An Appetite for Adventure

Adventures in Clubland

From [08.11.013] Digweed at Coco Banana

As the nightlife writer and blogger for City Weekend, it’s my job to be the gal about town, stopping through the best and baddest of Beijing booty-shaking boîtes. So while there’re plenty of places I’ve yet to hit thanks to school commitments, I’ve already nestled myself into most of the best places to dip into after dark. Hailing from what I consider hands down the clubbing capital of America, I didn’t know what to expect from Beijing’s venues. I have to admit I’ve been pleasantly surprised.

While the crowds aren’t as massive and the venues not as plentiful, Beijing’s nightlife is vibrant and, most importantly, growing. There’s a sense of anticipation in the city that you don’t necessarily feel from the old clubbing hats of places like London and NYC, where jaded clubbers and strung-out partygoers lament how things used to be sooooo much better 5, 10, however-many years ago. Here, people aren’t looking back; they’ve got their eyes on what’s ahead. So many DJs are coming through the city for the first time that each big name touching down feels like the event of the year. It’s a feeling I haven’t felt since I first started learning about electronic music and the nightlife scene over five years ago. And I especially feel lucky to be tapped into documenting this scene through my writing.

Some of this excitement has been misdirected, characterized by the high turnover of venures. Many of the large clubs that opened with the Olympics in mind have since had a hard time pulling the numbers they need to stay afloat. A lot of this is because club culture is so new to Beijingers (I’m talking Chinese, not the expats). Up until the last few years, KTV (karaoke done in small groups in private rooms) was the main and virtually only form of after-dark entertainment. Even now, you see KTV’s cultural influence in the private rooms found in every megaclub. Loosing yourself on the dance floor in front of and along with hundreds of other people is relatively new as well, with many dance floors littered with cocktail tables and chairs and only a small space set aside for dancing. When internationally renowned DJ John Digweed came to play here last month, I was shocked to see how small the dance floor was. In NYC, its hard to find a place to sit because dance floors are so big. Here, it’s the opposite.

The clubs themselves have been surprisingly elaborate, illuminated with gyrating rainbows of colors and interesting and often innovative design. GT Banana, where Digweed played, features a series of light tubing along the ceiling reminiscent of exposed pipes. Light flowed like water along these tubes in one of the best visual displays I have ever witnessed. Another club, Song, is designed with overlapping layers of wood, like one of those stackable models I would make as a child but on a much more massive scale. Then there’s White Rabbit, Beijing’s answer to my favorite underground clubs back in NYC. Two big basic rooms underground that don’t get pumping until 2AM, this place is about the music and nothing more. Unfortunately, these old bones get tired a bit too early to make it to the Rab much. But when I can muster the energy, I’m never disappointed.

When I was leaving for China, I was a bit worried I would find the nightlife here lacking. I’m happy to admit that I had nothing to worry about.

[08.11.013] Digweed at Coco Banana

December 14, 2008 - Posted by piegirl | 1 | Beijing clubbing, Beijing nightlife, Clubs in Beijing, gt banana, ktv, song beijing, white rabbit