Marke B.

Party Radar: Felabration, New Wave City, Castro Street Fair, more

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Party Radar: Felabration, New Wave City, Castro Street Fair, more

Lovevolution’s daytime portion may be cancelled this weekend, but that’s no reason to sit this one out — as I wrote this week in Super Ego, there’s tons of great Love Weekend events, plus a bunch more happenings. Funz! Read about all the official Lovevolution parties still going on here, and check out the below for even more.

But first, I promised a look at the Silent Disco movement, which is finally hosting an official, non-underground event this weekend — so I can write about it without getting it busted, heh. Silent Frisco is taking place on Saturday afternoon at the brand new Jones bar, which has been pumping the fact that it’s a mainly outdoor venue in the heart of the city. (Sat/2, noon–10 p.m., $15, Jones, 620 Jones, SF. www.sunsetpromotions.com). You get special wireless headphones that pick up a signal broadcast from the DJ booth (with two DJ channels to choose from for maximum hubbub.) Although the idea’s been around a while, the actual movement originated at the Bonnaroo festival in 2007 and has toured the world since. SF’s DJ Motion Potion has been there from the beginning and he told me it’s quite bonkers. Wildly diverse-styled DJs for this installment are Jeffrey Paradise, Disco Shawn, Centipede, MoPo himself, and a special secret guest. Get into it.

 

 

WE & THE MUSIC: FELABRATION

Afrobeat and soulful house luminary DJ Said of Fatsouls Records is back with his awesomely deep monthly We & the Music party, this time featuring local decks master David Harness for a celebration of Nigerian legend Fela Kuti, as Nigeria celebrates its 50th anniversary. It looks so young!  222 Hyde is gonna have a major dance attack on its hands …

Fri/1, 9pm, $10. 222 Hyde, SF. www.222hyde.com

 

NEW WAVE CITY 18TH ANNIVERSARY

Surely this means that the neverending monthly retroland of New Wave City is the longest-operating club in the city? Join DJs Skip, Shindog, Low Life, Melting Girl, and more to sing along to all your favorites from the ’80s at a club that started looking back right when that decade ended.

Sat/2, 9pm-3am, $12. DNA Lounge, 375 11th St., SF. www.newwavecity.com

 

CLUB LEISURE GRAND REOPENING

Soooo too cool for school, but not so cool it freezes you out. This great indie club is back at a new location, bringing with it “the best in classic Britpop, Madchester, 90s Indie, Mod, dancey shoegaze, power pop, and 60s soul on the first Saturday of every month!” It’s an Oasis, everybody, with free champagne until they run out. DJs Aaron Axelson and Omar preside.

Sat/2, 10pm-3am, $8. Cat Club, 1190 Folsom, SF. www.sfcatclub.com

 

CASTRO STREET FAIR

Hot fun — or at least tacky tchotchke shopping and muscle man cruising — at this huge affair that streatches all up and down Castro from Market to your future trick’s house. Also music and dancing, with several stages (the line-dancing stage behind Castro Theater is my personal fave) and performances by Pepperspray, Adonisaurus, DJ Jim Hopkins, and many more. PLUS: You could win an Atlantis cruise from GayCities.com. O.M.G.!

Sun/3, 11am-6pm, donation requested. Market and Castro, SF. www.castrostreetfair.org

 

BIONIC 12-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

Another long runner! This funky house and chill techno joint has moved around a bunch, but never lost its good-footin’. Celebrate a dozen with DJs Justin V. of !!!, UK’s Simbad, and residents Solar, Nikola Baytala, Conor, and Kwai LeCheif.

Sun/3, 9:30pm, $7. 222 Hyde, SF. www.222hyde.com

 

Save Day of the Dead!

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Another wonderful local cultural event, Día de los Muertos, is falling prey to the city’s War on Fun — watch the video, and donate here to help reach the $6k goal. (via SFist, Mission Local)

Flagging in the Park: the whirl story

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“This is the gayest thing I’ve ever done in my life!” laughed my friend Ricky Strawberry as he twirled around and around, unfurling lengths of tie-dyed cloth to Hi-NRG dance tracks from a live DJ in the sunshine. If you know Ricky Strawberry, that’s pretty damn sparkly pink unicorn in a rainbow thong bathing under a Splenda waterfall gay. In fact, it was the gayest thing anyone in my pinko posse had ever done, as well, and we had a ball. It was gay, it was amazing, it was gaymazing, and you should do it too.

It? Flagging in the Park, the summertime monthly gathering of fluttering human butterflies in the AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park. I wrote about it in this week’s Super Ego nightlife column — and it happens for the final time this year on Sat/2, 1 p.m.- 4p.m. 

Flagging — or flag dancing, wherein the dancer whirls around waving psychedelic-patterned, weighted pieces of fabric — has been around for several decades. I remember the first time I saw it was in the ’80s at a giant outdoor picnic in Detroit organized by Metra magazine, but it really took hold inside gay clubs during the ’90s, when circuit parties were on the rise. (Flag dancing of a non-gay-specific kind, using actual flags with poles, is an ancient art still practiced especially in Italy and New Orleans — and in Midwestern marching bands.) The exact gay origins are fuzzy — men dancing with giant fans at disco clubs were a common sight, and you will see lots of flaggers at the disco-celebrating Remember the Party event next weekend, for instance, which acts as a reunion for patrons of the classic Trocadero Transfer venue in the ’70s and ’80s.

Like many alternaqueers of my generation, flagging was a turnoff in the ’90s — it was too associated with annoyingly relentless circuit music, mainstream gym culture, and bad drugs in my mind. But that was a long time ago, and like a lot of things from that time, a rediscovery after old conflicts have died out puts things into a totally different perspective. (You don’t see much flagging in mainstream gay clubs these days, and the music at Flagging in the Park is a bit more fun and interesting than I thought it would be. For the October installment, the DJ is Steve Sherwood.) I was able to appreciate the art in a different context, and without prejudice. Flagging in the Park is a beautiful event, full of rich historical meaning. It welcomes everyone — there are also large contingents of hula-hoopers, poi-twirlers, and other talents — and has taken on a more spiritual aspect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me3rZ99ArbU

When I went in August (I had heard about it for months, and was encouraged to finally attend by my friend Steven Satyricon’s lovely writeup over at The Juice Box site) I was lucky enough to see the organizer, Xavier Caylor, be sainted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence for his community work. And Flagging in the Park (FITP) really does bring in a bunch of donations for community organizations, as well as provide community healing. “Without grief, you can’t have joy,” said Xavier, referencing the spirits around us in the AIDS Grove. Xavier took over FITP 10 years ago, and he teaches a flagging class at Gold’s Gym in the Castro every Wednesday, 6 p.m.-8 p.m. He’s also several thousand degrees of hotness, yowza. I wanted to know more about how he got involved, and some of the spiritual aspects of the art. His story is below — and you should drift on by this Saturday afternoon to see for yourself. Xavier provides plenty of free flags to borrow, and flagging really is a bit of good exercise, I discovered. 

XAVIER CAYLOR: “I picked up my first set of flags from a friend of a friend at a party on Will Rogers Beach in 1997. I was hooked and we proceeded to flag everywhere we could: at home, in clubs and circuit parties. I heard about FITP from a fellow that I met at a circuit party in Palm Springs; he told me of a community of good friends that met during the summer months at a park in SF. I managed to contact someone and planned a weekend getaway from So. Cal. to attend in July of 1998.

“In 1998 the recently dedicated National AIDS Memorial Grove was young, the flaggers met in the then newly planted fern grove and gravel circle on the far West side. Twenty people gathered on what was a truly magical day for me; I was amazed with the variety of people, flags, and energy there – like a kid in a candy store. I not only left my heart in San Francisco but gave it freely to a tie-dye artist that became the catalyst for me moving here in just three short months. For the next few years he and I co-produced the event, popularity soon crowded us out of the circle and into the meadow. I have been producing the event since 2001 less two years that a friend took it and moved it to Dolores Park. Originally the events were planned a few days in advance around a sunny weather forecast. In 2002 this changed, acquiring permits and making these outreach events for charity brought a whole new dimension to our gatherings.

“What does the event mean to me? It was and is a magical space where love was born and flourishes, where flaggers can come out of the clubs and into nature. Held in a place that was built out of grief, mourning, and reflection by something that devastated our community and for a few hours we pour color, love, celebration, and heritage carefully back while raising consciousness by giving back. It is the place that our tribes come together to socialize, bond, and strengthen community. It is also a place that people walking through the park can happen upon a surreal event, take it in for a minute, and leave having had the opportunity to try something new or just stop and take in the music and visuals before moving along to where ever it is they are going. I usually plan 3 or 4 FITPs per year between May and October — the last one was supposed to be the final one this year, but we had such a great crowd and great vibe that we decided to have one more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fd3pX-Ys1wI

“If you’ve picked up flags you’ve most likely been asked by someone to show them how to do “it.” I’ve been showing friends since day one, taught at workshops in SF, NY, SD, and Dallas. I’ve been involved with group and solo performances, led people in tie-dye, and given away hundreds of flags while traveling to parties in Brazil, Australia, Thailand, Spain and the UK ,not to mention many cities around the US.

