fono

This is a long-delayed post from us. One final party to wrap up this chapter after 8 years of disrupting Klang Valley’s nightlife scene with unconventional music programming and collaborations. Stood true to the vision for the most part, but it is time to move on. For this final night, we have new and old DJs who have graced our decks with some of the heaviest selections KL has ever heard - from percussive, breaky, dubby techno to modern interpretations of baile funk and kuduro, ragga-heavy jungle to ghettotech and juke. RM40 for entrance if you DM us now (doesn’t include the usual first drink) or RM50 at the door. *** FAQ Is fono really closing? Yes and no. This is not a marketing gimmick. fono as the physical space entity will cease its operations - which means, no more weekly parties. fono as the brand however will live on as a boutique agency - occasionally hosting events, booking touring acts, continue curating for our existing and future partners, and consult all things (non-mainstream) music related because fono is forever. What will happen to the space? [edited for clarity] Core members of fono will continue to occupy the unit and still contribute to the vibrant community of @thezhongshanbuilding in a different capacity, and expand the collective to include other highly passionate individuals and crew. We can’t wait to share more details but it will be unveiled when the time is right. Where will we go for good music after this? There are others who are still at it and also some new places in various forms, please show them some love. If no one else is doing things how you’d like them, now is the right time to start throwing your own events! Feel free to reach out to us for tips and advice. How could you do this? We believe that after 8 years, it is time to take a step back to avoid being jaded and burned out. It's also important to be able to take on new projects without being stretched too thin - physically, mentally, spiritually, and financially. We have faith in the next wave of music promoters! *** Thank you all for the good times. We will miss you and we hope you’ll feel the same way too.

This weekend. That what’s up. Line up in flyer in order of hourly recording slots.

A pop-up ahead of our scheduled launch because a too good an opportunity to pass up presented itself to us. So yeah. KLCR will be recording our pilot programming in a public space in downtown KL and we would love to hang out with you.

Okay, we’ll try to make this short. Let’s clear the air. Studio Fono is a multi-purpose event space that aims to be a hub for educational projects and activations, screenings, talks, and masterclasses. Promoters can rent it for their own events - album launch parties, poetry slams, book/script readings, live shows or community meet-ups. We are also currently setting up @klcr.live to platform a diverse range of voices and narratives, tentatively going live in Q4 this year. In the future, we are planning to host workshops and classes in radio show production, media, and related creative fields. There will be no weekly parties like in the old version of this space, but we will also serve as a community space for our neighbours, collaborators, visitors, and guests. Studio Fono will be open to the public (the exact days and operation hours will be announced soon). Anyone* can come up and listen to music picked by the team, grab a drink and meet friends or make new connections. fono, as a brand, will continue to exist as a boutique agency specialising in fringe music curation and consultation, and sporadically host events if we feel like it. *Unfortunately, Studio Fono is not wheelchair accessible

We still get messages asking for recommendations on where to spend their weekends so here are our obviously biased picks featuring our residents and friends. These nights are happening elsewhere and not at fono! Please refer to the individual flyers for full details and DM the tagged promoters if you want to book your spot on the dancefloor. Honorary mention: some fono regulars formed a new crew @spinningout.co and will be throwing their first proper party, DIY type shii, and you know we fuck with that.

The conquering lions of Jung Ah blessing our space on this merry Chap Goh Mei. We are still fine tuning some stuff but can’t wait to share with the rest of you what we are working on. Stay safe and remember to check on your friends. Peace out, one love.

We have been away from social media since last Valentine’s when we bid farewell to our weekly party programming - what we are known for. Our music curation elsewhere remains and is still going strong, including our monthly jazztronica & nu-jazz affair at @terrassekl (which is happening tonight! Yes yes this promo is quite late 😖🙏🏼🙇🏻‍♂️🙇🏻‍♀️). For A Night At Terrasse February edition, we are taking things down a notch and keeping things chill. Swipe for a preview of tonight’s selections. Come over for late-night bites and drinks, let us soundtrack your conversation, card game battle, or self-reflection me-time. Slides: 2. Jazzanova - No Use ft. Ciara Hill 3. Joe Armon-Jones & Maxwell Owen - Idiom ft. Oscar Jerome 4. Kyoto Jazz Massive - Between The Lights 5. Bevel Gilberto - Aganju (Latin Project Remix) 6. Jamiroquai - Seven Days in Sunny June

