Welcome back to Party Radar, Marke B.’s semi-regular, gimlet-eyed peek at the Bay Area’s nightlife scene—before, during, after and after-after the parties. Check out Marke’s latest piece for DJ Mag, “Exploring the Queer Roots of Detroit Techno” here, and join him Wed/21, 6pm at the Stud for a panel on overdose prevention and harm reduction on the queer party scene. Meanwhile, we’re gutted the Edinburgh Castle has officially closed, and we’re hungry for more delicious DJ dishes from Side A. Read on for the scoop on FREE TECHNO on Saturday.
For many of us veterans of the War on Fun—an umbrella term for the epic, 1990s-early 2010s battles against city and state authorities for the right to rave (and have fun in general) without being persecuted/prosecuted as gentrification took hold—the idea of the San Francisco government officially backing an underground techno event, albeit one in the sunshine, in a corporate-adjacent park, is almost unimaginable.
But one of the points of the War on Fun was to show people that underground nightlife is a civic good (grassroots warriors The San Francisco Late-Night Coalition helped give rise to the San Francisco Entertainment Commission, among other non-police-centered means of party regulation) which, when done safely, can also be very good for the local economy.
And here we are now, in a strange era of the city leaning on big name EDM shows and pricey outdoor concerts to help SF “recover” (nevermind the privatization of public property, please). So it’s a lovely turn of events that SF is helping make possible a free techno dance party from a local crew with some actual underground flavor. Baby steps, people!
This Saturday, the inaugural, perfectly named FREE TECHNO party takes over the downtown, unfortunately named Salesforce Park, 2pm-8pm, bringing banging LA stalwart Truncate and a host of locals to the outdoor decks. Sponsored by the The Transbay Joint Powers Authority—the government body tasked with overseeing the Transbay Terminal/Salesforce Transit Center, of which Salesforce Park is a part—the party itself is brought to us by Max Gardner of the awesome Direct to Earth techno crew (celebrating 14 years in September with a huge blowout) and visionary events curator Zachary Noel. Yes, there will be an after party, at UndergroundSF, natch.
Sure, there have been a lot of outdoor techno events in the city with great DJs in the past, but they’ve almost always been private-permitted affairs with entrance fees—and the feeling that in any other circumstance they would be busted/reported/shut down. (Some of the free, stellar, too-short techno showcases around the Golden Gate Bandshell have been exceptions.) Can’t narc one this one, though! And while this isn’t anything nearly as dramatic as a government takeover of the techno scene, it will be interesting to see how this authorities-underground partnership evolves. For now, the prospect of dancing downtown to actual techno for once seems too terrific to pass up. I just pray to Speedy J that the mayor doesn’t show. I asked Max some cute Q’s about it all.
48 HILLS Hey, Max. Super-stoked for this party, and from now on I am renaming Salesforce Park as Free Techno Park. Tell me a little about what’s in store at the party.
MAX GARDNER Thanks so much Marke, love that. I think we’ll follow suit on that one, Free Techno Park it is! FREE TECHNO is completely free and open to all ages, featuring a special DJ set from Truncate, alongside local DJs Adra, Zachary Noel and Saire. The goal for FREE TECHNO is to create an inclusive, welcoming space where everyone can enjoy a proper underground vibe in the heart of our beautiful city. We want this to be fully accessible, to bring people together during these changing times in San Francisco.
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48 HILLS We are having lots of city-supported concerts and “raves” lately, but yours strikes me as the first full-on, locally rooted, underground-flavored techno event being put on with support from the city in a very long time—something that kind of blows me, a person from the ’90s, away. Can you tell me how the event came about and who was all involved?
MAX GARDNER Honestly, it blows me away too. I am in constant shock and awe that we’re able to make this happen. We’ve had incredible support from the city and a helping hand from other crews in the dance music community, like the Braket collective, who will be supplementing sound for the day. I can’t overstate how grateful I am for everyone helping bring this vision to life.
