The best things happen when like minded people collide. Take Pleasure, the Jakarta based creative collective founded by seven friends with a mutual thing for good music, good times and good clothes. What started with one party, a DIY DJ booth and a mega disco ball has evolved into one of the most eclectic, electric nights in the tropical hemisphere, attracting a strong mix of local talents and international producers – like Kenji Takimi, Eric Duncan, Thomas Bullock and Justin Van Der Volgen (of chk chk chk / !!!) – taking the decks at their Screamer parties.

Invoking the symbiotic relationship between music and fashion, the project now encompasses a line of kickass t-shirts, featuring graphics drawn from whatever went down at their latest happening. Their attitude, which encourages friends and fans to embrace their “innermost geek side”, has already attracted Dover Street Market as a stockist – not bad for a fledgling line born out of a pure love of art, disco, house, techno – and getting down on the dancefloor.

Ahead of their latest party (tonight!), Pleasure takes us inside their world, and spins a special playlist of their ultimate good time tunes. “These songs are some of the tunes that somewhat defined our quest of that perfect drinking buddy. They are a mixed bag of pleasure to our ears and they are absolutely should be play out loud and proud.”

Tempe Nakiska: Can you describe the concept behind Pleasure? 
Pleasure: It’s our take on what is joyful and fun in everything that we feel around us everyday. Pleasure is our means to get together with or friends in that youthful spirit of letting all out. We all have different backgrounds from creative to finance, and Pleasure is our means to channel our passion for art and music.

TN: Why is music so important to you all?
Pleasure: We believe that music is a universal language and that music probably what glued us together. It’s our source of inspiration for what we do and also it help us to just go BANG!

“Jakarta is hectic, chaotic, and yet flourishing with many great things in music, art, and fashion.”

TN: What’s the culture like in Jakarta? 
Pleasure: Jakarta is one of the most vibrant cities in Asia and the local people such a high appreciation of art and culture. A lot of great things are happening right now in Indonesia, Jakarta being the centre of it all. It’s hectic , chaotic, but yet flourishing with many great things in art, and fashion. And Jakarta’s music scene is maybe at the highest point at the moment and will only get better, our local DJs are currently being favourited by an international crowd.

TN: What kind of music do you play at your parties?
Pleasure: We at Pleasure try to make a party without genre boundaries, we like many different type of music and that’s what we want to serve up. We are heavily influenced by the sound of disco and the culture behind it, but we have no limitations on what we feel you can dance and get down to.

TN: What about the crowd, I imagine it is a mix of locals and visitors?
Pleasure: In the beginning, we wanted to create a party where all of our friends could get together and just go crazy, and since everyone knows everyone it loosens the vibe up. We always try to find a venue where that kind intimacy with the crowd is possible. Now our crowds are beautifully mixed with people of different backgrounds and ages, and it keeps us young too!

TN: The graphics on your tees are really fun, how do you come up with them?
Pleasure: MUSIC! That’s what we live and strive for. When we do our listening sessions we always find inspirations by looking at the record sleeve or the story behind the tracks. And we always try to do a playful take on them. Usually we all chip in with ideas of what we want to do design-wise and Mike Killian (our designer) will try to put all of those ideas in designs. Before were picked up by Dover Street Market we only sold our t-shirts at our parties in a limited run of 50, and always sold out before the last call.

Il Valerio by Chaplin Band
“Originally was an Italian rock song written by Lucio Battisti and flipped to an Italo disco monster by THE Chaplin Band. This is our definition of magic!”

See The Music by Mirror Boys aka Thomas Bullock 
“Thomas bullock at his raw! This was pressed on the defunct West Coast House Label, Greyhound Records which was championed by the most prolific rave DJs from the late 90s.”

Lotta Love (Disco Mix) by Nicolette Larson
“This track has so much emotion in it that tears roll as we write this – written by the great Neil Young. A perfect end of the night jam for sure.”

Are You Going With Me? by Pat Metheny Group
“A tear jerker at its best. Make sure you are sitting down when you hear this.”

Happiness by Soul II Soul
“UK garage vibes in a vulgar display of power! 1989 and probably our proper introduction to what we love now, HOUSE music.”

Energie by Jean-Philippe Goude
“Vintage electronica with a touch of modern jazz, weird combination but what a perfect harmony.”

Cherokee by Kamasi Washington
“An amazing rendition of this classic jazz dance track by the larger than life Kamasi.
This is definitely our kind of top 40 hits music now material.”

Be Thankful For What You Got by Craig Peyton
“Proto House business by this vibraphonist, drummer, keyboardist, and film producer. Made in 1983 and still holds its presence to this date.”

Say Something by Fra Lippo Lippi
“Synth Pop from Norway!”

Rough Diamond by Madleen Kane
“The intro will get you jogging to the dance floor in your sweatpants. Lush voice from this Norwegian model-turned-singer. This LP is probably the defining moment of Disco BumNGrind Movement if there was ever one.”

Pleasure’s new collection launches tonight at SILK ROAD, a special anniversary party featuring Pleasure sets as well as Justin Van Der Volgen, at Pao Pao, Jakarta. 

Pleasure is available in store and online from Dover Street Market. For more, check their website and follow them on Instagram @nonstoppleasure