Beijing Beats: Diplo at Creamfields, Aurora Rooftop Party, Habibi Funk at Dada

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, May 10

J-star, Jado, and Blood Dunza
Dada devotes itself to digital reggae, dancehall, dub, and bass music this Thursday courtesy of J-star, Jado, and Blood Dunza. Throughout his career, J-star has earned plenty of praise from all-star DJs like Diplo, who called him "an original don" that "helped inspire the Major Lazer crew." DJ Andy Smith of Portishead, meanwhile, says "the J-star touch works for me every time!’ RMB 50 (before midnight), RMB 60 (after midnight). 10pm. Dada
 

Friday, May 11

Back2Basics presents: SKOBER
Toxic Entertainment's project Back2Basics continue with yet another Ukrainian techno DJ and force to be reckoned with: SKOBER. Making his debut in China, SKOBER's unique deep-techno style evolved from his love for everything from rock to house and is sure to get you jumping into the weekend. 11pm. RMB 80, RMB 50 (advance). Lantern

TSVI and Wallwork of Nervous Horizon
Hailed as "a crucial voice in London's dance underground scene" since its launch in 2015, TSVI and Wallwork's Nervous Horizon label overlaps between the city's rave, garage, and grime scenes. Starting with a 10-track compilation, the imprint has gone on to release a slew of popular 12-inches from local artists like Lokane, Lloyd SB, and Second Storey, as well as a rave-centric EP, Rambo, of TSVI's own. Expect an eclectic night of hard-hitting, dance-inspiring rhythms. 11pm. Price TBA. Dada
 

Saturday, May 12

Creamfields
Aside from an illustrious string of solo hits and a huge following for his group Major Lazer (who performed in Beijing last year), megastar DJ and producer Diplo can also count collaborations with Beyonce, Bruno Mars, Madonna, Justin Bieber, M.I.A., and other household names among his major feats. The festival's two-day lineup also includes Above Beyond, NGHTMRE, Party Favor, and Slander, among others (scroll down to Sunday for day two details). 2pm onward. RMB 480. Topwin Golf and Country Club 

Martin Garrix and W&W at One Third
Once you've made it back to town from the Topwin Golf and Country Club, keep the Creamfields party going with the festival's official afterparty at One Third. On the decks is 21-year-old Dutch EDM prodigy Martin Garrix (pictured above) alongside his fellow countryman and Eurodance star W&W, who was named as one of the top 20 artists this year by DJ Mag. 10pm. RMB 380. One Third

Aurora Rooftop Party
Since making its buzzy debut this past winter, Dirty Bar Street club Aurora is steadily building a name for itself with a series of fun, no-pretense, late-night parties. This weekend they're upping the ante for the summer season by opening their spacious rooftop for a full day of DJ sets from local favorites like Pancake Lee, Mario Yu, Aida, Xenia, Juliana Lima, Nigls, Vltra_U, Eric Lee, Kimo, HamoudeH, Summa$hu, Mehdi.F, and Daniel Ma. Expect good feels throughout. 1-10pm. Free. Aurora

Oskar Offermann and Metro Tokyo
Promising "grooves that will unleash ecstatic energy on the dancefloor," German DJ Oskar Offermann has paid his dues in both Berlin and Frankfurt's vibrant club scenes. He's now making his way to Beijing courtesy of artist management group and label Fake Music, who will round out the bill with its own co-founder and veteran DJ Metro Tokyo (aka Philipp Grefer). 10pm. RMB 60. InfraRouge

Habibi Funk
Not just a talented DJ, Jannis Stürtz is also an esteemed curator who has ventured to Casablanca, Egypt, and various other North African locales, crate digging so as to introduce the region's rich pop music history to a broader audience. “The quality of the music was really strong and I felt like there was a discrepancy between the availability of the music and the interest it created,” Stürtz told The Independent earlier this year in regards to his Habibi Funk compilation. The collection of found tracks includes everything from a cover of James Brown’s “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” sung in Arabic to rare disco-inspired cuts from musician Mallek Mohamed and everything in between. 10pm. Price TBA. Dada

Disco Night With DJ Mookie-She & Vanderslice
Intimate hutong venue Soi Baochao will be home to some bright and sunny disco beats this Saturday courtesy of Beijing-based American DJ Mookie-Sheis and classically trained pianist turned hip-hop DJ Vanderslice. 9pm. Free. Soi Baochao
 

Sunday, May 13

Creamfields Day Two
The second day of Creamfields' massive EDM festival features DJs and producers like Alan Walker, Dimitri Vegas and Like Mike, DJL, Don Diablo, Gryffin, Lucas and Steve, MATTN, and Sigma. 2pm onward. RMB 480. Topwin Golf and Country Club

As always, you can see all of this week's nightlife action via our Events page here. 

Photos: Red Bull, courtesy of the promoters