FIRST-PERSON: With clubs staying closed for the foreseeable future, will virtual clubbing ever serve as a substitute? Our writer tried it, and wasn't entirely convinced.

Through the experience of looking into people's homes and seeing how people feel a sense of connectedness despite being in separate spaces, however, she came to understand its appeal.

Let's get one thing straight — I'm not exactly what you would call a clubber, but I do enjoy some good music and dancing from time to time.

With the global pandemic forcing bars and clubs to close, how can one enjoy the experience of clubbing without actually being in a nightspot?

Well, you can't, at least not for now.

Enter virtual clubbing. The closest it gets to the real deal.

Clubs in Singapore have been trying staying relevant by offering live streams of music.

But one event in particular piqued my interest — on May 22, Marquee held a virtual clubbing session from 8pm until late to celebrate their one year anniversary.

The line-up for the night included DJs like Steve Aoki and Nicky Romero. For any normcore EDM fan (yes, that includes me), the big names should get you at least somewhat excited for the live set.

But what was special about the event was not the line-up, but the fact that it was held over Zoom.

What happens is that you join the party via a Zoom link where there will be a DJ (or multiple DJs) spinning a live set for the entire duration.

And that's pretty much it. You are basically free to enjoy the music while doing whatever from the comfort (and safety) of your home.

After entering the party, I was greeted by this sight:

Unlike a livestream of a DJ set, the Zoom event means that you can actually view (and possibly interact with, if you wish) other participants in the event.

In fact, purely by entering the link, you have the opportunity to get a glimpse into a stranger's private space, be it their living room or bedroom, without reciprocating by sharing the same.

All participants are muted, and you have the option to turn your video on or off – depending on whether or not you're comfortable with having people peer into your private space. Or watch you dance as you guzzle your nth shot of tequila.

I wonder if people felt more inclined to participate with their video on as Zoom calls and teleconferencing has become increasingly normalised during this period.

But showing a bunch of strangers what my room looks like isn't really my thing, so I chose to be a lurker in the party with my video off.

If you aren't already acquainted with how Zoom works, it allows you to view all the participants in the events — in this case, since there were hundreds of participants (likely from all over the world), there are many 'pages' of people you can literally scroll through.

And being the extremely curious person that I am, that's exactly what I did.

It gets pretty overwhelming, honestly.

Seeing the endless rows of tiles containing all these faces and bodies, each with their own lives and experiences, is almost surreal.

I also wondered if there were any participants who had reached out to another stranger privately (I can confirm that this did not happen to me).

At this point, you must be wondering: Did I observe anything cool?

Heck yeah I did.

Together, but with more freedom

In the short one and a half hours that I was in the party, I realised people actually put in quite a bit of effort (well, certainly more than I would) for this experience, by dressing up for the occasion or decorating their space with appropriate fluorescent lighting and decorations to really get into the clubbing mood.

Some also danced enthusiastically in their homes. Which, by the way, is totally cool.

In fact, I admire their bravery to dance in front of their cameras and a bunch of strangers (it's one thing to have a dance party in your room and another to let others watch).

Pro-tip: Some say dancing is easier when you get properly sloshed (I can neither confirm nor deny this)

Not everyone was dancing though (obviously). I did notice quite a few who were just doing their own thing (but with the video on).

A list of things I observed, in no particular order:

• Two men sit on a couch sipping their drinks with strobe lighting in their living room
• A man chilling out with his dog
• A woman talking to someone (not captured in frame)
• A couple who, while dancing, decided to pause for a kiss
• Friends sitting around their living room with their drinks
• A man eating yoghurt
• Lots of weird Zoom backgrounds

By 10:30pm, the event, which is supposed to last "till late" had at least 900 participants.

Nearly 1,000 people were listening to the same livestream, kind of being part of the same experience, and yet, being in nearly 1,000 separate spaces, also not quite.

That's the magic of the virtual clubbing experience. You are able to feel somewhat connected to other strangers via this shared experience, but also a degree of freedom to enjoy the experience on your own terms.

It's a bit weird, I think.

My conclusion? Virtual clubbing takes getting used to and is a bit weird, if you ask me.

If you're drunk enough (hopefully still somewhat responsible) and completely comfortable with having fun by yourself, I think this is a decent (and safe) way to have fun in a time of coronavirus.

Especially if you are the kind that still wants to feel connected to other strangers but also value your personal space. Bonus points if you are brave enough to turn your video on.

For the most part though, I imagine that the clubbing experience cannot be replaced by sitting at home listening to YouTube in a darkened room.

There is something about the sensory overload dancing in a sea of anonymous bodies, bass so loud you can feel it reverberating in your chest.

But for now, I guess this will have to do for some.

Have an interesting perspective to share or a commentary to contribute? Write to us at [email protected].

Top photo screenshots from Zoom event.