Given the luck I had with finding someone to dance with and how much fun in general I had. I decided to check the Supper Club out again. The experiences were like night and day. There was a group of girls dancing in a circle and I tried to engage with one but she would not turn around so I gave up as soon as I got the hint and left as there just wasn't much energy.
I think I went to Shine but I can't remember...
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Supper Club - DJs unknown - March 20th, 2010
I was about to go to Ruby Skye but my friend who I met earlier told me to go to the Supper Club. I had never been there but heard some good things about it so off I went. Turns out it is two blocks from my office. I get there a bit early and it was crowded with a large crowd of women in a group.
I meet up with my friends and we dance for a bit. The music is good. One of my friends falls on her butt which was scary at the time but it was all in good fun. Eventually a girl danced danced near me by herself. We got closer until we danced with each other. She was very good. She told me she used to take dance classes or something. Her moves were very compatible with mine and we danced for some time.
We took a short break and engaged in conversation where she told me... that she's married with a kid. Lovely. Thanks for telling me this an hour after we were close contact dancing. We continued dancing for a bit longer then I headed home when I was completely exhausted.
This was the first time I really connected with a girl on the dance floor. Unfortunately, there were some problems...
I meet up with my friends and we dance for a bit. The music is good. One of my friends falls on her butt which was scary at the time but it was all in good fun. Eventually a girl danced danced near me by herself. We got closer until we danced with each other. She was very good. She told me she used to take dance classes or something. Her moves were very compatible with mine and we danced for some time.
We took a short break and engaged in conversation where she told me... that she's married with a kid. Lovely. Thanks for telling me this an hour after we were close contact dancing. We continued dancing for a bit longer then I headed home when I was completely exhausted.
This was the first time I really connected with a girl on the dance floor. Unfortunately, there were some problems...
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Charles Feelgood, Tall Sasha - Ruby Skye, March 13th, 2010
This was an event which I had little expectations for. But it was free (gotta love the rsvp/guest list!) and I wanted to take my brother who was visiting from Portland and friends out dancing. We got there a bit early and I saw my regular Ruby Skye couple dancing already. When my ex-gf and I used to go almost every weekend. we would see them, always the first to be dancing. They are an older couple (50s perhaps), always friendly and we danced with them on many occasions.
My brother is relaxing over a drink by the bar and doesn't seem to want to dance. So after a bit and after finding out no one else was going to make it, I told him I was going to go dance with the couple for a bit. After every 5-10 minutes I checked on my brother to see if he's ok. Eventually I asked him if he wanted to go but he insisted on staying.
The DJ at this time was really good. I had never heard of Tall Sasha before but the couple said that they go whenever he is playing and I can see why. High energy, very danceable tracks. Eventually I go back to my brother and ask him if he wants to dance then? And he joins and this seems to have brought many others closer to the dance floor. After some time, my brother gets comfortable enough to start dancing which was fantastic. I had never "danced" with him before but he seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Of course I was going all full out. :P I have completely lost my shyness and my brother would be the ultimate person I would feel that way.
The headliner, Charles Feelgood came on next and about 15 minutes into the set, we were bored. We say our byes to the couple and leave. On the way back my brother told me that Feelgood had no build and just the same things. I totally agreed.
Still, all was not lost as I found a new great local DJ, Tall Sasha whom I will be seeing again in a month or so...
My brother is relaxing over a drink by the bar and doesn't seem to want to dance. So after a bit and after finding out no one else was going to make it, I told him I was going to go dance with the couple for a bit. After every 5-10 minutes I checked on my brother to see if he's ok. Eventually I asked him if he wanted to go but he insisted on staying.
The DJ at this time was really good. I had never heard of Tall Sasha before but the couple said that they go whenever he is playing and I can see why. High energy, very danceable tracks. Eventually I go back to my brother and ask him if he wants to dance then? And he joins and this seems to have brought many others closer to the dance floor. After some time, my brother gets comfortable enough to start dancing which was fantastic. I had never "danced" with him before but he seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. Of course I was going all full out. :P I have completely lost my shyness and my brother would be the ultimate person I would feel that way.
The headliner, Charles Feelgood came on next and about 15 minutes into the set, we were bored. We say our byes to the couple and leave. On the way back my brother told me that Feelgood had no build and just the same things. I totally agreed.
Still, all was not lost as I found a new great local DJ, Tall Sasha whom I will be seeing again in a month or so...
Monocle - SF Underground - February 26th, 2010
I'll start with Monocle, my favorite DJ duo in San Francisco. I heard them through a co-worker of mine who is also a DJ. He went to the same school with them in Boston. I checked them out and have been hooked since.
I'm not too keen on labeling dance music but I think minimal techno is correct. For some reason they rarely perform and I missed the first three opportunities. After hearing nothing from them for probably three months they announce a show at the SF Underground near Haight and Fillmore. A divey bar with a small grungy dance floor in the back. My main complaint with them is that they don't have a website so you don't know what's going on unless you know the people who throw the parties. Still, I've hardly had a bad time there as the crowd is friendly.
