Weekend Roundup: 1F Opens, Er Closes, and Household Electro
First Floor, or 1F, opened last night with a crowded party and several hours of free drinks. For those who missed out on the opening, First Floor is still a work in progress – not surprising given the whirlwind speed at which they fashioned a bar out of what was previously a French restaurant. The shelves behind the bar are still pretty bare, but 1F is already on the way to a fine selection of beers. For whiskey drinkers such as myself, they’ve also got the beginnings of a decent single malt selection that’s sure to give you that warm fuzzy feeling inside, whether you like it neat or on the rocks.
Speaking of whiskey, we were saddened today to hear of the demise of Maizidian bar Er. The owners are still involved with Apothecary and Twilight, so Er regulars have some consolation. If you’re looking for another place to get a good whiskey, try Amilal, which has a great little collection and, best of all, sells each at a very reasonable RMB 50 per glass.
If you didn’t see our preview last week, CD Blues Café has opened in the old CD Jazz Café venue. If you ever visited CD Jazz, you’ll find that the layout remains more or less the same, but this time you can expect different tunes and lots of space to sit down and stretch your legs to and relax the night away watching the bands.
On a louder, not so tranquil note, household electro names such as John Selway and Paul van Dyk will be rolling through Beijing tonight (April 9). We all know Paul van Dyk is no stranger to Beijing, but this will be John Selway’s first time showing the crowds here what his minimal house/techno style is all about. Expect a packed weekend of nonstop dancing. Get in the mood by checking out our interview with John Selway here.
Finally, a happy birthday shoutout to The Boat – Beijing’s favorite club on a maritime vessel celebrates its second anniversary tomorrow night.
The weekend’s highlights:
Friday: Acid Live First Anniversary Party at Yugong Yishan (RMB 80, 9pm), Burn Baby Burnski party at Lantern (RMB 50, 10pm), John Selway with support from Patrick Yu and Eddie Lv at White Rabbit (RMB 80, 9pm) and Paul Van Dyk at GT Banana (RMB 200, 10pm).
Saturday:
Expect some old-school house at The Boat’s second birthday party (RMB 70, 10pm), DJ Bento mixing it up with hip-hop and electro at Bling (RMB 50, 9pm, Free before 11pm), Spanish DJ Sistema at Lantern (Free, 10pm), The Social party with guest DJs mixing it up at Obiwan (Free, 10pm), and the monthly dose of drum & bass Syndicate Sessions at White Rabbit (RMB 50, 10pm). For those in the mood for some sexy latino music, check out the Latino party with buy-one-get-one-free-mojitos/sangria/caipiroskas at Scarlett (Free, 9pm).
