The party boasts the d.j. / producer duo Supra1 from Krakow, Poland as a headliner. Hosts Kid Fresh and Enso will also be manning the decks in the front room. For the night, the second room at Cliq will feature a special line up of three of Hong Kong’s top Drum N Bass crews: Saiyan and Teem from Magnetic Soul; Wash and Electronic Mistress from Kongkretebass; and Blood Dunza from the Heavy Crew.

For those who love bass and complex bpms, this should be a buffet of beats!

Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy
Friday, July 3rd, 2009
CLIQ
2/F On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace
Central, Hong Kong

10:30 pm - 5:00 am
Cover charge of $200HKD, includes one drink

I was walking along Cannon Street in Causeway Bay (known for pet stores and Vietnamese restaurants,) when I spotted a new shop. There was a small crowd gathered out front peering through the windows. What was the attraction?

If you looked closely in the first window there was a chameleon semi-camouflaged, blending in with the fake leaves in its enclosure.

In the second window there were three large lizards slithering around on the ground as a female staff member attended to them. A few medium-sized turtles were also in the mix.

No, wise-guy, this wasn’t the opening of an exotic burger joint! The shop, Reptile Corner, is a clear standout among the other pet stores in the neighborhood.

I’m not sure why, but certain people find reptiles irresistible as pets. Perhaps it has something to do with our love of dinosaurs?

It’s not just guys buying reptiles either. There seems to be equal interest from both men and women. A girl I know used to have a large lizard and would take it on outings to Repulse Bay beach! (I wouldn’t want to be the one laying there when that thing slithered up!)

There was enough action in the front window alone to keep me outside on the pavement. I didn’t go in for a closer look, so I’m not sure whether their stock also includes snakes, another reptile.

Have an idea why people like reptiles as pets? Add your thoughts in the comments!

Can we all just get along?

D.J. Craze and D.J. Klever, two world renowned turntablists, hit Volar last Thursday night. Turntablists are sort of like musically gifted hackers. Instead of using a record player (called a turntable,) for what it was intended - to playback music, they use it more like an instrument.

The techniques they practice include scratching and beat juggling. The result is that they create music from music.

In their repertoire there’s even a famous scratch that was named after the Transformers. (It resembles the sound that occurs when they change from cars into robots!) The best turntablists can produce fantastic improvisation-filled performances.

However, I’m usually skeptical of turntablists as party d.j.s. Sometimes they get too used to crowds standing around and watching, and don’t understand the dynamics of a dance floor. At times they tend to get too technical and lose the non-d.j.s in the audience.

How did D.J. Klever and Craze hold up?

Klever started off the night with one of the best sets in recent memory. He played new Electronic dance music and used his d.j. skills to enhance the tracks with scratches and other manipulations.

Klever showed experience as a party rocker with a great selection of prime-time music. Even though I wasn’t familiar with the songs, each cut had a catchy hook that elevated the intensity and got the dance floor rocking early.

Craze took over after Klever’s excellent start. Both d.j.s engaged the crowd on the microphone and acted as cheerleader for the other when not playing.

D.J. Craze and D.J. Klever brought the vibe in the room up from their own enthusiasm on stage.

Craze went into a short Hip Hop segment that some in the audience had been waiting for. It’s interesting that most of the famous Hip Hop d.j.s don’t play Hip Hop music anymore. (More on this topic in an upcoming post!)

After the Hip Hop segment, the music drifted for a while before Klever took over again and started to raise the tempo.

Klever’s early set alone made the night worth attending. Top turntablist skills and great song selection make a deadly combination!

Here’s a video of D.J. Qbert demonstrating the Transformer scratch!

Texas-based artist Matthew Bonifacio Rodriguez headlines a new show at the nomadic Apostrophe gallery. The exhibition, a group show titled CCTV, is being held in an abandoned office space high above Central.

In addition to traditional materials, Matthew Rodriguez’s art employs out-dated children’s toys, disregarded stuffed animals, found fabrics, and other expired materials.

Looking over his work I started to wonder - is there such a thing as a thrift store aesthetic?

The art of Matthew Rodriguez is filled with nostalgic children’s Americana. The images borrow much from the past, and contain references to childhood and children’s books.

Not only are their actual old toys used in his work, but he also integrates vintage illustrations. In one work he even drops the name of ‘Lite Brite‘ (a famous game from the 70’s,) into his painting.

Matthew Rodriguez’s diorama near the entrance of the show takes this thrift-store style one step further. In a large cardboard box he assembled stuffed animals (a dog and two owls,) in a hipster d.j. scene.

A pink parrot is even posed using its beak as a stylus to play a record! The fact that a $4 price tag remains in place, dangling off of the vintage record player, establishes this as an unrepentant thrift store find.