“About my class at Gold’s Gym: When I moved to San Francisco Club Universe, 177 Townsend, on Sundays was known as Pleasuredome and was a venue with a huge stage that flaggers flocked to weekly to play and share their art. It was a beacon to flag dancers on the West coast and beyond, introducing a steady stream of club goers weekly to the glowing fabric twirling in the U.V. flooded stage. It’s close in 2002 was a blow to the dance and flag communities. In 2007 I approached the management at Gold’s and asked if I could hold a weekly space for flaggers to come and practice – I was envisioning a free space that I would hold for a year with the purpose of re-energizing my tribe and reviving that weekly space. Troy at Gold’s Gym enthusiastically offered me a position and added the class to their Group X fitness program – I’ve been teaching Wednesday nights since. It is a place that people that have never flagged can come and learn – I have flags for use and set up black lights to make them come to life. The community comes to practice, play and socialize. I support new and old flaggers at the gym and outside of the gym by leading tie-dye classes/open studios so people can make their own flags. Weekly pre class discussions are opportunities to share history, personal stories and current events. Other flow toys (like poi and fans) show up from time to time and I support them if and when I can.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GC4qFjeSTvg

“The group of guys that started FITP in 1996 shared a common experience, they had all gone to a week long experience in consciousness building in San Diego called the Miracle of Love which used active meditation techniques developed by Osho Rajneesh. Those flaggers came together in 1998 to bring those techniques to the gay community through a weekend seminar that is still going strong called the ‘Men’s Inner Journey.’ It was through delving deep into the techniques of active meditation that I realized what a spiritual event flagging is. Though people don’t usually make the connection between flagging and meditation, there is a point when the body and mind are so engaged that in the exuberance of the dance the mind is set free to a place of stillness. I believe that meditation something lacking in our lives and something we need to recharge our spirit and connect with our soul.

“Flagging is a visually appealing dance that has lived primarily in the gay community for the past 40 years. It touches on spirituality by being an alternative form of meditation palatable for people on the go. I am proud to be one of the many that keeps this art form flourishing by holding the space to pass it to the next generation of artists. www.flaggercentral.com is a great resource for our community.”

Snap Sounds: Clubroot

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Snap Sounds: Clubroot

CLUBROOT

II MMX

(LoDubs, 2010)

Purposely constructed anonymity as a reaction to this supposed Internet Age of Information is by now pretty passe in music circles (cf. Silver Columns, jj, Burial). So some may have rolled their eyes when future dubber Clubroot went that route with his first releases, even though the music was intellectually sensuous and the first full-length release received raves from Dubstepforum to Pitchfork.

Indeed, it seemed that Clubroot was following a little too closely in Burial’s footstep — no photos, no live sets, no given name — yet the music was tweeked slightly from that brainy dubstep god’s blueprint and showed a unique promise. But by now we’re all trained for the big, and in most cases anticlimactic, reveal. Since Clubroot’s been promoting a second album on Portland’s LoDubs label, he’s come out as 25-year-old Dan Richmond of St. Alban’s, UK, and is hitting the road for some live shows — ditching the reclusiveness (even though only obscured pics of him exist, and I wonder if he’ll be disguised for his upcoming show at Triple Crown). All signs, however, point not to anticlimax but to dance floor swoon.

II MMX is a 2 CD set that contains much of first album Clubroot, but the newer stuff advances beyond earlier hyper-cerebral and sometimes too-gloomy intentions for a trip into the deep forest. Yes, tracks like “Orbiting,” “Waterways,” “Dust Storm,” and the unfortunately titled “Cherubs Cry” channel some good ol’ pan flute sounds, tablas, and disembodied choruses that may call to mind New Age label Wyndham Hill or groups like Deep Forest, Enigma, even Enya. This is not a kiss of death — there’s a Balearic-derived trend blowing through right now that’s excavating those once-tacky sounds and making something fresh with them. It’s a neat trick, quite pleasant, and Clubroot is pulling it off. Call it dubstep’s version of chillwave.

While he can still show some spooked-out dubstep teeth on tracks like “Whistles & Horns” and “Physically” (and in his live mixes, like the one above for the inimitable Mary Anne Hobbs), Clubroot’s forging ahead in the pursuit of the thing every critic is calling post-dubstep, but which none can properly define. Good for him. Pack up that warped urban sitar loop and lead us into the trees, Clubroot — whoever you may be.     

(Reports from Seattle’s Decibel festival last week indicate that the live show’s a keeper, a LoDubs showcase that really stokes the diverse crowd. It’s not all ethereal — check out LoDubs head Jon AD’s killer lazer house-y set from the fest here. ) 

CLUBROOT With DJG, Djunya, and Jon A.D. Thurs/30, 10 p.m., $10. Triple Crown, 1760 Market, SF. www.triplecrownsf.com.

Our queer children are killing themselves: You can help UPDATED

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Our queer children are killing themselves: You can help UPDATED

Update: According to LGBTpov.com, Gov. Schwarzenegger yesterday “signed the Mental Health Services for At-Risk Youth Act (SB 543), which will expand access to essential mental health services for youth ages 12-17. The bill, authored by openly gay State Sen. Mark Leno and sponsored by Equality California, allows teens to obtain counseling without parental consent.” Unfortunately,  “Friday morning, Charles Robbins, Executive Director of The Trevor Project reported a fifth suicide — Raymond Chase, 19, a sophomore at Johnson and Wales University in Rhode Island took his own life on Wednesday.” Hopefully kids in California will at least have expanded access to mental health counseling services. Original post is below.

For the fourth time this month, a kid who was harassed by anti-gay bullies has taken his own life. Seth Walsh, an out gay 13-year-old in Tehachapi, in central California, had been transferred from middle school to an independent study program, reportedly because he had been teased relentlessly about his orientation. Ten days ago he was found unconscious at the base of a tree in his backyard, apparently after he had attempted to hang himself. His parents took him off life support yesterday in Bakersfield.   

Even though other kids admitted to harassing Seth — police reported that some of them “broke down in tears” because “they had never seen this outcome,” and wished they hadn’t participated in the bullying — no charges will be pressed against them: their actions do not constitute a crime. 

Horribly, this was no isolated incident.  

According to lgbtqnation.com:

 “On September 9, 15-year-old Billy Lucas of Greensburg, IN, hanged himself at his grandmother’s home. Friends of Lucas said that he had been tormented for years based on his perceived sexual orientation.

On September 23, 13-year old Asher Brown, a gay teen in Houston, TX, came home from school while his parents were at work. He shot himself in the head after enduring what his mother and stepfather say was constant harassment and bullying.“

(Also, teen freshman Tyler Clementi at Rutgers University leaped off the George Washington bridge last Wednesday, after his roommate used a web cam to secretly and maliciously stream him “sharing a gay embrace.”) 

This month, as well, saw the acclaimed launch of queer advice columnist and activist Dan Savage’s “It Gets Better” campaign (in direct response to Billy Lucas’ death, as a commenter below points out). It invites LGBTQ people to record videos addressed to queer young ‘uns that tell their stories of surviving school bullies and leading full lives after they graduated. I’m not sure I agree that people need to just wait to get out of school in order to survive — many don’t exactly find gay adult life a catered picnic, either, and why can’t we elders make an effort to help change the world for children in school now? — but I definitely agree that reaching out to isolated young people and letting them know there’s an entire community on their side is absolutely essential. 

It’s infuriatingly sad that these instances seem to be on the rise, right when the country is making progress on most gay activists’ bigtime agendas: repealing DADT and legalizing same-sex marriage. Who cares about those things when our young people are in so much pain that they’re taking their own lives? Yes, ending all discrimination will help people envision a brighter future — let’s just not put all our eggs in one or two baskets, and forget entire segments of our community. 

And while making an “It Gets Better” video is great, there are many fantastic community organizations in San Francisco serving the immediate counseling and housing needs of queer kids, many of whom have run away to avoid anti-gay bullying. Ignoring them only perpetuates the suffering. In a time of reduced aid, these organizations could really use your donations or time. Here are a few standouts:

Larkin Street Youth Services

Lavender Youth Recreation and Information Center (LYRIC)

San Francisco LGBT Community Center 

Tenderloin Health

And if you know a queer or questioning young person who is dealing with depression, or seeks counseling, direct them (and donate!) to the great Trevor Project suicide prevention hotline: 1-866-488-7386

California is one of a handful of states that specifically protects kids against anti-gay harassment, but cases are still hard to prove — if you see someone being harassed or know of someone who is being bullied, encourage them to report it to their parents, school counselor, or other professional so that it will be documented. 

