‘Medium Rare’ party: Old-World opulence meets the underground

What happens when the raw pulse of the underground is transplanted into the storied opulence of The Peninsula Manila?

On 9 May, the hotel’s iconic Salon de Ning becomes the stage for Medium Rare: Kaleidoscope Edition, a multi-sensory "party-as-art" that collides the raw pulse of the underground with the room's old-world opulence.

Created by Chele González and DJ Samantha Nicole, the event is a deliberate collision of worlds.

"Medium Rare began as a personal idea to merge two art forms I deeply care about: gastronomy and music," González explained during the press conference. The González is no stranger to the booth; he has been a DJ for 30 years and remains a fixture in the local scene, playing sets in Manila every week.

The upcoming "Kaleidoscope" night will promise a carefully choreographed evolution. It will begin with the Asian debut of Italian composers Lorenzo Travaglini and Davide Semmarchi (Bosco Studio), whose neoclassical piano works provide a cinematic soundtrack to the evening’s opening atmosphere.

The "listening bar" atmosphere will then give way to the roots of electronic music, with jazz and funk-infused house challenging the genre’s usual stigmas.

Locally, the event has often found a home at Gallery by Chele in BGC, and more recently, took over the stylish, top-floor al fresco bar Aire³² at The Westin Manila in Ortigas.

The series has already built a reputation, with past editions held at the sun-drenched Puesta de Sol in Bolinao and in Santander, Spain, where González previously featured the deep, atmospheric techno of Pablo Bolívar, making this Manila edition a creative reunion.

This sonic journey reaches its peak with the hypnotic, deep techno signature of Pablo Bolívar, whose Manila appearance is supported by the Embassy of Spain. Characterized by dreamlike narratives and pulsating basslines from his Seven Villas label, Bolívar’s set bridges the gap between rigid structures and ambient textures.

According to Samantha Nicole, the "kaleidoscope" will also feature an expanded roster of local DJs, ensuring the 7:00 p.m. to 4:00 a.m. run remains rooted in Manila’s own underground electronic community.

Within the intimate, gilded corners of a room inspired by 1930s Shanghai, the "Medium Rare" experience asserts itself as a deliberate takeover. For Manila’s night crowd, it is a rare, bold gateway—where the grit of the subculture meets the grandeur of The Peninsula.

Tickets are limited. Follow Medium Rare’s official Instagram for details.