the scene last Friday in the Drum N Bass room at Cliq

For years we’ve endured smokey clubs until the wee hours of the morning and the collateral damage – second hand smoke, smelly clothes, and smokey hair. But July marked the end of smoking (at least legally,) inside Hong Kong’s bars and nightclubs. On behalf of our lungs, hair and clothes – thank you!

Now the question is – will it be enforced? (more…)

Pimpin’ Ain’t Easy is hosting a massive Drum n Bass / Broken Beat extravaganza this Friday night, July 3rd.

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 just discovered some old photos from a rave party I attended eight or nine years ago in Hong Kong. Looking through them now I can see why the scene had to come to an end. (more…)

Last night I stopped by the soft opening of Aura, a new club located on the sixth floor of M-88 at 2-8 Wellington Street in Central.

M-88 is an older building that was recently renovated and has sought to reinvent itself as an entertainment destination. The strategy behind re-branding the building ‘M-88′ is to make it more hip and youthful. (Sometimes the name game can backfire, for example, there was a building in Hong Kong that christened itself ‘Dot Com House’ just before the market crashed!) (more…)

The body as a canvas; the t-shirt as art

Thursday night I stopped by the launch party for the American brand Miskeen. Originally from Philadelphia, Miskeen has grown into a collective of over thirty artists who hand paint t-shirts. The style of the artwork is a cross between graffiti and the street art you could find in N.Y.’s Soho in the 1980’s. (more…)

I was attending a birthday party at HALO on Wednesday night, so I arrived at Dragon-i towards the end of d.j. Cash Money’s set. He’s been to Hong Kong several times over the past three years, and he plays a combination of classics mixed with the latest Hip Hop hits. (more…)

Saturday night at Dragon-i featured a stage crowded with drums for Luisito Quintero, the man behind many of Louie Vega’s incredible beats.

Luisito is a heavyweight percussionist who has worked with legends such as Tito Puente, George Benson and Herbie Hancock to name just a few. He’s also a consummate showman – managing to smile in mid-drumming as I photographed him!

During the course of the night Luisito jumped from drum to drum improvising beats over Masters At Work classics spun by Gilbert Yeung, Dragon-i’s owner and music director. Once again credit needs to be given to Gilbert for putting Hong Kong on the map with contemporary world-class musical talent. The place was filled, despite a heavy rainstorm.

Next up is A-list d.j. and re-edit master Danny Krivit on Saturday, June 16th. (For those of you who don’t know, re-editing involves taking classic songs and making them even better by accentuating their special qualities). Mark your calendars!

Volar continued its procession of international music talent last Thursday with the return of the charismatic d.j. Missill.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/5pRd2OLAEHsvffH5z" width="425" height="335" wmode="transparent" /]

Missill joins her illustrious countrymen Busy P, Justice, and Laurent Garnier as the fourth French d.j. to rock Volar in the past three weeks.

A few words come to mind to describe Missill’s performance: energetic, frantic, A.D.D., cardio-workout and Redbull overdose! I’ve never seen a d.j. move around as much as she did behind the decks. She was bouncing back and forth, hands passionately thrust in the air, mouthing the crucial lyrics to every song.

Missill was nearly impossible to photograph as she darted between the turntables and a laptop during her set. She was no doubt ignited by her own music. Her set was comprised of prime-time party-rockin’ songs from multiple genres including Ragga, Electro, Hip Hop and Ghetto Tech. At times she even seemed slightly disappointed that the crowd couldn’t keep up with her! I’ve never seen anything like it. Check out the videos to see what I mean! (more…)

Volar solidified its reputation as Hong Kong’s top club for cutting-edge d.j. / performers by hosting French dynamic duo Justice, and Ed Banger label owner Busy P on Friday night.

Volar vs. Dragon-i

Competition in club-land is a good thing for music lovers. Volar has recently carved out a successful niche. While Dragon-i brings classic d.j. / producers such as the legends, Little Louie Vega and D.J. Jazzy Jeff, Volar has differentiated themselves by bringing the most up-to-date d.j. acts around. In the past year they have brought forth a smorgasbord of new talents. (more…)

Imagine walking up to the newest hot-spot and instead of being greeted or (in some cases,) intimidated by the burly bouncer, you simply look into a small monitor tucked neatly into a wall. As you gaze down, following the instructions on a small screen, a computer instantly analyzes your face, and decides whether to authorize entry – thereby sliding the door open, or reject you.

This is the technology in place at the entrance of HALO, a brand new ultra-exclusive lounge located slightly off of the main nightlife area in Hong Kong’s Central neighborhood. (more…)