Beijing Beats: Club Paradise at Temple, Optimo at Dada, Dance to Fight AIDS at Migas, Storm Fest

Mary Kate White | Sep 6, 2017 4:00 pm | Add a comment | 913 reads

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.

Thursday, Sep 7

Live Set: Los Angeles' Free The Robot
Free the Robots is a versatile musician, beatmaker, and DJ known for his unique fusion of electronic, hip-hop, jazz, and psych. On a mission to break free of the at times monotonous and repetitive sounds in the genre of electronic music (and thereby "freeing the robots"), his compositions and performances will surprise and delight those who respect the craft and express that appreciation through dance. Based out of Los Angeles, Free The Robots has spent over a decade pioneering LA's beat movement, and continues to move his work in unpredictable directions. The energy and technical skill behind his live performances have landed him a place among the greats, sharing stages with kindred spirits like Flying Lotus, DJ Shadow, DJ Krush and Afrika Bambaataa. 10pm. Price TBA. Dada

Friday, Sep 8

算盘 Presents: Optimo (Espacio)
JD Twitch and JG Wilkes are responsible for the club night Optimo (Espacio), which ran in Glasgow between 1997 and 2010 at Sub Club. As a DJ duo, Optimo have over 50 years’ DJing experience combined and both are revered on the international circuit, playing at some of the biggest clubs and festivals around the globe, as well as appearing on several Boiler Rooms. Twitch and Wilkes play an enlightened mix of what they want to hear, be it techno or house rubbing up against post-punk, new wave, rave, and other assorted oddities from across the decades. Read our interview with the duo here. 10pm. Price TBA. Dada

Grand September: W&W
Dutch DJ duo will bring their "electro and progressive house with trance elements" to Club Sir Teen on Friday. The two have been recognized for their rebellious musical style and pioneering of the "Big Room" era. They’ve worked with artists like Tiesto, Markus Schulz, and other big names, recently playing Miami's Ultra Music Festival (under their side project, NWYR) and Tomorrowland in Belgium this summer. 10pm. RMB 280. Sir Teen

James Brown Soundcheck at Canvas
Get in the jungle groove this weekend with local funk lord DJ Jay 1,2 as he continues his residency at the Sanlitun pop-up hub Canvas this Saturday, serving up his usual blend of iconic and obscure funk and soul records from his extensive collection (including, but not limited to the work of the man himself, James Brown). Warren of Janes & Hooch will be providing "jungle juice and friends" late into the night. 9pm. Free.

Club Paradise Temple Takeover
The tropical disco-loving party monsters of Club Paradise have been given the keys to Temple Bar for Friday night. DJs Chloe, Saucy, Ted Dancin', and Gary Boozy will be spinning the most danceable jams of yesteryear all night, keeping things spicy so you can dance away the last few days of summer. Midnight. Free. Temple Bar

Bacardi Presents SIMPIG
Swiss producers Shake It Maschine and Mr. Pigman combine forces like a pair of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers to form super-duo SIMPIG to assault your ears with maximum strenpf at Voltage Station this Friday. They’re known for their combo of footwork and juke, influenced by UK house and UK funky, and will be appearing with WhyBeatz, Chen Fei, and VJ Mozka at Voltage Station, inside U-Town Mall's Modo Ultra Club. 10pm. RMB 80, RMB 50 (advance). Voltage Station (Modo Ultra Club)

Martin Eyerer (DE)
Prolific German DJ and producer Martin Eyerer comes to Lantern this Friday. The artist has been traveling the world for more than 20 years, putting out more than 150 releases on multiple labels. As a producer, he’s gone Gold in the UK and Australia and hit the top 3 on the US billboard charts, all while running his own label imprint (Kling Klong) and his own studio. Support comes from with Jackson Lee, Yang Bing, and Weng Weng. 11pm. RMB 80, RMB 50 (advance). Lantern

Saturday and Sunday, Sep 9-10

Storm Electronic Music Festival
From Def Jam Recordings' DJ duo Axwell and Ingrosso, to eclectic Dutch turntable vet Don Diablo, plenty of big names are on the roster for this year's Storm Electronic Music Festival. Other acts on the roster include Empire Of The Sun, Dyro, Sidney Samson, Kaku, Junior & Royal and Neobie, Bassjackers, Alok, Cash Cash, Mike Williams and Sandro Silva. 2pm-10pm both days. RMB 380 (presale, one-day pass); RMB 480 (door price); RMB 680 (presale, two-day pass).

