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!

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.

This particular rave featured big name d.j. Sasha, and took place at HITEC in Kowloon Bay. Browsing the photos you can get a feel for what the atmosphere at a major rave was like.

I believe this party took place in 2001. It was towards the end of Hong Kong’s once flourishing rave scene. By the time this event rolled around, the vibe at raves had started to change, and they began to attract the same crowd that would normally go to discos.

Glow sticks…

Note the sunglasses… and is that K?

More glow sticks, plus sunglasses!

Pacifier!

Drugs, shirtless people, bad outfits, pacifiers, sunglasses, lollipops, and glow sticks – the scene was basically a caricature of a real rave. In typical Hong Kong fashion, people got the style, but not the message. They understood the accessories, but not the substance.

The parties were often crowded, smoky and expensive. (I believe Sasha was around $600 HKD a ticket.) Vendors with a captive audience sold over-priced water and beer. People crashed in the hallways.

Now defunct magazine, Absolute, was the best at chronicling Hong Kong’s scene in those days. They published in Chinese and English and covered the parties as well as showcased talented, creative locals. People such as Michael Lau, L.M.F., and Eric So, were all profiled early in their careers.

A byproduct of the rave scene’s popularity, gangs started to invade the parties. At one event someone was killed. The police then began to crack down on any large event, which made putting on a party onerous for organizers.

Though there are occasionally still big parties based around d.j.s, the scene is nowhere near what it once was. Musical preferences have also changed. Commercial Hip Hop and R&B (aka Pop music) now dominates Hong Kong’s nightlife.

Lollipop, lollipop…

If I remember correctly, DJ Blackjack and Joel Lai were two of the promoters for this event!

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!)

M-88 is located around the corner from Lan Kwai Fong – a collection of buildings teeming with restaurants and bars. Lan Kwai Fong was once a backwater that was transformed into Hong Kong’s premier nightlife area. Perhaps M-88 aims to undergo a similar change.

The first occupant of M-88 to open was Racks MDB, the uber-popular billiards club on the seventh floor. Racks was followed by Sushi Kuu, a Japanese restaurant on the first floor. Aura, a new club located on the sixth floor is the third tenant to open. The Opera Gallery on G2 is another newcomer. The second, third and fifth floors of the building have been rented by the people behind Hei Hei Club, a popular spot originally located across the street. Their space in M-88 features two connected floors, as well as a large, several thousand square-foot outdoor balcony. (Note that many buildings in Hong Kong do not have a fourth, fourteenth, or twenty-fourth etc. floor due to superstition. The reason is that the sound of the number four in Cantonese is similar to the word for death. It’s thought of as unlucky and bad for business to be located on the fourth floor. This is akin to buildings in the U.S. not having a thirteenth floor.)

With its numerous nightlife offerings, expect M-88 to really be buzzing once the final tenant, the new Hei Hei club, opens.

Aura Club

Aura should officially open next week. Monday night I stopped by to have a quick look at the space. To get to the club, take the outdoor elevator on Wellington Street up to the sixth floor. As the doors open, you are greeted by a reception area. Aura is a private membership club. You can check out their website here for more information about joining.

Entering the club, there’s a good-sized dance floor and a long bar. To your left are a bank of booths with seating. Once you walk further in towards the bar, there’s a deep section on the right filled with table seating and a huge bench-seat area in the back corner that reminded me of the largest karaoke rooms I’ve been in.

I liked the vibe. The place is dark, which is a point that most clubs miss out on. People dance more and party harder when a club is dark. The darkness takes you out of your daily life and helps create a different sense of reality. I’ve noticed that most new clubs are too bright, especially with their over-reliance on video screens for atmosphere. If attention isn’t paid, video screens make a club way too bright and kill the mood, rather than enhance it. The right video can be cool, but at its worst, it’s like light pollution.

Aura’s dance floor and long bar are great for mingling and walk-ins, while the ample seating area will satisfy the bottle buying crowds – a great balance.

