If you DJ, promote or tour in Southeast Asia, check that every venue you book holds a valid entertainment licence: Kuala Lumpur police detained 417 people at one club this weekend after a tip-off that it was running without a licence.
Officers from the Dang Wangi district raided the unnamed venue on Jalan Sultan Ismail, one of the city's main nightlife streets, early on Sunday, November 1. The operation ran from 2:30am to 10:30am. Police chief Ahmad Azwan Amin Nordin said the premises was also suspected of being linked to drug use, and that all 299 men and 118 women detained, a group that reportedly included security staff, workers and guests, were taken to district headquarters for documentation and urine tests.
Mixmag places the raid in a wider pattern of police action against nightlife across Europe and Asia over the past year. That includes the temporary closure of Budapest clubs Arzenál and Turbina in March over alleged drug use. For artists, an unlicensed booking means more than a cancelled set: anyone in the room can end up in the police station.