Last week a new club called ‘9′ opened up in Central, adding to the string of nightclubs that have recently launched. Located on the top floor of an upscale shopping center (home to brands such as Hermes,) its name is derived from the address - nine Queen’s Road.

Although it’s slightly off of the main nightlife area in Central (Lan Kwai Fong,) it’s a very unique venue. Situated on the fourth floor of The Galleria shopping center, the space is actually a large circle. The center of the circle is a sky-light area, which can’t be used, so the available space is just the perimeter of the circle.

The club is further divided as follows: booths and seating take up half of the outside of the circle. The other parts are two bars located on either end, and a d.j. booth, with a small dance floor as you walk in. The result is that the seated areas are very crowded, since the overall space around the circle is narrow.

Making good use of the space, projectors cast lights and video onto the dome, creating an interesting view with different effects.

Another excellent feature of the club is the large outdoor patio. Once the weather cools down slightly (it’s been hot and humid recently,) this will be an excellent addition to the usable space of the club.

Jazzy Jeff’s fourth trip to Dragon-i turned out to be his best yet. This time around he played on a stage in the former VIP side of the club. The place was completely packed and the crowd was bouncing to his beats. Mad Skills, the M.C. of the night, energized the crowd even further and added some humor with lines like “Let’s take it back, to when Micheal Jackson was Black,” leading into a Michael Jackson mini-set by Jeff.

Jeff played an extremely tight set of classic originals - beats that have been the foundation for countless Hip Hop hits over the last two decades. Although many people might not recognize the originals, Jeff blended them together seemlessly with their more modern, better known incarnations. The crowd was kept in a state of rapture by his quick mixes and superior song selection.

The explosion of big name d.j.s coming through Hong Kong continues! Next Wednesday D.J. Jazzy Jeff will be playing at Dragon-i for the fourth time. He will be accompanied by Mad Skills, a famous freestyle M.C. that should be a step above nearly all the other rappers that have passed through Hong Kong.

The last month featured a slough of international d.j.s.: L.A. Hip Hop duo, Haul & Mason, House d.j. Neil Pierce, and Andy Smith, the d.j. for Portishead, have all stopped into town.

On Monday night I went to a club called EDGE to check out the CD launch party for CLIMAX, a new local group. The band combines a few different musical styles, and my friend Gloria is their newest member.

Usually when you enter any kind of special event in Hong Kong they have a sign-board, where people (normally celebrities) sign their names. The boards are huge, and, depending on the event, the backdrop is often a brand logo, a film poster, or CD artwork, as in this case.

Check out the sign-board below:

Before the music started I positioned myself on the balcony of the venue, so that I could have a good view of the performance without having to stand in the midst of people jostling around. My friend C.M., who I haven’t seen in six months, somehow found me there, and gave me a little background info on the group. He’s part of the indie Rock scene, and has actually sat in with this band on numerous occasions. He told me that they are releasing their music independently, without a record label. It’s a bold step in a market that’s difficult to crack.

The music was a mixture of Punk, Rock, and Canto-Pop, with an emphasis more on the Punk side. The group consisted of six members - a male lead singer, a guitar player, a bass player, a drummer, and a keyboardist, in addition to my friend Gloria, the female lead. For this event they also had a backup singer.

The crowd was into the music, and the press were snapping away. My own pictures were mostly blurry due to the lighting, and the fast rockin’ of the band on stage.

IdN put on an exhibition with the street art collective - ST/ART - featuring 450 individual 12″ by 12″ canvases. The significance of 450 square feet is that the Hong Kong government classifies the average apartment at 450 square feet. The exhibition aims to show that each foot can be made into something special.

Some of the images below can be clicked to reveal larger, more detailed photos.

As a former British colony, in addition to inheriting a love of the Rolls Royce, Hong Kong inherited a love of “football” from the English. Over the last few weeks, productivity throughout the territory has slid as World Cup games are televised here live at ten at night and at three in the morning!

The World Cup action is not just confined to homes or pubs. Even two of the more sophisticated nightclubs, Dragon-i and Volar, have been transformed into multi-screened sports bars. Famous d.j.s have been sidelined by crowds glued to close matches.

Below, fans watch the England match intently at Dragon-i. Click for a larger image:

In some places, crowds spill out onto the street to watch the games.

Often different nationalities congregate together to support their home teams.

Even local supermarkets have developed promotional campaigns based on the series.

Perhaps one ingredient that adds to the excitement for some is the fact that gambling on football matches is now legal through the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Although this is relatively new (launched during the 2003-2004 season), it already accounts for significant revenues and is projected to earn almost half the amount that the Hong Kong Jockey Club makes through horse race betting.

I checked out my friend Yan’s exhibition last week. The theme of her work in this exhibit was combining street graffiti she found around Europe with classical European architecture. The results were very interesting looking. Using Photoshop and other programs she mapped one on top of the other to create new compositions.

With the monopoly on ownership of casinos in Macau lifted, seasoned, corporate American casinos are pouring into Macau, giving the industry a much needed face-lift. Formerly controlled by Stanley Ho, the new guys in town include The Sands, The Venitian, MGM, Wynn, and several others. They are literally making the front part of Macau into a strip similar to Las Vegas. Construction is everywhere.

The charm of old Macau, with its slow winding streets, and alleyways can still be found. However, luxury condos catering to future high-rollers, mostly projected to come from Mainland China, are beginning to encroach on the borders of the city.

Taking a page from Las Vegas, Macau is reinventing itself, with all sorts of weird semi-historic concoctions. On a recent trip I walked around the main part of the city, and shot some of the new buildings going up. Some of them are interesting looking.

The former face of gambling in Macau, Stanley Ho’s Casino Lisboa:

On my walk, I stumbled across some cool graffiti and an old shop covered in gears, cogs and springs - there’s still culture to be found!

Click on the image below to get a close-up!

With the economy booming in Hong Kong, there have been many new clubs popping up. One particularly interesting new entry has not opened yet. Called M1NT, it bills itself as “The world’s first shareholders’ club.” It’s going to be located off of the main party scene, down Hollywood Road in a new development called Centre Stage (more on that place later!)

If you go to their website they have a prospectus available for download that fills you in on their strategy, their forecast, and their partners. It’s very professional.

There is already a membership club in Hong Kong called Kee Club that has been somewhat successful. I suppose that M1NT will poach many of its members from this joint. Part of M1NT’s draw is that members will be given a stake in the business, as opposed to just paying dues. M1NT memberships will appreciate in value, as they are scarce, and not freely available on the market. This strategy worked well for the initial branch of the club which opened in London.

It makes sense, BUT, clubs are very unpredictable, and unfortunately, crowds are quite unsophisticated. For example, it’s difficult to open a club and please everyone musically. People go to clubs to meet people they don’t know, and having a membership club complicates that process by weeding out people. It can be a positive and a negative.

Success will depend on what local partners they line up to assist in getting the club off of the ground. People are extremely lazy about trying new places. In Hong Kong, even two blocks away can be too far for many people! The initial draw will be that it’s new and exclusive. Going to the ‘new’ and ‘exclusive’ place is part of the trendy culture that dominates Hong Kong. This will no doubt work to their advantage.

My friend Takuya came to Hong Kong initially as a model from Japan. He recently went through training to become an actor, (and learn Cantonese!) and will be making his debut in the Hong Kong movie Love Undercover 3.

The film is a popular franchise which in the past has starred Daniel Wu in the male lead role, and Miriam Yeung in the female lead. This time there will be a new cast.

I believe he’s signed on to make a few more films already! Wishing him the best!