Consider yourself warned! Thursday, July 1st, Volar will host Major Lazer, the biggest thing in underground dance music.

This is the group behind ‘Pon De Floor,’ a wildly popular dance track that erupts in multiple crescendos, driving dancefloors berserk.

But who exactly is Major Lazer?

Major Lazer is actually a super-group composed of two influential dance music producers, Diplo and Switch. Though you might not be familiar with their names, the two have shaped contemporary music enormously, influencing everyone from M.I.A. to the Black Eyed Peas.

Here’s Diplo throwing down with Steve Aoki looking on.

Diplo and Switch decided to collaborate around a theme and created a fictional character named Major Lazer, a Jamaican commando who battles the undead. The album, titled “Guns Don’t Kill People… Lazers Do,” was influenced by dancehall music, an offshoot of Jamaican Reggae. Although the songs were recorded in Jamaica and feature vocals from big names in contemporary dancehall music, the album itself is a fantastic cultural jumble of different influences.

The appeal of Major Lazer’s sound is widespread. Boy George even played ‘Pon De Floor’ at prime time during his recent gig in Hong Kong (the crowd went crazy).

Also part of the Major Lazer show on Thursday is Skerrit Bwoy. Easy to spot with his yellow Mohawk, the Bronx-based dancehall selector and personality is sort of a Flavor-Flav style hype-man for the group.

Among his other talents, Skerrit Bwoy is a master at ‘daggering’, a creative, comical, over-the-top performance of simulated sex. Hong Kong, this is going to be one interesting night!

For a taste of Major Lazer’s sound and a good definition of daggering, have a look at the video for ‘Pon De Floor’.

Check out Diplo and Skerrit Bwoy performing live at a BestBuy store below (I don’t think they will be invited back again.)

Highly recommended!
 
MAJOR LAZER featuring Diplo and Skerrit Bwoy
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Volar
Basement, 38-44 D’Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong
Central, Hong Kong
Free for members, $300 HKD cover for non-members (includes two drinks!)

He’s back! Steve Aoki, the stage-diving, crowd-surfing rockstar d.j. is hitting Volar on Thursday, May 6th. Expect packed bodies, fast-paced music and some aerial antics from the Dim Mak label owner.

We’ve caught Steve in the act several times before, most recently at Dragon-i in 2009, when he made an appearance alongside Diplo.

Steve also headlined the massive Adidas 60th anniversary bash out in Aberdeen a few years back.

Expect another wild night at Volar!

Steve Aoki Asia Tour
Volar
Basement, 38-44 D’Aguliar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central, Hong Kong

Free entry for Volar members, cover charge for non-members

If you’ve been hibernating over the Chinese New Year holiday, you now have a good reason to venture out of your cave.

D.J. Rafik grew up surrounded by classical music, but at some point, he put down his cello and decided to take up the turntables as his instrument of choice. Six awards later, Rafik is a major D.M.C. champion, and has d.j.ed around the world alongside big names in dance music.

But does his background in classical music influence his d.j. sets?

This Friday Rafik headlines Hype Nasty, Volar’s night of underground electronic dance music featuring rising stars from the international club circuit. The night is curated by the able d.j.s, Kid Fresh and Enso, the duo behind the Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy series.

DJ Rafik was selected as the headliner for Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy’s one-year anniversary last Summer.

Friday will see Rafik and Kid Fresh reunited on four turntables for an extravagant mix of music.

If you’ve been looking to rejoin civilization again and shake off the Chinese New Year lull, Friday’s event should provide an ample soundtrack.

Hype Nasty featuring DJ Rafik vs. Kid Fresh
Volar
Basement, 38-44 D’Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central, Hong Kong

Free for members, $300 HKD for non-members includes two drinks

German group Digitalism are playing at Volar on Thursday night in celebration of the club’s fifth anniversary. The duo are known for creating catchy songs with dirty, warm synthesizers and distorted melodies.

One of the major artists on the Kitsune record label, Digitalism’s songs often build into dramatic climaxes that cause dance floor eruptions!

The event is members only until midnight. After twelve, the cover charge is $250 HKD and includes two drinks. For fans of new dance music and Electro, this is a very promising night. Digitalism were pioneers of a sound that has since been emulated by dozens of other artists.

Check out their hit song Zdarlight below. (Fast forward to 46 seconds in!)

Digitalism are a perfect choice to celebrate Volar’s anniversary. The club has been a major supporter of new dance music since it opened. Over the last five years Volar has hosted many of the biggest names from leading independent labels such as Kitsune, Modular, and Ed Banger.

Best wishes on your anniversary Volar! Here’s to another year of great music!

Check out photos from previous anniversaries here and here.

Digitalism D.J. set
Thursday, December 3rd, 2009
Volar’s 5th Anniversary
Volar
Basement, 38-44 D’Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central, Hong Kong

Free for members, $250 HKD for non-members, includes two drinks (open for non-members only after midnight)

I’m still amazed at the level of talent that comes to Hong Kong these days. For so many years we had no interesting names passing through, and now we have attractive nightlife options every month, if not every week.

D.j., producer, and remixer Sinden falls into this category. A well known name to fans of dance music, his songs are the kind of thumping catchy beats that d.j.s drop at prime time. Though a relatively new talent, he’s put out a large number of quality songs.

Sinden is one half of the production duo The Count and Sinden (yes, his partner actually looks like The Count from Sesame Street!) In addition to making their own music, the two have tackled multiple remix projects including Kid Sister’s “Beeper” below.

It turns out my old friend Joey Garfield directed the video for “Beeper” in addition to this amazing, must-watch video for RJD2:

Fans of electronic dance music have had it good the last two years. Sinden’s appearance is yet another chance to catch a major talent that’s shaping the sound of contemporary club music.

