After going to see The Unborn on Friday night (surely one of the most ridiculous movies in recent memory - the boyfriend has agreed that I get to pick the next couple movies after he suggested The Unborn and Lifeforce in the same weekend), the boyfriend and I walked two blocks over to Mezzanine, where the Dirty Bird 4th Year Anniversary party was getting underway. It was 100% improvement over last year's anniversary bash, simply because it was in a larger space with a much better (meaning, not deafening) sound system and I didn't have to endure Khia's "My Neck, My Back."
My general take on the Dirty Bird sound is that it has become more assured and less dependent on some of the more gimmicky elements of their early releases. You can still hear the ghetto-tech influences, and there are occasional cartoonish moments when it sounds like the carnival coming into town, but I was impressed with the overall deeper vibe of the tracks. The boyfriend pointed out that they still seem to depend on a tribal 1-5 beat, and all the rhythm action happens in the bass, but in the two sets we heard (the Martin brothers, I believe), there were some really great grooves that kept me on the dancefloor for a long while.
The crowd was good - we ran into a couple gay boys of our acquaintance, and my gaydar registered some hits on the dancefloor, but this party was much more about the Dirty Bird loyalists and hipsters who have been following them since their first parties in Golden Gate Park. Unlike last year's party at Mighty there were far fewer cocktail dresses and guys wearing bad cologne, and no fights! It was a huge turnout by the time we left at 1.30 (I was feeling poorly and woke up on Saturday with a 103.5 degree fever), and I was really thrilled to see the Dirtybird kids enjoying their well-deserved success as one of San Francisco's most interesting and exciting new labels.
Showing posts with label Mezzanine. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mezzanine. Show all posts
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Upcoming Event: Dirty Bird 4 Year at Mezzanine, Friday January 9
Four years of success for one of San Francisco's most-recognized techno/tech-house/ghetto-tech labels, and I'm glad to see that they took my suggestion from last year's anniversary party (ha!) to move to Mezzanine, a much better space all around than Mighty.
Thursday, July 24, 2008
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
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
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
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
10PM - "late"
$16 presales at Urban Outfitters and Mezzanine Box Office, $20 at the door
Mezzanine, 444 Jessie Street x Mint
Monday, April 14, 2008
Event Review: Timo Maas with Hercules & Love Affair and Honey Sound System at Mezzanine
Timo Maas with Hercules & Love Affair and Honey Sound System had the strangest vibe of any club event I've attended recently, but I had a great time dancing to Maas' set, and he is showing a definite evolution toward a techno-influenced sound.
The strangeness of the vibe came from what felt like two separate parties going on in the same space; during the DJ set from Hercules & Love Affair there were lots of toga-clad gay boys on the dancefloor who immediately retreated to the upstairs lounge where the Honey Sound System DJs were playing when Maas came on. Some of the advertising for the night (including some that was up in Mezzanine's bathroom) made it seem as if Hercules & Love Affair were the headliners for the night, with Timo Maas' name in tiny letters down next to the address for Mezzanine, and these partygoers seemed to think that was the case as well. As a fan of Timo Maas I must admit that this bugged me, since Hercules and Love Affair have released exactly one album and two singles in their year of existence, where Timo Maas has been a headlining DJ for over fifteen years, released five albums of his own material and DJ mixes with contributions from artists like Nenah Cherry and Brian Molko, and remixed the likes of Madonna, Depeche Mode, Moloko, Tori Amos, and Jamiroquai. I assume that this was an attempt to promote the event more directly to a gay audience, with the assumption that no one who was into Hercules and Love Affair would also be into Timo Maas, but I also have it on very good authority that Timo Maas is gay (consider the lyrics he wrote for "Pictures" if you doubt this, and the fact that he has performed at the Community Dance stage at SF Pride), so you'd think that if the marketing was all about the sexuality of the performer, Maas would have gotten a tiny bit more respect than he did. I'll resist my usual tendency to over-analyze what I think was behind all this, as well as the exodus that took place when Maas came on, and just say that it happened, I was disappointed that it happened, and that I think Maas should have been given just a little bit more respect for his contributions to the world of dance music.
