White Rabbit Reopens Friday

White Rabbit is back, and now in Sanlitun. The new club opens on Friday night (Dec 11); co-owner and self-professed disco lover Thomas Gaestadius gave us the story ahead of the opening.

the Beijinger: How will this new place be both like and unlike the old White Rabbit? What kind of changes/innovations do you have planned, and what things do you hope to preserve?
Thomas Gaestadius: The new place will be very different compared to the old White Rabbit, mainly because of the nature of the space. The old White Rabbit had this perfect warehouse kind of feel because it was just a box and it was also located in a basement and far away from other nightclubs that made it possible to have this unique underground vibe. We will try to keep this vibe for sure with the music, but Sanlitun is a different game and this space is more like tunnel with a totally different feel, so of course we can’t do the same decoration as before.
The new space is great in my opinion. It’s really well suited to be a cocktail bar, but also good for dancing in the late hours. The old White Rabbit was strictly a dance club, but with the new location I think people will come a bit earlier. So we want to be able to give them a warmer atmosphere with good drinks and tapas. Since I started White Rabbit, I have developed new passions within the nightclub – the music is not only the thing on my mind anymore. Now I am into making drinks, making the design of the bar, marketing, etc.

tbj: Word on the street is that the new White Rabbit won’t be an after-hours spot, but go head-to-head with the other clubs/parties in Beijing. So what will be that added bonus that will attract people to the bar?
TG: It’s true that the new White Rabbit will not be an after-hours spot. I honestly don’t think people came to White Rabbit because it was an after-hours spot. The location was a bit far away from most other bars so people just didn’t want to risk going there too early in case there were no people. We will have really high quality music, drinks, décor … what more can you ask for? It’s still the same people behind the new White Rabbit, so of course we will bring that vibe to Sanlitun.

tbj: The old White Rabbit was infamous for its electronic music, and in particular being a drum & bass haven. Is there a certain philosophy behind the new joint? A particular genre or niche you’re looking to fill?
TG: I would say it was more focused on techno than drum & bass. The new space will be more suited to not only heavy dance music like drum & bass, techno, dub step, electro, etc. I am really into disco right now and I am hoping Beijing is ready for this on a larger scale than before. There is so much good dance music, and it’s constantly changing. I want to offer people something new all the time … so who knows [if] next month there [will be] something new out there that will blow your mind? For sure White Rabbit will give it a try. But the nature of the new White Rabbit is that it gives us the opportunity to have more lounge, nu jazz, indie, disco and deep house kind of stuff earlier in the night, and then move onto the heavy dance stuff.

tbj: What are you doing to the old China Doll to transform it into a new-and-improved White Rabbit? Will you be stripping the place bare or building on top of existing structures/décor?
TG: You will not recognize anything from the old place. Everything has been taken out. The old place felt a bit claustrophobic in my mind, so we wanted to make the place a more open space with a clean, European-style that is more minimal than old China Doll.

tbj: This past year has meant a lot of changes, and with the opening of the new club, should set 2010 off on a promising note. Can you describe what 2009 has been like for you?
TG: 2009 has been great. There was a lot of good music to be heard. Burger King finally opened up in Xidan. White Rabbit closed, which was a disappointment, but I am really excited about the re-opening and all the fun that comes with starting up a new place.

tbj: As one of the purveyors of the music, you’ve been able to see the local electronic scene develop and grow. What you see for the future of electronic music in China/Beijing?
TG: I don’t think there have been enough new DJs coming to the scene as I had been hoping for. I thought with all the new equipment like Serato and Traktor, it would make it really easy for new DJs to learn to play and more DJs would enter the scene, but unfortunately this has not been the case. Right now the electronic scene is very anonymous compared to, for example, hip-hop. Hip-hop has found a very clear position in Chinese society, but the house and techno scene is lagging behind. This was also the case in Europe in the ‘90s, so I think China will go a similar way. I hope soon the electronic dance scene will become more mainstream.

tbj: Who was the best visiting DJ of 2009? What was the best party you threw? The most disappointing DJ or party? Your hero and villain of 2009?
TG: Nick Höppner from MyMy. Gianni Vitiello is one of the craziest people I have ever met, and every time he plays the party also gets crazy. The party with Jeff Samuel was a bit disappointing in terms of the bad turnout. People really missed a great DJ that night … My hero is my sister who will conquer her fear of flying and visit me for Christmas. The villain is, of course, always Donald Trump.

tbj: What are you three favorite albums?
TG: The Posies, Frosting on the Beater; Steve Reich, Music for 18 Musicians; and Miles Davis, Kind of Blue.

tbj: What can you predict for 2010?
TG: A more relaxed Beijing, since there is no huge event this year like the Olympics or 60th Anniversary … so hopefully some nice parties and a growth of the scene in general.

tbj: Do you have a New Year's Resolution?
TG: Exercise more, eat more healthy, watch less bad cheesy movies and bad TV series, and go on more hikes with Beijing Hikers.

tbj: Who do you hope will make it out to Beijing in 2010?
TG: Zhi Qi – the best DJ to come out of China in a long time.

tbj: What Beijing's electronic music scene needs is …
TG: … more producers and DJs.

tbj: What would you like for the holidays?
TG: Swedish Christmas food, cleaner environment and world peace.

The new White Rabbit opens in Tongli Studios in Sanlitun on Friday, Dec 11. Entry is free and doors open at 9pm.