Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Your Friday Guide for August 1, 2008

Weeklies and Bar Nights

Cosmic Gypsy Happy Hour with DJ Mak at the W Hotel
Get your lounge groove on with DJ Mak in this swank hotel bar.
6PM - 8PM
NO COVER
W Hotel, 181 3rd Street x Howard

KillSwitch Happy Hour at UndergroundSF
Techno happy hour!
6PM - 10PM
NO COVER
UndergroundSF, 424 Haight x Webster


Charlie Horse at the Cinch
Best place to go out and have a cheap drink while being entertained by drag queen antics. Music by DJ Dirty Knees and Bearzbub is more rock and new-wave oriented, but at least it won't interfere with your conversation. Check out my reviews of Charlie Horse at The Cinch.
9PM - close
NO COVER
The Cinch, 1723 Polk Street (between Clay and Washington)

GhettoDisco at The EndUp
Not updated for August yet, hmmmmm . . . .
11PM - 11AM
FREE before midnight, $20 until 2AM, $30 after 2AM
The EndUp, 6th x Harrison

Sick! at The Matador
Just found out about this techno night that started up in November in the location of the old Arrow bar. Residents D Spurlock, Jeffrey Allen, Jonathon Neil, Kuze, and Meekrob. Check out my review of Sick!
9PM - 2AM
FREE
Matador, 10 6th Street x Market

Monthlies and One-Offs

Zodiac at Deco
Show the doorperson your ID to prove it's your birthday month and get a free drink. Resident DJ Lambchop with guests.
9PM - 3AM
Free before 10, $5 after
Deco, 510 Larkin at Turk

Garth and Jeno Back2Back at Club222
San Francisco house legends Garth and Jeno in one of the best intimate dance spaces in the city.
10PM - 2AM
$10
Club 222, 222 Hyde Street

Lucky Pierre at The Stud
Electro bangin' with DJ6 and Donimo, strip poker with Artemis Chase, and hosted by Primadonna Reed. Check out my review of Lucky Pierre!
10PM - 3AM
$5 before 11PM, $7 after
The Stud, 9th x Harrison

B.O.D.Y.H.E.A.T. presents Juan Atkins with Steve Summers at The Elbo Room
The techno legend, with support from Steve Summers (live set) and resident DJ Niklas.
10PM - 2AM
$10 before 11, $15 after

Homochic Presents Bromance at an Underground Locatiion
A birthday party for the brothers Herrera, with DJs Peeplay, Kendig, Bearded Lady, Dandylion, Malakai, Kendig and Texxx.
$10 in formal wear or "masquerade," $15 otherwise
Call 415.738.7537 for details.

Monday, July 28, 2008

Event Review: The Strawberry Drillpress at The Attic

After catching The Dark Knight on Sunday evening (a film I highly recommend), the boyfriend and I decided to check out The Strawberry Drillpress “homo social” at The Attic, conveniently located across the street from the 24th Street BART station. We found a really cool dive bar with some ladies on the decks playing an eclectic mix of 70s R&B and psychedelic rock, and wound up staying for three drinks.

First, the bar itself is a classic dive with a long narrow bar area leading into a larger back area with tables and booths. The walls are painted black, where they’re not covered with silver and white graffiti, and the lighting was all a lovely shade of bordello red. We loved it the minute we sat down.

The crowd was a pretty good mix of hipster kids, who I assume were of the homo persuasian, boys and girls and some of those kids who you just have to guess. The three girls we saw behind the decks were all having a good time, and when we left after our third drink there was even a cute little dancefloor of about a half dozen kids shaking it to some classic R&B. It might surprise some readers to learn that I really like this stuff; I don’t like it when it’s being thrust upon me as the greatest music of all time, but I started off my musical habits listening to my Mom’s old 45s from the 50s and 60s, and when I can sit in a bar and have a drink and conversation with a little old soul in the background, it’s actually quite nice.

Although there was a moment when the boyfriend and I both felt like we had walked into a college party somewhere, I found that to be a refreshing and unpretentious change from the relentless scenesterism of a typical night out in the Castro. These were kids who just wanted to hang out and have a drink and have fun, and the spirit of that was infectious. We left only because we both had to get up and go to work in the morning; otherwise, I’d have gladly had a couple more drinks and started requesting Otis Redding.

I’m not sure if the Strawberry Drillpress makes any kind of regular appearance at The Attic, but I think I’ll check back again during the 4th Sunday in September to see if I can have another chance to shake a tailfeather.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Event Review: Fuck Shit, Let's Dance! at Deco Lounge

Friday's turnout for FSLD was frankly disappointing, and as a result August will be the last installment, at least at Deco. We're a bit bummed about it, as you might expect, but also fairly sanguine, since even if this experiment didn't play out quite as expected, we did have fun with it and learned some things for our next venture.

