BeatBox

Weepy with melancholia? Riddled with existential angst? Wearing exaggerated amounts of black eyeliner and/or torn fishnet stockings? Then the popular "Dark Sparkle" might be your cup of absinthe. With its speak-easy-like underground setting and dark, reddish interior, Cafe Du Nord is the perfect foil for a club showcasing the darker side of the '70s and '80s glam, punk, and post-punk music scene. Resident DJs Miz Margo and Sage spin the roots of modern goth, from the obvious (Siouxsie Sioux, the Cure, and T. Rex) to the not-so-obvious (Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley). So don your favorite black outfit, practice your most winning pout, and choke down your anti-social prescriptions – the brooding takes place Wednesday, Jan. 28, from 10 p.m. till 2 a.m. at 2170 Market (at Sanchez), S.F. Admission is $5; call 861-5016 or visit www.cafedunord.com.
– Brock Keeling

Unlike some other genres – like house or drum 'n' bass – breakbeat has never inspired overt rivalries amongst the folks who host and play at local events, so the venues that hold them have some of the friendliest vibes in the city. The Breakthru crew – DJs Andres Octavio, A:Dubl, Eric Riggsbee, and Clockwork, and didgeridoo improvisationalist Frogger – has been a productive force in promoting such happenings, where clubgoers can dance to a sound that began over a decade ago as little more than sped-up hip hop but that has since become its own rhythmically innovative style. Celebrating their crew's second birthday this weekend, the Breakthru DJs have invited some of their favorite breakbeat purveyors (Felix the Dog, DJ Push, Donna Matrix, and Dov) to spin in Club Six's main room during what should be a fail-safe night of boogie-down sounds. Celebrate Breakthru's two-year anniversary on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. at 60 Sixth St. (at Jessie), S.F. Admission is free before 10 p.m., $10 after; call 863-1221 or go to www.breakthrusf.net.
– Tamara Palmer

The fashion-friendly folks of the Green Gorilla Lounge collective actually want to reward people for getting high on a Monday night. Those who pile into some platforms or slink into some stilettos get a two-for-one deal on admission to the mutant disco night "High Heels," where you can expect to hear just about anything – house, R&B, rock, whatever – so long as it's fabulous. Even if you insist on being flat-footed, it's still only $5 after midnight – and who's headed out somewhere after midnight on a Monday anyway? Rise to the occasion, with rotating resident DJs M3, Anthony Garlic, TK Disko, Chris Orr, Mei Lwun, Rasta Cue-Tip, and Lance DeSardi taking turns on the decks from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. at Milk, 1840 Haight (at Stanyan), S.F. Admission is $3 before midnight; call 387-6455 or go to www.greengorillalounge.com.
– Tamara Palmer