Advertisement

The post-rave vibe

Share
Special to The Times

Glow sticks streak in psychedelic circles as this historically gay venue hosts a predominantly straight Asian American crowd. Ravers bounce and go-go girls in pigtails, hot pants and perilously high platform boots shake it as a white female DJ spins bootylicious break beats atop a roped-off stage. A sign states, “authorized personnel only,” and if that’s not anti-rave enough, there’s a VIP room with champagne and a buffet.

Worlds collide at Red, a weekly night that defies global dance culture as much as it embraces it. The mix of oft-derided glow-stick dancers, superstar DJs, Asian-style VIP tables and an audience that still hasn’t let go of ‘90s trance music is uniquely Angeleno.

“Raves are kind of history right now,” says 26-year-old patron Peter Kim, a research associate at a medical firm, “so this is the only way you can feel that vibe, but it’s more civilized.”

Advertisement

The event at Gene La Pietra’s Arena, a former ice factory in Hollywood, often sees 1,000 people through its doors. It started more than two years ago at downtown’s Hacienda Real bar as a gritty after-hours affair with adventurous music that earned the praise of the local alternative press. But it quickly outgrew Hacienda’s few-hundred-capacity basement digs and moved to Arena one year ago to battle for post-rave, mega-club supremacy in L.A. One reason Red has become a DJ culture mainstay and welcome home for jet-set jocks from New York’s Roger Sanchez to Britain’s FC Kahuna, has been its loyal base of Asian Americans, often the largest ethnic slice on local big-room dance floors.

Henry Chang, 29, part of an Asian American trio that promotes the night, never intended Red as a typical Asian night (think valet parking, suits and cocktail dresses and bottles of Crown Royal costing in the three digits).

“It developed as a ripple effect from our circle of friends,” Chang says. “There wasn’t anything we did to target the Asian market.”

The music ranges from the deeper progressive house sounds Chang would rather hear to the banging, 135-beats-per-minute trance that’s more popular with Red’s crowd. He tries to keep a balance in his booking policy, from local house legend Jason Blakemore, who builds a steady staircase of sound, to the over-the-top trance sound of Britain’s Scott Bond, who lets it rip.

The club has paid $10,000 for a two-hour DJ performance in the past but has begun to focus on home-grown jocks with high skills and lower price tags.

On a recent Friday, Orlando, Fla., “funky breaks” DJ Baby Anne took to the stage after being announced as “the queen of bass.” In tight black pants, a matching top and boots, she promptly threw down her first record, which sampled the words, “this is the sound of the underground.”

Advertisement

Club-goer Kim was standing near the entrance with a friend and two women as a wall of video monitors blasted twisted digital animation nearby. The beats beckoned, and soon the four bolted for the floor.

“I’ve been to Korean clubs and Hollywood clubs,” Kim says, “but ever since I came to Red, I’ve noticed people come for the music.”

*

Red at Arena

Where: 6655 Santa Monica Blvd., Hollywood

When: 9 p.m.-4 a.m. Fridays

Cost: $20; $10 before 10 p.m. by signing up for the “Redlist” at www.nexxez.com

Info: (323) 692-3533

Advertisement