Once it officially opens, look for this place to be a popular destination with local crowds.
Aura Club, 6/F, M-88, 2-8 Wellington Street (near the corner of Wyndham St.,) Central

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.

The majority of Miskeen’s t-shirts feature a texture based on rough brush strokes and different angles of applying the paint. It’s a deliberately hand-painted look, rather than the clean print you’d get from screen printing (the most common form of decorating t-shirts.)

Recently there seems to be a resurgence of conceptualizing the t-shirt as art, rather than simply a platform for a brand or message. One needs to look no further than than the new video by French music sensation JUSTICE, who created a sort of homage to t-shirts as living art in their music video below.

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The Miskeen launch was held at J.J.’s, a somewhat forgotten venue attached to the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Wanchai. The two-floor, wood-paneled space is a cross between an old gentleman’s club and the bar from the sitcom Cheers.

Juice, an upstart lifestyle magazine published in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and recently Hong Kong, was the co-presenter of the night.

The event took place on the top floor of the club with a small V.I.P. area set up on the dance-floor. The action was directly in front of the V.I.P. section. Grey Goose, an M.C. and graffiti writer originally from New York, introduced the featured acts and moved things along smoothly.

First up was the live body art, where two veteran Miskeen artists, Donn and Jon Jon, showcased their skills on a live, human form.

It’s a good thing she wasn’t ticklish!

Before…

And after…

Musical performances took up the second half of the night. These included sets by local M.C.s Ghost Style and Kwokkin (pictured rapping,) who performed in English and Cantonese, followed by the beatboxer MCG.

Next up was Pras Michel formerly of The Fugees, who started off with a medley of Fugees hits, before breaking into his newest song. The crowd gave Pras a warm welcome and, perhaps lubricated by the free drinks, danced and sang along! The climax (and finale) of Pras’ short performance was a re-hash of his part in the Top 40 hit “Ghetto Superstar,” which rocked the enthusiastic crowd in the V.I.P. section.

D.J. Yeodie (aka Gordon) kept the momentum going afterwards with a set of contemporary Hip Hop and R&B.

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.

This time around I liked what I heard! I got to Dragon-i just in time to catch such Philly party classics as “P.S.K.” by Schooly D and “Summertime” by d.j. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince. Despite the rain outside, the dance floor was still kickin’ at 3 am on a week night!

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!

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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!

One special note – V.J. Voltage did an excellent job adding to the performance by mixing up some amazing visuals as you will see in the videos.

D.J. El Kabong opened up for Missill and played an excellent set til one am.

The crowd was packed at Volar again!

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DJ Missill caught in the midst of rockin’ out!

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.

Friday night was a case in point with the performance of the French musical pair Justice. Justice, who are both d.j. / producers, create crusty, organic-sounding dance music that’s the hottest thing in international clubs. Their songs often possess catchy hooks with anthem-like qualities that build into dancefloor-killing crescendos. The music combines multiple genres (most heavily a concoction of Rock and Electro) to form something entirely new.

Starting off the night was Busy P, the founder of Ed Banger Records who has established an influential roster of new artists including Uffie and Justice.

Apart from his role as label owner, Busy P is also a seasoned d.j. who managed Daft Punk and has toured the world extensively. His experience was evident in his excellent audience interaction. Turning down the music, tweaking the sounds, and then bringing it up again, Busy P worked the dance floor into a frenzy. The crowd was well primed for when Justice took the stage.

As opposed to other genres of contemporary dance music, where the sound is electronic and cold, the vibe from Justice is warm and has a feel-good quality to it. The two put together an unbroken string of their blend of music with skillful finesse. One song after another produced a swarm of bodies bouncing and hands thrown in the air.

A factor that truly set them apart – they appeared as genuinely excited and into the music as the crowd going crazy below. They would wave their hands and jump around in back of the decks – clearly not putting on a rehearsed act, but feeling the music and feeding off of the crowd’s intensity. It was a phenomenal show by three people who honestly love what they do.

For a taste of their music (in what will probably win them yet another MTV best video of the year award,) check out the following new video for their song D.A.N.C.E.

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Here are two short clips from Friday night:

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