Beijing Beats: Diva Li EP Release at Lantern, Ableton Live Workshop at Aurora, Jana Rush at Dada

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.

Thursday, Apr 19

Cero39
Latin pop culture, indie reggaeton, and hip-hop, along with "the flavor of everyday Caribbean life" will all converge when this rising Colombian crew (pictured in the lead image above) takes to Dada's stage. They're sharing the bill with ambient and experimental producer and DJ AAMAR.10pm. RMB 60. Dada

Soul Train
Local favorites DJ CAD 73 and JAY 1,2  continue their weekly series of spinning classic soulful records at Aurora. Expect a laid back, unpretentious night of funky golden oldies.10pm. Free entry. Aurora

Friday, Apr 20

Jana Rush
Windy City DJ Jana Rush began spinning records at the prodigious age of ten, and hasn't looked back since. Fans are particularly taken with her "mind-bending drum acrobatics" meaning her songs like "Frantic Snare," are aptly named. In a review of her 2017 LP Pariah, Pitchfork raved about how Jana Rush takes "apart her hometown’s club genres and recombines them in captivatingly original ways." 10pm. RMB 60 presale, RMB 80 at the door. Dada

Diva Li EP Release
Talented local DJ and producer Diva Li drops her new EP at Lantern this weekend. Her name isn't a reference to Mariah Carey like entitlement, but instead the classical sense of the term "diva" where singers place importance on technique. This is fitting because she sings the hooks on her dynamic instrumentals, both on the recordings and live onstage, which is sure to give her Lantern set a uniquely authentic dimension. 11pm. RMB 50. Lantern

Giulio's Ableton Live Workshop + Afterparty
Shanghai DJ Giulio will drop some serious knowledge early in the evening during a workshop about Ableton Live, the indispensable tool of a myriad of DJ's. Then comes the afterparty, where Giulio will lay down one potent beat after another on the Aurora crowd. 6pm-9pm (class) 10pm-5am (afterparty). RMB 50. Aurora

Funky Soulful Vinyl DJ Set
DJ Daniel.Ma has dug deep into his crates and will spin some of his most treasured funky and soulful wax for this night of vintage hits. 10pm. Free entry. Kirin Place

Saturday, Apr 21

DJ Mina
From afrobeats to dancehall to UK funky, there'll be something for everyone in this British DJ's set. Her tracks have been described as "vibrant and melodic" thanks to their fusion of syncopated rhythms from the UK and further flung locales like Peru, Sierra Leone and Ghana. She also spent time in that latter African nation running a music production workshop for local aspiring female DJ's.10pm. RMB 60. Dada

Dot Records Presents: Inn, Hwa, Miiina
Dot Records Returns with a trio of top notch performers at at Lantern: Inn, Hwa, Miina. The imprint's name alludes to its efforts to connect the dots between DJ's, visual artists, and creatives in other mediums. That means this set is bound to not only get you dancing but also stimulate several of your senses. 10.30pm. RMB 50 presale, RMB 80 at the door. Lantern

Wasabi Sound with Nigls, Eric Lee, Shenyue, 2MM A.K.K Sean C
A spicy night of searing beats, this Wasabi Sound party is sure to get the Aurora crowd sweating. Attendees are likely especially eager to hear Nigls, who is described as "an active figure in Beijing's club scene where he's currently based at and regularly preforms, his sound is characterized by energetic or deep solid grooves with hypnotizing sounds and dramatic melodies." RMB 30 presale, RMB 50 at the door. Aurora

Photos: evolucionrock, courtesy of the venues