Beijing Beats: Four Tet at Omni Space, Kayzo at One Third, Sammy Dee at Zhao Dai, Swindle at Aurora

Beijing Beats brings you the best in Beijing nightlife each weekend so that you can soothe the woes of a long and stressful week with some out-of-body gyrating and some experiences you'd rather forget come Monday. Check the weekend's full list of nightlife events here.
 

Friday, Nov 16

Kayzo at One Third
This LA-based DJ has built up a considerable fan base with his hardstyle and trap remixes. So sizable are those followers that his song "Wake Up" netted 200,000 plays in less than 24 hours after his debut. Expect crowd-pleasing, rafters-rattling, pop-savvy Top 40 dance music at this set. RMB 120 (advance). Doors open at 9pm. One Third

Jagermeister Night and Blackout
DJs Sun Meng, Alex Guo, Jackson Lee, and Weng Weng will hit the decks in Room #1 of Lantern on Friday. Meanwhile, Blackout with Nigls, Rhom Omit, Aida and Vltra_U are slated for Room #2. Jagermeister also happens to be the sponsor, and attendees will get a complimentary cold shot of the notoriously potent liqueur to, as the promoters so eloquently put it: "help you on your way to a night you won’t remember." RMB 50. Doors open at 10.30pm. Lantern

Sammy Dee at Zhao Dai
Craving big, colorful, mass-appeal instrumentals? Then this Zhao Dai set isn't for you. But more discerning dancefloor fiends looking for innovative, unexpected takes on techno and house are likely to love Sammy Dee's Friday night set laced with minimal techno, house, and microhouse. Indeed, sometimes less is more. Price TBA. Doors open at 10.30pm. Zhao Dai

Antidote Presents Vibronics and Kuranaka 1945
Japanese underground producer and DJ Kuranaka 1945 teams up with European dancefloor dynamos Vibronics for a night of spine-tingling dub. Vibronics claim to be "the future of sound of dub" though they are by no means new kids on the block, having been active since the mid-'90s. Kuranaka, who hails from Kyoto, is an equally well regarded and seasoned vet in Japan's dance music scene. That means this is a transcontinental take on the genre that is not to be missed. You can also see how Vibronics creates his sounds at Saturday afternoon's workshop at Gulou Dongdajie-based record store Floso. RMB 80. Doors open at 9pm. Dada

Drum and Bass Night
Twenty-year DJing vet Dayong will hit the decks at Aurora with a set that mines the many facets of drum and bass. Citing the Chemical Brothers, Crystal Method, and Prodigy among his key influences, Dayong will employ his deep musical knowledge and years of experience with aplomb until the Aurora crowd is moving in perpetuity. He'll be backed up by Guangzhou-hailing, Beijing-based DJ Spyfi, along with punk-inspired, drum and bass-savvy DJ Kurt Jin. Free. Doors open at 10pm. Aurora
 

Saturday, Nov 17

Four Tet
Four Tet (pictured at top) has worked with everyone from Radiohead's Thom Yorke to Burial and Steve Reid, a statement of his caliber and relentless work ethic. Now with nine records under his belt, including last year's New Energy, Four Tet will make his first appearance in the capital with what should be a textured and gripping experience throughout. If we're lucky, there'll be a little dancing too. RMB 300, RMB 220 (advance). 9pm. Omni Space

Bear Grillz
Aside from dabbling in fun, ethereal, and fanciful new genres like future bass/melodic trap, Bear Grillz has also adopted a creative and intriguing persona, keeping his real name under wraps for as long as possible. Eventually, the secret identity behind that alias was revealed (on the Jerry Springer show, of all things), adding to the sense of carefree fun that permeates in his music. RMB 100 (advance). Doors open at 10pm. Sir Teen

KONEKT Presents: Rrose
Born Marcel Duchamp, this DJ and producer employs ample multimedia into his set, dazzling clubgoers with well-timed visuals. Those images and other aspects of his music and persona touch on gender fluidity and androgyny, progressivism, and other of-the-moment concerns. Rrose also has a penchant for eerie ambiguity in his music and visuals, making him an artist that will compel you to dance as well as provoke thought on the dancefloor. RMB 100, RMB 60 (advance). Doors open at 10pm. Lantern

Loefah
This well-regarded UK dubstep artist crafts minimal, dark instrumentals with brawny basslines and chilling vocal samples. His distinctive style attracted the attention of pioneering dubstep label DMZ, who eagerly signed him and vaulted his already promising career to new heights. RMB 80. Doors open at 9pm. Dada

Swindle
A potent mix of cutting-edge grime and vintage jazz make Swindle's upcoming Beijing set a can't-miss occasion. The British DJ and producer already made a strong first impression with sets in Shanghai and Chengdu, and that buzz has reverberated in Aurora's social media, building high expectations that Swindle is poised to exceed. RMB 150, RMB 99 (advance). Doors open at 10pm. Aurora

Need more dance in your life? There's plenty more where these came from in our Nightlife Events section here.

Photos: Spin, courtesy of the organizers