BeatBox

In an attempt to bring a more diverse nightlife scene to the Castro than the one dominated by homogeneous house and shaved chests (and to not just flip the equation, as has been the strategy of the self-consciously rough-edged SOMA and Tenderloin bars, where the boys sometimes look and smell like they don't even wipe their asses), Daddy's presents "Faggot." DJs Earworm and John Hopkins deliver their visions of the mash-up movement, and their technique blends sounds so that they don't just come off like two pop songs simply glued together at synchronized beats. This Wednesday, Feb. 2, in addition to the bootlegged tunes of these two unusually talented DJs, there will be a CD release party for the Chemical Brothers' new album, Push the Button, plus a Biggest Faggot Contest held at midnight; call 621-8732 or visit www.heyfaggot.com for more information. -- Brock Keeling

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There remains a scarcity of quality free parties in San Francisco, particularly if you're seeking to spend your time at places other than dive bars where you're looking over your shoulder as you exit. A notable exception is the weekly "Descarga" (Spanish for "download"), where Afro-Cuban beats, Brazilian funk, and other hip-swaying Latin fare blends with Jamaican riddims and American hip-hop bump in the swank environs of a downtown vodka bar still in its infancy. Discerning DJs Vinnie Esparza, Hopper, and Asti Spumanti provide tunes for dancing and/or chair grooving, while more than five dozen vodka varieties are available for tasting and/or abusing. Puede beber mucho this (and every) Thursday at Voda; call 677-9242 or visit www.dis-joint.com for more info. -- Tamara Palmer

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What's nice about Aunt Charlie's Lounge -- aside from the cheap drinks -- is that the jabbering crackheads and aggravated assaults just outside its walls (and at times inside them, depending on which tweaker is inadvertently let in) prevent the bar from getting too crowded, too cool, or too haughty. And ever since Bus Station John spun his first record during the opening night of "The Tubesteak Connection," the Lounge has become an ideal place to visit on the weekdays to dance like you're at home in front of your full-length mirror, or on the weekends to catch the, um, jaw-dropping drag show. But "Suicide Tuesdays" -- featuring DJs DJDB and Oakie and weekly guests spinning electro, R&B, indie, hip hop, '80s hits, and punk -- is a fun, not-too-known night where the music suits both twentysomethings and the elderly over-30 set who either eschew the crowd at "Trannyshack" or need to go somewhere after American Idol ends. (Oh, what ... like you're not watching it every week?) The beats go on at 10 p.m. this and every Tuesday. Call 441-2922 or visit www.suicidetuesdays.com for more information.-- Brock Keeling