Eileen Chan, a champion of Singapore’s underground club scene, has reportedly passed away in Berlin at the age of 32.
Chan was a power player in the Singaporean nightlife sector. A founder of the music promotional company The Council and co-owner of the music venues Headquarters and Tuff Club respectively, Chan wore many hats. For that reason, the impact of the businesswoman and DJ’s career is difficult to quantify into words, but her legacy certainly lives on in the vibrant scene she helped foster.
Chan’s commitment to the underground was unwavering.
“The idea of Headquarters was simple, we wanted a no-frills kind of place where people could come enjoy themselves and have a good night out, a place where people don’t feel like they need to dress up or spend lots of money to enjoy themselves,” Chan and her Headquarters business partner Clement Chin stated in a 2017 interview, per NME. “Headquarters was always meant to be a space people can escape to and not have any care in the world, and enjoy music at the same time.”
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Chan’s work paved the way for techno and house music favorites Amelie Lens, Charlotte de Witte, Peggy Gou and more to tour the country. Chan additionally channeled her own creative influences though the alias Cats On Crack.
The cause of Chan’s death remains unknown at this time.
“From day one, [Chan] was fiercely bold about providing safe spaces for people to gather and listen to the music they love without judgement,” Singapore’s Midnight Shift imprint said in a statement. “Eileen was always at the forefront of underground culture and brought a lot of life and love into our nights and lives. She constructed a new era for Singapore nightlife, and she was its queen.”
We at EDM.com express our sincere condolences to the family, fans, friends and loved ones of Eileen Chan.