I get there plenty early as I don't want to miss them again! It's crowded in the bar area but plenty of room on the dance floor. The DJs are danceable and my room mate and his friend soon join me.
Monocle sets up their laptops and the anticipation for me was very very high. I've listened to their tracks over and over for probably a year. They start out as I expected, slow and almost sneaking in but I'm already in full dance mode up front, right in front of Christina who is a cute as she looks in the photos. They do a lot of communicating (I believe they are a couple) and cue each other. A few times they obviously skipped the beats but it was nice to see them react in a tongue in cheek manner.
Christina has one of the best quirks in a DJ: When the track builds, her eyes start pointing up to the ceiling and she holds it there until the climax. By this time my shirt is off soaked in the corner and my under shirt is soaked as well. Nice thing about small venues is they aren't too concerned with the dress code.
By the end of the set, which ended way too soon, I yell out "Glass Remix!" which is my favorite track. I think they heard it but they had to rap up. The crowd which had grown a bit since the start were also disappointed that their set ended. I shook their hands in thanks and left for the night. My friends decided to stay and dance a bit longer.
If I could I would see them every weekend. They were as good as I expected them to be. Since then (about 3 months ago) they have been silent. I guess it also works that DJs as amazing as them should happen on special occasions.
I'm not too keen on labeling dance music but I think minimal techno is correct. For some reason they rarely perform and I missed the first three opportunities. After hearing nothing from them for probably three months they announce a show at the SF Underground near Haight and Fillmore. A divey bar with a small grungy dance floor in the back. My main complaint with them is that they don't have a website so you don't know what's going on unless you know the people who throw the parties. Still, I've hardly had a bad time there as the crowd is friendly.
I get there plenty early as I don't want to miss them again! It's crowded in the bar area but plenty of room on the dance floor. The DJs are danceable and my room mate and his friend soon join me.
Monocle sets up their laptops and the anticipation for me was very very high. I've listened to their tracks over and over for probably a year. They start out as I expected, slow and almost sneaking in but I'm already in full dance mode up front, right in front of Christina who is a cute as she looks in the photos. They do a lot of communicating (I believe they are a couple) and cue each other. A few times they obviously skipped the beats but it was nice to see them react in a tongue in cheek manner.
Christina has one of the best quirks in a DJ: When the track builds, her eyes start pointing up to the ceiling and she holds it there until the climax. By this time my shirt is off soaked in the corner and my under shirt is soaked as well. Nice thing about small venues is they aren't too concerned with the dress code.
By the end of the set, which ended way too soon, I yell out "Glass Remix!" which is my favorite track. I think they heard it but they had to rap up. The crowd which had grown a bit since the start were also disappointed that their set ended. I shook their hands in thanks and left for the night. My friends decided to stay and dance a bit longer.
If I could I would see them every weekend. They were as good as I expected them to be. Since then (about 3 months ago) they have been silent. I guess it also works that DJs as amazing as them should happen on special occasions.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Step 1
My name is Andy and I live to dance.
The earliest memory I have of being obsessed with dancing is in the 80s with break dancing. I was the go-to guy for the cowboy, the pancake and the occasional donkey kick. Eventually I broke my thumb during a cowboy move in the streets of Seoul.
From then I would dance but not until the 90s would my obsession return with the rave scene in L.A. I had the obligatory glow sticks as well as a pacifier which lasted me most of the time until I eventually popped it. This is when I really started following electronica but eventually that passed as well.
In the 00's, I took a divergent path in music and started following bands such as Sleater-Kinney, Erase Errata and Von Iva. My friend and I were pretty much groupies, running fan sites for Von Iva and going on multi-state tours. Still, I didn't give up dancing as I would rock out with my friends up in the front row.
Then Von Iva went on a hiatus and I was pulled back to the dance scene. I met my then girlfriend at a club and we started dancing twice every weekend. Unfortunately, the relationship didn't last but I didn't give up on my dancing.
So here's a journal of my experience, mostly observations about the music, the DJs, the venue, the crowd and events.
The earliest memory I have of being obsessed with dancing is in the 80s with break dancing. I was the go-to guy for the cowboy, the pancake and the occasional donkey kick. Eventually I broke my thumb during a cowboy move in the streets of Seoul.
From then I would dance but not until the 90s would my obsession return with the rave scene in L.A. I had the obligatory glow sticks as well as a pacifier which lasted me most of the time until I eventually popped it. This is when I really started following electronica but eventually that passed as well.
In the 00's, I took a divergent path in music and started following bands such as Sleater-Kinney, Erase Errata and Von Iva. My friend and I were pretty much groupies, running fan sites for Von Iva and going on multi-state tours. Still, I didn't give up dancing as I would rock out with my friends up in the front row.
Then Von Iva went on a hiatus and I was pulled back to the dance scene. I met my then girlfriend at a club and we started dancing twice every weekend. Unfortunately, the relationship didn't last but I didn't give up on my dancing.
So here's a journal of my experience, mostly observations about the music, the DJs, the venue, the crowd and events.
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