A few years ago Zachary Noel invited me to perform a DJ set at a Saturday show at the Golden Gate Park Bandshell. Some local communities got wind of the event and we were impressed by the big turnout. It brought together people from all walks of life, and even random passersby would jump in. That day stuck with me and left me thinking… we need more. I started thinking back to the years when the Love Parade took place in front of City Hall. I thought about all the stories I’ve heard about techno events here in the ’90s, and I realized we needed more of that energy now, more than ever. So, one phone call to Zachary with the thought that we should build on this idea, and from there the whole FREE TECHNO idea was born as a way to create inclusive techno events in unique public spaces all around our beautiful city.
I have to mention the rest of the crew: Sunja Culley is driving our art direction. Dhyan Moller, an old-school techno DJ who threw parties in the ’90s, and Adra have been on the team since day one. Dahlia and Charlotte from Braket have been incredibly supportive and are supplementing our sound. Dean Samaras is helping us reach out to people. And of course my partners in Direct to Earth. The list of contributors and members continues to grow!
48 HILLS I love that you want to turn this into a blueprint for more parties like this, and that you are pointing out that techno—which has deep local roots in San Francisco that often get overlooked at the big festivals and parties—is “culturally enriching.” Can you talk a bit more about that vision of expanding?
MAX GARDNER Techno has always been at the heart of dance music. Back in the ’90s, SF had this incredible scene that drew people from all over, kind of like what Detroit does with its annual Movement festival. It’s always been about bringing people together, and that’s exactly what we want FREE TECHNO to do. We’re not just celebrating the music’s history here; we want to actively give back to the city’s cultural life.
Our goal is to breathe life back into the arts that SF is known for. Instead of private, exclusive events, we want to make it public, build community, and open doors to everyone. We want to grow the platform for local artists and creative thinkers, especially as so many of the people who shaped this city’s culture have been priced out. These events give underground talent a real stage, and they’re a testbed for new ways to keep the arts vibrant. The hope is they spark something bigger, and we’re committed to creating a blueprint for more spaces like this across the city. SF’s unique culture deserves to keep thriving, and we’re excited to show what’s possible when city-supported events are done right.
MORE PARTIES OF NOTE
FRI/22: ROBERT HOOD The Detroit genius basically invented minimal techno in the 1990s, then swung around with his daughter in the past decade as Floorplan to bring gospel house to massive festival audiences yearning for a blast of soul. Time to catch up on his latest doings. 9:30pm-3am, Public Works, SF. More info here.
FRI/22: VINYLISSIMO! The recently refreshed Kilowatt Bar has brought great live rock and/or roll back to the legendary spot, love to see it venture into more dancier realms. DJ Nino Msk, who I adore, kicks off this “brand-new all-vinyl night bringing the warm, analog soul of Italo Disco, funky and soulful house, and worldwide grooves straight to the heart of the Mission.” 9pm-2am, Kilowatt Bar, SF. More info here.
FRI/22: FLUX AETERNA x NATURAL SELECTION Two powerhouse crews with great names team up for a rager of an evening of UK left-field bass, breaks, garage, and jungle. 9pm-2am, Underground SF. More info here.
SAT/23: LEISURE: ’90s NIGHT A ’90s night might not seem out of the ordinary for Club Leisure’s regular celebration of all things Britpop and alternative, but DJ Omar and friends are pulling out the Manchester, indie, and Courtney Love stops for this one. 9pm-2am, Cat Club, SF. More info here.
SAT/23: PAN-POT One of my favorite gaffes of the past two decades has been mixing up this essential Berlin duo with French act tropical house Polo & Pan—that’s how I know the dementia is working. In any case, Pan-Pot’s perfectly mixed onslaught of deep techno grooves will never fail to bring to mind the brilliant Kontrol parties at the End-Up, where they guested for memorable shows. 9pm-3am, Public Works, SF. More info here.
