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 June 30, 2007

Pride was just last week and already things are getting crazy again, with Burning Man fundraisers and all-night techno parties, oh my!

Weeklies and Bar Nights

Spunk
This new party at The Cinch features "electro-burlesque," "filthy go-go boys" and "circus acts." Well, that's quite a bit of entertainment right there. With DJ Malakai, I believe that they're going for an electro groove, and this is a fun place to hang out on the Polkstrasse, so go check it out for something different.
9PM - Close (whatever that means)
No cover listed
The Cinch, 1723 Polk between Clay and Washington

Drunk and Horny
Sorta like those high school parties you'd wished you'd had. Get drunk, flirt with boys, and dance to good-time party standards. Reliable, easy-going, and a short stumble home. Check out my review of Drunk and Horny.
$5
9PMish - 2.00AM (with maybe an afterparty)
Underground SF, 424 Haight Street x Webster

Frisco Disco at The Transfer
This night just recently started up and I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but with tunes provided by the likes of Jefrodesiac and Richie Panic, and Lady Meleksah as the cruise director, there's some great potential for a good time. This Saturday is even Richie Panic's birthday!
No cover listed
9.00PM - 2.00AM
The Transfer, Church at Market

Monthlies and One-Offs

Filter SF at Fat City
Another monthly installment of techno from the Bay Area Beat Drop crew, this time featuring Joel Mull and Seth Troxler. Marke B. of the San Francisco Bay Guardian told me that the last one was off the hook, so I'm going to try and see for myself what these kids are up to.
$15 before 11PM, $20 after, $10 after 2AM
9.30 - 6.00AM
Fat City, 314 11th Street at Folsom

Opulent Temple Fundraiser "Audible from Space" at DNA Lounge
Tonight Opulent Temple goes trance and techno with two rooms at the DNA, bringing in the likes of Syd Gris, Dutch, Atum, Sentient, and Spesh.
$10 in playa gear, $15 otherwise
10.00PM - 6.30ish AM
DNA Lounge, 375 11th Street (if you don't dig it there's FilterSF right down the street, and vice-versa)

Deep End Fundraiser at The End Up
For all the house afficianados this is definitely the place to be tonight. If you don't catch Syd Gris at Opulent Temple maybe you can catch him here, along with Aaron Pope, Shooey, and many others.
$15
10.00PM - NOON! on Sunday (Jesus Christ people, what ARE you on?)
The End Up, Sixth at Harrison

The Grind at The Cat Club
Here's your gay guys dancing with their shirts off option. The Cat Club is a fun space, and guest Sam Labelle is the owner of Soundworks. I heard Sam DJ at the now-defunct Detour a couple times and he definitely goes for a harder, grittier beat. Sean Greene is resident, I only heard him once at Dirty when it was at The Stud - pretty standard diva tribal house.
$10 before 11, $15 after
10.00PM - "late"
The Cat Club, 1990 Folsom at 8th

Your Weekend Guide for Memorial Day Weekend

Okay kids, yours truly is heading out of town with the boyfriend this weekend, our destination being one of those fabled places known to small groups of Burners and other freaks, site of so many lovely times I cannot possibly enumerate them all here, but suffice to say there will much romping and fun amongst the tall trees. I'll tell you all about it when I get back.

Since I'm headed out tomorrow I'm making a nice, concise, all-in-one place weekend guide for you all this time. There aren't that many super-spectacular things happening because, I guess, most people are getting the hell out of town for a couple days, but there are definitely some things for you all having a staycation to enjoy. And here we go . . .

Friday

The Jaded Gay DJ Recommends: Lights Down Low at Club 222: Disco Prom
This installment features a live performance from local 'lectrodisco phenoms Luxxury. Five bucks, swell space, fun kids, what the hell more do you want on a Friday night? Check out my previous review of Lights Down Low.

Starfucker at Deco Lounge
If you really have to go to a gay night, then why not go to one in probably the best club in the 'Loin? $5 all night.

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 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. Free, with strong drinks!

Saturday

No recommendation for Saturday since I've not checked out either of these events, but if I was in town I surely would go to one or the other, depending on whether I felt like hanging out with techno kids or sweaty gay guys.

The Grind at The Cat Club
Okay, it's the usual deal: booze sponsorships, Gloss magazine, Matt Consola. But it's at The Cat Club, a great space with a convenient location. And who knows, maybe it'll turn into something different than the standard line of Gus Presents-type events. $10 before 11, $15 after.

FilterSF at Fat City
Yeah, I know, I've not been too crazy about the stuff I've been hearing from/about the Bay Area Beat Drop crew, but here's an all-night techno party right in the heart of SoMa with [a]pendics.shuffle and Someone Else. $15 before 11 w/out RSVP, $20 after. Hit 'em up for an RSVP, get in early for free, and party your ass off until the golden light of Sunday morning.

That's it my lovelies, go forth and party, and if you have fun, or even a crappy time, at any of these events, drop me an email and tell me all about it!

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 for May 5, 2007

It’s Cinco de Mayo, which means lots of gringos drinking too much tequila and Corona and acting like Mexico’s independence from Spain is just another excuse for them to behave like imperialist caricatures of people from a developing nation. Oh well, that’s just us crazy Americans.

Kind of a slow Saturday, as I assume everyone is saving their energy for How Weird Street Faire afterparties on Sunday.

The Jaded Gay DJ Recommends: HOUSE OF LOTUS Cinco de Mayo Burning Man Fundraiser
Yes, they encourage you to dress up like a cowboy and behave in deplorable ways, but there’s a great DJ line-up and an underground location (I’m not even supposed to be posting this for public consumption, but what the hell, it’s not like that many people will see it here anyway).
10PM to 6AM
$15 pre-sales from http://cinco.eventbrite.com, $20 at the door
Secret Underground Location available at www.houseoflotus.com on Friday

Kontrol at the End-Up featuring live sets from Stephen Beaupre and Ambivalent
Your monthly offering of “minimal techno and avant house” with the boys from Kontrol at one of the best clubs in town (though watch out for that security pat-down)
10PM to 6AM
$15 at the door
The EndUp, 6th and Harrison

Tabu at the Sky Bar
Okay, I put this up for completeness only, because every bit of communication I see coming from these kids is managing to piss me off. This is the same crew, Bay Area Beat Drop (BABD), that does Fuk Werk Fridays happy hour (check out my review) at 111 Minna and filterSF at Fat City, so ostensibly they're a minimal techno collective. So far every one of their flyers has featured a NSFW image of a mostly naked woman (seriously, I’m afraid to look at their Myspace page at work), they describe their music as “sultry and teasing,” they have an annoying Flash site, this event says “No old jeans or t-shirts,” and they want you to pay $15 before midnight, $20 after, and apparently this isn’t even the main room for this club, but you can see through the floor to the main room, where they play hip-hop. So, if anybody has been or plans on going to this party, please hit me back and let me know what it was like so I can decide if I should keep listing it. Somehow I think this is techno for the bottle service crowd, which is a big turn-off for this jaded gay DJ and, I hope, you all as well. It’s also pretty bad when you can’t even list the address for the club where you’re having your party on your own damn website (and if you want your browser window to open at a normal size, be sure to clear your cache after looking at this Flash monstrosity).
10PM to 2AM(?)
Free before 11 with RSVP to tabu@babd.org, $15 before 11, $20 after midnight
520 4th Street