There is definitely a charm and allure to thrift store merchandise. Sometimes on the shelves one can find pieces that exemplify the mood of a bygone era. Whether it be an object molded in a 1960’s version of the future, or a worn out record with an interesting cover, there’s something genuine and authentic about the items.

Integrating them into his work, Rodriguez adds a seasoning that conjures up a certain mood based on the period of the object.

Layered fabrics

Several works make use of fabric in creating three-dimensional collages. The works are more impressive in person due to a visual trait that’s not apparent in photos.

Text appears in the works similar to the way narrations are used in children’s books.

Other artists in the show include fellow Americans, Doodles and Claudius Phaedrus, as well as DEM and Geometric Bang from Italy.

Apostrophe Gallery CCTV
until July 3rd
Room 2702, 40-44 Wyndham Street, Central (just down the street from The Centrium)
Central, Hong Kong

A party for Casio G-SHOCK watches? It’s not as unusual as it sounds. In fact, in Hong Kong, mega-events for watch brands are common.

What makes this one different?

In Hong Kong, watches are thought of both as an important fashion accessory and also as a collectible. Worn as an accessory, a special watch can show your personality and wealth - a contributing factor to gaining “face.” As a collectible, watches take up relatively little room, which is important in Hong Kong’s space-challenged apartments.

Despite the fact that mobile phone penetration here is near 100%, and you can tell the time from your phone, you find both men and women fanatical about watches.

Hong Kong is a strong market. Perhaps due to the affluence of local consumers, most of the famous watch manufactures have a presence here. Lavish events are held by brands such as Panerai and Franck Muller to unveil new models and build awareness.

Although aimed at a different demographic, Friday night’s Shock the World Tour by G-SHOCK, serves a similar purpose.

In order to match the younger, trendier target group, G-SHOCK has commissioned collaborations with local band 24 Herbs, as well as with clothing company, Sub Crew to create limited edition items. Things like this are important for promotional purposes and generate buzz in local fashion magazines.

The Shock the World Tour is being replicated in twelve cities around the world. The Hong Kong party is being held at club Cliq and features a wide variety of performers. The lineup includes Japanese producer / d.j., Yasutaka Nakata; 24 Herbs; DJ Becareful (aka Sam Lee;) and Quan - the solo artist formerly of the Australian group Regurgitator.

The G-SHOCK party combines multiple genres of music

In order to appeal to a wide youth audience, the musical choices cover a lot of ground. 24 Herbs are sort of a party rap / Beastie Boys type of group. DJ Becareful plays fast-paced new dance music and is the head of Sub Crew. From what I can tell, Yasutaka Nakata plays upbeat Electronic House and is a popular remixer. Weirdest of them all, but perhaps the one I’m most curious about is Quan. Searching for more information about him I discovered that he did the 80’s inspired song from my friend’s zombie movie, “Isle Be Damned.” Another video I found by Quan can only be described as sort of a Justin Timberlake inspired serial killer R&B song! Interesting stuff!

The One (2009) - Quan from Quan Yeomans on Vimeo.

Shock the World Tour 2009
Friday, June 26th*
Cliq
2/F On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace
Central, Hong Kong

*Friday night’s event is invitation only from 9 until 11pm. Afterwards I believe it’s open to the public, but with a cover charge.

Wow! This is going to be one exciting week!

Thursday night is the latest edition of the monthly Hype Nasty party at Volar. Headlining this time is d.j. duo Craze and Klever performing on four turntables! Both of these guys are masters at scratching and the night should be part performance and part dancefloor madness.

Saturday marks the return of Pase Rock to Hong Kong. The M.C. / d.j. / producer was here last year for the Diesel Black Gold event (as an M.C.). This time around Pase Rock will be manning the turntables. You can expect exclusive cuts that you won’t hear anywhere else in addition to club classics.

DJ Craze & DJ Klever
Thursday, June 25th
Volar
Basement, 38-44 D’Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central, Hong Kong
cover charge $250 HKD includes one drink (free for members)

Pase Rock
Saturday, June 27th
Dragon-i
U/F, The Centrium
60 Wyndham Street
Central, Hong Kong
cover charge $300 HKD (free for members)

Black Night, a special fund-raiser for the ORBIS charity, will take place this Wednesday, June 24th. The angle for the event is somewhat unique. The Black Night is no ordinary event, but one that seeks to temporarily replicate the experience of blindness.

ORBIS seems like a worthy cause. On their website they point out that of the 45 million people around the world who are blind — 80 percent suffer needlessly. That’s a very strong and sad statistic.

The event takes place at Cliq. Experience something new and help prevent blindness in developing countries while you’re at it. “All net contributions will be donated to ORBIS”

For more information about ORBIS have a look at their website.

