SUPER EGO Warm and fuzzy-edged highlights of the past week or so: dancing to ’80s hip-house pioneer Tyree Cooper in the apse of St. John the Evangelist church in the Mission last Sunday, yes the actual church, where many a rave was thrown in the ’90s. Watching Amon Tobin melt faces with his stacked-cube digital-mapping projection stage show at Berkeley’s Greek Theatre (but first, some hot mama threw her bra onstage for openers Kronos Quartet!) Also: did Amon really drop a trap track? Eek.
My ears and feet are still pounding from the very astounding, very LOUD Body & Soul party at Mighty on Saturday — how did those genius DJs manage to turn Stevie Wonder’s “As” inside out? And my brain is still pounding from the amazing homemade sljivovica DJ Zeljko was passing around (imported from his wedding in Serbia to gorgeous bellydancer Jill Parker) at his insanely fun Kafana Balkan party, one of the best in the city (www.facebook.com/kafana.balkan). There were many, many other stops along the way — happy birthday, drag legend Glamamore — but who the hell can remember, and do we really care that much about the past? Contemporize, ladies, contemporize.
PS This is the eighth anniversary of your dear Super Ego. In 2004, I was writing about the nascent disco revival, the first wave of minimal techno, and dressing up in a giant black Glad Bag to go to Folsom Street Fair because I couldn’t afford any leather. And look at me now! I’m practically leather myself. Jerky.
Let’s mooove on. Two new clubs, both in the baby-step stage: OMG! in the old Anu space (43 Sixth St., SF. www.clubomgsf.com) aims to be the first gay-straight mixed Bollywood club in SF. Love it, and also that it comes from some of the peeps who run the Trikone queer Indian organization. Just please don’t ever make me type OMG! again. Slate (2925 16th St., SF. www.slate-sf.com) is the new name of SOM: new management, too. Looks like all the same great parties are still happening there, for now, but they’ve added a pool table and want to get more lounge-y. I’ll pack my fluffy platypus slippers and snifter of Brandy Alexander.
POOLSIDE
“Great friends, good music, California, and mezcal” is the motto of this perfectly talented duo, one of whom is SF DJ Jeffrey Paradise, whom I adore. They’re kicking off their tour (with evocative tech-pop dreamer Com Truise) in support of new album Pacific Standard Time, a breezy blast of acid-inflected loveliness that will make you take your top down. It’s all beachy-keen, and who can argue with any of that?
Wed/10, 9pm, $15. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. www.mezzaninesf.com
DIFFERENT WORLD
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L8s96-H5O0c
If you missed essential Detroit techno (now based in Tokyo) DJ Claude Young mixing records at Honey Soundsystem with his tongue, I can’t help you. But I can recommend seeing him pair up live with Takashi Nakajima for a live set under the name Different World (www.differentworld.jp) full of tasty edits and new tunes. Wanna get caught up on what underground Japan sounds like? Here’s your chance, tongue and all.
Fri/12, 9pm-3am, $15. Monarch, 101 Sixth St., SF. www.monarchsf.com
BLACK COFFEE
Gorgeous soulful house from Nkosinathi Maphumulo, Durban-born South African, who brings intricate percussion, glistening piano and bass lines, and deep feeling to his compositions and remixes. He’ll be playing with LA’s prince of deep house, Marques Wyatt, on Mighty’ mighty soundsystem, delicious.
Fri/12, 10pm-4am, $15–$20. Mighty, 119 Utah, SF. www.mighty119.com
LOVE WILL FIX IT
The wee Hot Spot bar in Market has become quite an, er, hotspot since the always adventurous DJ Bus Station John started throwing parties there. (DJ BSJ is notorious for opening up holes in the wall for cute scruffy gay men on the make, after all.) His latest lovely shindig, Love Will Fix It, “an R&B party for the soul,” has filled the space with funkier sounds of approximately 1977-1983, Ashford and Simpson to Zapp — and a whole lot of sweaty boys who would rather die than tweeze their eyebrows into little red flags of soulless desperation — for a year now, and this anniversary edition surely won’t disappoint.
Sat/13, 10pm, $7. Hot Spot, 1414 Market, SF.
JAMIE XX AND JOHN TALABOT
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rhALivFYQY
Public Works is bringing in a killer lineup, including excellent UK bass wizard Jamie XX, fresh from his Treasure Island with his band the xx (he’s the one without the hopelessly English underbite). But wait! You also get my favorite dance musicmaker this year, Spaniard John Talabot, shining his ecstatic Balaeric house sunshine into our hectic nightlives. Icee Hot party DJs Rollie Fingers, Shawn Reynaldo, and Ghosts on Tape freak up the proceedings. Grooviness!
Sun/14, 9pm, $25. Public Works, 161 Erie, SF. www.publicsf.com