*ANOTHER DEATH: Commenter Aaron Baldwin below points to the recent suicide of 15-year-old Justin Aaberg in Minnesota, who was apparently a victim of anti-gay bullying, although I haven’t been able to find out much more than what’s in this Queerty story.

**ANOTHER RESOURCE: Commenter Liz below reminds me about SMAAC, serving queer and questioning youth in Oakland and the East Bay. Her comment raises several great points as well about helping youth now. 

Party Radar: Frikstailers, Eoto and Mimosa, Chaser, Cockblock

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Party Radar: Frikstailers, Eoto and Mimosa, Chaser, Cockblock

OK there are like a million parties going one this week — and I’m just getting started. (Hurray first hangover of Folsom Street Fair weekend! That means I’m over the hump now, right?) Here are a few more good ones I couldn’t squeeze in to this week’s issue ….Whip it up!

EOTO AND MIMOSA

Decompression isn’t for a little while yet, but Fridays at 103 Harriet have been easing people back down from Burning Man in a proper wonky-dubstep style. 22-year-old beatsmaker MiMOSA, who just released intriguing “space age psychedelic bass” EP Silver Lining, joins live band Eoto, whose style I think of as electronic fusion, using jazz techniques (and live drummer) to bring laptop generated jams to life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oW-rCbix41g

Fri/24, 10 p.m.-4 a.m., $20. 103 Harriet, SF. www.1015.com

 

CHASER

She didn’t make the cut of our Hot Sluts, but my favorite drag queen whore Monistat (“hate to love her, love to hate her”) is having a grand birthday party on Saturday evening at the EndUp, with a slew of local drag luminaries — Ambrosia Salad, Faux King Awesome, Downey — performing songs by her favorite band Goldfrapp. With DJ duo Stereogamous in from Australia.

Sat/25, 5 p.m.-10 p.m., $5. The EndUp, 401 Sixth St., SF. www.theendup.com

 

COCKBLOCK FOLSOM PARTY

The fashion-forward queer girl (and friends!) club that brought us the actual, hilarious Lesbians Who Look Like Justin Bieber party hits you oh so good with some progressive pop and fun mashup dancing. Guardina Bestof the Bay “Best DJ” Nuxx and awesomely talented DJ Party Ben do it up. Spanin’ photobooth! Dress kinky!

Sat/25, 10 p.m., $7. Rickshaw Stop, 155 fell, SF. www.cockblocksf.com

 

FRIKSTAILERS

Longtime readers of my column — and people who just plain see me freaking on the streets — know I’ve been bananas for the cumbia nueva movement, most prominently represented by Buenos Aires club Zizek and its label, ZZK. One of the best acts on that label, nutty duo Frikstailers, is gonna be at the Red Devil Lounge on Monday, and it’s gonna be an air-horn blast — the club will be turned into a West Coast version of Zizek, so expect some serious Buenos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OJyTModwEQQ

Mon/27, 8 p.m., $10. Red Devil Lounge, 1695 Polk, SF. www.reddevillounge.com

Live Shots: Kele, Mezzanine, 09/18/2010

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Kele (formerly Kele Okereke) played an invigorating, dance-oriented, and quite tipsy set at Mezzanine, mixing songs from new album The Boxer with hits from his other act, Bloc Party. Best of all, he stripped down quite early in the set, leaving the mixed crowd panting for more.

Peep our hot sluts!

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You’ve read about them in this week’s Sex Issue cover story, now see what our favorite sleaziest, easiest, and just plain deliciously sexy people, places, and things look like in the slideshow above. 

O victory forget your underwear

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O victory forget your underwear

marke@sfbg.com

>>CLICK HERE FOR OUR INTERVIEW WITH JAMES FRANCO

Let’s get this out of the way right off the bat: The true “howl” in Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman’s breezy bio-pic Howl is that of the ghost of Beat poet and queer countercultural icon Allen Ginsberg, patting his Buddha belly in the clouds and roaring at his good fortune to be portrayed by James Franco. Eat Pray Love‘s Elizabeth Gilbert may have scored the chick lit holy grail with Julia Roberts, but on the gay-o-meter, being reincarnated in the delectable body of Franco is pretty much to die for.

And Franco’s performance is a wonder, necessarily conveying all the maddening and inspiring elements of the young poet’s personality through subtle facial expressions, eye twinkles, and head cocks. I say necessarily because another thing Franco nails is Ginsberg’s pancake-flat vocal inflection. (Even at 31, Ginsberg came off like a nursing home resident grumbling over mushy latkes.)

There is the evangelical poeticizing and genius marketing. There is the awkward peacocking and needy perviness. And then there is Howl itself. I guess calling this a biopic is misleading. The movie is an amalgamation of styles — imagined interview, courtroom drama, historical flashback, animated fancy — that zeroes in on one particular slice of Ginsberg’s (and the nation’s) development: the celebrated 1957 obscenity trial over Howl the poem that seared Ginsberg, the Beats, and midcentury San Francisco into mainstream consciousness.

Focusing on that trial — City Lights publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti and bookstore employee Shigeyoshi Murao were busted when Murao sold a copy of the poem to undercover cops — is an excellent strategy, and not just because, historical spoiler alert, Howl‘s victory provides a snappy climax. It also gives the filmmakers a chance to open a window on a particularly tumultuous time.

You get a little Mad Men-type excitement in the spot-on retro set designs and courtroom scenes, which rub old-school 1950s mores against the nascent cultural revolution. (Jon Hamm, Mad Men protagonist, plays the dashing defense lawyer.) You get some freshly presented Beat hagiography, with scenes of strapping young literary princes shaking off their fancy college pedigrees in New York and going, yes, on the road. Jack Kerouac, Neil Cassady, Peter Orlovsky … Beat fetishists will be readjusting their berets with glee.

Unfortunately, you also get long stretches of animated interpretations of the Howl text that seem incongruously imported from the neon-noir ’90s. Which in fact they were — illustrator Eric Drooker collaborated with Ginsberg for 1996’s Illuminated Poems, and he’s the animation designer here. The swirling ayurvedic tornadoes and cosmically copulating bodies, coupled with overly literal imagery (i.e. African American saxophonist during the “Negro streets at dawn” passage) took me back to a lot of bad French Canadian animation festivals.

Mostly though, you get the young Ginsberg. He didn’t attend the obscenity trial, and Howl’s framing device is an imagined interview in his fantastically shabby chic North Beach apartment during the legal proceedings. With Epstein and Friedman (The Times of Harvey Milk) directing, Gus Van Sant (Milk) executive producing, and Franco fresh from Milk himself, the set-up is pretty obvious. Another queer saint is being cinematically canonized. (Ginsberg, of course, was far from Milk on the political scale — his version of gay lib focused on the spiritual journey, not the systematic legal integration. Maybe Howl is meant to be the yang to Milk‘s yin.)

The idea of portraying an openly gay man in the 1950s is juicy — but Howl skews toward sexual yuks, like Neil Cassady’s girlfriend walking in on Ginsberg about to blow him. In this often rushed-feeling film, Ginsberg is allowed only a splash of existential longing before finding some fulfillment with his lifelong companion Orlovsky. But is that really fair, or even brave? After Milk, wouldn’t it be more courageous for this distinguished team to take on a lesbian activist? A transgender groundbreaker? A queer of color? Or even, gasp, the opportunistic, overexposed, NAMBLA-defending, hustler-gorging, radiantly nudist old man that Ginsberg became?

HOWL opens Fri/24 in Bay Area theaters.

Lick it up

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Lick it up

Pump your guns and meet me at the ice cream truck — I need help carrying all the sugar cones we’ll need for the sticky-sweet mess this week’s becoming. Folsom Street Fair parties, a great new club opening, some Detroit takeover … forget the vanilla and go directly to Rocky Road, sprinkles.

 

BONER PARTY

With ALF as mascot and gonzo indie-electro party boy DJ Richie Panic titillating a bucketload of omnisexual hipsters, this weekly gig isn’t some rote sausage fest. You’ll still make out, though. Hard.

Weds/22, 9 p.m., free. Beauty Bar, 2299 Mission, SF. www.thebeautybar.com/sf

 

BOOTY CALL

Voracious crate-digger Chris Orr revs up a fashionable queer crowd with cleverly timeless tunes that sound one day ahead of our electro-fied now. Juanita More! and Joshua J. host, Isaac takes wild photos in the back.

