PARTY RADAR The Bay Area nightlife community has weathered a lot of ghastly blows in the past couple years, from Ghost Ship and the shooting of Bubbles to the passing of beloved fixtures like DJ Stef and Risk One.
Tragedy struck again when, right after by all accounts a wonderful Sunset Campout last weekend, DJ and music-maker Navid Izadi perished in a plane crash along with his mother. Navid was one of the original residents of the long-running weekly Housepitality party and part of a strong, tightknit, and undersung contingent of Persian nightlifers on the scene that includes Sepehr, Rooz, Rodney Khalaschi, and Mozhgan.
Nav had risen to become part of the influential Crew Love party collective (which includes Soul Clap, see below, who will surely be paying tribute at their Friday appearance at Great Northern)—his voice appeared on several records, and he was known as an ace remixer. He had just welcomed a baby boy, Tez, into the world, and was known for his huge heart. Outpourings of emotional tributes filled social media on the news of his passing. He was eulogized in the LA Times, Billboard, and practically every electronic music media outlet.
I only ran into him once or twice in the clubs—he was adorable, perfectly stylish, and obviously talented—but we were always crossing paths on social media, and I’m glad I got to write about several of his appearances over the years. He will truly be missed.
According to his dear friend Davi, there will be a celebration of his life at Monarch on Sept 7 at 7pm, save the date and stay tuned for more details. ❤
ARETHA MOMENT RIP to the Queen of Soul! The best spot to dance in her honor this weekend will be Sun/19’s Disco Daddy (see below for more info): DJ Bus Station John has let me know that he’ll “definitely be honoring Miss Ree-Ree with a very special medley of her dance classics”—including the above 1982 classic he recalls “dancing to as a fresh-faced (and clean-shaven) chicken at age 21!”
PARTIES OF NOTE
FRI/17 IONNALEE | IAMAMIWHOAMI The dark and perfect 120 Minutes party is back to celebrate its eighth anniversary. (This makes me miss witch house!) Appropriately, they’re bringing in mystery-doused Internet creation iamiwhoami, the electronic music and audiovisual project of Swedish musician and singer-songwriter Jonna Lee and producer Claes Björklund. 9pm-late, $20-$30. Mezzanine, SF. More info here.
FRI/17 DRAG ME TO THE LANES The awesome Siobhan Auvalot and I are DJing this drag-filled benefit for LYRIC (which helps LGBTQ youth) at Mission Bowl! If you’ve never been, this is a great chance to score some strikes and tip some queens. Persia hosts. 7pm-10pm, $25. Mission Bowl, SF. More info here.
FRI/17 SOUL CLAP Hard to remember there was a time when dropping rare ’80s funk and African instrumentals into DJ sets was a unique and refreshing blast, but Boston’s Soul Clap steamed up a lot of little, frameless techno glasses when they brought some soul juice to the decks in the late 2000s, after all that steely minimalism. Obviously the totally huggable duo still have a huge place in my heart, and will surely steam up the Great Northern with a disco/house/garage set alongside Rich Medina and Jayvi Velasco. 9:30pm-3am, $10-$25. Great Northern, SF. More info here.
FRI/17 CREATURE: DARK MATTER Leave your gender at the door and live as a creature of your dreams at this wild fantasia of drag, performance, dancing, and probably a few tentacles. Guest DJ Natasha Kmeto from Portland heads a stacked lineup. 10pm-4am, $10. The Stud, SF. More info here.
FRI/17 JIMMY EDGAR “Glossy, erotically charged robot funk”? Well, sign me up! The longtime DJ and innovator from Detroit will be joined by bubbling up FABRIC resident Krystal Klear at the always ravey, slaways crazy Light Down Low party. 10pm-3am, $15. Monarch, SF. More info here.
FRI/17 HI LIFE PARTY DJ Beejoux of Nigeria comes in to drop some Afrobeat, reggaeton, dancehall, cumbia, Afrohouse, and global bass. The party also celebrates the EP release of Izzy Wise’s “Records in the Sun” with a listening party at the beginning of the night. Hi life! 10pm-2am, free. Bar Fuxus, SF. More info here.