I didn't catch that much of the DJ set from Hercules and Love Affair (which was really just Andy Butler), but what I did I felt was pretty "eh." Granted, I wasn't particularly pre-disposed toward liking it to start with, but what Butler served up was a pretty standard foray into disco house that, in terms of flow, struck me as very muddled, and, in terms of programming, was what I have come to expect as standard gay DJ material. I also have to say that, after the Joakim party I went to a couple months ago, I've become very leery of these producers-touring-as-DJs; if someone is a big producer, then when I go out to hear them I want to hear their material performed, and if I want to go dance to a DJ, then I'll go to hear someone I know as a DJ. As with Joakim and other producers, the problem seems to be that the original material doesn't travel outside of the studio, since most of it is assembled on a computer anyway, so the only way to "tour" is as a DJ, which generally means just playing a bunch of tracks that you like. In Butler's case he does have the experience of having DJed parties for Chocolate Thunder Pussy in Denver, so he his transitions were clean (if rather sudden, I didn't hear much in the way of mixing going on) and his tempos matched, but if you didn't know anything about the success of Hercules and Love Affair in the bloghaus scene you might have wondered what all the fuss was about.
Maas' set started off a bit weak for my taste, but by the time we'd gone out for a smoke and come back it had built into a steady groove that kept us moving for more than an hour straight. There were a couple odd programming choices, as when he dropped in a vocal track toward the beginning of his set that completely changed the vibe, and then again around the 2.30 mark when he downshifted rather abruptly, but overall it was a smooth, seamless journey. He's moved away from the breakbeat rhythms of the Pictures album, and way away from the progressive approach of Music for the Maases, to embrace the steady burn of techno, though in his track selection you can still hear the very synthetic sounds I associate with deeper trance. Our only complaint was that he seemed a bit detached from the dancefloor, chatting with people up in the booth and not really tweaking around with the tracks, though the dancers who were there were quite enthusiastic about his set. My main thought for the evening was that it was nice to go out and hear someone who takes a real old-skool approach to DJing, who is a master of the long mix and can keep a steady energy flow on the dancefloor, who is up there behind the decks not because that's a constraint imposed upon him, but because it's where he creates his art. I hope that, if Maas comes back to San Francisco in the near future, a few more people might come to hear what he's up to, not because of whatever scene he's associated with or his sexuality, but because they want to be moved by world-class DJ and producer who is always ready to bring something new to the dancefloor.
The strangeness of the vibe came from what felt like two separate parties going on in the same space; during the DJ set from Hercules & Love Affair there were lots of toga-clad gay boys on the dancefloor who immediately retreated to the upstairs lounge where the Honey Sound System DJs were playing when Maas came on. Some of the advertising for the night (including some that was up in Mezzanine's bathroom) made it seem as if Hercules & Love Affair were the headliners for the night, with Timo Maas' name in tiny letters down next to the address for Mezzanine, and these partygoers seemed to think that was the case as well. As a fan of Timo Maas I must admit that this bugged me, since Hercules and Love Affair have released exactly one album and two singles in their year of existence, where Timo Maas has been a headlining DJ for over fifteen years, released five albums of his own material and DJ mixes with contributions from artists like Nenah Cherry and Brian Molko, and remixed the likes of Madonna, Depeche Mode, Moloko, Tori Amos, and Jamiroquai. I assume that this was an attempt to promote the event more directly to a gay audience, with the assumption that no one who was into Hercules and Love Affair would also be into Timo Maas, but I also have it on very good authority that Timo Maas is gay (consider the lyrics he wrote for "Pictures" if you doubt this, and the fact that he has performed at the Community Dance stage at SF Pride), so you'd think that if the marketing was all about the sexuality of the performer, Maas would have gotten a tiny bit more respect than he did. I'll resist my usual tendency to over-analyze what I think was behind all this, as well as the exodus that took place when Maas came on, and just say that it happened, I was disappointed that it happened, and that I think Maas should have been given just a little bit more respect for his contributions to the world of dance music.