Weds/22, 9 p.m., $5. Q Bar, 456 Castro, SF. www.juanitamore.com

 

CARL CRAIG

Seminal second-wave Detroit techno wiz still plays the mad scientist in the back of your mind, only now he’s on a more orchestral, organic-sounding trip.

Thu/23, 9:30 p.m., $15. Vessel, 85 Campton Pl., SF. www.vesselsf.com

 

FINAL MEAT

After eight years of grinding ears, the city’s great industrial and EBM club, Meat, hits the lockers. DJs Devon, Netik, Rich, and Ritter Gluck plus a huge Gallery of Dark Art will make it a bloody bang.

Thu/23, 9:30 p.m.–late, $5. DNA Lounge, 375 11th Street, SF. www.meatsf.com

 

BEARRACUDA

Bears! Bears! Bears! Floss your teeth with man-fur at this huge shindig, which packs ’em in for progressive-pop dancing and tummy-rubs. With Aussie DJs Kam Shafaati and Mikey B., plus Philly’s Tony Ruiz.

Fri/24, 9 p.m., $10. Cat Club, 1190 Folsom, SF. www.bearracuda.com

 

BLACK MILK

Detroit producer and rapper is properly garnering raves for his Dilla-tastic beats and sensitive style — new joint “Album of the Year” rides the current bliss-rap vogue with aplomb.

Fri/24, 10 p.m., $15. Mighty, 119 Utah, SF. www.mighty119.com

 

FLYING LOTUS

L.A. producer hyperwarps past the future bass trend with his inimitable mind-bending DJ sets, melting everything from Portishead to Alice Coltrane into a cosmic brew. With Caspa.

Fri/24, 9 p.m., $22.50. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. www.mezzaninesf.com

 

MIKE SIMONETTI

From his infamous Brooklyn “Aerosol Burns” club to the launch of his fantastic Italians Do it Better Label, the underground disco and Italo house revivalist is still on a roll.

Fri/24, 10 p.m.–4 a.m., $10. SOM, 2925 16th St., SF. www.som-bar.com

 

QUENTIN HARRIS

The hands-down best vocal house producer of the past decade brings his signature sound and tattooed good looks to Temple

Fri/24, 10 p.m., $20. Temple, 540 Howard, SF. www.templesf.com

 

PUBLIC WORKS OPENING

OK, freaking out about this — new club and art gallery Public Works, brought to us by several local party Illuminati, opens with a blast. DJs Jenö, Pee Play, Vin Sol, Slayers Club, HOTTUB, and many more.

Fri/24, 10 p.m.–3 a.m., $5. 161 Erie, SF. www.publicsf.com

 

SOMA THING

Some Thing, the wildly creative Friday weekly alternadrag fiesta (with great guest DJs) leathers it up for Folsom. Lovely L.A. nutcase Phyllis Navidad, Glamamore, Monistat, and more perform, Juanita More! DJs.

Fri/24, 10 p.m.–4 a.m., $7. The Stud, 399 Ninth St., SF. www.studsf.com

 

ADRIAN SANTOS

1970s disco royalty plays his first SF set in 23 years at fantastically downtown-feeling monthly GO BANG! party, which brings together all walks of dance. With Steve Fabus, Tres Lingerie, Sergio, and more.

Sat/25, 9 p.m., $5. Deco Lounge, 510 Larkin, SF. www.decosf.com

 

BIG TOP: LEATHER AND LACE

Circus-themed, slightly non-mainstream queer whoop-whoop-de-doo takes from you your sobriety, gives to you hard-driving DJs HIFI Sean, Paul V, Josh Peace, Haute Toddy, and Prince O. Bears — just for starters.

Sat/25, 9 p.m.–3 a.m., $10. Club 8, 1151 Folsom, SF. www.joshuajpresents.com

 

BLOWOFF

Even more sexy bears! Yay! But also some muscular indie dance enthusiasts, bopping around at this regular blast with DJs Bob Mould and Richard Morel.

Sat/25, 10 p.m., $15. Slim’s, 333 11th St., SF. www.slims-sf.com

 

KYLE HALL

Future dub meets UK Funky — from Detroit? It works. Wild Oats label head brings his dreamy, twilight-infused compositions to the dance floor at the ever-steaming Icee Hot party.

Sat/25, 10 p.m., $5. 222 Hyde, SF. www.222hyde.com

 

MOUNT KIMBIE

Highly acclaimed — and rightly so — ethereal dub duo from Brighton, U.K., beam down with incredibly fine and future-eared Mary Anne Hobbs, DNTEL, and more.

Sat/25, 10 p.m.–3 a.m., $10. 161 Erie, SF. www.publicsf.com

 

SLUT!

Hot Folsom dyke action at the fab Lex, with rockin’ DJs Rapid Fire and Jenna Riot, hostess Oxana Olsen, and a uniform, leather, and fetish dress contest. Oh, and tons of mind-bogglingly sexy women.

Sat/25, 9 p.m., free. Lexington Club, 3464 19th St., SF. www.lexingtonclub.com

 

HOUSE OF BLACK LEATHER

Woot, this is gonna be the goods — homofuturists of Honey Soundsystem team up with London’s amazing Horse Meat Disco and top local talent like C.L.A.W.S., Dabecy, and Nikola Baytala for a post-Folsom throwdown.

Sun/26, 6 p.m.–3 a.m., $5 before 10 p.m., $7 after. Public Works, 161 Erie, SF. www.publicsf.com

 

PINK PARTY

SoMa’s Holy Cow bar just got a fab steampunky makeover, and this is a perfect chance to check it out. Wear pink to get in free all day. With DJs from Pink Mammoth and many other Burner camps.

Sun/26, noon–midnight, $5 (free before 3 p.m.). Holy Cow, 1536 Folsom, SF. www.theholycow.com

 

SUNSET CIVIC PICNIC

Dance your way into issues — classic Sunset DJs get you moving, while the League of Pissed Off Voters gets you set for the upcoming election. (Don’t forget to register to vote!)

Sun/27, 1 p.m.-7:30 p.m., free. Civic Center Plaza, SF. www.pacificsound.net

Russian twink porn or kick-ass Transformers tribute?

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Our friends at Boing Boing just posted this awesome amateur clip — but really, who else thought these guys were gonna start making out before playing with their toys?

Party Radar: Men, Kele, Kaos

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Party Radar: Men, Kele, Kaos

Ah, yes — the fleeting maybe yes/ maybe no of San Francisco summer has (possibly) arrived. And even if the weather doesn’t quite cooperate, at least we all feel our spirits lift and our clothing constrict. Fortunately, there are many, many parties to rip it all off at! Not literally, but why not? Besides some of the parties listed in this week’s Super Ego clubs column, here’s a few more at which you can run wild and free and hot.

MEN

The topical and too-catchy indie electro group Men, which includes super-sexy JD Samson of Le Tigre fame, is taking over the SFMOMA this evening as part of the Thursday Now Playing series. (“Radical dance music” in a big museum? Me like.)

Cool queers and friends of all stripes will get into a screening of a new project by the Ridykeulous project at 7pm and then a live performance in the Haas Atrium by Men at 9pm.

Thu/16, 6pm-9:45pm, free with admission to museum. SFMOMA, 151 Third St., SF. www.sfmoma.org

 

 

KELE

The Bloc Party leader — and out queer dream — is bringing his solo show to Mezzanine in support of new album The Boxer, and it seems he’s focussing on getting the crowd dancing. That’s alright with me! Does It Offend You, Yeah?, who put on a great show a couple years ago at Slim’s (even though everyone was at Coachella) open up with some baggy Madchester-referencing gonzo electro. 

Sat/18, 9pm, $20. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. www.mezzaninesf.com

 

 

DJ KAOS

Toothy grin for this one. Honey Soundsystem‘s great weekly Honey Sundays party has been homeless since Paradise Lounge shut its doors. Until the Honey boys find a new space, they’ve been a-roving — and it’s a great indication of how open our scene is that they’re arty-fab queer crowd is being welcomed by intelligent techno-head hosts. This week, Honey pairs with Bionic, the weekly Sunday at 222 Hyde that’s seen its fair share of roving itself, to bring in Berlin ‘s DJ Kaos, whose been pumping out quality, eclectic techno and house releases since 1991, yeesh. I can’t wait to see how this whole experiment coalesces.

Sun/19, 10pm, $5. 222 Hyde, SF. www.222hyde.com 

Showtime for Miss Cass!

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It seems like forever since gloriously booby SF transsexual performer Cassandra Cass was handing out out-dated calendars of herself at drag shows for the elderly. Now she has a show on Showtime, premiering tonite. And it makes me love America again. 