I think we had a number of factors working against us this month, not the least of which was being forced out of what would have certainly been our best night, Pride Friday, last month. Had we had access to Deco on that date I think we could have had a very successful event that would have helped us attract a larger following. Instead, we essentially had to start up all over again after a two month break. My being out of town for a week after Pride also threw off our usual promotional schedule, then, this week I got laid up with a serious case of strep throat, so I didn't have the resources to dedicate to promoting the way I would have liked. This was also the first month we went without a headliner.

This isn't to say that we didn't have some fun this time; I particularly enjoyed watching two men in their mid-40s quasi slam dancing to Hearthrob's "Futures Past," which I can guarantee has never happened in a gay bar before. We also had a good turnout of friends and several groups of very cute alternaguys. When we talked to one group as they were leaving they told us that they thought the music was excellent and we should keep doing it, which was certainly encouraging in contrast with the older fellow who got into a long discussion with Lord Kook about how he should "make compromises" and "play some older stuff that people like to to dance to" if he wanted to be a successful DJ who got flown to New York and paid $5000 a gig. Lord Kook's response was that he would be perfectly happy to be flown to New York, sleep on somebody's couch, play for three hundred people, and have *no* expenses paid without having to compromise on his music.

I think that contrast, between the small group of younger guys who seemed to dig what we were trying to do, and the older guy who wanted us to cater to popular taste despite whatever our own aesthetic might be, sums up the whole FSLD experience for me so far. Our focus has always been contrarian, an insistence on our own aesthetic, and on presenting what we think is the most interesting and fun dance music beyond anything else. If we had played the usual fare, and gone for the usual gimmicks - baby oil wrestling and Abba, anyone? - we probably would have been a lot more popular because that's what people want and expect. As it was we did, every time, attract the kind of people we wanted to engage with, but we were never able to make the transition into being a consistent scene.

We certainly made some miscalculations and missteps along the way, and there have definitely been times when I've wondered about the effect of the opinions expressed in this blog on our status within "the scene". At the same time we also expected more support from certain quarters, but now we also have a better sense of who is really into our aesthetic and what we're trying to do, and where to focus our energies and creative engagements in the future

Just because we'll be leaving Deco in August doesn't mean we'll be leaving the scene; on the contrary, this experience has only emboldened me to be even more contrary, and to keep cultivating our small patch of the scene. I still believe in techno as some of the most interesting , fun, sexy music being produced today, and that it can serve as the foundation for nights of wild hedonism. I still believe that Lord Kook is one of the best young DJs on the scene and deserves a much wider audience. I still believe that there is a market for a dance night that strips away the shit and gets down to the heart of the matter, which is boozing, cruising, having fun with your friends, and dancing. And I completely believe that we will keep trying, again and again, until it all comes together. If you believe any of these things, come out to Deco with us on August 22nd, we'll do our best to show you a good time and lay the groundwork for the future.

FSLD August :: Your last chance to hear us for the first time!

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Upcoming Event: The Strawberry Drillpress, a Homo Social Club, at The Attic, Sunday July 27

I found this cute little old-skool paper flyer at Aquarius Records on Valencia this week, and it looks like it might be fun to check out.

The Strawberry Drillpress
A Homo Social Club
Soul Funk Disco Psych
9PM - 2AM
The Attic, 3336 24th Street x Mission

Upcoming Event: Booka Shade with Kontrol DJs at Mezzaine, Sunday July 27

Wow, this one snuck up on me!

Booka Shade with Kontrol DJs Craig Kuna, Alland Byallo, and Nikola Baytala
Doors at 8PM
$14 advance through Going.com/BOOKA, $17 at the door
Mezzanine, 444 Jessie Street x Mint

Your Saturday Guide for July 26, 2008

Weeklies and Bar Nights

Manquake at The Gangway
Bus Station John's newest night at a vintage Tenderloin gay bar. "Tremble & quake to the pulse of 70's/80's hi-NRG, disco and R&B classix & curios while enjoying drink specials & xxx-traordinary vintage visuals."
9PM - 2AM
$5
The Gangway, 841 Larkin Street

Frisco Disco at The Transfer
A hipster haven with a nice mixed crowd and an aggressive mix of electro, bloghouse and bangers. Check out my review of Frisco Disco.
$5
9.00PM - 2.00AM
The Transfer, Church at Market

Hot Mess at The Stud
A Gus Presents production with DJ Kidd Sysko spinning a little disco punk, a little hip-hop, and a lot of club. Check out the link for his Top 20 and decide for yourself. I hear there's also baby oil wrestling.
10PM - 3AM
$5
The Stud, 9th x Harrison.

