The Last Days of Disco

Nightranger's welcome to the jungle 

By LINA LECARO

Wednesday, October 3, 2007 - 12:00 pm

If the end of this wacky world were near, Nightranger would do something totally nesty and unglamorous: stay at home nuzzled toasty next to our loved ones with a carton of Cookies 'n' Cream while the Stones' Exile on Main Street oozed from the stereo. Still, there's something to be said for going out big — numbing the unknown with drink, dance and decadence. Random human connections, animalistic frolic and getting lost in a hedonistic ritual filled with beats so thunderous they make your chest hurt would be the ultimate bon voyage. For those of you who'd pick the jungle over the cave, here's how not to get lost.


Best Freakazoid Fun
Dance Right and Hang the DJs

You'll see the requisite ironic T-shirts and choppy '80s-inspired hairdos (and don'ts) at both Dance Right and Hang the DJs (who tie for best vibe in our book), but the carefree exuberance at each spot is enough to win over even the staunchest hipster hater. Unlike some of the other electro/indie rock sock hops around town, you rarely get the too-cool-for-school, stand-in-the-smoking-area-all-night types at these clubs. The culturally diverse denizens at each get downright freaky on the floor, sometimes comically so, but the giddiness is contagious. Sounds at both lean toward high school drill-team jams circa 1986 (Debbie Deb, Trans-X), but always in a modern context, both mix- and atmosphere-wise, thanks to the peeps behind the parties. HTDJ's Scarlett Casanova is a humble hostess with the mostess, a local gal who makes ya feel like you're in her own home (which you kinda are), while the Obey Giant crew who throw D.R.'s parties always seem to be one step ahead (they put La Cita on the map, after all). Both clubs get crazy crowded these days, so trendies with 'tude or personal-space issues need not apply.


Dance Right, Thursdays at La Cita, 336 S. Hill St., downtown., www.danceright.net.

Hang the DJs, every third Saturday at the Echo, 1822 Sunset Blvd., Echo Park, www.myspace.com/hangthedjs.

Dance Club Pick

Coupla Guys, Lotsa Dolls

Fischerspooner and Dirty Vegas; Hang the DJs

By Lina Lecaro

Wednesday, May 16, 2007 - 9:00 am

Scarlett Casanova enjoying a night off with her friends at Par Avion.  Photo by Charlie Martinez (diemylove.com)

Scarlett Casanova Wants You to Have a Good Time

by Robert Tapia

Scarlett Casanova enjoying a night off with her friends at Par Avion.  Photo by Charlie Martinez (diemylove.com)

Scarlett Casanova Wants You to Have a Good Time

by Robert Tapia

It is difficult to find a club in Los Angeles where Scarlett Casanova is not involved. Even if it is not one of her own parties, there is a good chance that Casanova, who is easily recognizable by her thick-framed glasses and mod-inspired wardrobe, has either helped to book or promote the event, or has a working relationship with at least one of the DJs. With her monthly Hang the DJs parties at The Echo, as well as such past ventures as Razzmatazz, Countdown, and Kaleidoscope, Casanova attributes her success to the quality of the bands and DJs she features, as well as her dedication to ensuring that those who attend her nights have a good time.

For those who have never been to a Hang the DJs party, Casanova would like to make it clear that it is not a 1980s flashback night. Despite echoes of The Smiths' classic "Panic," Casanova says she took the name from a 2ManyDJs mixed CD. With a different lineup of DJs every month, Casanova claims, "We kind of bring all the scenes together. We've got Britpop, '60s soul, electro, hip-hop, and indie."

Casanova began her career with the somewhat humble intention of throwing a single party. "After going to a couple of clubs since the age of 17, by the age of 22 I was pretty much bored of it," she says. "I went to Europe, went to London, had a good time and was kind of inspired by other clubs and things that people were doing and came back and said 'Hey, I'd like to do a one-night event, just to gather up all my friends and get together and just have a good time and play some real good music.'" She did just that, inviting DJs she knew and promoting the first Hang the DJs night to her peers. It worked.

"Capacity at The Echo is 300. I don't know how they did it, but there were people all the way to the back patio," she recalls. Not long after, she received a call from the venue asking her if she would throw another party.