Azztronaughty

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Azztronaughty

It’s impossible for me to think of Big Freedia without exploding into happy feathers. As the fierce national face of New Orleans’ bounce music movement (along with her drag daughter, Sissy Nobby), Freedia’s been shoehorned into several media narratives that don’t necessarily do her justice — popular performer who bridges a supposed gap between flamboyant gayness and macho rap, evidence that original regional roots music is still being generated in our monocultural-seeming musical world, post-Katrina beat-healer of ravished communities, anthropological curiosity. But she’s all that and more: a canny, hard-working force of nature who can really turn you out.

Bounce, with its quick-step, butt-thundering beats and hypersexual call-and-response template, has done a lot to push New Orleans back to the forefront of the American dance music scene. That a shoulder-shrugging attitude toward its superstar’s transgender appearance and cartoonish sexuality accompanies the sound should only surprise those who somehow missed Little Richard and Prince, not to mention Cameo and Cam’ron. Still, Freedia’s matter-of-fact, out-and-proud “Queen Diva” stance is all too rare in hip-hop. First-time listeners, after taking in Freedia’s feminine peacocking, still get floored when her gravelly voice orders straight crowds to “bend ovah like I told ya!” in her hit “Azz Everywhere.” (And then they do.)

Outsiders have called Freedia’s style “sissy bounce” — a niche label she rejects, and one that’s pretty inaccurate. Freedia’s first appearance in the Bay, last year at a San Francisco drag party, left the sissy audience completely befuddled. This time around, she’ll be in Oakland at a mixed affair put on by the fab Le Heat and Hella Gay parties. And now that she’s been featured everywhere from Diplo’s blog to The New York Times Magazine, Bay crowds may be ready to “jump back, shoot it up now, bitches get down” the Big Easy way.

Big Freedia Wed/9, 9 p.m., $10. The New Parrish, 579 18th St., Oakl. www.thenewparish.com

 

PEPE BRADOCK

The jazz-educated Frenchman could have been beamed up after he gifted the world with orchestral house classic “Deep Burnt” in 1999 and still been lionized. But he’s consistently delivered deep-streaming tracks that drop at just the right moments. He’ll be headlining the Staple boys’ ear-ticking Darkroom monthly with Fil Latorre and Javaight.

Thu/9, 9 p.m., $10. 222 Hyde, SF. www.222hyde.com

 

DRUMCODE: ADAM BEYER AND IDA ENGBERG

Attack of the Swedish techno giants! Drumcode label head Adam Beyer and “Disco Volante” hitmaker Ida Engberg bring news from the detail-oriented Stockholm scene to the perfectly curated weekly Base party at Vessel. My longtime local bass-maven crush Nikola Baytala warms up.

Thurs/9, 10 p.m., $15. Vessel, 85 Campton Place, SF. www.vesselsf.com

 

ARTIFICIAL

The debut of this dark wave, minimal synth, and rare post-punk party last month was fashionably bananas — don’t miss the follow up with DJ Justin of Nachtmusik, Banshee, Dreamweapon, Julian DeStrukt, and Nary Guman of Warm Leatherette.

Fri/10, 9:30 p.m., $7. Cat Club, 1190 Folsom, SF. www.sfcatclub.com

 

BACK TO SCHOOL

Aw, already? Meet and greet the new freshman class of clubgoers, probably wearing even more fantastically mismatched ensembles than previously imagined, at this electro blowout put on by the Blow Up kids. Tenderloins, Udachi, Sticky K, Lucky Date, Jeffrey Paradise, and more stoke your higher learning.

Sat/11, 9 p..m.–3 a.m., $15 for 18+, $10 for 21+. Kelly’s Mission Rock, 817 Terry Francois Blvd., SF. www.blowupsf.com

 

BLOOD, SWEAT, AND QUEERS

Bmore funk and booty jams from DJs Davo and Bunnystyle for two floors of hot queers in a Chinatown dive. ‘Nuff said!

Sat/11, 10:30 p.m., $5. Li Po Lounge, 916 Grant, SF.

 

MIXMASTER MIKE WITH DEL THE FUNKY HOMOSAPIEN

It’ll be a classic hip-hop throwdown when the Beastie Boys DJ and mind-warping rapper join forces at this Electronic Arts shindig. There’s something about a ” sexy exotic cars” showcase, too, but why burn the fossil fuels when you can inflame the brain cells? With DJs Sake One, Ren the Vinyl Archeologist, and more.

Sat/11, 9 p.m., free with RSVP at Mighty website. Mighty, 119 Utah, SF. www.mighty119.com

Fatsouls houses the twilight with “In & Out”

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Fatsouls houses the twilight with “In & Out”

I’ve long sung the praises of genius local deep and Afro house label Fatsouls, its creative leader DJ Said, and its fantastically soulful We & the Music party — another monthly installment of which takes place tonight (Fri/3, 9pm, $5. 222 Hyde, SF. www.222hyde.com) with residents Said and Le Charm. 

The new release on Fatsouls, “In & Out” by classic Detroit musicmaker Alton Miller, confirms that the label is gaining stature worldwide by continuing its steady stream of high-quality, thoughtfully mature, and devilishly groovy tunes.  

Alton, like others of his particular generation including Stacey Pullen, Shazz, Chez Damier, Theo Parrish, and Kenny Dixon, Jr., takes a more organic approach to techno, shaking off its colder aspects for a more overtly house and jazz-oriented feel, yet still lacing tracks with a slight urban spookiness that can only emanate from Detroit. (Some of them even incorporate  — gasp! — vocals.) They create what I think of as “twilight house,” far from the peak energy of midnight or the wind-down of afterhours: still banging enough to keep your body intrigued while your spirit dances up the walls toward daylight.

The main mix of “In & Out” does indeed feature Alton’s warm singing, on his own journey through love’s rejection to acceptance to a call for unity. That particular male voice is itself a connection to a long line of house releases. (One of the most unique and uplifting club experiences I ever had was at a mixed straight-gay club called Torpedo in Miami in 1992, on a night when the DJ played only deep house songs with male vocals. Amazing, and a sexy counter to the diva overload the club scene was experiencing at that post-rave moment.)

A gently intricate tribal-like drum pattern forms the basis of the track, while shimmery synths provide the drive. A Bhoddi Satva Ancestral Mix strips it down a bit with driving cymbal swooshes and pulsing yet unobtrusive chords. Sophisticated remixes by local talent-on-the-rise Steghen Ringmaiden and Trinidadian Trini round out one of the year’s most soulful and absorbing releases.    

In & Out (Original Mix) by Fatsouls Records

Party Radar: Stereo Total, Sabo, Cam, Dub Mission, more

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Party Radar: Stereo Total, Sabo, Cam, Dub Mission, more

Whoo! There’s a lot going on nightlifewise this long weekend. Besides the parties upon which I shined a woozy post-Canadian spotlight in this week’s Super Ego clubs column, here’s a few more great soirees at which you can work out your frustration or relief that you aren’t at Burning Man. The city is ours!

STEREO TOTAL

I caught the seminal ’90s dance-pop-punk, pan-European duo at Bimbo’s last year, with leslie and the Lys opening. Leslie was her usual oddball-amazeball whackadoodle self, but the Totals were a revelation. The place was packed, but even though there were only two of them, they enthralled the crowd with over-the-top mugging and anarchic, scenery-chewing live antics. And of course the infectious music turned into a massive singalong. Long story short: do not miss.

Thu/2, 9 pm, $18. Slim’s, 333 11th St., SF. www.slims-sf.com, www.stereototal.de 

 

BRAZA! FEATURING DJ SABO

NYC beatmaster Sabo has played to glorious acclaim at the Afrolicious and Tormenta Tropical parties, and SF crowds eat his Afro-Latin-tropical-hop beats up. (Does it help that he’s a total babe? Maybe for you — I would never even consider such a thing when evaluating a DJ’s skills.) For this month’s installment of the Braza! party, he’ll be laying down an all-Brazilian set to get your Ipanema jumpin’.

Fri/3, 10pm-3am, $10. SOM, 2925 16th St., SF. www.som-bar.com 

 

DJ CAM

 

The dreamy French hip-hopiste comes bearing surreal stoner grooves. (His new album Sevenincludes an appearance by reclusive house legend Nicolette!) Sway along with local bass-twister Mophono of mind-bending weekly Change the Beat and Carey Kopp.

 

Sat/4,10 pm–late, $10 advance. Mighty, 119 Utah, SF. www.mighty119.com 

 

PROJECT RUNTOVER

Those artsy-crafty drag queens behind weekly Friday night sensation Some Thing at the Stud (go there this week as well) are at it again, bringing their enormously fun — and actually quite genius,fashionwise –  parody of Project Runway to Cat Club. Sublebrity SF alternaqueer teams (pretty much everyone who’s anyone in the city) are given a series of surprise challenges and must use the club’s decorations to formulate a fab outfit. Then the model must perform a drag number in said outfit for judges. It’s a total hoot, and DJ Down-E helps you dance through it all.