FRI/17 DANCING GHOSTS: SANDMAN 30TH ANNIVERSARY Love this. This darkwave party pays tribute to Neil Gaiman’s eternal Sandman comics, toasting the 30 years Morpheus has walked among us. “Dress as one of the Seven Endless or other Sandman characters and enter the audience voted Sandman Costume Contest.” 9pm-3am, $5-$8. Cat Club, SF. More info here.
FRI/17 MAKEOUT PARTY Lock lips at this too-cute monthly queer patio party and get a Jell-O shot, all while dancing to DJs Robin Simmons and Elaine Denham. 9pm-2am, $10. SF Eagle. More info here.
FRI/17 MOON BOOTS People love Moon Boots! The Brooklynite’s accessible house sets are lovely, pretty even, drawing everyone onto the floor and then pushing them up into those stars. 10pm-3am, $20. 1015, SF. More info here.
SAT/18 KYLE HALL Sublimely deep Detroit house sounds from the young master at this “Open Air” party from the As You Like It crew at the Midway, showcasing artists from the Wild Oats label. Byron the Aquarius, Sepehr, Lily Ackerman and more on tap as well. 1pm-9pm, $15-$20. The Midway, SF. More info here.
SAT/18 SPFDJ The Stud will be decked out in roses to welcome this beloved Berlin techno DJ, making her SF debut. There will be drag (from the incredible House of Tips), delight, and even more dancing to LA’s Sha Sha Kimbo, Vin Sol, and Siobhan Aluvalot. 9pm-4am, $10-$15. The Stud, SF. More info here.
SAT/18 BOOTIE 15TH ANNIVERSARY HUGE! And I cannot believe it’s been so long since this club helped transform SF nightlife into what it is today, where you can hear all kinds of WTF things at the club. “What began as a small monthly party for 100 people way back in 2003 is now a long-running San Francisco success story. Created by mashup lovers Adrian A and Mysterious D, Bootie SF became a genre-busting party like no other, winning numerous “Best Dance Party” awards, and becoming one of the driving forces of mashup culture, introducing club-goers to the clever sound of two or more songs fused together as one, long before anyone even knew what a ‘mashup’ was.” 9pm-3:30am, $15. DNA Lounge, SF. More info here.
SAT/18 OCTO OCTA New Hampshire house DJ extraordinaire joins acclaimed DC duo Beautiful Swimmers to celebrate the Brouhaha party’s fifth anniversary. But here’s the kicker: Detroit-Windsor techno legend—like for real legend—Dan Bell is playing all night upstairs in the loft. 9:30pm-3:30am, $18 Public Works, SF. More info here.
SAT/18 FRINGE Super-adorable indie dance party that’s been going nine years strong at Madrone, with its patented overload of awesome treats, singalong choruses, and 2000s beats. 9pm-2am, free before 10pm $5 after. Madrone, SF. More info here.
SAT/18 PUSH THE FEELING I’m a big fan of this party at Underground SF, which brings fresh indie and DIY dancefloor sounds to the fore. This month’s installment features Ilya, Marcogliese, Kevin Meenan, and Glenn Jackson. 9pm-2am, free. Underground SF. More info here.
SAT/18 BEATPIG Walter Gomez and drag goddess Juanita More’s bacon-wrapped party welcomes LA’s sweet, sweet selector DJ Stanley Frank into the pen. Wag that squiggly tail. 10pm-2am, $5 (benefits the Transgender Law Center). Powerhouse, SF. More info here.
SAT/18 D.A.D. Dudes and disco at Driftwood! Sweet and hella gay, with zazzy DJ Birch Koolman delivering vibes. 9pm-2am, $5-$10. Driftwood, SF. More info here.
SUN/19 DISCO DADDY More dads than you can handle this weekend! (Well, not you.) DJ Bus Station John’s very popular party at the Eagle brings out all the disco lovers for a night of fanciful frolic and electric excitement—and a special Aretha Franklin tribute!. 7pm-2am, $5-$7. Eagle SF. More info here.
