Pop Music Reviews : Water the Bush Eases L.A. Dance-Club Drought

Los Angeles club-goers haven’t had it easy lately. Finding a dance club that offers more than bland Top 40 and high-energy disco has become difficult, and with the closing of several “underground” establishments, many discerning dancers have given up on going out.

Stepping into this dry spell is a new club called Water the Bush, operating at Hollywood’s Stardust Ballroom (5612 Sunset Blvd.) on Tuesday nights. With its two dance floors and a room for live bands, the club is more like a cultural event than a disco.

It offers a taste of New York style and culture--an East Coast mix of social awareness and hot dance music. The lobby is lined with information centers with pamphlets about subjects ranging from Amnesty International to African awareness, but clearly the idea is to party. A long line of people waited to get into the club on its second night of action this week, and the main room was packed with dancers as deejay Afrika Islam spun a New York-style blend of funk, soul, hip-hop and even reggae.

At 1 a.m. the band Trulio Disgracias took the stage in the main room and threw down a wild set of ultra-funky dance music reminiscent of the free-style funk expeditions of Parlaiment/Funkadelic. Trulio is a vast amalgamation of some of the best funk musicians in L.A.: Members of Fishbone and the Red Hot Chili Peppers were joined by up to two dozen other players, including backup vocalists and a complete horn section.

Elsewhere at the Stardust, house music fans were able to dance in a separate, day-glo room to their own beat as two deejays took turntable turns. Another room is dedicated entirely to live bands of every persuasion, from hard rock to funk and soul.

Water the Bush may be the best thing that’s happened for L.A. club people in a long time. Let’s hope it lasts long enough to enjoy for the summer. On Tuesday hip-hoppers De La Soul are scheduled to make an appearance after their Palace date.