The Black Night
Wednesday, June 24th
9pm - 1am
Cliq
2/F, On Hing Building, 1 On Hing Terrace (at the intersection of Wyndham and Wellington Street)
Central, Hong Kong

Dress code: Black
$200 HKD advance, $250 at the door
Please email: theblacknight2009@gmail.com for more information

When Hong Kong supermarket chain Wellcome began offering a rewards program tied to a shopper’s Octopus card, things got a little weird.

It’s not uncommon for English words to be slightly mangled upon delivery, but sometimes the idiosyncratic localization of words produces some really strange results!

Consider the following scenario:

You’re at the checkout counter all ready to pay for your groceries, when the Wellcome cashier suddenly turns to you and says “Octopussy?”

It takes you half a second to understand the connotation and question. If you’ve registered your Octopus card for the rewards program, you now have an opportunity to collect additional points for your transaction.

Octopussy of course, is a word only uttered when referring to the title of a James Bond film from 1983. To hear it coming from the checkout counter while purchasing your daily necessities is mildly amusing.

Some native Cantonese speakers have linguistic habits that carry over into their English. For example, some people don’t like one syllable words or names. If your name is Ken, people will address you as ‘Ah Ken’. Similarly, some Cantonese speakers don’t like words that end in ‘S’. So words like bus are pronounced bus-EE. Octopus is occasionally one of these words!

(For the record, even though I’m a big fan of the Octopus card, I would never give out so much information about myself to the supermarkets and allow my purchases to be tracked. Do you really think they want to help you lower their income? The supermarket is just going to use the information they collect to find out more efficient ways to manipulate prices, so don’t help them! Plus it slows down the transaction time, which is already frustratingly long, unless of course you pay by Octopussy!)

The show is based on the controversial topic of using cameras to monitor society and potentially prevent crime. (The theme is very timely as Hong Kong struggles with how to cope with a serial criminal who has thrown corrosive liquid down at shoppers on a busy pedestrian street.)

The exhibition highlights urban art from Italy and America including work by Geometric Bang, Matthew Rodriguez, Claudius Phaedrus, Doodles and DEM.

Texas based artist Matthew Rodriguez will be in town for the exhibition which takes place in an abandoned office space on Wyndham Street.

For a glimpse of Matthew Rodriguez’s work, check out his Flickr account.

The show runs from June 19th until July 3rd.

For more information about the Apostrophe Gallery go here. To RSVP for the opening, email May Wong at: maymwong@gmail.com

CCTV: Urban Art Show
Fom June 19th until July 3rd
Room 2702
40-44 Wyndham Street
Central

Far away from the chic interior of their IFC branch and the rotating shoe installation of Pacific Place, there exists another Lane Crawford.

Tucked away in sleepy Ap Lei Chau you’ll find a less flashy and more subdued place called the Lane Crawford Warehouse. Award winning interior design it’s not, but the Lane Crawford warehouse offers something else - a chance to find major additions to your wardrobe at major discounts!

We’re not talking items that have “last season” stamped all over them, but classic pieces by premium designers both big and small. I was surprised to see very unique items trickle down from the fashionable main stores. Perhaps this is where the masterpieces with the extra decimals go when their stock is not fully sold.

Posted against the wall in various places is a color-coded guide to additional discounts. Do not miss this. Depending on a small circular sticker, you can take an extra percentage off the current price written on the tag. Without these discounts, the prices may still seem high.

Checking a few items that initially featured astronomical prices, they were knocked down to reasonable and affordable levels. The range of sizes and variety was very good when I visited.

Even a rack of jeans (that should fly off the shelves,) featured premium designers and included normal sizes.

There’s a full range of both casual and formal wear, in addition to accessories. The men’s section is particularly good.

The warehouse takes up nearly half the twenty-fifth floor of the large former industrial building. In addition to the Lane Crawford warehouse, Horizon Plaza shopping center also contains outlets by Joyce (21/F,) Giorgio Armani (22/F,) Bluebell (that includes Paul Smith, Blumarine, and Moschino) (22/F,) and Max Mara (27/F).

Getting there is easier than you’d think!

From Central, take the number 90 bus from Exchange Square Bus Station (street level, next to IFC,) or number 91 from the Central Ferry Piers, to Ap Lei Chau Estate Bus Terminus. From there, Horizon Plaza operates a convenient shuttle that goes back and forth every ten to thirty minutes, depending on the time and day of the week. Taking a taxi is an even easier option. If you choose to drive, parking is cheap at $15 HKD per hour.

Lane Crawford Warehouse
25/F, Horizon Plaza
2 Lee Wing Street
Ap Lei Chau
Hong Kong

Store hours: every day from 10am to 7pm (other outlets may be closed on Mondays.)
2118-3403

Horizon Plaza shopping center, Ap Lei Chau