Dragon-i, Hong Kong’s top venue for international d.j.s has been in overdrive recently with a constant stream of big musical acts. In addition to D.J.s, last week featured Ultra Nate, one of the premier voices in club music.

Last night, L.A. based four-turntable duo Haul and Mason returned to Dragon-i for their second performance in Hong Kong. Their set featured elaborate mixes of classic West Coast Hip Hop in addition to mainstream Hip-Pop classics. The intricate sound collages were perhaps lost on most listeners who were too busy dancing!

Last week D.J. Disciple, a top house d.j. also graced the club. Coming up on May 12th is the return of Joe Causell who played a spectacular set at Dragon-i last year.

In between the F.I.L. store opening and an event for Rio Mints, I stopped by my friend Eyedie Tai’s photo exhibition. The show was held at Philia Lounge which is located on Arbuthnot Road, just up the street from Hong Kong’s top club, Dragon-i, in Central. Active as a photographer, a model, and a socialite, Eyedie is a well known face around Hong Kong.

Eyedie’s last exhibition held at Kee Club several years ago was heavy on portraits and Moments Voles II is the same. Though the show contains a mixture of material, perhaps the majority of attention went to a collection of portraits featuring several of Hong Kong’s most beautiful celebrity / actress / models including Nissa, Gaile, Lisa S., Amanda Strang, and Isabella Leong.

Rather than straight fashion shots, the photos here have a distinct candid feeling. Accurately titled “Stolen Moments” in French, the result is an exhibition with a casual, relaxed warmth that accentuates the feminine beauty of her subjects.

Since Eyedie’s relationship with most of the models here is beyond simply a professional association, there is an intimacy in the photos that perhaps shows the model’s true face.

There was a large turnout for the opening, including an army of reporters who kept Eyedie busy answering questions about her work.

The entrance-way to the lounge was covered in a wall of photographic prints.

I recently dropped by M1NT, one of the newest additions to the high-end of Hong Kong’s nightlife. M1NT is a branch of a member’s club that originated in London. It bills itself as a “shareholders club” where membership is limited, thus your original investment becomes more valuable as it theoretically appreciates.

Personally, I’m not a big fan of membership clubs, but I am a fan of exclusivity. The best club nights are only known to the people who are in the scene, and the scene is ever changing, which is a natural form of exclusivity. The inherent problem with members-only clubs is that they tend to draw a monotone crowd. The best clubs provide an exciting time partially because of the surprise mixture of people. A seasoned bouncer and door people can also ensure a good crowd.

All that membership business aside, M1NT has a large shark tank against its back wall – which is worth a few cool points. The rest of the decor is adequate, though not as interesting as the multi-roomed design of HALO, Hong Kong’s other new entry to the high-end.

Looking around the room, M1NT succeeded in achieving a cosmopolitan vibe – something rare for Hong Kong, that made it feel like it could be New York, or another international city. The crowd at M1NT on the night I visited was predominantly foreigners, rather than local Hong Kong Chinese and I have a feeling that’s normally the case.

Nightlife in Hong Kong is somewhat race and class based. As an over-simplified breakdown, the upper-end for foreigners is Dragon-i, Kee Club (another member’s club,) and now M1NT. For Hong Kong Chinese, Dragon-i, Volar, and now Halo are the most exclusive three.

M1NT is located on 108 Hollywood Road, outside of the main nightlife area by about five blocks. In Hong Kong, this is the other end of the planet for many people.

On the night I was there, Hip Hop blend-master D.J. Yoda from England was playing. He mixed nearly every musical genre imaginable, and had the crowded dance floor moving.

To some extent, going to hear a big name d.j. is like the new Rock concert. Hong Kong’s clubs have been eager to embrace this. There are several reasons why. From the promoters side, it’s easier to book a single d.j. then to fly in a several member band who need to bring all their instruments, etc. Also, rather than have to pay five people, you just need to satisfy one. The demands are less, the costs are less, and your choice of venue is far more flexible.

Last Friday night, Bob Sinclair, the man behind the biggest club hit of recent memory – “Love Generation,” came to Dragon-i. Unfortunately, I was stuck somewhere else, and didn’t make it over until around 3:30 am.

By the time I got there, Bob Sinclair had finished his set. The place looked like it had been through a busy night. Apparently, there had been well over 1500 people there. Dragon-i would normally be crowded with 500 people! The cover charge for the night was $250 (around $30 USD). Table reservations went for $5000, yet the place was so busy that they ran out of every glass except for wine glasses!

I still haven’t heard a reliable rundown on Bob Sinclair’s set because most of the regulars felt over-crowded that night, and left early.

If you’re interested in art, paticularly street art, K-Spray 3 is a must-attend event. The K-Spray Tour, now in its third year, is passing through Hong Kong on Wednesday, April 4th. The party will feature live painting and work by three featured artists: The London Police from England, Flying Fortress from Germany, and PEZ from Spain. These are three absolutely top European street artists, well known internationally. The event is FREE and runs from 8:30 to 11pm at SUGAR in Central. Hong Kong joins Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore and Taipei in hosting the tour. For more information visit the K-Spray site. To download the invite for the Hong Kong event, go here. To download info about the six city tour go here.

Thursday night I happened to be out at Volar, one of the top clubs in Hong Kong. I was sitting towards the front of the club close to the d.j. booth. All of a sudden I noticed some sort of commotion near the stage. A guy jumped up and there was a brief discussion with the d.j. The next thing I heard was the shrill sound of an instrument being tuned. What was that? I wondered. A few seconds later I had my answer as the guy who climbed the stage began improvising over the uptempo dance music on a violin!