I didn't catch that much of the DJ set from Hercules and Love Affair (which was really just Andy Butler), but what I did I felt was pretty "eh." Granted, I wasn't particularly pre-disposed toward liking it to start with, but what Butler served up was a pretty standard foray into disco house that, in terms of flow, struck me as very muddled, and, in terms of programming, was what I have come to expect as standard gay DJ material. I also have to say that, after the Joakim party I went to a couple months ago, I've become very leery of these producers-touring-as-DJs; if someone is a big producer, then when I go out to hear them I want to hear their material performed, and if I want to go dance to a DJ, then I'll go to hear someone I know as a DJ. As with Joakim and other producers, the problem seems to be that the original material doesn't travel outside of the studio, since most of it is assembled on a computer anyway, so the only way to "tour" is as a DJ, which generally means just playing a bunch of tracks that you like. In Butler's case he does have the experience of having DJed parties for Chocolate Thunder Pussy in Denver, so he his transitions were clean (if rather sudden, I didn't hear much in the way of mixing going on) and his tempos matched, but if you didn't know anything about the success of Hercules and Love Affair in the bloghaus scene you might have wondered what all the fuss was about.
Maas' set started off a bit weak for my taste, but by the time we'd gone out for a smoke and come back it had built into a steady groove that kept us moving for more than an hour straight. There were a couple odd programming choices, as when he dropped in a vocal track toward the beginning of his set that completely changed the vibe, and then again around the 2.30 mark when he downshifted rather abruptly, but overall it was a smooth, seamless journey. He's moved away from the breakbeat rhythms of the Pictures album, and way away from the progressive approach of Music for the Maases, to embrace the steady burn of techno, though in his track selection you can still hear the very synthetic sounds I associate with deeper trance. Our only complaint was that he seemed a bit detached from the dancefloor, chatting with people up in the booth and not really tweaking around with the tracks, though the dancers who were there were quite enthusiastic about his set. My main thought for the evening was that it was nice to go out and hear someone who takes a real old-skool approach to DJing, who is a master of the long mix and can keep a steady energy flow on the dancefloor, who is up there behind the decks not because that's a constraint imposed upon him, but because it's where he creates his art. I hope that, if Maas comes back to San Francisco in the near future, a few more people might come to hear what he's up to, not because of whatever scene he's associated with or his sexuality, but because they want to be moved by world-class DJ and producer who is always ready to bring something new to the dancefloor.
Monday, April 7, 2008
Upcoming Event: Timo Maas with Hercules & Love Affair and Honey Sound System at Mezzanine, Friday April 11
From some of the flyers I've seen you'd think that Hercules & Love Affair were the headliners for this event, and while I'm certain they hold higher stature in the minds of some than Timo Maas, I think it would be a serious mistake to underestimate just what the man will be bringing to Mezzanine on Friday night. It's been a while since I heard anything new from Timo, but "Pictures," with Brian Molko of Placebo, was one of the scariest, sexiest tracks I've heard in a long while, and the fact that it was about boy-on-boy action (no matter how depraved), made it stand leagues above the pop dross being spun by his contemporaries, and "First Day," remixed by the likes of Adam Freeland, gave dance floors a much-needed dose of revolutionary sentiment. "Music for the Maases 2," arguably his best dance mix, shows a DJ who is willing to tread into darker, harder territory than label mate Paul Oakenfold, and I've anxiously been waiting for him to appear someplace other than Ruby Skye for a long time. So, get there early to check out Hercules & Love Affair, go get gay groovy with the boys from Honey Sound System upstairs, but don't miss out on what is sure to be an interesting set from Timo Maas.
Monday, December 3, 2007
Event Review: Paradise All-Night Disco Party at Mezzanine
After a quick couple drinks at The Cinch to celebrate Juanita Fajita's birthday, the boyfriend and I headed out to the Paradise All-Night Disco Party at Mezzanine to meet up with our friends Jovino and Mermaid, two dedicated disco junkie DJs. The party didn't convert me to actually liking disco, which I still consider to be, at best, nostalgia music, but it was a fun, light-hearted time that did showcase some of our local DJs like Robot Hustle and Bus Station John in their element and putting some forth of their best efforts that I have heard so far.