Four years have passed since that first night and Casanova has not strayed from her original intentions.  "I have to feel really inspired to put together a lineup. I can't just throw it together at the last minute." Consequently, Hang the DJs has become an event, as indicated by the long lines outside The Echo every third Saturday of the month. "I'm a perfectionist," she admits. "If I don't have a line outside, that sometimes can be a really bad night for me." When asked if her club has outgrown The Echo, she states, "No, I'm happy at The Echo, I want to stay there. I don't need a bigger place, I don't care about having more money or being bigger…I try to accommodate everybody. I always have a VIP line, and I'm always walking around, so if you're a regular or a friend, I try to accommodate you. I know who comes to my clubs."

Since she first started Hang the DJs, Casanova has thrown a few other club nights which are now either defunct or on hold. Clubs like Countdown and Razzmatazz were at The Parlour and Little Pedro's, respectively, and only ended when the venues were sold to new owners. Kaleidoscope, her second-longest-running night, ended when The Hear Gallery, the loft that served as the club's home, shut down. Despite the circumstances surrounding the end of one of her projects, she maintains strong personal and professional relationships with everyone involved. "If things don't work out, they just don't work out. Business is business, but I'm friends with everybody and [maintain] good connections with everybody." Casanova's attitude might seem antithetical to the highly competitive world of big city nightclubs, but it is this ease with which she treats both her colleagues and patrons that is the key to her success.

Nightranger: Mi Casa vs. Su Casa

By Lina Lecaro

Tuesday, April 24, 2007 - 6:00 pm

 

Basement Slaxx

Speaking of Mr. Frank, his latest music venue, the Ex-Plex, has been open for a couple months now, and we finally got to see it for ourselves last Saturday, when much-hyped U.K. rave-rockers Klaxons made their U.S. debut there. The new space in the Echo's basement is big, black and surprisingly beautiful (neither shabby nor grossly celeb-swanky — though we did hear Drew Barrymore and Spike Jonze hung there recently).

Unfortunately, the Dim Mak–promoted show was way dark and packed, so we can't tell you who was there, but there was a ridiculous amount of blasé-seeming babes in ugly sunglasses and weird hats. There were a lot of glow sticks too. The band translated its thrashy riffs and trancey rhythms pretty well onstage, but when it came to unadulterated fun, it was no contest against the acts who played upstairs at Hang the DJs (the entrance of which was pure chaos, since Ex-Plex used the same door). The Scissor Sisters–ish sass of Sugar and Gold, featuring pumps-and-pearls-wearing singer Philipp Minnig (who's straight!), was jubilant, and the sexed-up shenanigans of S.F.'s Gravy Train a wild ride as always. Synchronized dance moves, lascivious lyrics, wacky outfits and bare butts. What's not to love? Unfortunately, the HTDJs crowd loved the Train a little too much: When a posse of punkettes jumped onstage to dance with the group, singer Chunx (who's not so chunky anymore) got bounced around like a rag doll and she was noticeably PO'd. So was everybody else in the house when the set was cut short soon after, though there's nothing like a little late-'80s freak muzik — obviously the scenester soundtrack right now — to make peeps dance-happy again. Look out (next) weekend!

Nightranger

Bringin' Sassy Back

By Lina Lecaro

Wednesday, January 24, 2007 - 3:00 pm

Lipstick Boys & Other Toys

Rare photographs from two weird & wonderful classic films — Performance and The Man Who Fell to Earth — were unveiled for the first time at the Darkrm Gallery opening show last Saturday, attracting everyone from Masque'd man Brendan Mullen to rock shutterbug Lisa Johnson to retro queen Kari French. The bright overhead lighting was a bit too much for moi, but it perfectly highlighted the gorgeous shots of stars Mick Jagger and David Bowie, which are shockingly cheap: $150-$200 (since they're open-edition prints). You can buy 'em thru Feb. 24. After the opening, the pretty-boy bonanza continued at Hang the DJs at The Echo, where the New York Dolls-ish S'Cool Girls turned in a surprisingly tight set of non-ironic pop-metal. (Hey, when did these cats get good?) Glad to see Scarlett Casanova's monthly indie gathering is still flying high — by the time we left, the line to get in practically hit the Brite Spot! Later, we joined an even more femmed-out flock o' fellas freezing outside the Dragstrip 66 anniversary soiree at Safari Sam's. Got there just in time to see the jungle-themed midnight show, featuring trash-talkin' tigress Jackie Beat covering "Running With the Devil" and hostess Gina Lotriman doing a queen-a-fied version of Sir Elton's "Circle of Life," from The Lion King. A roarin' good time was had by all.