Derek Opperman

DJ Ultraviolet Sees Trap as the "Missing Link" Between EDM and Hip-Hop

Trap music has exploded on the rap and EDM scenes in the last year -- but local DJ Eva Lee, aka UV or UltraViolet doesn't seem fazed. Whether she's throwing a monthly party called Trap City or coming out with various trap mixes and an upcoming original EP, Eva deals heavily in trap's lurching, hip- ... More >>

No Cell Phones, No Problem at Love Will Fix It

Love Will Fix It The Hot Spot Saturday, Oct. 13, 2012 Better than: Watching your night unfold via Instagram. In the latest edition of club-related technophobia, cell phones have grown increasingly under fire. It wasn't but a couple weeks ago that Francois Kevorkian publicly mused on his Facebook p ... More >>

The Top Five Parties in S.F. This Weekend: Icee Hot Starts a Label, Miracles Club at Public Works, and More

Sadomasochism, bondage, leather, public kinkiness, etc. It's time, once again, for the Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco. Easily one of the city's largest outdoor events, you might think that everything else would get drowned out in the excitement leading up to Sunday. However, from we're standing ... More >>

Beats in Space DJ Tim Sweeney Picks Five Favorite New Tracks

Don't discount the power of radio, or at least, don't in Tim Sweeney's case. The New Yorker started Beats in Space, his now famous WNYU radio show, in the late '90s, and has since developed a fanatical global following of dance music aficionados. His weekly broadcasts offer concise snapshots of diff ... More >>

Oakland Gets Down at Underground Party Sick Sad World

Sick Sad World Somewhere in Oakland Friday, Sept. 7, 2012 Better than: Similar events in S.F With a sharp pull on the wheel, we turned off Telegraph and headed towards San Pablo. It was almost 11 p.m. and we were on the other side of the Bridge, driving through downtown Oakland in search of the pa ... More >>

Dub Mission Turns 16 With Good Vibes and Heavy Bass

Dub Mission's 16th Anniversary with Mista Chatman Elbo Room Sunday, Sept. 2, 2012 Better than: Your "Listen to Bob Marley" T shirt. "Look George, you're not listening to what I'm saying. What I'm saying is that I don't just think Romney's going to lose, I know it." The sharp twang of an elderly Te ... More >>

Chicago Skyway Selects Five Favorite Recent Dance Records

Hopefully you were lucky enough to catch Chicago Skyway's set last Saturday at upstart 222 Hyde-based party Acid Test. But if you weren't -- or if your ears are still buzzing -- then you're in luck, because we've managed to get the man to send over five of his favorite recent tracks. As you might ex ... More >>

Mossmoss Picks Five New Tracks to Celebrate As You Like It's Second Anniversary

It's hard to believe it's only been two years since As You Like It first appeared in San Francisco. Today, it seems as though the family-like crew has a near-monopoly on underground techno in the city, with packed events almost every other weekend. A large part of this is due to the party's on-point ... More >>

Weekend Parties: The Bunker Returns, Y3K Panic, Beautiful Swimmers, and More

Prepare yourself -- a strange couple of days is headed your way. Outside Lands is set to be the highlight of the weekend, and with it will come whole legions of drunk fans stumbling out of the Richmond fog like zombies. This also happens to be the time of year when clubs become dominated by last-min ... More >>

Lost in the Night: Scuba and Oliver Deutschmann Bring Berlin to San Francisco

As You Like It presents Scuba & Oliver Deutschmann Public Works Friday, August 3, 2012 Better than: Sleeplessness and 13 hour flights. My week began stuck in a mile-long line, at 2 a.m., trapped in a rainstorm waiting for a chance to enter a monolithic East German power station. We were in Berlin ... More >>

L.A. DJ Trio Droog Selects Five Favorite Summertime Jams Ahead of Its S.F. Show

For this week's Signal to Noise, our focus turns southward toward Los Angeles. From that city's thriving dance community comes the accomplished DJ trio known as Droog. In its native scene, the group has built a reputation as a streamlined unit, throwing raves at the high capacity Avalon Hollywood an ... More >>

Production Duo 5kinAndBone5 Selects Its Five Favorite Tracks of 2012

Though a long-time member of the local scene, it's taken something of a stylistic update for 5kinAndBone5 to finally break out. That update must have involved some manner of trippy cybernetic augmentation, as the duo's found itself dissolved and dispersed in a matrix of '90s cyberculture Tumblrs, oc ... More >>

