Rating: NNNNN
Soulutions make a move
Deep house promoters Soulutions moved out of the club district last Saturday to start a weekly party at a new space in Parkdale. Bsweet is a medium-sized club set up for both bands and DJs. Kind of dark and grungy, it suits Soulutions’ low-key vibe better than a glitzy, shiny downtown space. Parkdale’s been pretty hot lately as far as parties go, and Bsweet may find itself busy quite soon if the hipsters get sick of Stones Place and the Gladstone.
Unfortunately for Soulutions, there was some confusion about the club’s operating hours. Many in the scene had the impression that this was to be an after-hours event and were hoping that there’d be some late-night alcohol. Needless to say, they were disappointed to show up at 2 am and find a dry bar.
Special guest Ray Prasad was laying down some nice deep house grooves, heavy on the percussion and soul. Nighthawks know her from the long- running late-night radio show she does with veteran DJ Gene King Friday nights on 88.1 from 5 to 6:30 am. Too bad more people weren’t around for her set, and those who did show up didn’t last long without booze.
Funny how things change. At one point, all the legendary house music clubs didn’t serve alcohol and still went all night. These days, only the hard side of house can keep people up, while the deep end seems to get sleepy without a beer in hand.
Postmod finds a niche
These anti-DJ DJ nights are weird things to write about. Not only do the half-dozen kids behind Postmod not care to be named, but they also don’t bother to mix or show off, and none of the crowd seems to care. Doesn’t leave a journalist like me much to talk about besides the overall scene and the vibe of the party.
Postmod, a monthly event that happened last Friday at Labyrinth Lounge , is one of those indie rock disco parties that play mash-ups, bouncy indie pop, guilty pleasures, hiphop, disco and anything else that might get its hip student types dancing. It’s fun, it’s crowded, it’s cheap, with a pleasing sexual energy in the air and dancing on both floors.
If you’re over DJ worship but still want to dance and aren’t quite ready for top 40 clubs, this kind of thing can hit the spot. And if you’re getting sick of sitting and watching your friends’ shitty bands but don’t care at all about DJ culture, this might be an agreeable compromise.
Fast Eddie ahead of himself
Late Friday night we checked out hiphouse legend Fast Eddie at Studio 99 . DJ DMT was warming up the crowd nicely when we arrived at around 2 am, and Fast Eddie and DJ Jes stepped up to the turntables shortly after. Both took turns rapping over the instrumental tracks, which referenced classic house sounds but were still modern enough to be more than just nostalgia.
Unfortunately, the DJ set that followed wasn’t quite what the promoters were expecting. Seems Eddie mistook pre-90s to mean early-90s house music.
Oops.
