I went to Vegas, Miami and New York and I realized how much better the clubbing experience in the Philippines could be, from the flow to the functionality,” said Timo Roxas-Chua, managing director of Relik, URBN, Salo, Nest and now, Raven.
Timo and his partners’ answer to the need they saw? Raven, a boutique club that promises to offer a luxurious clubbing experience. “We’re introducing bottle service here in the Philippines,” said Timo. “We will have Las Vegas-style bottle productions. The bigger the bottle, the bigger the parade. The more expensive your drink is, the better the production is.”
The two-level space features a stage, a catwalk, a dance floor, state of the art lights and sound systems, and VIP areas.
When asked about the name, Timo said, “Raven has a cloud of mystery and we wanted that mystery. We didn’t prepromote, we wanted to open with a bang. Now everyone’s saying, ‘Where the hell is Raven, where the hell is Raven?’ Now you can get a glimpse of it.”
Raven did open with a bang—by bringing in Icona Pop, the popular Swedish DJ duo that has opened for both Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz North America Tour and Katy Perry’s The Prismatic World Tour this year. Scheduled to perform a full show at Raven last Thursday, Caroline Hjelt and Aino Jawo made a surprise appearance at Raven’s soft launch on Wednesday, performing their hits “Girlfriend,” “All Night” and “I Love It.”
“Can you please adopt us so we can stay here?” they asked the crowd in the middle of their show.
Timo said, “We brought in Icona Pop because we wanted to showcase how different our club is. Normally, clubs will have DJs but Icona Pop actually DJ and sing.”
Raven is just getting started in its owners’ goal: “We want to change the game.”
Timo says they plan to bring more international acts to Raven. “Expect more performers—not just DJs. We’re looking at upbeat singers. Icona Pop is popular with the EDM people so expect more artists like them to come in.”
The musical performances are just one part of their plan to give clubbers access to decadence. Timo said, “Get ready for a lot of champagne showers.”
Raven is at the penthouse of the W Building, 5th Street and 32nd Street, Bonifacio Global City in Taguig.