Judging from the line when we arrived, and the fact that the coat check "sold out," Paradise was obviously the party of choice for most of San Francisco's clubbers. It was definitely crowded at 12.30 when Escort came on to perform, but there was still plenty of room to dance, and the crowd was among the most easy-going I've run into in a while. They were also among the best-dressed; though there were some interpretations of classic disco with fros, shades, and leisure jackets that bordered on the tragic, there were plenty of other party-goers who decided that disco fashion could have its own contemporary interpretation, as long as it was bright and sparkely. I saw and talked to a fair number of gay scenesters, including Leo Herrera, Dee Jay Pee Play (who told me he had just been reading about the original New York disco scene that morning and was feeling completely high from this re-creation of it), and Marke B. of the Bay Guardian, but overall the crowd was pretty mixed; I would have liked to have seen a few more gay boys, but I enjoyed the diversity of the scene, consisting as it did of people who seemed much more focused on having a good time than about how they were going to pick up.
The music was better than I expected, but there were also moments when the campy kitsch aspect of tracks like "Funkytown" (as the boyfriend said later, "there's no excuse for Funkytown") had the effect of bringing me out of whatever un-selfconscious enjoyment I was having and making me think that I had wandered into Polly Esther's Culture Club. The DJs in the main room did a technically OK job of mixing it together; there were some glitches, but some consideration also needs to be made for the fact that these tracks weren't constructed for mixing, and there's often so much treble and just plain noise in their mastering that you practically need an audio engineering degree to figure out how to put them together. I realized that this is one of the things about classic disco that bothers me, and why I sometimes rather like the newer interpretations of it from artists like Lindstrom or Prinz Thomas - the old stuff just sounds sonically bad. I think this is also why I don't really like dancing to it; though you could argue that its "the original dance music," I have a lot harder time finding the beat that I like, since the bass component is often muddied up and buried under the high-end of horns and strings.
Escort, the 18-piece disco orchestra from Brooklyn, put on a great but seemingly short show - they started a half hour late, and I don't think they were on the stage for more than half an hour. All I can say is, any band that has both a string and horn section is worth checking out to see how they bring it all together, and Escort was super tight.
My big surprise for the evening was Bus Station John's set in the upper room. First, BSJ has really tightened up on his mixing since I heard him last; this time he was even wearing headphones. Rather than trying to deal with the multitude of issues around mixing disco, he took the simple approach of just making sure everything started and stopped on a beat at the beginning and end of it a measure, and it all went together very well with a sustained energy. His programming was also much better than in the main room; there's no question that the man really knows his stuff when it comes to the rare groove disco, and his selections on this night, in that space with that crowd, made it all sound very fresh. I realized that, taken out of the context of a gay club, where disco feels like regressive nostalgia for the pre-AIDS era, it was much easier for me to get into it, tired though I was, because I could just take it as fun dance music, rather than being thrown into critical reflections on what it means for that music to be played in that kind of scene. It's still not my first choice for dance music, and it will always rile up the punk in me, and the contarian Futurist who believes that the present should be about the future, not the past (wow, that's deep), but BSJ's set made me realize that there are ways in which I can enjoy this music as long as it's not coming with too much baggage or reactionary statements about contemporary dance culture attached to it. So, good job Bus Station John, you got this cranky critic to change his mind just a little bit on something.
We left around 2.30, having stayed rather longer than I thought we would. Though there were moments in which Paradise felt just a bit too campy for me to take it as anything more than a rather safe excuse for otherwise conservative San Franciscans to dress up and "party," there were also moments where I wished that the vibe engendered over the course of the night, one that was sexy, fun, and smiling, could be brought as easily to other parties that feature contemporary dance music.
