Beijing Beats: Lantern Closes Main Room, Andy Hart at Zhao Dai, Alex Ferrer 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.

The first tidbit in this week's club news is that the Gongti techno mecca Lantern will be running at half speed from now until Mar 7 on account of management gifting themselves a new sound system in the main room for their 10th anniversary. That means things will be even cozier until then in the bar room. Audiophiles will be happy to hear that they're updating to the high-end, British-made brand Funktion-One; the very same system that provides Berlin's infamous Berghain club with beats day-in and day-out. You can read more about that via Lantern's Facebook page here. Now, onwards to the parties.
 

Thursday, Feb 14

Screwed Up Valentine's
Art space Wujin invites couples and singles alike to party this Valentine's Day with some "syrupy tunes and refreshments," taking the notorious sizzurp formula put on the map by southern American rappers and giving it a Chinese twist thanks to a dose of Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa cough syrup. Simon Frank and Tom Mouna on the decks. Free. 7.30pm. Wujin
 

Friday, Feb 15

Andy Hart
Melbournite by way of Berlin, Andy Hart hits up Zhao Dai this Friday for a night of deep house, the likes of which he releases via his own label Voyage Records. Considered a primo "selector" DJ, Hart errs towards spinning house, electro, breakbeat, and dub-techno sounds as a means to explore the vast history of dance music. Price TBA. 10pm doors. Zhao Dai

Tales of the Desert
Beijing's DJ Kimo heads up Aurora's vol. 9 of his Tales of the Desert series, inviting revelers to "dance together, drink together, sing together, and forgive and forget together." Espousing inclusivity over all, DJs Kimo, Pancake Lee, O'Shawa, and Sohan will be spinning tracks deep into the night to have you dancing your woes away. Free. 10pm. Aurora

Open the Box
A ragtag crew hit up Dada this Friday for a night that's sure to be a little more left-field than any night you've seen in a while. Let DJs LuXixi, Where1s1t, Mouna Press, and Tsinglung whisk you away to some far-off soundscapes. Price TBA. 10pm doors. Dada
 

Saturday, Feb 16

Alex Ferrer / Drum 'n' Bass Night
Aurora will have a special two-room party-thon this Saturday, welcoming Deeplomatic Records founder Alex Ferrer (pictured at top) in their signature room for his brand of house music, which has graced stages as far-ranging as Burning Man and Ministry of Sound. In the Dark Room, however, DJs Dayong, Yadong, and Kurt Jin will be going hard with a night of drum 'n' bass. RMB 50-150. 10pm. Aurora

Syndicate Presents Radiax B2B and Negative808
Longstanding Beijing nightlife collective Syndicate use their night on Saturday to officially unveil two of their latest new DJs, Radiax B2B and Negative808. Described as "a pair of scarily talented young producers, these two have been churning out bass music bangers on labels like Ran Music and Do Hits, and their sets span the genres, from dark, techy drum 'n' bass to halftime, from footwork to trap to experimental." Blackie, Kay C, Tsunami, and Donkey Tonk have their back. RMB 30. 10pm doors. Dada

Forma Night
Things get intimate at Lantern with Mickey Zhang, Nigls, Weng Weng, and VJ Flagaric as they take over the small room. Head over for a taste of what the club will be likely while their main room is closed for construction. RMB 50. 10pm. Lantern

Back to the '90s
Becoming somewhat of a regular night, Migas throw another of their Back to the '90s nights this weekend, celebrating everything from Michael Jackson to Madonna, the Spice Girls to Nirvana, Radiohead to Moby, and Paul Van Dyk to George Michael. Yes, it may sound like a university party on steroids, there's always a time and a place for a little nostalgia. Free. 10pm. Migas Mercado

Find even more heat on the dancefloor in our Nightlife Events section here.

Photos courtesy of the promoters