The EndUp Keeps The Party Going Late

Beretta Music Showcase July 8th, 2012 The EndUp Better than: Clubs built after 1974. The righteous guitar tone of ZZ Top's "Got Me Under Pressure" was just barely audible as our taxi made its way towards Interstate 80. Our driver had the windows down, one arm hanging out the side, sparks occasiona ... More >>

Weekend Parties: Warm Leatherette's Third Anniversary, Hard French Returns, Monarch Goes Late, and More

We're now a week on from Paris Hilton's DJ debut and Deadmau5's flame-baiting blog post. Thankfully, the world hasn't collapsed, and it seems as though both events have prompted some serious discussion about the place of the DJ in contemporary society. For those of you interested in such things, we ... More >>

SF DJ/Producer Ghosts on Tape Selects Five Favorite Tracks of 2012

Some know him as a producer, others as a killer DJ. Either way there's no denying that Ghosts on Tape has long been a rising figure in the world of dance music. Outside of San Francisco he's built a reputation off the strength of his innovative releases and remixes on labels like Wireblock (the A-si ... More >>

Weekend Party Preview: Horse Meat Disco at Mezzanine, Lights Down Low at 222 Hyde, Go Bang at Deco, and More

Few weekends spent in San Francisco feature as manic an energy as San Francisco's annual Gay Pride celebration. Nonstop disco mixes takes over the airwaves, rainbow flags are flown high, and tourists from all over the country flock to the city. For many, this is a date to look forward to year round: ... More >>

Weekend Party Preview: Pépé Bradock, Spilt Milk, Body//Current, and DeepBlak

We were going to try and be witty and start this off with some famous party quote. Unfortunately (or fortunately; perspective is key), Google only turned up this nugget of a Tripod page. So, in absence of the literary equivalent to clip art, we'll just slide this list of upcoming parties in your gen ... More >>

Five New Tracks We Like That You'll Be Hearing On San Francisco Dancefloors

If you think about it, dance music production and Alaskan crab fishing are surprisingly similar. To get anything done in either, you've got to isolate yourself from society and pull long hours doing tedious and backbreaking work (well, sort of). In dance music, most producers seem to hole themselves ... More >>

The Top 10 Best Club Sound Systems in San Francisco

Nightlife in San Francisco is a big deal -- we live in the kind of town that takes its partying seriously. Naturally, then, there's a near-obsessive level of detail when it comes to club sound. Look back, and the history of the city is littered with acoustic temples and stories of wild club owners o ... More >>

Lost in the Night: Housepitality Brings the Weekend to Wednesday

Housepitality Icon Ultra Lounge Wednesday, June 7 2012 Better than: Another Wednesday evening at home. There are still strange things in San Francisco if you know where to look. For instance, a friend of mine once told me that while wandering through Golden Gate Park, she came across an entire fie ... More >>

Weekend Party Preview: Nosaj Thing, Dopplereffekt, Haçeteria, and More

With the arrival of June, so too comes the summer party season -- and everyone seems to be ramping up in anticipation of the warm weather. Of course, that means more big guests, but also some variety as well. Here are some top picks to help you make sense of it all. Read on -- your weekend awaits. ... More >>

Warm Leatherette Offers Dark, Synthetic Sounds and Lots of Fog

Warm Leatherette Sub-mission May 26, 2011 Better than: This '80s night. The enduring popularity of the 1980s has been one of the strangest phenomena of the past 30 years. Looking back it seems as though that decade is an ever-present spectre, continually manifesting itself to inform all aspects of ... More >>

Signal to Noise: Five Deep Cuts Selected by Marcellus Pittman

Following closely on the heels of our recent edition with Soul Clap, this week's Signal to Noise takes cues from yet another special guest. Marcellus Pittman is a house DJ and producer from Detroit who is known for his deep crates (the man's a vinyl enthusiast) and raw-edged productions. Pittman was ... More >>

Signal to Noise: Soul Clap Selects Five Favorite Bay Area Tracks

For this week's Signal to Noise, we've got some selections from a very special guest: Soul Clap. Known individually as Eli Goldstein and Charles Levine, the Boston-based DJ/production outfit has attracted a dedicated following from its tasteful edits, deep remixes, and catchy originals. Last year, t ... More >>

Weekend Parties: Hype Williams at Public Works, NYC house takeover at Mighty, Deniz Kurtel at Monarch, and More

[Editor's note: SF Weekly nightlife writer Derek Opperman had to take a break over the last two weeks to wrap up some academic projects. He's back in action now, thankfully -- so expect our usual slate of weekend dancefloor advice every Thursday, and the Lost in the Night party review column every M ... More >>