Sat/4, 10pm-3:30am, $7. Cat Club, 1190 Folsom, SF. www.sfcatclub.com

 

DUB MISSION 14TH ANNIVERSARY

 

San Francisco’s original dub haven, this weekly joint always makes me smile while turning my head all spacey. Mission maestro DJ Sep welcomes Dr. Israel, Patch Dub, Katrina Blackstone, Turbo Sonidero Futuristico, and MC Mex Tape for a global-eared night of true vibes.

Sun/5, 9 pm, $10 advance. Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF. www.elbo.com

 

DJ DIZ

One of my favorite old(ish) school Chicago house DJs comes in for a special Sunday Sessions party at the EndUp. This one’s going til 5 folks, so bring a bottle of water and prepare to get souled-out, classic-style. With Dawn of Sound, Ryan Nyberg, Rick Preston and more.

Sun/5, 8pm-5am, $20. EndUp, 401 6th St., SF. www.theendup.com

 

Northern lite

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Northern lite

superego@sfbg.com

SUPER EGO My friends, there is another America. One where the teeth are clean, the streets nonthreatening, the nightlife tidy, the needle exchanges plentiful, and the gays legitimized. No, not Guam or Puerto Rico: I’m talking about Canada. OK, OK, one would be hard-pressed to identify any fierce contemporary regional dance music exported from the Great White North — there is no son Canuck — yet techno artists from Richie Hawtin (hard at work compiling a 25-year Plastikman retrospective) to Circlesquare (whose recent Robert Longo-ripping vid for “Dancers” caused several international heart palpitations) have at least kept Canada on the electronic music map. And there’s a thriving hip-hop scene as well, although rappable subjects of urban strife in this most civilized of countries are mostly restricted to stern public transit inspectors and spotty free wireless.

I just zipped back from four days in dazzling British Columbian hot spots Victoria and Vancouver, and while I came across no glorious cybernetic dance hybrid of Scottish strathsprey and Inupiat blanket toss, northern nutters like Calgary filter hip-house duo Smalltown DJs and deliciously deep divers Eames and Fatso of Victoria’s Soft Wear party caught my roving ears. Also discovered: Canada might be irony-free. At otherwise fantastic alterna-faggy party Queerbash, the boys and girls may have been torn from my hunky, uninhibited lumberjack fantasies and the stout drag queens unafraid to creatively camp up odd diva house classics like Sunkids’ “Rise Up” — but the tunes were pure Gaga-wave punctuated by 2k7 Britney, which I guess is retro now? And can every pop “club remix” stop sounding like someone scratching a new pair of nylons over the telephone? Elastic-synthetic, I get it. Still, the punky kids ate it up with nary a wink, and it would have been too impolite not to join in. But Canada, dear Canada: your homosexual party music drives me loony. Please fix.

 

POPSCENE VS. LOADED

Two of the biggest indie dance clubs team up again for rock debauchery, with DJs Omar and Aaron Axelsen and live gigs from localistas the Limousines and Lilofee.

Fri/3, 10 p.m., $13. Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell, SF. www.rickshawstop.com

 

GEMINI DISCO FAREWELL

The kids behind this incredibly popular and stylish retro-disco affair are ending on a high note — on this, their four-year anniversary, they’re packing up the mirrorball and move-move-moving on. Do the hustle, shed a tear with DJs Vin Sol, Nicky B., and Derrick Love, and hosts Le Dinosaur and Christopher McVick.

Sat/4, 10 p.m., $5. UndergroundSF, 424 Haight, SF. www.geminidisco.com

 

MOTOR CITY DRUM ENSEMBLE

He’s not from the Motor City and the only drums are your feet on the dance floor, but knob-nymph Danilo Plessow from Stuttgart sure knows his way around dance music history. He’s exemplary of a new wave of German techno-ists who aren’t afraid of that little thing called “funky.” Catch him opening for revered slow-and-low Frankfurt producer Roman Flugel (once described as “Patrick Cowley on ketamine”) at the monthly Kontrol party.

Sat/4, 10 p.m.–late, $20. EndUp, 401 Sixth St., SF. www.kontrolsf.com

 

LE PERLE DEGLI SQUALLOR ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

For a dozen tight moons, DJ Bus Station John has carved out a monthly space at wondrously gritty mid-Market dive the Hotspot for cruise-y gentlemen with low goals and high minds. Revel in lusty disco rarities, luridly cheap drinks, upstairs pocket-pool, and several indecent exposures.

Sat/4, 10 p.m., $5. The Hotspot, 1414 Market, SF.

 

LABOR OF LOVE

It’s a three-day weekend with no Burners — let’s celebrate! Looong-running parties Stompy and Sunset once again team up to flood the Cocomo all day with funky house sounds and a distinct lack of fun fur and yarn braids. With DJs Galen, Solar, Tasho, Deron, and tons more.

Sun/5, 2 p.m.–2 a.m., $20. Café Cocomo, 650 Indiana, SF. www.pacificsound.net

 

COCKTAILGATE: DROWNING LADY

Another play for the Playa-less — super-bendy drag lady Suppositori Spelling’s weekly gender clown hoot kicks out the jams (watch those heels) with a lineup of bedazzled performers actively protesting Burning Man’s “no glitter, no feathers” anti-drag policy. Guest hostess VivvyAnne Forevermore soaks you with love.

Sun/5, 9 p.m., $4. Truck, 1900 Folsom, SF. www.trucksf.com

Magic 8-Ball

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Magic 8-Ball

superego@sfbg.com

FALL ARTS/ SUPER EGO What does the immediate future of nightlife hold? “Cloud” DJs, quantum trannies, Hovaround races, de-friending parties, cocktail holography, xylophones? Honey. I just rolled in from a night at Aunt Charlie’s in the TL. Answer hazy, ask again later — maybe after I score some hot hangover grits from Eddie’s on Diviz. In the meanwhile, here’s all tomorrow’s parties I want to see your pretty game face at.

 

LOVETECH

A recent tipsy visit to the California Academy of Science’s Thursday Nightlife party confirmed that it’s still one of the most consistently intriguing events on the scene. (It’s also full of gorgeous, smart women — hint, hint all you lonely geeks). Appropriately for its “Inventors Month” theme, this week will see nonstop live electronic music performances from the likes of Edison, Scuzzy, Seventh Swami, Moldover, Spit Brothers, and the Evolution Control Committee. Will the penguins dance? Yes. Yes, they will dance.

Thurs/26, 6 p.m.–10 p.m., $12. California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, SF. www.calacademy.org/nightlife

 

THE BEAT ELECTRIC DANCE SHOW

Kind of freaking out about this. Mezzanine is getting done up like 1982 Detroit cable dance show The Scene (think Soul Train but with early techno and house) — tinsel curtains, dance runway, platforms, and all. Party Effects, BT Magnum, Black Shag, and more keep you popping and locking — and it’ll all be filmed VHS-style. Jihaari T. hosts, and the Miss Honey children, including Terry T and Manicure Versace, preside.

Fri/27, 9 p.m., $5. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. www.mezzaninesf.com

 

OSUNLADE

Very deep, very spiritual, very fantastic global house grooves from the busy Yoruba Soul artist. Carlos Mena of Oakland’s lovely Yoruba Dance Sessions weekly and hometown funkologist J-Boogie support, with live drum troupe Loco Bloco.

Fri/27, 10 p.m.–late, $20. Mighty, 119 Utah, SF. www.mighty119.com

 

TRANNYSHACK BJÖRK TRIBUTE

Koo-koo queens once again take on the Icelandic idol in true Trannyshack fashion. With Cousin Wonderlette, Miss Rahni, Elijah Minnelli, Jupiter, Fruitbomb, Suppositori Spelling, Raya Light, Ambrosia Salad (who was born to Björk out), and of course Heklina herself, the queen of creamed salmon. Ever-stylish DJ Omar tickles your medulla.

Fri/27, 10 p.m.–3 a.m., $12. DNA Lounge, 375 11th St., SF. www.trannyshack.com

 

GIRL UNIT

Intensely funky, forward-thinking Night Slugs artist brings the future grime with a side of early Chicago spooky house feel. He’ll be at the quite nice Icee Hot monthly with Disco Shawn, Rollie Fingers, and Ghosts on Tape.

Sat/28, 10 p.m., $5. 222 Hyde, SF. www.222hyde.com

 

GO BANG!

So, what’s the retro-disco scene like in Omaha, Neb.? Find out when cutie Omahanian DJ Brent Crampton heats up the tables at one of my favorite monthly parties. Headliners funky Cole Medina and Sergio V from L.A. join residents Steve Fabus and Sergio Fedasz, plus newcomers Tres Lingerie, to call down the spirits.

