Beijing Beats: DJ Die, HVOB, Dim Sum Disco Turns 6, and Grammy-Winner Paul Van Dyk
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.
This weekend is proving to be jam-packed with an eclectic list of party options. Whether you love cutting-edge, innovative veteran DJs, rising European hit-makers, danceable indie-rock, or local parties headed up by turntable bosses spinning more accessible tunes – it's got everything and more.
Wednesday, Nov 8
Get Stupid
Popular local DJs like Kaize, Anton, Sun Meng, and Zhucheng have one piece of advice for you tonight: "Get Stupid!" As in stupid-drunk and stupid in sync with their turntable rhythms on the dancefloor. Yes, Get Stupid is the fun name they've chosen for this night of electronica, and while you might complain about the hangover and sore muscles slowing you down at work tomorrow, you'll still feel brilliant deep down for having made it to this mid-week evening of electronica glory. Price TBA. 10pm. Dada
Thursday, Nov 9
DJ Cortez
South Korean rising DJ Cortez headlines this night of boundary-pushing electronica that's part of Dada's ongoing Raw Meat series, which the promoters describe thusly: "Every Thursday is Raw Meat – a night of all sorts of styles of music from experimental trap beats to lazer techno, by young fresh local talent." Free entry. 10pm. Dada
Friday, Nov 10
HVOB
This Viennese electronica duo has amassed acclaim and a dedicated following since their 2013 debut, before turning even more heads by collaborating with Winston Marshall of Mumford & Sons. Check out our recent Q&A with lead singer Anna Müller here. RMB 180, RMB 150 (advance). 10pm. Omni Space
DJ Die
With 25 years in the game to his name, DJ Die stands as a towering institution in his native Bristol's nightlife scene. He also won the prestigious Mercury Prize in the late '90s as part of the drum and bass group Reprazent. All this and more make his set at Dada hotly anticipated by Beijing hip-hop and electronica heads who have long dreamed of seeing him live. Check out our recent Q&A with him here. Price TBA. 10pm. Dada
Saturday, Nov 11
11/11 Dance-Off Singles Night Party
Nov 11 is once again upon us, and you know what that means: No, not just sitting at home buying up Taobao items with Singles' Day discounts. Instead, groove the singles' blues away at this Salsa Caribe party that will also feature a Step Up-inspired dance video competition. RMB 100. 9pm. Salsa Caribe
DJ Mag Top 100 Duo Felguk
This Brazilian DJ duo, consisting of Felipe Lozinsky and Gustavo Rozenthal, have played top festivals around the world such as Electronic Daisy Carnival. Price TBA. 9pm. Elements
Six Years of Dim Sum Disco
Dim Sum Disco founder Tobias Patrick will return to Beijing (from his current haunt in Shanghai) for this anniversary party. He'll be DJing along with fellow record-spinning pal Boflex. The promoters implore you to follow "these two crate diggers on a non-stop journey through disco, house, techno, funk, soul, afrobeat, Italo, and more." Price TBA. 10pm. Dada
DJ Hardwell
DJ Hardwell is the alias of the Netherland's Robbert van de Corput, master-spinner of electro house and named the world’s number one DJ in 2013 and 2014. Having headlined virtually every major electronic festival and traveled around the world, Hardwell comes to Beijing's newest super-club, One Third. RMB 280-580. 10pm. One Third
Sean Nicholas Savage, Molly Nilsson, and Better Person
Sure, this is technically an indie-pop show at a livehouse, not a nightclub, making it a stretch for this column. But you'll be hard-pressed not to dance to the synth-drenched songs of Canadian art rocker Sean Nicholas Savage (who has been compared to Grimes by his homeland's music outlets), Molly Nilsson (who makes catchy electronica melodies that are thrillingly juxtaposed with her dark, socially conscious lyrics), and Polish up-and-comer Better Person (whose music has been described as "mopey but also kind of groovy"). RMB 120, RMB 100 (advance). 8.30pm. DDC
Sunday, Nov 12
Grammy-Winning DJ Paul Van Dyk
Hailing from Germany, this trance vet (pictured in the lead photo above) got his start in the '90s and won a Best Electronic Album Grammy for his 2003 LP Reflections. 9pm. RMB 200. Elements
More stories by this author here.
Email: kylemullin@truerun.com
Twitter: @MulKyle
Photos: Trip Advisor, courtesy of the organizers