Judging from the line when we arrived, and the fact that the coat check "sold out," Paradise was obviously the party of choice for most of San Francisco's clubbers. It was definitely crowded at 12.30 when Escort came on to perform, but there was still plenty of room to dance, and the crowd was among the most easy-going I've run into in a while. They were also among the best-dressed; though there were some interpretations of classic disco with fros, shades, and leisure jackets that bordered on the tragic, there were plenty of other party-goers who decided that disco fashion could have its own contemporary interpretation, as long as it was bright and sparkely. I saw and talked to a fair number of gay scenesters, including Leo Herrera, Dee Jay Pee Play (who told me he had just been reading about the original New York disco scene that morning and was feeling completely high from this re-creation of it), and Marke B. of the Bay Guardian, but overall the crowd was pretty mixed; I would have liked to have seen a few more gay boys, but I enjoyed the diversity of the scene, consisting as it did of people who seemed much more focused on having a good time than about how they were going to pick up.
The music was better than I expected, but there were also moments when the campy kitsch aspect of tracks like "Funkytown" (as the boyfriend said later, "there's no excuse for Funkytown") had the effect of bringing me out of whatever un-selfconscious enjoyment I was having and making me think that I had wandered into Polly Esther's Culture Club. The DJs in the main room did a technically OK job of mixing it together; there were some glitches, but some consideration also needs to be made for the fact that these tracks weren't constructed for mixing, and there's often so much treble and just plain noise in their mastering that you practically need an audio engineering degree to figure out how to put them together. I realized that this is one of the things about classic disco that bothers me, and why I sometimes rather like the newer interpretations of it from artists like Lindstrom or Prinz Thomas - the old stuff just sounds sonically bad. I think this is also why I don't really like dancing to it; though you could argue that its "the original dance music," I have a lot harder time finding the beat that I like, since the bass component is often muddied up and buried under the high-end of horns and strings.
Escort, the 18-piece disco orchestra from Brooklyn, put on a great but seemingly short show - they started a half hour late, and I don't think they were on the stage for more than half an hour. All I can say is, any band that has both a string and horn section is worth checking out to see how they bring it all together, and Escort was super tight.
My big surprise for the evening was Bus Station John's set in the upper room. First, BSJ has really tightened up on his mixing since I heard him last; this time he was even wearing headphones. Rather than trying to deal with the multitude of issues around mixing disco, he took the simple approach of just making sure everything started and stopped on a beat at the beginning and end of it a measure, and it all went together very well with a sustained energy. His programming was also much better than in the main room; there's no question that the man really knows his stuff when it comes to the rare groove disco, and his selections on this night, in that space with that crowd, made it all sound very fresh. I realized that, taken out of the context of a gay club, where disco feels like regressive nostalgia for the pre-AIDS era, it was much easier for me to get into it, tired though I was, because I could just take it as fun dance music, rather than being thrown into critical reflections on what it means for that music to be played in that kind of scene. It's still not my first choice for dance music, and it will always rile up the punk in me, and the contarian Futurist who believes that the present should be about the future, not the past (wow, that's deep), but BSJ's set made me realize that there are ways in which I can enjoy this music as long as it's not coming with too much baggage or reactionary statements about contemporary dance culture attached to it. So, good job Bus Station John, you got this cranky critic to change his mind just a little bit on something.
We left around 2.30, having stayed rather longer than I thought we would. Though there were moments in which Paradise felt just a bit too campy for me to take it as anything more than a rather safe excuse for otherwise conservative San Franciscans to dress up and "party," there were also moments where I wished that the vibe engendered over the course of the night, one that was sexy, fun, and smiling, could be brought as easily to other parties that feature contemporary dance music.
Monday, October 15, 2007
Event Review: Fujiya and Miyagi at Mezzanine
After a week that included having to get up at 5AM twice, and driving back and forth to San Jose three times, I was not particularly enthusiastic about going to the Fujiya and Miyagi show at Mezzanine this past Friday, but it was one of those things that the boyfriend really wanted to do (and had already bought tickets for), so I managed to rouse up a little extra energy simply for the sake of domestic tranquility. And a good thing, too, because F&M was one of the absolute best shows I've seen in a long while.
