Beijing Beats: Shao Album Release at Dada, Day of the Dead at Migas, Black Cat Label Showcase at Lantern
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.
Friday, Oct 26
Gqom Oh!: Nan Kolé and Citizen Boy
Nan Kolé and Citizen Boy are set to give Beijingers a crash course in gqom, a minimalistic and deep subgenre that has roots in the South African city of Durban and is currently sweeping the planet. Fans praise the genre it for its tribal elements and unconventional kick drum patterns. All that means curious clubgoers will have plenty of exciting elements to delve into at this set. RMB 80, RMB 60 (before midnight). 10pm. Dada
Day of The Dead by Jose Cuervo
Celebrate Mexico's darkest, most creative, and most fun holiday at Migas this weekend as they take on the time-honored tradition of throwing a party with plenty of discount tequila shots (with drink specials kicking off at 8.30pm), Latin decor, and Latin music courtesy of DJ Joyce. Free. 10pm. Migas Mercado
Toxic Presents: Black Kat Label Showcase
Lantern will play host to some of Beijing's most beloved local talent with this Beijing Black Kat Label Showcase on Friday. Among the capital favorites from that label who will be playing sets are DJs Eva Xu and Nigls with Lantern resident Weng Weng in the main room, while Room #2 plays hosts to Juan Granados of El Antro, Rhom Omit of Blackout, and Aida of Technorules. RMB 80, RMB 50 (advance). 10.30pm. Lantern
Gangsta Funk Hip Hop Party
Party like the early '90s never ended at this funky hip-hop-centric showcase. DJs Kang Starr, Nasty Ray, and 4tael will spin landmark hits from the Dirty South to the West Coast and everything in between. RMB 100, RMB 80 (advance). 10.30pm. Aurora
Wise Summit Afterparty
DJ Pinie Wang will hit the decks at El Nido for the afterparty of this intellectually stimulating summit. Wise is being billed as a day's worth of lectures and talks from wide swaths of entertainment industry insiders and experts at UCCA in 798 art district. This El Nido afterparty will casually cap off those more formal talks in an aged courtyard setting, with of course the owner's famous roster of booze readily on hand. Free. 7.30pm. El Nido
Saturday, Oct 27
Shao: Doppler Shift Album Release
Hot on the heels of the mind-bending video for his single "Reflection Pt.2", one of Beijing's most well-regarded producers will release his new album, Doppler Shift at Dada come Saturday. What is sure to be one of the best sets of this year, Shao's appearance behind the boards (he's pictured in the lead image above) will leave attendees awestruck by his dystopic, yet highly danceable music. Check out this recent write-up about the video and Shao's impact by Radii to get you primed for the show. RMB 100, RMB 80 (before midnight). 10pm. Dada
Spooked Halloween at Lantern
Creepy rhythms and dark melodies are sure to abound at this Halloween-themed party at Lantern. The roster is made up of (deep breath): DJs Sun Meng, QQ, Huang Weiwei, Juliana Lima, Watermelon, Hamoudeh, Nigls, O'Shawa, Weng Weng, Jackson Lee, and Blue. That means a jam-packed lineup of back-to-back music that is sure to be by turns moody and freaky to get you into the Halloween spirit. RMB 100, RMB 60 (advance).10.30pm. Lantern
USDB x Fruityshop x Diggers Delights
The fun kicks off at 2pm at El Nido this Saturday, as DJ Watermelon, the boys from Fruityshop, and Digger’s Delights spin their favorite vinyl deep cuts in the venue's rustic hutong courtyard. Funk, afro, jazz, disco, and more will all be sampled for your listening pleasure. Free. 2pm-late. El Nido @ The Other Place
Ouissam
Ouissam is not only known for founding well-regarded labels like Cliche Records, Fragrant Harbour, and Homesick but also DJing in his own right. Then there's his founding of the popular Hanoi nightclub Savage, and his coordinating that city's Equation Festival, making him a tastemaker for the ages who is sure to lay down some eclectic instrumentals at Zhao Dai this weekend. Price TBD. 10pm. Zhao Dai
Never miss a gig: click here for a huge list of live shows happening this weekend.
Photos: Shao (via Facebook), courtesy of the promoters