Normally we don’t allow flash photography inside fono but we made an exception for our resident dancer @bouncenonstop . Here are some of our favourite shots from the recent months - raw, unedited, and honest. These photos are not full representation of what went down in our small sweaty room but its a good glimpse of what you’re missing out. Oh well 🤷🏻‍♂️

The excitement knocked us out for a few days 😵 It was an emotional night. Thank you all for pulling up. Til we meet again ♥️ featured in this video: @seekdatruf @wrfdale @julianchanmusic @shushushu1121 @peterfredmanmusic @leexian_angelia @emilyongshuyi @l.santosh.music.l @lynwenten @thonjomas @kala.lumpoh @shakey.shakey @julianchanmusic @jwengmusic

We bid farewell to our guest residency series, POLLINATE, with one final night this Valentine’s Eve. Singapore’s failtrylagi (@failtrylagi ) & KL’s Eftpos Minimum (@eftposminimum ) take on dance floor duties alongside CSTM resident, URCHIN (@factorychairman ). Expect left-field cuts, juke pressure, driving 4x4 rhythms, Latin & bass-heavyweights, plus everything in between, lifting all boundaries throughout the night. Our thanks to the fono crew for opening the space to our ideas and nights with friends for the past 4 seasons ✴️ For the last time, DM @fono.kl to reserve your spot. Door admission is subject to availability.

As our last few weeks with you come to a close, let’s put on our classics and we’ll have a little dance, shall we? As usual, our monthly improv night takes place on the first Wednesday of every month. Entry by donation, pay what you wish/can afford. We heard there will be some special guests making appearances 👀 After that, we invite our dear old friend @kungfumovie aka Chaseylain of the DJ quartet Twilight Actiongirl. He is what we call a DJ’s DJ, and some of you might be old enough to have experienced him at the old Zouk (now Pelita). Supporting the night is his former Bait colleague Lionel Rizki. Both have dialled down many notches on debauchery party lifestyle from their Telawi-era but passion for music is always high. On the 7th, fono’s co-founder Rudy La Faber will emerge from pitch decks and return to fiddling pitches on our decks. He will be joined by one of our favourite pushers, Wu Wei Records (not his real name but feel free to ask when you see him). They will be playing their selections and interpretations of jazz records all night long. Meanwhile, on Sunday (8th), we welcome back Nabihah Iqbal and are moving the party to the rooftop of ELSE, from 12PM to 8PM. Get your tickets via RA (link in bio). For our final weekend, our frequent collaborator CSTM will be having their last Pollinate with us. Fronting this finale, failtrylagi from down south and resident URCHIN alongside friends will be running fono’s dancefloor. An intersection of forward-thinking vision and club music lineage—leftfield cuts, juke pressure, 4x4 drive, latin & bass heavyweights, no boundaries. [sidenote: Wrong info on the flyer, we are human after all. Pollinate will be on 13th Feb, FRIDAY] Last but not least, celebrate Valentine’s with us and end this chapter together as we invite some of the heaviest DJs that have ever played for us. The names will remain a mystery for now but pretty sure you can make an educated guess.

In between Nabihah’s last gig with us back in 2019 and the upcoming one at one of our fav spots in downtown KL, she has: - released her sophomore album, Dreamer (Ninja Tune, 2023) with international critical acclaim from the likes of Guardian, Washington Post, Quietus, and Observer. - toured the world with her band - DJed at major festivals like Glastonbury, We Out Here, Dekmantel, Nuit Sonores, and Dimensions - remained one of the longest-serving resident DJs at the seminal online radio NTS - started a monthly show at The Lot Radio - premiered her first classical composition, What Psyche Felt, in front of a sold-out show at Southbank Centre We could write more but let's get her music selections do the talking and see you at @elseretreats on the 8th. Kids 12 and under enter for free, to be accompanied by a parent/guardian holding a ticket of course. The event will be powered by @antibabylonsystemclub 🔊🔊 Link in bio for tickets.