Clubbing

Everyone loves the Secret Discotheque. No one minds the thirty minute queue for Brighton’s “best night out” at Coalition (according to my floormate). At least it’s a pound entry. If you make it to the guest list by four pm. Or was it five… Plus, you can leave your bags in the cloakroom for free. And it gets even better once you step in to the dance floor. 70s and 80s all the way, starring Bon Jovi, Michael Jackson, S Club 7, Madonna, Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, and the sweaty college kids showcasing their dance routine, from random pelvic thrusts to half-attempted swing dancing. For those of you who are nostalgic and would love a sweaty group karaoke that goes on for hours, this is the place for you. For those of you whose friends still live in the 80s, I recommend that you get your drink on before you get there. Our beloved friends Jose, Jack and Johnnie will do more good than harm (well at least it will help you fastforward the long queues but help you remember the excitement on the dance floor). Am I speaking from experience? The first two times I went, I had fun. Lots of fun. The third time I went, not so much. My buzz was gone while waiting in the queue to get in, and once we got in, I saw a high school prom gone wild. Scratch that. A middle school dance gone wild. Don’t get me wrong. I love the music. But two, three hours of seventies, eighties and nineties pop is just too overwhelming for me, especially when I’m sober.

So that was 70s and 80s and a bit of 90s. Now to the new millenium. The new millenium that brought about dubstep that revolutionized the garage scene in the UK by mixing in the strong bass line with the dub remixes of 2-step garage tracks. The use of syncopation, the unexpected changes in the rhythm. That’s what wikipedia says about dubstep. What I saw was a sea of self-absorbed men moving and stepping to the same beat creating a rippling effect, except a bit more systematic, maybe even robotic, yet a bit more chaotic,  and definitely on the crazier side. I fell in love instantly. The idea of losing yourself to the beat, to the steps, the movement, the bodies jerking back and forth, arms stretched out in mid air, pumping air into the darkness of the beat. Sound waves colliding, sweat drops smearing, and nervous heads bouncing. The tension and the relaxation. The contradiction and the reverse. Audio is the place to be for dubstep and drum and bass, but the only problem is these two genres only attract a select group of people and not everyone is fond of them.

Brighton’s more mainstream clubbing scene other than the Secret Discoteque revolve around the clubs on the seafront. They are literally couple yards away from the start of the pebbly beach–perfect place for a barbecue during the day, bon fire by night, pre-gaming before clubbing, and eating fish and chips or a kebab afterward (or for some people who have bladder problems, it may serve a different purpose when they queue). Digital is known more for its electronic dance mixes, Honeyclub for mainstream hip hop and American pop, and Life just a combination of everything. My favorite used to be Digital until last week when I was disappointed by the crowd that closely resembled the crowd at Coalition on Thursday nights. Music is mostly good though. Well not that Tuesday night. But most nights. Hopefully.

When I go to London though, it’s a whole different story. One, I have Aileen. Two, there are two types of clubs: bigger, more mainstream clubs with several rooms that do not discriminate against looks, age, wealth or taste in music and clubs that are more like lounges that lure the younger girls in with “ladies free before 11,” piquing the interest of older men seeking to escape from their dull married life or who just don’t have game elsewhere. Actually, I lied. There are many kinds of clubs that don’t fit in the two categories described above. Like Amika where there were decent young-ish men and women enjoying each others’ company (although there were older men in desperate search for younger girls to prey on) or like Sound where we were attacked by 10+ horny men or all the clubs that host the Kpop events across London. Clubbing in London can be fun. The allure is in the diversity of the crowd, the music, the venues. But despite the diversity, sometimes it just seems like it’s the same thing over and over again.