Five Favorite Dancefloor Tracks From S.F. Party Photographers

Whereas previous editions of Signal to Noise have focused on DJs and producers, this time around we're putting the spotlight on the musical tastes of party photographers. Highly opinionated about music, these are the people behind the lens at some of your favorite events. Read on -- you just might h ... More >>

Weekend Parties: Tiger & Woods at the W Hotel, DJ Skeet Skeet at Blow Up, and More

Well, it's almost the weekend, and it's time to start figuring out what there is to do. At this point, you've probably heard all about the massive (and controversial) rave scheduled for this Saturday at the Oracle Arena, so we won't mention it. Instead, we've prepared a shortlist of four sure-fire e ... More >>

Lost in the Night: Icee Hot Provides a Spectacle with Nina Kraviz, Rolando, MikeQ, and Helix

Icee Hot with Nina Kraviz, Rolando, Helix, and MikeQ Public Works March 24, 2012 Better than: Last weekend's awful weather. "BOO-BWELE-BOO-BWELE-BOO-BWELE-UH-HA! BOO-BWELE-BOO-BWELE-BOO-BWELE-UH-HA!" The immortal chant of Dan Akroyd and Eddie Murphy echoed through the room, shaking the sweat loose ... More >>

Weekend Parties: Relax, Relate, Release at 222 Hyde, Mike Simonetti at Monarch, Nina Kraviz at Public Works, and More

Here we are again: Another week is coming to an end and another crop of parties is immanently approaching. In fact, this time around you don't even need to wait for Friday to have a good time. Read on--your weekend awaits. Thursday, March 22 What: Relax, Relate, Release: One-Year Anniversary Where ... More >>

Five Tracks From Abroad That You'll Be Hearing on San Francisco Dancefloors

So far the month of March has held no punches in delivering its share of dancefloor anthems. This time around we train our focus on popular sounds coming from abroad; the sort of stuff that carries clout in both techno and bass circles. Read on -- you just might hear these the next time you go out d ... More >>

Signal To Noise: Five New Tracks You'll Be Hearing on San Francisco Dancefloors

Twenty-twelve has been a good year for dance music so far. It's only March, and San Francisco's club scene has been moved by a variety of new sounds coming from all over the world. This week we're taking a look at some of the finest new releases of the past couple weeks. Here are five cuts that we t ... More >>

The Dance-Punk Pioneers of ESG Are Calling It Quits: Their Journey Through the Bronx, the Haçienda, Paradise Garage, and S.F.

It's 2006, electroclash is on its last legs, and Mezzanine is just three years settled into its locale on Jessie street. The buzzword on everyone's lips is no wave, a rediscovered genre of art music from '80s New York that plays with the form and structure of punk, disco, and hip-hop. Looking to cap ... More >>

Lost in the Night: Lights Down Low Throws a Modern Massive at Public Works

Derek OppermanDanny Daze at work​ Lights Down Low's Six Year Anniversary Public Works Feb. 17, 2012 Better Than: Bizarre forms of enthusiasm. Is anybody else fascinated by the recent arrival of megaparties? It feels like every weekend there are more crazed promoters dumping money into incre ... More >>

Signal to Noise: Five DJ Mixes Recorded at Local Parties

Tyrel Williams in a pensive moment​ The democratization of DJing by way of digital technology has had at least one unfortunate consequence. The DJ mix, once considered an art form in its own right, has been downgraded to such a degree that we wonder who bothers to listen to them anymore. Take ... More >>

Signal to Noise: Five Tracks You'll Soon Be Hearing on the Dancefloor

Though previous installments of Signal to Noise have focused on selections from local DJs, this week our column takes a minute to get a little introspective. Here are five just-released (or soon to be released) tracks we've recently discovered that we like, and that we think have potential. So read ... More >>

Signal to Noise: Local DJs Pick Five of Their Favorite Tracks

In the pantheon of nightlife, few people are as influential as the local DJs working the scene. As promoters, talent scouts, and party rockers, these tastemakers are trusted to be at the fore of what's happening in music today. For this edition of Signal to Noise, we're focusing our attention on fiv ... More >>

Trying Out New SF Club Monarch with Help From Relax, Relate, Release and Lights Down Low

Derek Opperman​ Lost in the Night: Relax Relate Release and Lights Down Low Monarch Friday, Dec. 23, 2011 Better than: Watching a Yule log burn on TV. There's something eerie about San Francisco on Christmas weekend. Walk around during the daytime and you'll find yourself in a Twilight Zone ... More >>

The 10 Best Bay Area Electronic Records of 2011

The year 2011 ought to be remembered fondly by fans of the Bay Area's electronic music scene. It was a year when the stars seemed to align and the city's nightlife seemed to explode around the arrival of new venues that cater specifically to the desires of dancers and partygoers. With these venues c ... More >>