Despite any impression given by their name, Fujiya and Miyagi are three British guys playing electronics, guitar, and bass. During the show I had a hard time putting my finger on exactly who they reminded me of - there were quirky literate lyrics and quirky lead singer gestures that put me in mind of The Talking Heads, but then there were swirly and droney electronic moments that made me think of Joy Division , followed by some just crazy keyboard/guitar/bass rock-outs. I picked up a copy of their latest 12" featuring the tracks Ankle Injuries (remixed by Adam Freeland), and Electro Karoake, and when I played it at home on Sunday I was immediately put in mind of Stereo Lab. So, think literate quirkly lyrics, swirly prog psychedelic electronic noises, and traditional rock band instrumentation and rock outs, and you've got F&M. My favorite tracks of the night were Cassette Single (which I heard released as a KEXP Song of the Day), and their encore closer, Electro Karaoke. They played one new track that really whetted out appetite for the next album.
The crowd was one of the best I've come across in San Francisco in a while - I can't remember the last time I've had some many random, friendly interactions. Many people were obvious fans, singing along with the tracks, and everybody in the front of the house (with the exception of two really stiff gay guys) was dancing along. It was a big enough crowd to make you feel that you were at a real event, but it was still easy to get a drink and find enough space to move your arms and hips.
I left the show feeling more jazzed about hearing a band than I have since I heard Cloud Cult lo many months ago (but the crowd at that show left a bitter taste in my mouth). The boyfriend had such a good time that he even got a little drunk, and for something to have brought him to that point, you know it had to be good.
Opening for F&M were Project Jenny Project Jan, a duo of MC and electronics (both guys, keeping up with the night's theme of confusing band names) straight out of Brooklyn who gave us some great raps and visuals backed by various funky ethno and classic dance beats (I swear one track had the rhythm of the samba). Good fun.
If you have a chance to see Fujiya and Miyagi, definitely check it out. I will be watching with anticipation for their next San Francisco appearance.
Despite any impression given by their name, Fujiya and Miyagi are three British guys playing electronics, guitar, and bass. During the show I had a hard time putting my finger on exactly who they reminded me of - there were quirky literate lyrics and quirky lead singer gestures that put me in mind of The Talking Heads, but then there were swirly and droney electronic moments that made me think of Joy Division , followed by some just crazy keyboard/guitar/bass rock-outs. I picked up a copy of their latest 12" featuring the tracks Ankle Injuries (remixed by Adam Freeland), and Electro Karoake, and when I played it at home on Sunday I was immediately put in mind of Stereo Lab. So, think literate quirkly lyrics, swirly prog psychedelic electronic noises, and traditional rock band instrumentation and rock outs, and you've got F&M. My favorite tracks of the night were Cassette Single (which I heard released as a KEXP Song of the Day), and their encore closer, Electro Karaoke. They played one new track that really whetted out appetite for the next album.
The crowd was one of the best I've come across in San Francisco in a while - I can't remember the last time I've had some many random, friendly interactions. Many people were obvious fans, singing along with the tracks, and everybody in the front of the house (with the exception of two really stiff gay guys) was dancing along. It was a big enough crowd to make you feel that you were at a real event, but it was still easy to get a drink and find enough space to move your arms and hips.
I left the show feeling more jazzed about hearing a band than I have since I heard Cloud Cult lo many months ago (but the crowd at that show left a bitter taste in my mouth). The boyfriend had such a good time that he even got a little drunk, and for something to have brought him to that point, you know it had to be good.
Opening for F&M were Project Jenny Project Jan, a duo of MC and electronics (both guys, keeping up with the night's theme of confusing band names) straight out of Brooklyn who gave us some great raps and visuals backed by various funky ethno and classic dance beats (I swear one track had the rhythm of the samba). Good fun.
If you have a chance to see Fujiya and Miyagi, definitely check it out. I will be watching with anticipation for their next San Francisco appearance.
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