I’ll leave you with The Count and Sinden’s latest video for their song “Mega.” (It seems like a cross between Transformers, Tetris and the old-school game Simon!)

Sinden
October 16th, 2009
Volar
Basement, 38-44 D’Aguillar Street (Lan Kwai Fong)
Central, Hong Kong
Free for members, $250 for non-members, includes one drink

This makes the fourth time that top beatboxer Killa Kela is set to perform in Hong Kong. If you haven’t yet caught one of his shows, Killa Kela produces elaborate, almost orchestral routines using only his mouth!

For his Summer 2009 tour, Kela teams up with Andy Knowles, an accomplished drummer who plays with the band Franz Ferdinand, as well as London based d.j. Skelektrik. Adding a drummer and a d.j. will likely increase the complexity of the show he can stage.

Want a sample of Killa Kela’s skills?

Killa Kela Summer 2009 Tour
August 1, 2009
Volar
Basement 38-44 D’Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong
Central, Hong Kong
Free for members, non-members $280 HKD includes one drink

This nondescript shop in the heart of Causeway Bay is secretly being transformed. On Friday, July 24th, the wraps come off to reveal 55 DSL’s pop-up shop – a combination retail and art space. Flown in from Italy to christen the new store are the masked d.j. duo The Bloody Beetroots, along with their frequent collaborator, the artist Turbokrapfen.

Not yet up on this gang? Seen the Facebook party description ‘night of mayhem’? Well these guys actually bring it!

The Bloody Beetroots are known for their dancefloor rockin’ Party-Punk Electro sets. Check out the video below for a taste of their music (and madness).

Pop-up stores are getting more popular, perhaps in part because of the bad economy. Due to the increased amount of vacant storefronts, landlords seem to be more open to temporary uses of their space. The Fifty-Five DSL TemporART Store, (as it is officially known,) will open its doors for just two months. Along with items from the Autumn and Winter 2009 collections, the shop will also feature several limited edition pieces. These include a commemorative t-shirt available only in Hong Kong and a windbreaker (limited run of just 15!) featuring The Bloody Beetroots logo designed by Turbokrapfen.

55DSL x The Bloody Beetroots limited-edition tribute jacket, photo courtesy of 55 DSL.

The interior of the pop-up shop should be something special. Turbokrapfen’s artwork for a number of today’s best dance producers is impressive. You can check out examples of his top-notch graphic design here.

AND THAT’S NOT ALL…

The 55 DSL opening party continues with a special appearance of the Bloody Beetroots at Volar on the night of 24th. The entrance fee is a very reasonable $155 HKD (and includes a drink!)

Recommended!

55 DSL TemporART Store
Opens July 24th, 2009
G/F, Shop 3A, 2-4 Kingston Street
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong

The Bloody Beetroots
July 24th, 2009
Volar
Basement, 38-44 D’Aguilar Street, Lan Kwai Fong
Central, Hong Kong
Free for Volar members, $155HKD for non-members (includes one drink!)

Cool names! If you don’t have a cool name, you’re lacking a certain level of creativity, showmanship and panache.

Batman didn’t run around calling himself Bruce Wayne. Spiderman didn’t go by Peter Parker. The Hulk didn’t jump around destroying stuff as David Banner. You actually think they did it for privacy reasons?

No way! It’s because a cool name adds mystique. (O.K., plus it helps them maintain their duality and anonymity.)

The best names are evocative and bring to mind some sort of distinct imagery. Le Castle Vania is an example of a good d.j. name. We’re already thinking weird, fun and spooky – just by the time we hear the name. I like the “Le” too, it adds a touch of French sophistication / absurdity to the whole thing.

There’s nothing more boring than hearing a d.j. who uses their real name. Like what, when we hear your average name that’s supposed to be cool? Take some time and come up with something interesting. The only people that can get away with using their given names are those with already strange or iconic names.

A good d.j. name should conjure up an alter-ego, and the persona should be more exciting than your real-life self.

Part of me wants to catch Le Castle Vania spin at Volar on Friday night just because of his name. (From what I can tell from his remixes, his music is a blend of Justice-style dirty Electro.)

A name is an important part of branding. If it works for superheroes, it can work for d.j.s too!

Le Castle Vania
Friday, July 17th, 2009
Volar
Basement, 38-44 D’Aguilar Street (Lan Kwai Fong)
Central, Hong Kong

Also includes opening sets by DJ Kid Fresh and Enso
Free entry for Volar members.
$280 cover charge for non members, includes one drink.
** SPECIAL DEAL: Free entry and one free drink before 12:30 for everyone RSVP’ing via the following Facebook link.

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!

DJ A-Trak headlines the new Hype Nasty party at Volar this Thursday, May 21st. Hype Nasty is organized by the same people behind Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy.

In the sea of d.j.s playing multiple genres of dance music, there are a few clear standouts and A-Trak is one of them. A former world champion turntablist, A-Trak has always been a step ahead of other d.j.s.. While some turntablists are technically creative, A-Trak has that rare combination of being both musically and technically gifted.

A-Trak’s approached music in a very open way and integrated multiple genres into his repertoire before it became trendy. His foresight has paid off, landing him the title of Kanye West’s d.j., as well as personal collaborations with many of today’s top dance music acts including Digitalism, MSTRKRFT and Boys Noize.

When it comes to catching a d.j. in a club, top turntablist skills mixed with good music sense are a deadly combination! This is one performance not to be missed!

For the night, A-Trak will be supported by D.J. Enso and Miss Yellow.

The following night A-Trak will also be performing at Cubic in Macau.

Recommended!

DJ A-Trak
Volar
Basement 38-44 D’Aguilar Street
Lan Kwai Fong
Central, Hong Kong

Free for Volar members, non-members $250HKD cover charge includes one drink.