Location: Manila, Philippines
Just over two years after opening, Cove Manilla makes its debut in the DJ Mag top 100, so it is clearly doing something right. A go-to spot for EDM, progressive and tech-house, names like Pete Tong, DJ Snake and Diplo have all visited recently and played under the huge dome that encompasses dancefloors, a butterfly-shaped swimming pool that hosts indoor pool parties and cabanas with their own temperature and lighting controls and views over Manila bay.
The amount of tech in the place is staggering: it has HD LED walls, Tony Andrews’ Funktion-One soundsystem which produces ambisonic directional and acoustic sound, video mapping and a one-of-a-kind five-ring Kinetic Centerpiece that produces up to 10,000 special effects.
The venue is open four days a week from Thursday to Sunday, and mixes up old school, hip-hop, and local names, with Fridays under the UnCoveRed banner and aimed at bringing in the international names. “Sunday is a very special one as we throw an amazing daytime pool party till midnight and promote an exciting deep house music style,” says director, Heathcliff Motorga.
Cove combines luxury with a warm welcome from the local team and fantastic service. “Manila is still difficult for underground music, but our mission is to cultivate all kind of genres here.“ So far, so good.