As Dubstep continues to gain traction on international dancefloors (and even begins to influence Pop music,) Skream and Benga, two pioneers who helped shape the genre, will be playing at FLY on Saturday, January 14th.

Only in their mid-twenties, both Skream and Benga have been active producer / artist / DJs, for over ten years. Skream is particularly in demand as a remixer, and his touch can be heard on numerous indie and underground dance hits.

The duo have put out a large body of music, both collaborating with each other and on their own.

Here’s Skream’s remix of Cassius – I Love You So. (It’s got a certain 90′s ‘Bizarre Inc. – Playing with Knives’ quality to it!)

Preferring the term U.K. Bass, rather than Dubstep, Skream and Benga are guaranteed to provide an education in the genre on Saturday night. For this style of music there aren’t two more influential djs you could hope to hear.

Highly recommended!

Skream and Benga
Saturday, January 14th, 2012
FLY
G/F, 24-30 Ice House Street
Central, Hong Kong

$150 HKD before 11:30, includes one standard drink
$200 HKD after 11:30, includes one standard drink

Racks MDB, the casual, unpretentious nightspot that brought billiards and beer pong to Central’s nightlife, is set to close its doors this weekend. After nearly five years of fun filled nights (and often hazy memories,) the final party will be held this Saturday, December 17th.

Racks won a loyal following by providing a friendly alternative to Hong Kong’s sleek and status-obsessed clubbing scene. The atmosphere at Racks was more reminiscent of a laid back college bar than what you typically find elsewhere in the city.

By providing pool tables as well as interesting music, the place was well liked by a diverse crowd. In fact, you never knew who you might spot at Racks. Major local and international celebrities could be found anonymously shooting pool. The place was a favorite among Hong Kong models and actors because of its low-key vibe. People like Hsu Chi, Aaron Kwok, Donnie Yen, Stephen Chow, Nicolas Tse and Daniel Wu all passed through their doors. M.C. Jin practically lived there for many months.

Saturday night marks the end of an era, so you can expect a big turnout of the many people who called Racks home over the last five years. Also expect an all-star cast of d.j.s paying tribute to the club on its final night.

For a look back at some of the good times at Racks, check out these Hong Kong Hustle posts: Racks Opening Night, Racks Calendar Launch Party, The Model’s Billiards Tournament, Galleri Magazine Launch, Halloween at Racks, Racks First Anniversary, Sh*t Sandwich, Import Models at Racks, and Mobb Deep at Racks.

Thanks again, and best wishes to Drafus, Alex, Damon and the entire Racks crew (past and present!)

Racks Last Stand
Saturday, December 17th, 2011
Racks MDB
7/F, M-88, 2-8 Wellington Street
Central, Hong Kong
“From 9pm til we run out of alcohol”

It was technically Thursday morning when Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre took the stage at Dragon-i. The two Hip Hop legends had never before performed in Hong Kong, and judging from the turnout, an appearance was long overdue.

Dragon-i on Wednesday night was not a good place for claustrophobics. Despite the $1200 HKD cover charge, the club was packed literally body-to-body, with people leaning up against strangers. Those who had contemplated dancing, quickly gave up, as there was barely enough room to wiggle.

Most of the people jammed into the club had waited for over two hours for the stars to come on. The smart ones didn’t move for fear of losing their position. At a certain point in the night it was impossible to move in or out, and the wait staff risked injury just trying to make their way to tables.

After numerous false starts, Snoop finally appeared with his signature sneer and Southern California drawl.

Wielding a blinged-out ‘Snoop Dogg’ microphone, the veteran performer went through several songs, aided by two members of the Dogg Pound. Dr. Dre soon joined Snoop on stage and Dragon-i erupted.

The duo went into a long set that included several classics as well as popular newer songs. It’s impressive to count just how many hits they’ve been part of.

Half the club seemed to have their phones in the air taking photos and video during the performance. Hong Kong Hustle joined them!

Here’s Snoop and a member of the Dogg Pound…

The show was yet another memorable night in the long history of Dragon-i. Over the years, the club has consistently raised the standards of Hong Kong nightlife and brought big names to the city for the very first time. Happy Anniversary Dragon-i!

