Party Radar: Heads Will Roll

PARTY RADAR I’ve been doing some light summer reading: In Defense of the Terror: Liberty or Death in the French Revolution by Sophie Wahnich, which, along with the resurgent Jacobin Magazine, the frothing Twitters of the Social Democrats, and, in a way, the most deliciously thought-provoking essay of the season, “Let Them Fucking Die” by Son of Baldwin, advocates for the logic of violent-if-necessary revolution, if not completely the return of the guillotine. Edgy! Sharp! Bloody tempting!

All that, coupled with the news that French President Macron’s had his racist “milkshake duck” moment, and Trump’s in Paris with him right now, may make one eager to celebrate Bastille Day with more than some tri-color macarons and a bad remix of “La Marseilleise.” Still, as nightlife denizens, we’d rather dance on the Bridge of Avignon than sit knitting with Madame Defarge. So let’s go out dancing, our own revolutionary act!

And this Bastille Day, we’ve got two great opportunities to French it up. First is one of my favorite annual affairs, Bardot A Go-Go (Fri/14, 9pm, $10. Rickshaw Stop, SF.), which focuses more on sexual than political revolution — although, oui oui, the two are always intertwined. Bardot A Go Go’s bubblegum French ’60s pop soundtrack and miniskirt aesthetic will have you doing le twist to DJs Brother Grimm, Cali Kid, and Pink Frankenstein, plus free ’60s hairstyling by Peter Thomas Hair Design from 9pm-11pm (my favorite part).

You can also wiggle your thigh-high boots on over to the more house-centric Bastille Day Soiree (Fri/14, 9pm, $10-$15. Hawthorn, SF) featuring local French DJs (and institutions) Franky Boissy and Frenchy le Freak, plus special guest J.Remy. There will be gogo dancers and cute faces from L’Alliance Francaise there to shimmy with you. Vive La Revolution!    

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THURSDAY, JULY 13

CLUB CHAI One of our most vital queer-friendly future-electronic parties (Boiler Room is partnering with it July 30) hosts some essential recent players: Dis Fig, Foozool, and 8ULETINA. Thu/13, 10pm, $5. Legionnaire Saloon, Oakland. More info here.

PHARMAKON “Pharmakon will rip your soul out of your body, and grind it on a washboard” — Bandcamp fan. With Chasms and Vex, at the Bodyshock party. Thu/13, 9pm, $13-$15. Elbo Room, SF. More info here. 

DTE 2ND INNER ORBIT I love the Down To Earth crew. At this party: nice techno from residents Max and Pat, free pizza, and cute faces. Thu/13, 9pm, $5. Underground, SF. More info here. 

FRIDAY, JULY 14

KENNY GLASGOW In the mid-2000s I was obsessed with a wee Toronto minimal techno podcast called Red Circle Radio (it featured a lot of records on the Poker Flat label), put on by, among others, Kenny Glasgow and Johnny White. Later, the two switched their sound to “deep house” and went on to become famous as Art Department, which bored me to tears and probably gave birth to the dancefloor manbun. Kenny’s still kicky as a DJ, though, and this appearance at the Great Northern should be fashionable and fun. Fri/14, 9:30pm-2:30am, $15. Great Northern, SF. Tickets and more info here.

PULSE GENERATOR  A benefit for the family of local techno classic DJ Drag’nfly, who passed away this week, featuring local electronic players Lt. Daaan and Topazu. Fri/14, 10pm, $5. Underground SF. More info here.    

COOL AS FUCK/ LAST NITE 4pm-10pm at the Make-Out Room sees a fourth anniversary of the cool as fuck Cool as Fuck indie party, and from then on the awesome 2000s retro party Last Nite takes over. Fun fun. Fri/14, Make-Out Room, SF. More info here (Cool as Fuck) and here (last Nite).

DUB MISSION Countdown is on to the 21-year-old rocksteady party’s final installment at the Elbo Room in September. Get there now for DJ Sep with special guests Beatnok and DJ Silverback. Fri/14, 10pm, $7 advance. Elbo Room, SF. Tickets and more info here.

