On June 6, dance collective Thank You for the Music (TYFM), the group behind Manila’s first-ever Rainbow Disco Club, and duo Moving Parts (MP) gave the nightlife community another reason to celebrate. Taking over a rooftop space in the world’s oldest Chinatown, the event was a fever dream that ended just as the sun rose. The space itself was the selling point, according to the organizers.
“The venue itself felt distinctly liminal — a space suspended between past and present, everyday life and collective escape,” shared the organizers. “It became an invitation to experience dance music somewhere unexpected, allowing guests to step momentarily outside the familiar without ever losing sight of the culture surrounding them.”
The unique setup, reflected in the lineup featuring Bangkok’s DOTT, Nomoclassiq, Shrugs, and Horseboyy, began with Baby Ikea, whose set “felt closer to film scoring than conventional dancefloor programming,” according to the organizers. The opening set showcased a deft hand at “layering cinematic textures, mood-driven selections, and moments of tension and release.”
As a group of friends who describe themselves as “deeply embedded in Manila’s nightlife ecosystem,” the goal was to have a space that reflects what they love about and hope for the wider community. “More than anything, though, this project was built on friendship and a belief in the strength of local talent,” says Stacy Rodriguez of TYFM. “I think that’s one of the most important conversations in nightlife moving forward.”
For Moving Parts’ Kevin Shaw, known by his DJ moniker Nomoclassiq, that sense of community is a celebration of everyone’s individuality. “Everywhere I looked, I saw people who were just happy to be there. That’s a kind of magic you can’t help but feel grateful to have a hand in,” he says. “It comes with profound happiness to think about how everything came together beautifully and how that silent contract translated to how everyone behaved.”
That “silent contract” is a testament to the relationship and strong sense of collaboration between both groups; even before they were organizers, they were partygoers in Manila’s nightlife scene, discovering dance music together for the first time. “I feel like finding those moments of collaboration and progression, that’s where the good stuff really is and that’s what I’d like to keep looking for, not just for myself but for others as well,” says MP’s Carlos del Prado. “That’s where ‘culture’ happens and is built.”
“The best parties are the ones that feel like home,” says TYFM’s Judd Figueres. “I’m very proud of the energy we created that night, and I hope people bring that same care and concern to every dancefloor they step into.”