Sat/28, 9 p.m.-late, $5. Deco Lounge, 510 Larkin, SF. www.decosf.com

 

BIG TOP THIRD ANNIVERSARY

Promoter Joshua J’s parties are curious mélanges of disparate nightlife flavors, dizzying yet fun. His monthly circus-themed extravaganza Big Top certainly operates under the big tent principle: this anniversary gig includes electro-indie DJ Jeffrey Paradise, fab photog Ava Berlin, drag-vogue shenanigans by the Miss Honey Children and Hoku Mama Swamp, a “lights out” makeout lounge, clothing optional Twister, go-go boys, and a fortune teller. Whew!

Sat/28, 9 p.m.–3 a.m., $5 advance. Club Eight, 1151 Folsom, SF., www.joshuajpresents.com

 

DJ CAM

The dreamy French hip-hopiste comes bearing surreal stoner grooves. (His new album Seven includes an appearance by reclusive house legend Nicolette!) Sway along with local bass-twister Mophono of mind-bending weekly Change the Beat and Carey Kopp.

Sat., Sept. 4,10 p.m.–late, $10 advance. Mighty, 119 Utah, SF. www.mighty119.com

 

DUB MISSION 14TH ANNIVERSARY

San Francisco’s original dub haven, this weekly joint always makes me smile while turning my head all spacey. Mission maestro DJ Sep welcomes Dr. Israel, Patch Dub, Katrina Blackstone, Turbo Sonidero Futuristico, and MC Mex Tape for a global-eared night of true vibes.

Sun., Sept. 5, 9 p.m., $10 advance. Elbo Room, 647 Valencia, SF. www.elbo.com

 

THE FUTURE 06

The sixth installment of this amazing party brings Brainfeeder knob-god Flying Lotus back from L.A. (via space). Trust, you will not know what hit you when he’s done. Also on deck: dubstep slayer Caspa, who radiates a classic bonkers feel.

Fri., Sept. 24, 9 p.m.–late, $20 advance. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. www.mezzaninesf.com

 

DESIGNER DRUGS

I caught this tireless NYC banger duo a few years back when they opened at a Blow Up party — they seemed far too sweet for the face-melting (yet strangely melodic) set they went on to unleash. It was madness! They’re a lot more well-known now, but their funhouse-electro sound still causes heart murmurs and panty drops.

Sat., Sept. 25, 9 p.m.–late, $12 advance. Mezzanine, 444 Jessie, SF. www.mezzaninesf.com

 

DEVIANTS

Thanks to some canny programming, the Folsom Street Fair is turning into a major music festival in its own right — this year’s performers include Nitzer Ebb, Dragonette, FM Attack, and HOTTUB. Folsom 2010 also sees the launch of a crazy-sounding new after-party, Deviants, with an ear toward extending the pervy deliciousness for hip omnisexuals. House-y thrill The Juan Maclean performs, with DJs Zach Moore of Space Cowboys and Johnny Seymour of Stereogamous opening the floodgates.

Sun., Sept. 26, 6 p.m., $30 advance. 525 Harrison, SF. www.flsomstreetfair.org/deviants

 

LOVEVOLUTION

Change is in the air for this fantastic mega dance festival, formerly known as Lovefest. The party has outgrown its Civic Center location, and a new one is soon to be announced. What hasn’t changed is that the Bay Area is home to several kinds of electronic music, and it would be a shame if we couldn’t all celebrate once a year outdoors, safely and peacefully.

Sat., Oct. 2. Check website for times, location, and price. www.sflovevolution.org

 

NEW WAVE CITY 18TH ANNIVERSARY

Ain’t nothing wrong with a little straight-up, nonironic New Wave nostalgia, especially if venerable 1980s-obsessed DJs Skip and Shindog are serving. Of course, the fun part about this being NWC’s 18th is that the ’80s were barely over before the nostalgia began. Also of course, you won’t be able to not sing and dance along.

Sat., Oct. 2, 9 p.m.–3.am., $12. DNA Lounge, 375 11th St., SF. www.newwavecity.com

 

TREASURE ISLAND MUSIC FESTIVAL

My fondest wishes for this fab four-year-old? More local talent and a DJ tent playing continuous tunes for dancing. Still, it’s hard to argue with a lineup that includes Four Tet, Die Antwoord, Wallpaper, Little Dragon, and more undergroundish acts.

Sat., Oct. 17 and Sun., Oct. 18, $67.50 single day, $119.50 advance two-day package. Treasure Island, www.treasureislandfestival.com

 

PUBLIC WORKS OPENING

I’ve been dying to sing the praises of the awesome crew of DJs and artists involved in this new club and gallery space, located on a nifty street called Erie and marked by a Banksy mural. Now that they’ve set an opening date, I can gush: if all goes well, this should be another hot spot to make the city proud. The launch should be a dance dream.

Wed., Oct. 20, 9 p.m.–4 a.m., price tba. Public Works, 161 Erie, SF.

Dancethropology

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Dancethropology

“What you doin’ talking all night? If you have so much to say, why don’t you call a hotline? The time to talk is not right now. It’s time to dance, my friend. Share some of that energy you got on your lips, in your feet.”

So goes one of the more driving dance floor hits of the summer — Lunar City Express’s “Mr. Jack (Robag’s Edna Mompf Remix).” Agreed! I couldn’t help thinking of those words as I watched a dazzling traditional Filipino dance troupe perform at the annual Pistahan festival last Saturday in Yerba Buena Gardens. While a chiming kulintang tranced out the crowd, perfectly poised women fiercely strutted and posed with tubes of iridescent fabric (calling to mind classic Trannyshack numbers by the late Steve Lady), while men whirled and flounced around them in pirate-like hats, with a swagger that verged on sloshed staggering. But the gender roles kept switching and blurring, calling up something more primal, more human.

I adore that the dance floors at the clubs have been more crowded than the bathroom stalls and bar stations recently. Nothing beats a hot move with a little twist at the end for sexy. Mind if I cut in?

 

DUBSTEP BLOCK PARTY

This sounds either totally awesome or completely insane — both, actually, which is why it’s a must. Two great dubstep parties, Ritual and the Lowend, are joining forces to take over the Sixth Street and Market area where their respective venues, Anu and Showdown, reside. It’ll be indoor-outdoor woofer-blowing madness, presided over by the Irie Cartel. Highlights include a four-DJ tag-team battle and performances by Kush Arora, DJ Facemelter, and live band Bayst.

Thu/20, 9 p.m., $3 donation requested. Between 10 and 43 Sixth St., SF.

 

15TH ANNUAL SF DRAG KING CONTEST

California’s hottest fake-mustachioed players descend upon the city to compete for the dildo-studded crown at this consistently zipper-popping annual event. Hosted by Fudgie Frottage, The Indra, Sister Roma, and Delicio Del Toro, with special guests Jane Weidlin from the Go-Gos and Pepperspray. Plus, Reverend Will Reign Supreme marrying drag kings live on stage. (Take that, Prop. 8.) This year’s theme? “Sinners and Salvation.”

Fri/20, 8 p.m., $20 advance. DNA Lounge, 375 11th St., SF. www.sfdragkingcontest.com

 

KENNY DOPE

One half of seminal house duo Masters at Work, producer of the song that ate the 1990s (“The Bomb” by Bucketheads), the DJ whose funky Nuyorican mixing style prophesized break beats, and just an all-around soulful beats genius, Kenny Dope is finally coming back to the Bay. SOM’s global-eared monthly Ritmos Sin Fronteras party plays host, with Be Brown and Hakobo warming up.

Sat/21, 9 p.m.–3:30 a.m., $15 advance. SOM, 2925 16th St., SF. www.som-bar.com

 

SCUBA

Paul Rose, a.k.a. Scuba, is a dubstep hero (and personal crush — meow), but the London native’s DJ sets have always gone beyond the typical low-end wobble into a deeper territory, one where the beats often take a back seat to intricate melodic buildups and groundbreaking musical ideas. This doesn’t mean an end to dancing, but don’t be surprised if you find yourself popping and locking to a zigzaggy flute sample. He headlines the bimonthly Surefire Sound party with the U.K.’s Patchwork Pirates and Oakland’s Prince Zammy.

Sat/21, 10 p.m., $10. Triple Crown, 1760 Market, SF. www.triplecrownsf.com

 

BAY VIBES FESTIVAL

Reggae, funk, conscious hip-hop, and other blasts of musical sunshine hit Café Cocomo when more than 20 local acts — Afrolicious, Queen Makedah and the Sheba Warriors, FishBiteFish, Native Elements, and Frobeck among them — converge on two stages to turn this summer cold wave around.