Saturday, Sep 9

Jammerz' Booty Bassment
DJs 家-Rule, Tru$t Fun, Skrrrt Russell and VJ Printer Jamz will be throwing it back to your worst school dance nightmares with some late-'90s and early-'00s (and some new) hip-hop jams that will definitely have you backin' dat ass up, shaking your tail feather, droppin' it like it's hot, or whatever it is you do with your butt on the dance floor. Face the source of your long-held and deep-seated social anxiety by dancing like you should have in the cafeteria all those years ago, or recapture your now-fading popularity and relive your best years (if you were one of those kids in middle school). 10pm. Free. Soi Baochao

Dreamteam Presents: Backyard Party
As we transition out of pool party season and into some of the best weather we will likely experience for months, now is the time to seize the sun. Local party pros DreamTeam will be hosting a "backyard party," that honestly seems more like a field party with lots of electronics (and, of course, booze). DJs DaiQuiri, Amin, Jamz, and Bryte Guy will be spinning throughout the day and into the night, as buses transport attendees from BLCU, Sanlitun and UIBE to eat, drink and dance well into the night. 1pm. RMB 200, RMB 150 (advance). Festival Hall Manor

Swedish House Mafia's Axwell Λ Ingrosso
Swedish DJ duo Axwell Λ Ingrosso are former members of Swedish House Mafia. Their first performance was at the 2014 Governor’s Ball in New York City, where they were named one of the ten best performances. Dedicated to creating a new style of Swedish music, they play electro and progressive house. 10pm. RMB 280 (advance). Sir Teen

Disco Extravaganza: Dance To Fight AIDS
Disco Extravaganza returns to Migas with the noble goal of raising some money for the China AIDS Walk. The night, however, is definitely not only about giving, it’s also about having a fabulous time. DJs Nassdak, Boflex, and Gary Boozy will provide a non-stop disco soundtrack. The night will certainly be good fun for a good cause, with plenty of drinks, dancing, decadence, and drag (see top image). 10pm. Price TBA. Migas

Back2Basics Presents Ocean Lam (HK)
Back2Basics is bringing the most influential female artist in HK, Ocean Lam, who currently holds residencies at Hong Kong's top two underground clubs – Oma and Social Room – to Lantern. Ocean Lam has been the go-to choice to support touring artists like Sven Vath, Jimpster, Efdemin, Axel Boman, Luke Hess, Nick Hoppner, Namito, Marko Furstenberg, and many more. 10pm. RMB 50. Lantern

Shake It Maschine, Discarga, Blaise Deville, Mr. Pigman, Kabra, Mozka
Swiss producer and DJ Shake It Maschine draws heavily on the stutter of Chicago footwork while shimmering and fluttering outward from that influence, often landing at a smoother and more melodic endpoint. He’s joined by Blaise Deville, who spins everything from hip-hop to dancehall, from Miami bass to Jersey club, from juke to ghettotech. Discarga, the Chicago house artist and the brains behind the instrumental psychedelic heavy rock outfit Lords of the Thresholds of the Skies, and Mr. Pigman, an up and coming Swiss footwork, juke & bass DJ, as well as dub and reggae DJ Kabra will all be invading Dada, bringing a broad and diverse range of styles. 10pm. Price TBA. Dada

Sunday, Sep 10

Brazilian Bass Producer Alok
Brazilian DJ and record producer Alok creates deep house, future house, and bass tracks that garnered him the accolade of “Best DJ in Brazil” according to House Mag. That skill is at least in part due to the influence of his parents, Ekanta and Swarup, Brazilian psytrance pioneers. He began his career at age 12, and now, at the age of 26, he’s at the top of his game and bringing his own sounds to the world. 10pm. RMB 150. Sir Teen

Images courtesy of the organizers