feel of the space wrong. It does help there’s such a solid pool of local talent for them to draw from, but credit where credit is due—the curation and appreciation of other scenes are second to none.

Savage wasn’t always in its current location. After a string of noise complaints, they relocated to the former Angolan embassy—yes, an actual embassy—which turned out to be a blessing. The new space is removed from residential areas, allowing the team to create the perfect three-story underground haven, and it’s hard to imagine Savage anywhere else but here.

The club’s structure mirrors the unassuming charm of Hanoi itself. It’s tucked away in a quiet alley, and from the outside, it doesn’t look like your typical club but more like a long-forgotten stately home. But once inside, it’s clear this is something special.

On the ground floor, you’ll find The Red Cube—a minimalist, techno-focused room with not a table or chair in sight. Just a space dedicated entirely to dancing to a world-class sound system and subtle yet effective lighting, letting the artists curate the space’s feeling.

The second floor named The Anteroom holds the main room, which often feels more like a home than a club. Quality sound system, a more-than-ample back room and a surprisingly untacky and fitting disco ball are all the backdrop to the sounds of the state-of-the-art PA.

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Yes, the space itself does look and feel incredible, yes the crowd are second-to-none and yes, drinks are cheap and cheerful, but it’s hard to quantify what makes this main room so special. Again, it’s the intangibles that make this space what it is.

Then, there’s the rooftop—a place for sunrise contemplation and introductions to fellow ravers all of who seem to be beaming from ear to ear.

Okay, back to the event itself.

The weekend kicked off on Thursday and didn’t stop until Sunday. After what was meant to be a quick drink and hello on the first night, I quickly found myself in a taxi home at 8 or 9 AM—Savage has that effect.

The space was soundtracked the next night by artists representing More Rice, Rainbow Disco Club, Nyapi, Human Spectrum, Organik and The Observatory. As I said, proper community celebration here.

The final night was celebrated by many Savage heavy-hitting residents, as well as a slew of Manila-based talents, all of which were something else.

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But to single out any one artist from across the weekend would go against what the weekend represented. Just know that each and every set and sound I heard across the weekend was impeccable. Each artist brought their A-game, and not even once did I find a lull or dip in the insanely high quality.

This was never just a party—it was a full-on celebration of the underground across Asia. Each artist, crew, and collective brought something unique to the table, creating an unforgettable blend of blistering beats and organized chaos.

Whilst there, I was trying to quantify what makes this space so special. The sounds? The crowd? The (many) libations? All yes, But I don’t think that’s all.

There’s something about not just Hanoi, but Vietnam in general. There’s something in the air there that just brings out the best in people. Competitors help and support one another, giving guidance and support to both veterans and bright-eyed entries in the scene.

Many other countries we see have a dog-eat-dog mentality, which is natural. Vietnam just turns this outdated mentality on its head and we hope to see it across wider Asia. It’s a place where passion and respect are clearly at the forefront.

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Ouissam puts this perfectly, “I guess the diverse community spirit and a collective love for music in Hanoi is strong, way stronger than anywhere else, you can feel it in your daily life here. It’s pretty unique”.

Savage has cemented itself as the community-spirited, fun-loving, happy-go-lucky, always-exciting, underground championing space throughout all of Asia. With a focus on regional talent, a new music director on the horizon after their 10th anniversary, and a commitment to their eclectic sound, the future looks bright.

They’ve become a beacon for the community, and the best thing they can do now is keep pushing forward, not just for their sake but for all of Asia’s.

Eight years down, hopefully, many more to come. Savage isn’t just a club—it’s a symbol of what the underground can and should be in Asia.

Henry Cooper is a Writer at Mixmag Asia. Follow him on Instagram.

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