Lost in the Night: Icee Hot's Year-End Party Provides a Quirky Night Out

Kahley Avalon Emerson​ It was a brisk Saturday evening in San Francisco that saw Avalon and I back on the street headed towards Public Works and Icee Hot's big year-end event, whose lineup oddly merged Tri-Angle beatsmiths oOoOO and Balam Acab with techno pioneer Juan Atkins. While odd on the ... More >>

Signal to Noise: Five Local Resident DJs on Their Favorite New Tracks

Juanita MORE! throws some wild parties ​ Resident DJs are sometimes overlooked, but always influential -- these are the devoted tastemakers working to make your night out a good one. For this week's Signal to Noise we caught up with some of our favorite local residents and asked them to tip u ... More >>

Lost in the Night: Maluca Tears the Roof Off Tormenta Tropical

Kahley Avalon Emerson​ Tormenta Tropical's Four-Year Anniversary Dec. 10, 2011 Elbo Room "You're never going to believe this. I just got a picture with the double rainbow guy! He's here!" Celebrities were in attendance at Tormenta Tropical's four year anniversary last Saturday. (Sadly, I was ... More >>

Signal to Noise: Five Hot Dance Cuts From Local Producers

With all the music floating around the Internet, it can be easy to lose sight of the fact that there are a ton of talented local producers. This week's edition of Signal to Noise is riffing off that theme, with five tracks from Bay Area-related artists that produce in such diverse fields as house, U ... More >>

Lost in the Night: Carl Craig Plays a Secret Party at an Oakland Church

Carl Craig at a party in Oakland on Friday. All photos by Kahley Avalon Emerson.​ Carl Craig Nov. 4, 2011 A church in Oakland Better than: Not seeing Carl Craig. Few things compel me to drive around canvassing churches in Oakland at midnight. Yet that's exactly what I found myself doing last ... More >>

Weekend Party Preview: Thundercat at Low End Theory, Creep at 120 Minutes, A Month of Funk, and More

Creep performs at 120 Minutes on Friday.​ Halloween might be over, but did you know there's a much more subtle holiday on the way? No, not Thanksgiving -- I'm referring to the end of daylight savings time this Sunday. It's the only time of the year when Californians are allowed an extra hour o ... More >>

Friday: Four Tet and Thomas Bullock Test the Limits of 1015 Folsom

Kahley EmersonFour Tet at 1015 Folsom​ Four Tet, SF 2011. FACE presents RUB N TUG 1015 Folsom October 21, 2011 Better than: The last party I went to at 1015 Folsom. In San Francisco, there are few dance clubs as iconic as 1015 Folsom. Back in the '90s, the superclub played an integral rol ... More >>

Sizzle & Fizzle: Highs and Lows from the Last Week in S.F. Music

DaVinci, Prince Aries, and More Are Playing Our Free Pop-Up Party Wednesday Night

DaVinci​ Hey, we're throwing a party! With the Treasure Island Music Festival coming up, we just couldn't resist having a little opening night bash at the T.I. Pop-Up Shop at the San Franpsycho store in North Beach. So tomorrow night (Wednesday, Oct. 5), we're throwing a free get-together wit ... More >>

Tubesteak Connection Supplies a Red-Tinted, iPhone-Less Good Time at Aunt Charlie's

Kahley Emerson​The Tubesteak Connection Aunt Charlie's Sept. 22, 2011 Better than: Partying in a room full of iPhone screens. In a city whose edge is slowly being dulled, Aunt Charlie's is a bar on the fringe. Located on a decrepit stretch of Turk street evocative of Escape from New York, it ... More >>

Saturday: Chocolate Puma Helps Ruby Skye Win Over the Locals

Kahley EmersonDancers at Ruby Skye on Saturday night​ World Town Presents Chocolate Puma
 Saturday, September 17

 Ruby Skye Better than: What you think Ruby Skye is like. Big, expensive, and a little gaudy -- there are few clubs in San Francisco that provoke such an immediate visceral ... More >>

Chelsea Wolfe Greets the Freaks at 120 Minutes, and Mi Ami Raves in the Dark at No Way Back

Kahley EmersonChelsea Wolfe at 120 Minutes​ [Too much good stuff last weekend! I couldn't choose just one party to review, so here's a breakdown of the weekend's highlights.] 120 Minutes Presents Chelsea Wolfe Elbo Room Friday, September 2, 2011 Better than: Death Guild, but probably less au ... More >>