Bistrotheque with Ken Vulsion at Cafe Flore
I've been remiss in not previously mentioning Ken Vulsion of Honey Sound System's Bistrotheque at Cafe Flore on Satuday evenings. A great place to go have a bite, warm up with a couple drinks, and groove along with Ken.
6PM - 12AM
NO COVER
Cafe Flore, 2298 Market Street x Noe

Monthlies and One-Offs

Hercules and Love Affair at Mezzanine
There's so much going on with this party I don't even know how to bill it. Live sets from Hercules and Love Affair (yes, really this time), DFA artists Banjee Boys and Girls from NYC, an analog acid house set from Steve Summers, DJ support from Omar (Popscene) and Honey Sound System, a midnight performance from Chris McVick and his Cabaret Cadettes, and drag extravaganza from Ambrosia Salad. Whew! Really, it doesn't get much gayer than this.
9PM - until everybody's blown their load
$20 at the door
Mezzanine, 444 Jessie x Mint

Opulent Temple Fundraiser with Lee Coombs and The Scumfrog at Mighty

Well, and then there's all the rest of the OT DJS as well. No doubt a crazy night of burner beats, these guys do an awesome job on the playa (and I have personally dug The Scumfrog on a playa Friday night) and need your support to keep it up.
10PM - 4AM
$15 in playa gear, $20 otherwise
Mighty, 119 Utah x 15th

Deep End Fundraiser at The End Up
It's the last year for this playa favorite, so come party with them while you can. Check out the link for all the fabulous DJs.
10PM Friday - Noon Saturday
$20 - come before 2AM and your cover goes directly to the camp
The End Up, 6th x Harrison

Temptation
Electro, Goth, Indie, New Wave, Post-punk, Punk, Industrial, Deathrock with DJs Dangerous Dan, Skip, Melting Girl, Starr, and Jawa
9.30PM - 3AM
$7, sign up for guest list at temptation.com
The Cat Club, 1190 Folsom x 8th

Your Friday Guide for July 25, 2007

Okay, first up:

Fuck Shit, Let's Dance! (FSLD) at Deco Lounge
Maybe you heard us tearing up 18th Street during Pink Saturday , maybe you've seen our dope posters, maybe you've been before, but here we are again, Lord Kook and DJ Pup throwing down a night of minimal, techno, and tech house for all you adventurous queers (and your friends too).
9PM - 3AM
Free before 10, $5 after
Deco Lounge, 511 Larkin x Turk
Join our google group for all the updates: http://groups.google.com/group/club-fsld/

Weeklies and Bar Nights

Cosmic Gypsy Happy Hour with DJ Mak at the W Hotel
Get your lounge groove on with DJ Mak in this swank hotel bar.
6PM - 8PM
NO COVER
W Hotel, 181 3rd Street x Howard

KillSwitch Happy Hour at UndergroundSF
Techno happy hour, this week with Mozaic (Hookerz & Blow) and J. Rogers (blipswitch) along with residents Javaight and dcoy. Check out my review of Killswitch!
6PM - 10PM
NO COVER
UndergroundSF, 424 Haight x Webster


Charlie Horse at the Cinch
Best place to go out and have a cheap drink while being entertained by drag queen antics. Music by DJ Dirty Knees and Bearzbub is more rock and new-wave oriented, but at least it won't interfere with your conversation. Check out my latest review of Charlie Horse at The Cinch.
9PM - close
FREE!

Sick! at The Matador
A nice dive bar with techno tunes, a perfect place to start your night or to spend it. Residents D Spurlock, Jeffrey Allen, Jonathon Neil, Kuze, and Meekrob. Check out my review of Sick!
9PM - 2AM
FREE
Matador, 10 6th Street x Market

GhettoDisco at The EndUp
With Chad Jack, Hawthorne, Sean Greene, and Cuervo.
11PM - 11AM
FREE before midnight, $15 until 2AM, $20 after 2AM
The EndUp, 6th x Harrison

Blow-Up at The Rickshaw Stop

With resident Jeffrey Paradise and guests Blake Miller (Moving Units) and DJ Thee Mike B.
10PM - 2AM
$10 for 21+, $15 for 18-21
The Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell at Van Ness

Lights Down Low at Club 222
With resident DJs Sleazemore and Rchrd OH!? (Big Stereo blog) and special guests. Check out my previous reviews of Lights Down Low.
10PM - 2AM
$7
Club 222, 222 Hyde Street x Turk

Monthlies and One-Offs

Faktion at Club Anu
Another little mushroom popping up in the techno scene - excellent! Tonight with with Jak and local boy Alland Byallo (Kontrol), and visuals by Heroic Robot.
10PM - 2AM
$5
Club Anu, 43 Sixth x Market

Black Ghosts with Holy Ghost! at Mezzanine
A night of spectral DFA artists, should be an interesting cross-section of the electro and the (urgh) disco.
9PM - 4AM
$20(?) at the door
Mighty, 119 Utah Street x 15th

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Upcoming Event: Fuck Shit, Let's Dance! (FSLD) at Deco Lounge, Friday, July 25


After our month off for our Pride parties, FSLD returns to Deco Lounge this Friday with yours truly and Lord Kook spinning a night of techno for adventurous faggots who want to get down!