XXX is living up to its goal to provide a home for people with diverse musical tastes. Thursday night there’s a live performance by DJ Spooky and the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble, followed by the third installment of Future Dancehall on Friday.

DJ Spooky’s in town for a major performance of his live film remix – Rebirth of a Nation, that we’ve written about previously.

The intimate Sound Unbound show at XXX features Spooky along with the New Music Ensemble in a rare live performance that you would normally only find in cultural capitals such as New York or London.

For those who haven’t yet been, XXX is literally an underground club, located in a former bank vault in Sheung Wan. If you’re looking to get far away from Central’s scene, it’s a great place to hear niche music that you won’t find in mainstream clubs.

XXX is BYOB, which means bring your own beer (or bottle). You simply pay the cover charge and can drink with your friends at the club all night. There are no alcohol sales on the premises.

Future Dancehall is a recurring night at XXX. The music includes all the varieties and offshoots of Reggae Dancehall music. The vibe is fun, and people are open to dancing to new music (which is unfortunately the opposite of Central.)

Both Thursday and Friday nights are recommended! Please note the early start time on Thursday night.

Sound Unbound: DJ Spooky and the Hong Kong New Music Ensemble
Thursday, October 13th, 2011
Live performance from 8:30pm – 10:00pm
XXX Gallery
Basement, Fui Nam Bldg, 212 Wing Lok Street
Sheung Wan, Hong Kong

$200 HKD
Bookings highly recommend! Register online: http://conta.cc/nuoFW2
Tickets available at the door unless sold out online. For more information call: 6802-6458

Future Dancehall featuring DJs Mafio, Yao and Enso
Friday, October 14th, 2011
From 11pm til late
$100 HKD cover or $50 with a XXX member card

Skerrit Bwoy’s first performance at Volar was truly legendary. At one point in the night, performing as hype-man for Diplo’s Major Lazer Tour, he climbed onto a water pipe and hung upside down from the ceiling while the crowd went wild.

Known for whipping audiences into a frenzy, we’re excited to see what he does for an encore on Friday night!

Skerrit Bwoy is respected as an innovative personality in N.Y.’s Dancehall scene. His recent association with Major Lazer, the super-group composed of producers Diplo and Switch, and his appearance in the video for their smash hit, ‘Pon De Floor,’ has won him a cult following among partygoers.

Have a look at the video for Pon De Floor below. Skerrit Bwoy is the guy with the yellow mohawk!

Pon De Floor featuring Afro Jack & VYBZ Cartel from Mad Decent on Vimeo.

Skerrit Bwoy honed his performance skills in Reggae clubs in The Bronx and Brooklyn, New York. To borrow a cliche, let’s just say that if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere! His charismatic performances, which include daring dance maneuvers, are both entertaining and cross-culturally outlandish!

Skerrit Bwoy filling the stage with girls at Volar

Hong Kong, consider yourself warned!

Recommended!

Skerrit Bwoy
Friday, September 2nd, 2011
Volar
38-44 D’Aguilar Street (Lan Kwai Fong)
Central, Hong Kong

Free for members, $350HKD for non-members, includes a glass of Moet.

Legendary music man D.J. Spinna, christens the new sound system at Dragon-i on Tuesday night. The talented New York-based producer is respected equally in both Hip Hop and House circles as a top remixer and beatmaker.

Spinna’s known for his soulful sounds and has been sought out to remix everyone from De La Soul to Michael Jackson. A d.j.’s d.j., luminaries such as Kenny Dope and DJ Scratch spun at his birthday party last month in New York.

While Spinna lends his magic touch to numerous genres, few producers can equal the same level of talent in even one category. For a taste of some of D.J. Spinna’s music, check out the selections below:

DJ Spinna remix of Shaun Escoffery – Days Like This (real New York House music!)