Sun/22, noon–2 a.m., $25 advance, $35 door. Café Cocomo, 650 Indiana, SF. www.bayvibessf.com

 

ALWAYS TIRED

I’m finally turning 21, which means I can go to bars now! So is my favorite bear chaser, DJ Peeplay of Honey Soundsystem. The rest of the homofuturist Honey boys are throwing us “a special birthday party for workaholics: Always Tired.” They’ll be spinning Detroit, Chicago, and acid classics, and there’ll be juicy artwork from Primo Pitino and Johnny Ray Huston, plus fab tranny stylings by Kalisto and April Mei Joon and a mess of surprise guests. Work!

Sun/22, 10 p.m., $3. Paradise Loft, 1501 Folsom, SF. www.paradisesf.com

Windblown

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Windblown

marke@sfbg.com

SUPER EGO I just zoomed in from Guerneville on the back of Hunky Beau’s cherry red motorcycle, losing a few wigs along the way, oh well. Guerneville, for the uninitiated, is the supergayish resort town located about 100 miles north of here along the Russian River. It’s like the Riviera, but with more fish smell and meth shacks.

It’s also a hoot. We went up there to enjoy some sunshine — finally hello vitamin D — and join in the divine hoopla of Some Are Camp, an annual kiki agglomeration of post-ironic alternaqueer parties that take over the Russian River Resort. Man, there were a lot of shredded Day-Glo lace shawls and filthy Mouseketeer hats floating in the pool by weekend’s end. Little getaways are fierce, but our own party season is heating up, so grab your Dynasty-inspired water wings and let’s dive in.

 

BRIGHTER DAYS, LONGER NIGHTS

Is the Bay Area experiencing another Berlin brain drain? My mascara dribbles at the thought of us losing yet another techno luminary to that admittedly amazing German burg. But Nightlight Music honcho and funky-minimal musicmaker Alland Byallo must move on, and this special bon voyage shindig should give him something to remember. With DJs Dave Aju, Jeniluv, Dead Seal, and loads more.

Fri/13, 10 p.m.–4 a.m., $5. Triple Crown, 1760 Market, SF. www.triplecrownsf.com

 

WE ALL WE GOT

Let’s hear it for homegrown hip-hop: this monthly showcase consciously expands the local rap palette with a slew of upcoming talent that races past the yayo. The Fillmore’s Rappin’ 4-Tay headlines, Sellassie hosts, and T-Reezy, Blaze 1’s Pyrx Band, Unafeyed Bullyz, and tons more perform.

Fri/13, 9 p.m., $10. Club Six, 60 Sixth St., SF. www.clubsix1.com

 

BEARRACUDA 4-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

One of our few small alternative queer venues, Deco Lounge, recently got cited for capacity violations, forcing many parties to temporarily find new homes. But nothing can stop large-and-in-charge bear dance hoohaw Bearracuda from barreling ahead, this time at DNA Lounge. Floss with flying fur to DJs Rotten Robbie, boyshapedbox, and Honey Soundsystem, with art by queer graffitist Jeremy Novy.

Fri/13, 9 p.m.–3 a.m., $10. DNA Lounge, 375 11th St., SF. www.dnalounge.com

 

HERCULES AND LOVE AFFAIR

The Outside Lands pre-party brings back a band with thriving and complex San Francisco connections — and I’m eager to hear what this pulsating act has in store, now that its expansive deep disco and late-1980s house revivalism has become ubiquitous. All signs point to a tighter show and a brighter sound — without losing that special red-light emotion.

Fri/13, 9 p.m.–3 a.m., $20. Mighty, 119 Utah, www.mighty119.com

 

GREEN SOUND FINALE

For adventurous audiophiles, it’s been a wonderful summer so far thanks to the biannual Soundwave Festival that’s taken over the city the past two months. The “green sound” theme has brought us illuminated forests, singing sculptures, battery drones, and blooming speakers in Civic Center trees. This closing party takes it all to the de Young for “a journey inspired by our stunning city of wind, plant life, and fog.” Expect some sonic chills. With avant-jazz band the Drift.

Fri/13, 6:30 p.m.–8:30 p.m., free. de Young Museum, 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Dr., SF. www.projectsoundwave.com

 

MIKE HUCKABY

I’ve been keeping an ear on this Detroit wizard for nigh on two decades now, and his mesmerizing techno-soul style is finally starting to gain major traction among dance aficionados. As the house DJ at beloved Motor City music store Record Time, his selections helped build many famed DJs secret arsenals. You can expect his influential deep-thinking, deep-reaching experience to shine when he takes the decks at the monthly No Way back party.

Sat/14, 10 p.m., $10. 222 Hyde, www.222hyde.com

SUNSET SUMMER BOAT PARTY

Can I just give it up for the Sunset kids this year? Their seasonal gigs have blossomed into true mainstays of good ol’ San Francisco love — no attitude, no trendy self-consciousness. Even the dis-aquatic among us will want to sign on to this floating blast, with classic Italian DJ Alexander Robotnick (of perma-jacking 1983 track “Problemes d’Amour”) and Germany’s Bruno Pronsato live. International wave!

Sun/15, 5 p.m.–11 p.m., $50. Pier 3, SF. www.pacificsound.net 2

Photos from our Best of the Bay party!

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Photos from our Best of the Bay party!

The fantastic crew at Polite in Public shot many of the adventurous winners and guests at our raucous Best of the Bay party last night. Check ’em out.

Party Radar: Best of the Bay, ZZK, Illuminated Forest, A-Trak, more

Jesse Hawthorne Ficks
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Party Radar: Best of the Bay, ZZK, Illuminated Forest, A-Trak, more

Whew! There’s a lot of throwdown and get lit opportunities in nightlife this week and weekend, beginning tonight, 8/5, at 9pm with the Guardian’s own Best of the Bay Rock Party revving up the amps at Mezzanine — with performances by Chuck Prophet, the Bitter Honeys, and Stephanie Finch and the Company Men, hosted by The Freeze and DJed by Ome. You’ll definitely want to hit this up, especially to schmooze with this year’s Best of the Bay winners. Your elbows will be rubbed down to the bone! 

Here are some more shindigs you need to get into:

ZZK

The outstanding Argentinean electro-cumbia label and Zizek party source is hitting the road — with primo acts El Remolon, Chancha Via Circuito, and El G in tow. (Check this wonderful Chancha mix, basically a refresher course in the primal cumbia sound). Digital folklorico!

Thu/5, 9pm, $12. Rickshaw Stop, 155 Fell, SF. www.rickshawstop.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHIoxQrcs2U

 

Matthew Dear

The shapeshifting heartthrob of emotional techno is back in town to promote forthcoming album Black City, this time without his full band — but it will be a dance floor show to remember. Nikola Baytala, Shoddy Lynn, and Blufarm open.

Fri/6, 10pm, $15. Mighty, 119 Utah, SF. www.mighty119.com

 

 

A-Trak

Those crazy-fun electro-lovin’ Blow Up kids are back, with another “summer concert series” rager, featuring young turntable wiz A-Trak as well as Peanut Butter Wolf (whose got a dun finger in the whole synth wave pie), Nacho Lovers, and the always great Jeffrey Paradise.

Sat/7, 10 pm, $15, 18+. Mission Rock Cafe, 817 Terry Francois Blvd., SF. www.blowupsf.com

 

Revelations in the Illuminated Forest 

It’s one of your last chances to get in on the amazing “Green Sound” Soundwave Festival that’s taken over SF this summer and lit up many an adventurous, experimental-loving ear. The fest has set up the Lab as an Illuminated Forest — “a multimedia interactive exhibit and reactive performance space” (i.e., there are amazing things going on) — and this will be the de facto closing party. With plant sounds and other audiovisual wonders from Etraordinary Forest, Geraud Bec, and Takahiro Kawaguchi. 

Sat/7, 7:30, $10-$15 sliding scale. The Lab, 2948 16th Street, SF. www.projectsoundwave.com

 

 

Hard French

Awesome soul music all afternoon on a patio filled with intensely stylish and friendly young queers? Bring on the thankful tongue kisses! Bonus: this month’s installment’s theme is Psycho Beach Party, naturally.

Sat/7, 3pm-8pm, $5 ($10 for tasty beer bust). El Rio, 3158 Mission, SF. www.elriosf.com 

 

 

Le Perle Degli Squallor

Supersexi bodymotion and hot boy cruising at DJ Bus Station John’s monthly disco rareties hotspot at the wildly off-the-radar Hot Spot bar. Calling all fanny fondlers and tonsil-ticklers — come feel (an) Italian, stallion.

Sat/7, 9pm, $5. Hot Spot, 1414 Market, SF.

 

 

 

 

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