Fuck Shit, Let's Dance!
with Residents Lord Kook and DJ Pup
FREE before 10, $5 after
Deco Lounge, 510 Larkin x Turk

Upcoming Event: Hercules and Love Affair with Honey Sound System at Mezzanine, Saturday July 26

It probably won't get any gayer than this. Hercules and Love Affair come to Mezzanine as an actual live band this time, with a live acid house set from Steve Summers, sets from DFA's Banjeee Boys and Girls from NYC, performances from Chris McVick and Ambrosia Salad, and DJ sets from Omar and Honey Sound System on the main floor and upstairs lounge all night long.

10PM - "late"
$16 presales at Urban Outfitters and Mezzanine Box Office, $20 at the door
Mezzanine, 444 Jessie Street x Mint

Monday, July 21, 2008

Event Review: Killswitch Techno Happy Hour at UndergroundSF

I can’t think of the last time I saw a big green laser in Underground SF, but there it was on Friday when the boyfriend and I went to check out the extended Killswitch Happy Hour, drawing various animations and illustrations on the wall by the bar. It wasn’t exactly what I expected, which was just one of the pleasant surprises we came across at this bumpin’ techno weekly.

I met David Javate, one of the residents and promoters behind Killswitch, over a year ago when he and Staple partner Fil Latorre brought Jeno to The Transfer for an excellent night of “future house and deep techno.” I knew they ran a monthly on 3rd Thursdays at Wish, but with that being a school night I so far hadn’t had a chance to check it out. When they started running Killswitch as a Friday happy hour at UndergroundSF I made note and figured I would check it out one day, so when this past week’s installment promised techno until 2AM, I knew the time had come.

So, let’s just get down to it: if you like techno, real techno, you should go to Killswitch. Have a drink and bob to the beats, which have been provided so far by a who’s who of players from the SF techno scene. Hang out and chat with other friendly techno afficianados, who showed up in droves and were still showing up when we left at 11.30 – no bridge and tunnel here, only the real techno heads. The only thing that could have made this night better was if the back patio had been open, but maybe with warmer weather that too shall come to pass.

Killswitch runs from 6-10PM, so you can stop by and have a drink on your way home from work, or on your way to a party that doesn’t get started until 11. David tells me that there will probably be more extended Killswitch parties coming up, so keep an eye on the Friday Night Guide listings and make your plans accordingly.

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Your Saturday Guide for July 19, 2008

Weeklies and Bar Nights

Frisco Disco at The Transfer
Hipster disco with Richie Panic and Jeffry Paradise. Check out my review of Frisco Disco.
$5
9.00PM - 2.00AM
The Transfer, Church at Market

Hot Mess at The Stud
A Gus Presents production with DJ Kidd Sysko spinning a little disco punk, a little hip-hop, and a lot of club. Check out the link for his Top 20 and decide for yourself. I hear there's also baby oil wrestling.
10PM - 3AM
$5
The Stud, 9th x Harrison.

Bistrotheque with Ken Vulsion at Cafe Flore
I've been remiss in not previously mentioning Ken Vulsion of Honey Sound System's Bistrotheque at Cafe Flore on Satuday evenings. A great place to go have a bite, warm up with a couple drinks, and groove along with Ken.
6PM - 12AM
NO COVER
Cafe Flore, 2298 Market Street x Noe

Monthlies and One-Offs

Bearracuda at Deco Lounge
For bears and those who love them. With DJs Peeplay (Honey Sound System) and resident boyshapedbox.
9PM - 3AM
$6
Deco Lounge, 510 Larkin x Turk

Chrome at The Gangway
A queer rock monthly from the same guys who bring you Trans Am.
9PM - 3AM
$3
Larkin x Geary

The Show at The EndUp
Breaks with Michelle Bass, Smoove, DJ Icon, Temple, Melyss, and Samira.
10PM to 12 Noon Sunday (yes, 14 hours)
FREE before 11, $10 with RSVP to www.sensesf.com/show
The EndUp, 6th x Harrison