Michael Jackson – We’re Almost There – D.J. Spinna Remix

D.J. Spinna featuring Shadowman – Drive


DJ Spinna featuring Fresh Daily and Daniel Joseph – Summer Madness

For a personal tour around the producer’s studio, watch this video:

Dragon-i’s new sound and lighting system…

Dragon-i has just invested in a brand new, top of the line sound and lighting system. For the job they sought out international talent.

The new speakers, made by a company called D&B Audiotechnik, feature “rotatable CD horns, dipolar driver arrangements and toroidal wave shaping devices integrated using line array principles…” Sounds pretty hardcore to me!

For years the club has brought the world’s top d.j.s to Hong Kong. Now they can boast a sound system on a similar level.

Recommended!

D.J. Spinna
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011
Dragon-i
Upper Ground Floor, The Centrium
60 Wyndham Street
Central, Hong Kong

$300 cover for non-members

For a look at the many past events at Dragon-i, go here!

Taiwan’s DJ Noodles, the first female finalist in DMC history, will be performing at Hyde on Thursday night, September 30th. If you’ve been looking for an excuse to check out the new club, this might be the opportunity you’ve been waiting for.

In addition to good music, the event is co-produced by Alive Not Dead, which means that the crowd should be a fun mix of artists from the entertainment-friendly social network.

Hyde has a large dancefloor, a spacious layout, and an upstairs lounge if you need to escape from the main room craziness.

The cover charge is $250 HKD, and includes one drink. You can purchase tickets online from Alive Not Dead here.

Remember, this Friday is a holiday!

DJ Noodles
September 30th, 2010
Hyde
2/F, 1 Lyndhurst Terrace (up the hill from Tsui Wah)
Central, Hong Kong

No time for a proper post, but just had to draw your attention to this! Friday, August 6th, features an Ed Banger double feature!

First Uffie is putting on an invitation-only in-store performance at the Diesel Planet Store on Queens Road Central (at 7pm,) and later Busy P, So Me, and DJ Mehdi will be rocking Volar. This crew is no joke!

For a little background info please read here and here.

Special shout to Uffie – who has ties to Hong Kong! It’s going to be a crazy night!

This weekend features back-to-back Techno nights at Yumla piloted by five d.j.s from Japan. D.j.s Montea, Atsushi and Taku Hirayama, play the first night, followed by d.j.s Ko*Hayashi and T.B. on the second. Hong Kong’s Frankie Lam will also join them on the 8th.

Though Techno music remains popular around the world, it’s not easy to come by in Hong Kong’s clubs. This weekend is a rare chance for Techno purists to hear their music unadulterated and uninterrupted.

For those unfamiliar with Yumla, it’s a place that champions indie dance music and has been the launching pad for niche forms of dance music long before they caught on in H.K.’s mainstream clubs.

Yumla is one of the oldest clubs in the city, with music programming that is far more daring. Staying true to their indie roots over the years, it’s gained a reputation as one of the few music-centric clubs in Hong Kong.

What makes Yumla fun?

Yumla isn’t the same as other nightlife outlets. People actually dance; there’s no attitude at the door; and there’s often little, or no cover charge (this weekend features a $100 HKD cover per night, that includes one drink!).

On top of all that, there’s a good sized park right outside the club to chill with friends and take a break from the often crowded dancefloor.

Recommended!

Asian Force in Hong Kong feat. d.j.s Montea, Atsushi, Ko*Hayashi, T.B.,Taku Hirayama and Frankie Lam
Friday, May 7th, and Saturday, May 8th, 2010
From 10pm til late!
Yumla
Lower Basement, 79 Wyndham Street (just off the old stone stairs on Pottinger Street)
Central, Hong Kong

Cover charge of $100HKD includes one drink!

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?

It seems that people have accepted the no-smoking rule rather easily – so far. Unlike karaokes, which I don’t believe ever seriously enforced the ban, Central’s clubs seem to be complying. Even late at Volar on Friday night I witnessed a security guard walk up to a VIP table and tell a model to put out her illicit smoke – she complied.

Newer venues have been opening with the ban in mind and have found spaces with outdoor areas strategically attached.

Two immediate hassles for clubs are going to be the extra flow of people at entry and exit points and potential noise complaints due to people congregating outside the venues. But so far, so good!