The performance captivated the crowd for about sixty seconds and then the jokes started. While I’m sure some violinists could pull this off, this one ran out of steam pretty quickly. Instead of complimenting the sounds of the dance beats and working with the music, his improvisation began to clash and sound off-key. Either way, it was an interesting departure from the norm and I support people trying out something different.

Christmas came early for House music lovers in Hong Kong as famed D.J. and producer Little Louie Vega graced Dragon-i with his second appearance at the top club.

I arrived at Dragon-i early even though Louie Vega is known for his marathon sets. Last time he was here he ended up d.j.ing into the early morning hours, and at 5 am, ate a salad while playing! I was curious how he would begin his set this time…

Sometimes it’s difficult for a headlining d.j. to transition or differentiate themselves from the opening act. Not so with Louie Vega. His talent for selecting music that grabs you was evident from his first few tracks.

Although I’m not much of a House afficianado, I appreciated the different directions he took the music during his set. I could hear the influences of Disco, Soul and other genres blended together seamlessly. I was a little surprised that two songs I occasionally listen to – Georgio Moroder’s “The Chase,” and The Jungle Borther’s “I’ll House You,” also made it into his mix. As a music lover myself, it was a treat to hear a d.j. of his level perform. Louie Vega worked up a sweat constantly mixing and tweaking the treble and bass of each track.

For Dragon-i owner and music lover Gilbert Yeung, this is the highlight of the year. Little Louie Vega is responsible for a huge catalog of influential songs and is a towering figure in the history of House music. Gilbert’s personal taste in music ranges widely, however, Louie Vega occupies a special place in his heart!

At a certain point in the evening – one that Gilbert may never forget – Louie Vega asked Gilbert to climb behind the turntables and d.j. alongside him. For the uninitiated, this is the equivalent of someone who idolizes The Rolling Stones being asked by Mick Jagger to play guitar on stage with the band. Gilbert was elated!

Halloween seems to be getting bigger and bigger each year in Hong Kong. Because it fell on a Tuesday this year, the bars and clubs celebrated all weekend long with people dressing in costume.

Volar, one of the top clubs in Hong Kong went all out on decorations this year. They had a prom theme ala the classic Stephen King horror film Carrie.

Not even the d.j. booth was spared – check out the severed head and hand!

Despite all the special promotions, the center of the Halloween festivities is Lan Kwai Fong – the main nightlife area in Central on the night of the 31st. On Tuesday night, tens of thousands of people paraded the streets with their costumes or cameras.

The turnout is so large that the police have developed a strategy to keep the gathering orderly and controlable. To get to Lan Kwai Fong, (which has a collection of dozens of bars,) the police make partygoers snake around the area for nearly ten blocks before entering.

In the weeks before Halloween, Pottinger Street, an old, cobble-stone street in Central overflows with different costumes and props for sale. (Click the image below for a bigger view.)

Just a block away, a brand new Toys R Us just opened, providing another venue for Halloween purchases. This is the first Toys R Us store in Central. Their other branches nearby are located in Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay.

When I saw the poster and got the invitation to check out singer Julie McKnight at Dragon-i last week, I made a mental note to reserve the date. What I didn’t realize is that I was already familiar with her biggest song – “Finally”. Dragon-i’s owner Gilbert always plays the song when he spins and it’s a true classic.

Saturday night I arrived just in time to catch Julie singing “Finally” live! Gilbert was spinning the instrumental and she was freestyle singing over the top. It was less formal than a concert, where everything is worked out in advance, and her performance had an air of unpredictability that made it more exciting. After singing her own songs, Julie began singing over records that Gilbert dug up – including a crowd pleasing rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s classic “I Will Survive”.

Performing from the d.j. booth, without a stage, Ms. McKnight still had a strong presence, and interacted well with the crowd. During her song she encouraged the audience to sing along, and taunted them when they weren’t loud enough. Those in attendance were treated to an excellent, intimate performance.

Luckily, I was able to get back to Central earlier than expected, so I decided to jump around the neighborhood. I started off attending a party at the new Armani Bar in Central. There’s a building on Chater Road that houses around six separate Armani entities. I’m not talking just clothing. They range from a florist and book store, to a furniture shop and now a restaurant/bar. The same space used to be a cafe several years ago, and it recently reopened in this new format.

When I got there they had an Italian House music d.j. spinning and dancers on two podiums grooving to the music. I only stayed about thirty minutes since it wasn’t that crowded. I decided to stop by Dragon-i before heading to Volar. I wanted to catch a little of Danny Krivit’s performance if possible.

Luckily for me, when I stopped by D.I. he was already on. The place was still filling up, but just by looking at him you could see that he loved his music. Despite it being early in the night, he was enthusiastically working the equalizers (bass, and treble) for different segments of the song. Clearly, he was going to be giving a big performance at peak time.

Volar was packed when I got there. The d.j. started off with some old-school Hip Hop, and went into a long Brasilian Funk set. Later he played a mixture of Hip Hop and Dancehall music.

Volar is divided into two rooms, with two different d.j.s playing at once. If Volar was a boat, last night it would have capsized, because the whole club rockin’ on one side! The d.j. killed it until 4:30 am, when they asked him to stop the music because there was no one on the other side of the club!

Afterwords I decided to head back to Dragon-i to see if Danny Krivit was still spinning. I got there at nearly 5 am, and sure enough he was still tweaking the e.q.s. There were less than ten people there, but they were feeling his vibe and he continued to kick it. That’s a real d.j.!