Black Market Techno at The Oasis, Oakland
We had a lot of fun at this space for the Camp Zoom fundraiser last month, and now that we have easy transportation to Oakland (yay Honda Element!), I'm anxious to check it out with a solid techno night. With Clint Stewart (Auralism), Keith Kemp (Ferrispark Music, Detroit), Fil Latorre and Javaight (Staple), and residents dCoy and IXD.
$5 before 10, $10 after
Oasis, 135 12th Street x Madison, Oakland

Your Friday Guide for July 18, 2008

Weeklies and Bar Nights


Cosmic Gypsy Happy Hour with DJ Mak at the W Hotel
Get your lounge groove on with DJ Mak in this swank hotel bar.
6PM - 8PM
NO COVER
W Hotel, 181 3rd Street x Howard

KillSwitch Happy Hour at UndergroundSF
This week it's Killswitch x 2, with the techno techno until 2AM! Guest DJs
Roman Stange of Auralism, Emilio Orlandi, Mossmoss of Racecar, Tomkat (Bassaholics Anonymous), and J_Moody, with residents Javaight and dCOY.
6PM - 2AM
NO COVER
UndergroundSF, 424 Haight x Webster


The Jaded Gay DJ Recommends
: Charlie Horse at the Cinch
Best place to go out and have a cheap drink while being entertained by drag queen antics. Music by DJ Dirty Knees and Bearzbub is more rock and new-wave oriented, but at least it won't interfere with your conversation. Check out my latest review of Charlie Horse at The Cinch.
9PM - close
FREE!

The Jaded Gay DJ Recommends: Sick! at The Matador
A nice dive bar with techno tunes, a perfect place to start your night or to spend it. Residents D Spurlock, Jeffrey Allen, Jonathon Neil, Kuze, and Meekrob. Check out my review of Sick!
9PM - 2AM
FREE
Matador, 10 6th Street x Market

GhettoDisco at The EndUp
GirlFriday with Pam Hubbock, Hawthorne, Frank Wild, and Jim Hopkins.
11PM - 11AM
FREE before midnight, $15 until 2AM, $20 after 2AM
The EndUp, 6th x Harrison

Blow-Up at The Rickshaw Stop

The Era Disco Tour with DJ Sin and Luvtek.
10PM - 2AM
$10 for 21+, $15 for 18-21
The Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell at Van Ness

Monthlies and One-Offs

Loose at the Stud
DJs Donimo and Six, party games with Artemis Chase, go-go boys, and a dark room.
10PM-3AM
$5

The Stud, 9th x Harrison

Shark Attack! at the Cat Club
Orko, Starr, Rubyacht, and Macro spin dark indie electro pop minimal prog dance.
9PM - 2AM
FREE before 10, $5 after
Cat Club, 1190 Folsom x 9th

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Pink Saturday Set List

As I mentioned in my post about Pride, DJing at Pink Saturday was one of the very best experiences I've had in a long time. It was my first time on the decks in public in almost six months, and the first time I've played a set that was exclusively on CDs. Since a couple people have asked, here's what I played:

Time to Jak - A Guy Called Gerald
Magneto - Reference
Modus Operandy - Original Mix (Digital Only) - Roland M. Dill
D-Day - Original Mix - Marc Antona
Back - Original Mix - Ben Klock
Nebula - L.exx Aurel
Unbreakable - Exercise One Fragile Mix - Sweet N Candy
Hold My Hand - Dubfire Dub - UNKLE
Krook - Hugg & Pepp
Ask Your Druggist (Lutzenkirchen Remix) - Andreas Henneberg
Half Truth - Original Mix - Arne Michel
Beautiful Life - Gui Boratto

I hope to have a recorded version of this available in the next week or so.

I'm really looking forward to the upcoming Fuck Shit, Let's Dance (FSLD) on Friday, July 25th at Deco. it's going to be just me and the Lord Kook this time, and we're really, really gonna do the techno night we've always wanted to do. Sooooo, if you see stuff in here that you like, come check us out.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Event Review: Drunk and Horny v. Frisco Disco

This past Saturday the boyfriend, J, Kitty and I went out to wish Jeff and Gary good luck with the reconstitution of Drunk and Horny as a monthly, and then, on a whim, the boyfriend and I went over to The Transfer to check out the infamous Frisco Disco. It wasn’t quite what I expected, but was close enough in terms of vibe to Drunk and Horny that it did seem a bit familiar.

