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Palma’s prints
Checked out the monthly Footprints party at the Rivoli Saturday, starring Jason Palma , Stuart Li and General Eclectic . The consistently good Latin jazz, funk, Brazilian and Afrobeat event draws a full dance floor. It was cool how they altered the stage with hanging screens and projections, but the real attraction was the music. During our visit, Palma was cranking the tunes. The music he mixed and cut up was never intended to be DJed the way he does it, but he pulls it off expertly. Incidentally, he’s going to be celebrating eight years of the Higher Ground radio show at Harbourfront ‘s Brigantine Room on Saturday (July 31). It’s a good chance to hear what he’s all about – and it’s free to boot.
Rivera runs through it
Late-night Saturday we swung by Boa Redux for an appearance by NYC’s Sandy Rivera . Rivera is best known as half of the house duo Kings of Tomorrow , who scored a huge hit a few years back with Finally. Considering the type of house KOT are known for, it was surprising to hear Rivera drop so few vocals. He stuck to a dark and heavy tribal sound with a little bit of chugging progressive. Still, judging from the crowd reaction, we might have been the only ones disappointed by the lack of singing. The after-hours crowd ate it up. Of course, if you wanted deep house, you could’ve checked out the lounge area (now a smoking room), where resident Jermaine Brown dropped a smooth and sexy mix of soulful house and classics. Too bad the new patio wasn’t open this week word is it’s a nice place to take a break from the madness inside.
The alcohol-free after-hours club still has a healthy queer presence, but the crowd’s no longer predominantly gay, as it was when Boa first opened. Despite the changing audience, the vibe’s still refreshingly comfortable and cordial for a late-late-night club. Staff are exceptionally friendly, and that sound system in the main room is so good, we’d probably go even if the bouncers weren’t so nice.
Old-school Sluts
The people behind the Slut School parties have been toying with their name, most recently throwing an event called Party Bangers at the Labyrinth Lounge on Saturday. It had the same DJ lineup as the Slut School events ( DJ Fase , Fathom and Dig Doug ), and the music was still an eclectic mess of hiphop, booty, metal and 80s pop, but the promoters have moved the event from the now defunct Club 56 (perhaps the reason for the name change). They got a decent turnout, but the large patio kept most of the crowd outside rather than on the dance floor. Saw some hilarious photos of the “running man” dance competition held earlier in the night, but we couldn’t tell who’d won.