VIVVY’S GRAND OPENING The most out-there drag show monthly, plus wondrous music from DJs Siobhan Aluvalot and Stanley Frank. Fri/14, 10pm-4am, $10. The Stud, SF. More info here.

SATURDAY, JULY 15

THUNDERCAT Gaaaaaah! Yes! Sat/15, 8:30pm, $25. The Independent, SF. Tickets and more info here. 

FRINGE 8-YEAR BASH So much fun indie dancing this weekend — including at this absolutely lovely party, with DJs Blondie K & subOctave and special guest Mario Muse from The Queen Is Dead. Sat/15, 9pm, $5. Madrone Art Bar, SF. More info here.

MOVEMENT 03: A PARTY TO BENEFIT IMMIGRANT RIGHTS “Movement is a recurring gathering dedicated to inclusion, connection, activation, and transformation. It is a space that brings together diverse local artists, people who like to dance and express, and nonprofits that work every day to defend the rights of marginalized communities.” With a colorful panoply of DJs and performers. Sat/15, 4pm-9pm, $5-$30 sliding scale. Public Works, SF. Tickets and more info here.

OTTERJ ANTICS A gay underwear party with actually good music (from Kevin O’Connor and Colin Bass), and hosted by cutie-pie A Bearded Boy? OK, why not. Sat/15, 9pm-3am, $10. The Stud, SF. More info here.

PUSH THE FEELING The Beat Broker and Sorcerer fire up this fantastic contemporary indie-electronic dance party, which I highly recommend for local vibes and sweet times. Sat/15, 10pm, $7. Underground SF. More info here. 

MAKEOUT PARTY Polysexual cool-kid makeup party on the Eagle patio, with dancing! DJs Robin Malone Simmons and Elaine Dunham wet your lips. Sat/15, 9pm, $10. SF Eagle. More info here. 

PARISDAKAR “Coupé décallé : HipLife : Bhangra : Zouk : Salsa : Balkans : Middle-Eastern: Soukous :: Afro-Brazilian…” If you want to hear something completely different that will surely get you on the floor, head to this raucous Bissap Baobab party. Sat/15, 10pm, $5-$10. Bissau Baobab Village, SF. Tickets and more info here.

SUNDAY, JULY 16

PATCHWORK Big, big fun daytime party at the Midway with one of my Detroit house besties Mike Huckaby, plus Joey Anderson, Doc Sleep (yay!), and Jordee. Sun/16, 4pm-11pm, $15-$17. Midway, SF. Tickets and more info here. 

SAFETY SCISSORS The classic Bay Area electronic wizard return for the Werd party. Sun/16, 9pm, $5. Monarch, SF. More info here. 

DISCO DADDY TRIBUTE TO STEVIE WONDER “After previous tributes to Teena Marie, Maurice White of Earth Wind & Fire, Bowie, and Prince, we wanted to celebrate the work a musical legend while they’re still alive and well—so the only tears you’ll find on this dance floor will be tears of joy!” Sun/16, 7pm-2am, $5-$7 sliding scale. SF Eagle. More info here.

COCKTAIL ROBOTICS Can you make a robot, that makes cocktails? This annual competition answers the questions drunkenly and hilariously. here are the contestants so far: 
Beerbot: It follows…
Chassis: Shiny and mobile!
Schrödinger’s Martini: A superposition of wet and dry!
Steve the Bartending Robot
TikiTron: Prepare your sacrifice!
Tipsy Train: LEGO of your inhibitions!
Whiskeyball: The excitement of Skee-Ball and cocktails!
Sun/16, 5pm-midnight, $16-$20. DNA Lounge, SF. Tickets and more info here.

Need a car to get there? Rent one in your neighborhood on Getaround. Sign up today, and enjoy $50 off your first trip: http://get.co/48h. [Sponsored]