We arrived around midnight, and when we first came through the door Richie Panic was in the midst of a three track trip through the 80s that made me think we somehow had walked through a wormhole that had brought us back to Underground SF. I was in the bathroom, thinking that one drink’s worth of retro was about all I could take, when he switched up and made a run into the bloghouse/banger territory that I had expected. Over the course of the next hour we heard Feist’s “My Moon My Man (Boysnoize remix),” Justice’s “D.A.N.C.E. (Justice Remix),” and Kid Cudi’s “Day N’ Night (Crooker’s Remix)," which should give you a sense of the night's musical flavor (all trainspotting thanks to the boyfriend, btw).

Richie Panic is a laptop DJ and has a style that I have come to think of as typical for DJs who work in this medium, one that I characterize as brutalism. There are no long mixes; rather, he takes advantage of the ability to set cue points and have tracks start and stop on exact beats. The effect is of the tracks being spliced together in a continuous stream, rather than being mixed, where you hear perhaps two or three minutes of one track before another one starts, usually at a point that keeps the intensity and energy of the mix pretty high. The crowd was clearly into it, and in some ways it's appropriate to the banger genre; I refer to it as brutalism because it reminds me of the architectural style, which opted for the big, chunky and concrete over the subtle and organic, with an occasional gesture toward striking juxtapositions of form. I find this style of DJing to be a bit difficult to listen to over a long period of time, but there were plenty of happy dancers grooving along with Richie's set when we left around 1.30.

The crowd was pleasingly diverse, with lots of women and gay guys on the dancefloor, though it wasn’t quite as fabulous as the Myspace pictures would have led me to believe. Maybe this is because it was so damned dark in there, it was hard to tell what anyone what looked like, but it might also be because The Transfer, no matter how fab a party you bring to it, is still a dumpy dive of a bar, and it’s hard to not look like a dork standing there with a drink in your hand. Why the back room wasn’t open I have no idea, this certainly seemed to be a big enough crowd to warrent the opening of the second bar, and it would have made getting drinks a lot easier than dealing with bartenders who seemed more interested in doing shots with their friends than serving other patrons.

My overall impression is that Frisco Disco is sort of a straight version of Drunk and Horny, though with admittedly more contemporary music. It seemed like the kind of party where folks come because they want to drink some really poisonously strong potions, dance around to music that is pleasingly familiar, and feel a little naughty and edgy for a while. As for me, now that I’ve been there once, I don’t feel a real compelling need to go back (an opinion that might change should they ever move on from The Transfer), but you should definitely check it out for a glimpse into one of the reigning hipster dance scenes of the moment.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Your Saturday Guide for July 12, 2008

The big news this Saturday: The Return of Drunk and Horny at Underground SF!

Bistrotheque with Ken Vulsion at Cafe Flore
I've been remiss in not previously mentioning Ken Vulsion of Honey Sound System's Bistrotheque at Cafe Flore on Satuday evenings. A great place to go have a bite, warm up with a couple drinks, and groove along with Ken.
6PM - 12AM
NO COVER
Cafe Flore, 2298 Market Street x Noe

Frisco Disco at The Transfer
Is Frisco Disco still a'rockin? Check it out yourself and let me know what you think.
No cover listed
9.00PM - 2.00AM
The Transfer, Church at Market

Hot Mess at The Stud
A Gus Presents production with DJ Kidd Sysko spinning a little disco punk, a little hip-hop, and a lot of club. Check out the link to see his Top 20 and decide for yourself. I also hear there's baby oil wrestling.
10PM - 3AM
$5
The Stud, 9th x Harrison.

Monthlies and One-Offs

Drunk and Horny at UndergroundSF
The Legend returns as a monthly! With DJs Big Red and Sparky, visuals by iii, this time with a guaranteed afterparty.
10AM - 2AM
$5
UndergroundSF, 424 Haight x Webster

Cockblock at The Rickshaw Stop
Pop dance for lezzies and homos of all varieties with DJs Nuxx and Zax.
10PM - 2AM
$7
The Rickshaw Stop, 122 Fell x South Van Ness

Ferrari at Deco Lounge
Looking for a fix of class, trash, and disco? Then look no further than this fun hipster kid party that benefits West Add pirate radio. With DJs Primo, Nicky B., Conor, Nico, Jordan, and McVick.
10PM - 3AM
$5
Deco Lounge, 510 Larkin x Turk

Le Castlevania at Supperclub
I heard a bit of Le Castlevania waaaay back a year ago when he appeared at Lights Down Low, and I can definitely say that he's a real cutie, even if that night was otherwise a total bust. With support from Richard OH?!, Sleazemore, and Shane King.
9PM - 2AM
$10 if you wear a headband (um, yeah)
Supperclub, 657 Harrison Street x 3rd

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Your Friday Guide for July 11, 2008

