Beijing Beats: Steve Aoki, 88Rising Asia Tour, 8-Bit's Fourth Anniversary
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.
Electronica star Steve Aoki is back in Beijing tonight at Sir Teen, and that's only the beginning of what promises to be an action-packed weekend of jam-packed dance floors and irresistible grooves. Though Aoki is an established superstar, there's equal (if not more) buzz surrounding the up-and-comers set to play Tango as part of the 88Rising Asia Tour, with the label's most burgeoning acts like Rich Chigga, Joji and (my personal favorite) Higher Brothers set to take the stage and rock the mic. Fans of more niche dance music are sure to enjoy Dada's sturdy-per-usual lineup of outside-the-box DJ's this weekend while, on the local front, one of the capital's most popular bars celebrates an anniversary made all the more triumphant after many of its neighbors succumbed to the Great Brickening of 2017. The nitty gritty details of this weekend's beats happenings are further outlined below.
Wednesday, Nov 29
Steve Aoki
Grammy-nominated, Will.i.am- and Fall Out Boy-affiliated, top-notch tour grossing DJ Steve Aoki will hit Club Sir Teen on Nov 29. He's one of a handful of DJs that have become a household name and a megastar beyond his genre (even your most out-of-touch friends know who he is, after all), which means Sir Teen will be jam-packed with ecstatic fans for a high energy, hotly anticipated set. RMB 200. 10pm. Sir Teen
Thursday, Nov 30
Live From Earth Label Night
The Berlin-based audio and video production powerhouse Live From Earth has exported some of its best DJs to showcase all that the German metropolis' avant-garde dance scene has to offer. DJ Creep, who the promoters describe as a "dark '80s wave music" specialist, along with other hotly buzzed artists like DJ Bangkok, DJ King E, and DJ Gigola. Price TBA. 10pm. Dada
Friday, Dec 1
88Rising Asia Tour
Get ready to sing along with the portly, jovial, anthemic MC DZknow (丁震) as he belts out the most triumphant bars yet to be penned in The Middle Kingdom: "Made in China 的冠军! Made in China 别挑衅! Made in China 的货!" His delivery of that bombastic verse is a glorious highlight from him and his fellow Higher Brothers members song, "Made In China" (see it here, brace for DZ's entry at around the 1.25 mark). Yes, the most hotly buzzed Chinese rap crew of the year will take to Tango's stage along with 88Rising labelmates like Indonesian star rapper Rich Chigga (of the hit single "Dat $tick"), and Japanese-Australian up-and-comer Joji for arguably the hottest hip-hop show that Beijing will see all year. RMB 340, RMB 280 (advance). 8.30-11.30pm. Tango
Dark Entries
The brainchild of San Francisco, vinyl devotee and DJ Josh Cheon, the Dark Entries label "takes great care in preserving sound quality and respecting the aesthetics of its artists" according to Cheon's website. He and Dark Entries labelmate Bézier (Robert Yang) will unleash a set of dark synth-drench music that is experimental, to say the least. Push the boundaries with them on Dada's dancefloor during this one-of-a-kind set. Price TBA. 10pm. Dada
Peng: Dance With Us
The promoters promise that DJs like Pancake Lee & Friends at this Migas party will "break down the barrier of the DJ booth and bring the equipment into the middle of the dance floor" before imploring you to "Dance with them!" An intimate, upbeat night of cutting a rug at a bar with arguably the best view in Beijing? Yes, please! Free. 10pm. Migas
ByeByeDisco Presents: Tommy Four Seven
This beloved British DJ's sets "invariably encompass a rich variety of styles, drifting seamlessly between the straight-up techno required of the hour, and his signature, more broken form that is laced through his ever-expanding discography," according to the promoters. It'll no doubt be an eclectic set! RMB 80. 10.30pm. Lantern
Saturday, Dec 2
Dubstep DJ Zomboy
Zomboy has made a name for himself by collaborating with Skrillex and MUST DIE!, along with releasing four EPs and one full-length. His dubstep set is sure to bend your mind and get your carcass shaking on Sir Teen's dancefloor. RMB 100. 10pm. Sir Teen
Air Max '97
The Dada team invited this Australian DJ to wow Beijing crowds because his "sets contrast dark and light, hypnotism and rupture, made all the more special with the inclusion of countless unreleased tracks, edits and blends," according to a statement from the venue. RMB 60. 10pm. Dada
8-Bit Fourth Anniversary
While many of our old hutong favorites have bit the dust in 2017's intense renovation shakeup, 8-Bit has thankfully survived and will celebrate that, along with its four years of being in operation, with a night of drop-dead cheap drink specials (Kirin 600ml bottles and Jell-O Shots on for RMB 10, House Spirit mixed drinks for RMB 20, etc), a beer pong competition, karaoke, a range of video games available to play and sets from local DJs like DJ Boring, Jrs, and Sake Gin. Free. 6pm-3am. 8-Bit
Photos: papermag.com, the organizers
