Event Review: Low End Saturday at The Retox Lounge

If you could pick up The Retox Lounge and set it down in, say, Hayes Valley, and you had Low End Saturday as your main draw, you'd have a club night that would be so crowded you probably couldn't get through the doors. As it is, the remote location of the club, along with its somewhat schizophrenic approach to music booking, keeps a night that has everything going for it - nice ambience, good music, strong drinks - from blowing up the way it should.

After our terrible Friday night experience the boyfriend and I really wanted to just go out, have some drinks with friends, and chill. Since we were able to convince our friend J and his boyfriend to come out with us, we had access to a car, so we elected to check out the Low End Saturday monthly thrown by the Bay Area Beat Drop kids at The Retox, which is waaaaaay out at the end of 20th Street at the corner of 20th and Illinois. Don't be suprised that you don't know where this is, because there is absolutely nothing in the vicinity, though it's only two blocks from the new T-Third rail line.

The Retox is a pretty basic box of a bar, though it's furnished with comfy seating up front - during weekdays I'm sure it must do pretty well with a happy hour crowd from surrounding businesses. To our surprise it also has a downstairs, where we found a blues band in full sweat, but we had to pay a $5 cover if we wanted to hang out down there. Instead we got drinks upstairs and perched ourselves on some lounge seating. For the better part of an hour we seemed to be the only patrons who weren't somehow associated with BABD, aside from the folks who went straight down to the blues room. Kontakt was on the decks and I really enjoyed his set of deep, occasionally dark, minimal techno - the boyfriend found it a bit too abstract at times for his taste, but every time I came to a pause in my conversation I found myself being drawn back into listening to the music, and I would have happily sat at the bar all by my lonesome for a couple hours and have done just that.

We hung out for about two hours, and though there were a few more folks who came in, I don't think there were ever more than about twenty people in the whole upstairs. By booking in bands for the basement that have absolutely nothing in common with techno, the bar management is effectively dooming this night for BABD - they need to get their sound exposed to a larger group of people who will appreciate it, and that sure isn't going to be the kind of crowd that worships bands with three guitarists. And, unfortunately, with so many other things going on in places that are more easily accessed by those without motor vehicles, it's hard to make the case for schlepping out to a bar in the hinterlands - the music is great, but there needs to be more energy to make this a worthwhile evening's destination. If BABD could join forces with another techno or electro group that could take over the basement space for the evening, I think they could have a killer upstairs chill/downstairs dance party that would bring out a bigger crowd, get them more of the exposure that they deserve, and maybe make the case that it's worth taking the trouble to go off the beaten path every now and then to discover something new and innovative. I wish BABD good luck with Low End Saturdays, they certainly deserve it, but I don't fancy their chances with the current situation.

Your Saturday Guide for May 12, 2007

Oh, the jaded gay DJ will be taking flight early on Sunday morning for a thrilling (thrilling, I tell you) professional conference next week, so it's probably going to be a quiet night of doing laundry and packing. But for you, oh my readers, there are other options:

The Jaded Gay DJ Recommends: Doin' It in the Park: Techno Picnic in Golden Gate Park
From noon until sunset in Golden Gate Park's George Washington Grove, 25th at MLK
There will be a grill, a George W. pinata to beat the stuffing out of, and beats provided by IXD (Bayunderground.com),Farzana, J Moody (Chicago), TomKat (Subversive Soundz), DJ Razvan (Bassaholics Anonymous), KAWA (People Muver), James Bass (Bassaholics Anonymous), dcoy (Bassaholics Anonymous). I will definitely be there to check it out, and I bet there will be afterparty action as well.

Bay Area Beatdrop presents Low End Saturday at the Retox Lounge
You read about them in this week's SuperEgo column in the SFBG, now go check them in out in a cozy Potrero bar. But be careful about opening their myspace link if you're at work.

Space Elevator: Psytrance Underground Burning Man Fundraiser
A little all-night psytrance warehouse action with veterans of the CCC, Kode IV, and my buddy Sentient. You wanna know more, you gotta go to Ceiba Records (1364 Haight) and buy a ticket.

Marke B. Interviews Bay Area Beat Drop

Over at the SFBG site SuperEgo columnist Marke B. gives the Bay Area Beat Drop crew (filterSF, FUK Werk Fridays, Low End Saturday, Tabu Sky Bar) a couple column inches. Funny, to read this you'd think nobody else in this city was doing techno, or all night parties (hello, Kontrol, I'm here!), at least according to DJ Solekandi. I guess I'll have to check a party by these kids out soon, but all those sultry women on their flyers are kind of a turn-off for boys like me. See, for example, my comments in last week's Your Saturday Guide about the Tabu Sky Bar flyer and information (and their crappy Flash-driven website).

Your Saturday Guide

Seems a little quiet this weekend, but two events coming up look promising.

Low End Saturday
Brought to you by Bay Area Beatdrop, some of the same crew involved with the FUK Werk Fridays at 111 Minna, which guarantees some decent minimal techno. At the Retox lounge on 20th Street over in Potrero, a spot I've not visited but heard good things about. Best part: NO COVER!

Activate! with Kontrol DJs and Broker/Dealer
This is where the boyfriend and I plan to spend our evening. Kontrol DJs Alland Byallo and Nikola Baytalla will be appearing with local minimal techno duo Broker/Dealer. The Deco Lounge at Turk and Larkin is a super-cool space with three floors, a back patio area, and much, much less club baggage than the End-Up, if you know what I mean. It's a cheap $5 to get in with proceeds to benefit West ADD Radio 97.3.