Weeklies and Bar Nights

Cosmic Gypsy Happy Hour with DJ Mak at the W Hotel
Get your lounge groove on with DJ Mak in this swank hotel bar.
6PM - 8PM
NO COVER
W Hotel, 181 3rd Street x Howard

KillSwitch Happy Hour at UndergroundSF
Techno happy hour, this week with Worthy of Dirty Bird and Jason Kendig from Honey Soundsystem
.
6PM - 10PM
NO COVER
UndergroundSF, 424 Haight x Webster

The Jaded Gay DJ Recommends: Charlie Horse at the Cinch
Best place to go out and have a cheap drink while being entertained by drag queen antics. Music by DJ Dirty Knees and Bearzbub is more rock and new-wave oriented, but at least it won't interfere with your conversation. Check out my latest review of Charlie Horse at The Cinch.
9PM - close
NO COVER

The Jaded Gay DJ Recommends: Sick! at The Matador
A nice dive bar with techno tunes, a perfect place to start your night or to spend it. Residents D Spurlock, Jeffrey Allen, Jonathon Neil, Kuze, and Meekrob. Check out my review of Sick!
10PM - 2AM
FREE
Matador, 10 6th Street x Market

GhettoDisco at The EndUp
With residents Hawthorne, Jim Hopkins, Adrian, and Vince.
11PM - 11AM
FREE before midnight, $15 until 2AM, $20 after 2AM
The EndUp, 6th x Harrison

Bardot a Go-Go at The Rickshaw Stop
Parisian 60s pop with DJs Brother Grimm, Pink Frankenstein, and Cali Kid
9PM - 2AM
$10
The Rickshaw Stop, 122 Fell x South Van Ness

Monthlies and One-Offs

Lights Down Low at Club 222
With resident DJs Sleazemore and Rchrd OH!? and special guests. Check out my previous reviews of Lights Down Low.
10PM - 2AM
$7
Club 222, 222 Hyde Street x Turk

The Rod at Deco Lounge
I've warmed more to Bus Station John's retro disco since my initial review, but whether you'll be into it really depends on how you feel about late 70s and early 80s gay nostalgia. Check out my review of The Rod.
10PM - 4AM
FREE before 10PM, $5 After
Deco Lounge, 510 Larkin at Turk

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Boys Behaving Dangerously

When I was visiting my family in Charlottesville this past week I walked past a shop and saw a used book with an intriguing title: The Dangerous Book for Boys. Since I have a 10-year old nephew I’m trying to corrupt I of course had to have a look. It was a lot of the sort of thing you would have found in boy scout manuals thirty years ago, like how to kill and eat a rabbit, how to build a treehouse, how to build a simple battery, etc., but also with stories of adventure and famous battles. I bought it for him, and let him know at the same time that there’s lots of “dangerous” knowledge out there, and any time he had a question about something of that nature, he should ask me.

On Friday I flew back and immediately set out on a camping trip in the wilds outside Guerneville that was organized by the video artiste extraordinaire iii, a jaunt in the woods that made me think about how much every guy, gay or straight, craves a little adventure and dangerous behavior every now and then. We clambered on rocks and scraped our shins, dove into shallow pools, rode in the backs of pick-ups speeding along dirt trails, and ran around the woods at night under the influence of things that inspired a variety of visions. If we’d gotten bitten by a snake or broken a leg we would certainly have found ourselves in dire straits, but then it was the very process of courting risk that makes campouts, Burning Man, and underground parties so attractive in the first place.

I thought about this quite a bit during my DJ set, which featured some fairly aggro techno from folks like Andre Crom, Sweet n Candy, L.exx Aural and others played in gorgeous outdoor space looking out onto a riverside beach and soaring volcanic, earthquake-folded cliffs. One of our company started spinning a fire staff, and even purposely set the cuff of his board shorts on fire for a moment. I thought about all the rhetoric I’ve heard lately about how contemporary gay men are pale, emasculated versions of what they were in the 1970s, when we were a countercultural force to be reckoned with, and how the only way to recapture our true queer identity was through the turning back of the clock to an earlier era. I thought about this as I listened to the whoops and whistles from around the bonfire, watched guys entwined together on blankets, as the host came up to me and told me how wonderful the music was, and I thought, yeah, now that’s a complete load of horseshit.

It seems that our community, at least the part of it that claims to be “alternative,” has seized upon and is perpetuating an ideology, one that claims that things like gay marriage and gays in the military have ruined us, that worrying about things like inheritance rights for our partners have made us bourgeois and risk-adverse, and that sees the only path to redemption through a reclamation, which amounts to a fetishization, of the disco-era gay aesthetic, from its music to its porn to its fashion. And yet, what’s so radical about nostalgia? How does the constant reiteration of the past inspire anyone to anything new?

