Chinese counterfeit of popular nightclub Zouk is fooling even guest DJs who can't tell it's fake

Partygoers in Asia may be familiar with Singapore's nightclub Zouk, which often ranks among the top best clubs in the world, pulling some of the biggest DJs around the globe to spin in its hallowed halls.

But a crop of counterfeits in China and Indonesia have been so successful at passing off as Zouk branches that even the DJs invited to spin there don't know they're fake.

Changsha, the capital city of China's Hunan province, has its Changsha Tianxin District Zouk Bar -- commonly referred to as "Zouk Changsha."

In posters, it uses the Zouk logo, and proudly includes Zouk's DJ Mag ranking as a top global club.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Like Singapore's Zouk, which has a successful sister club in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the Changsha counterfeit appears to pull famous guest DJs from around the world.

Jangil Han from South Korea (who performs as Reverse Prime) told Mashable via email he didn't know that Zouk Changsha wasn't part of the Singapore brand, when the club booked him for his show in Aug. 2016.

He added that he would be concerned if he wasn't part of an official Zouk event, and that he thought Changsha was authentic, because he saw that famous artists such as DJ from Mars and Tenishia have spun there before.

Incidentally, the two acts he named have also played at Zouk Singapore in the past.

"How could I know (if it was) real or fake?" he said.

Zouk Singapore told Mashable it owns the Zouk trademark in China, and filed a complaint with the authorities in Changsha, which raided the premises in July 2016.

Zouk Changsha appears to have since changed its name to "Zook" in its recent marketing collateral.

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Meanwhile in Indonesia, another counterfeit Zouk appears to have popped up.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

According to Facebook posts, a lounge in the Gili Islands calls itself Zouk, offering alcoholic drinks and an iridescent-lit atmosphere.

Zouk said it has sent the Gili Islands entity takedown orders. The owner of the Indonesian Zouk has since taken down his Facebook posts promoting the lounge, but it's unclear if he's changed the name on the physical signboards.