New Found 158 club 44KW is all about house, techno and disco
Photograph: courtesy 44KW
Shanghai is a power vacuum when it comes to its music and nightlife scene. Beloved venues come and go like clockwork, but there is always a roster of new club openings to fill the void and the silence. The recent closure of Elevator on Xinle Lu left us wondering where we’d get our techno, house and disco fix. The answer: 44KW – a new addition to Found 158.
A unit of power equals 44,000 watts, hence the name. 44KW is a hybrid space, split into two distinct sections, with a commitment to inclusivity and quality electronic music.
Photograph: courtesy 44KW
The KW lounge is the lighter, more relaxed iteration of these two spaces. The playlist is a focus of chill house and disco music, paired with a menu of cocktails designed by Cross Yu of EPIC. As if out of some Daft Punk universe, KW also provides high-tech, back-lit Ping Pong tables with holographic projection, automatic ball chasing and ball supplying systems, as well as hypnotic paddles for some deadly back and forth.
Photograph: courtesy 44KW
Over in 44, the club side of things, find a stripped-down interior that looks and feels like it could have been airlifted from the future: grey slate walls and brutalist seating surround a central yellow orb and a state-of-the-art VOID sound system. The 44 club space specialises in hard techno, deep house and noise music, intended to pulse and reverberate for days to come. The events feature a mix of artists from local and international enclaves, hailing from the likes of Berlin, Detroit, Amsterdam and New York.
📍44KW, B1, Found 158, 158 Julu Lu, near Ruijin Yi Lu.