In my opinion, those twenty guys on the beach did more to advance an idea of radical gay identity, one that takes chances and engages with danger, than any retro-70s party has ever done. The fact that such things as gay marriage, or gays in the military, have become major components of gay civil rights had absolutely no effect on their desires for sex, danger, or self-realization, nor did the fact that many of them have their own partners, jobs, and complicated lives outside of that space. Rather than falling back to the stereotypes of the past, they created their own cultural moment, and their own relationship to it; that is the definition of cultural innovators, and anybody who tells you that the best time to have been a gay man, the time when we had the best culture, the best music, the best aesthetic, was over thirty years ago, is simply revealing themselves to be lacking in imagination. They are the conservative ones, the ones who are unwilling to take risks or court danger, the ones who depend on their predecessors for having made all the aesthetic choices for them. Well, I ask you, who would you rather spend your time with, those who will consistently tell you how pathetic we are in comparison with the past, or those who ask you to join them for some dangerous, truly radical fun?

Thursday, July 3, 2008

The Big Pride Recap

A week after Pride, I think I’ve finally managed to process most of the experience. I went into the weekend in a rather glum mood (let’s just say that I was experiencing some scene fatigue), and on the other side that mood still prevails, but at least has been tempered by some self-realization.

Our weekend started with Mr., and the most important thing I can say about that event is how much I truly enjoyed working with Joshua J from Big Top, David and Jose from Fag Fridays, and Juan from Beatbox Events. Producing Mr. with these guys really taught me some things; up to now my experience and aim as an event producer and DJ has been focused on small, underground events where a turnout of 300 is a huge success, so having the opportunity to see how real professionals put together an event on a much larger scale was really educational. I don’t think I nearly measure up to the caliber of these guys as promoters, but I hope to have the opportunity to work them further in the future - there is talk of bringing Mr. back for a repeat performance soon, as well as the possibility of a regular night.

On Saturday night, thanks to Sister Selma Soul, we got do our own set-up in the parking lot next to Magnet. We borrowed an awesome pair of QSC powered speakers and a Mackie sub from our friend Chris and really, really rocked 18th Street. This was my most gratifying Pride experience, since we were able to focus on just the music and the crowd responded with ecstatic enthusiasm. In a way Pink Saturday is like shooting fish in a barrel; you’ve already got a crowd that’s ready to party, and almost anything you play will attract people who are into it. You don’t need to worry about promotion, or the scene, or any of the other usual trappings that go with club nights, you can just get out there and play what you love. Lord Kook and I were both apprehensive about how people would respond to the techno we had in mind, and played, but in the end what really mattered was that it was fun music that was well-mixed, and we even had the guys working the recycling center asking us about tracks.

Sunday was really a blur for me; we were up at 10.30 for Lord Kook to play the Shadowplay stage at noon, and then most of the afternoon we spent backstage with DJ6, Donimo, and Candy and a random assortment of friends; by 8PM we were passing out on the couch after watching In Bruges.

When I look back at the two major events we participated in over the weekend, what I realize is that that, taken together, they showed me something about who I am in the scene, what I’m good at and what I’m not. I’ve lamented about the state of the San Francisco gay scene because I often feel profoundly alienated from it, and that has led to my trying to create something of my own. But, at the same time, I’ve often been depressed because more people don’t respond to that, that FSLD doesn’t get a bigger turnout, or we don’t get more attention. Though I’ve never wanted to really admit this, this is at least partially because I am so critical of the scene, that I don’t have the openness, or social savvy, to be a truly successful scenester. Instead, I’m really good at being an iconoclast, the type of person who might not really be very popular, but can at least attract a small following of fellow cranky heads. I can pick good music and mix it together pretty well, and I can make passable aesthetic judgments, but I’m not really a promoter. I think this means, that, moving into the future, I need to pay more attention to the people who are good promoters, and learn from them, if I want to be successful in that area, but that my strength will always be in smaller, more intimate situations where I can focus on the things I really feel good about, like musical innovation. I don’t know if this means any real practical difference moving forward – we will still try to get the best turnout that we can for FSLD, I’ll still try to be involved with the production of other events – but now I feel like I have a better idea of who I am in the scene, and what I can be proud of.

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

SFScene on Vacation!

Hey kids,

well, after the madness of Pride I got on a plane Monday morning at 11.30 to make my annual pilgrimage back to the homestead, and right now am writing this entry from the den of my parent's house in Charlottesville, VA. I'm back on Friday, but I'm taking a week off from the blog, so you're all on your own for figuring out what to do this long weekend. I'll have the Pride after action report ready soon, but meanwhile, talk among yourselves.