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I am In You
The winner of the coveted international prize at the Venice Biennale, Doug Aitken shot to prominence as a director of commercial music videos for the likes of Fatboy Slim, Barenaked Ladies and Iggy Pop. His work, which largely consists of photographs and installations, also draws heavily on youth culture. On show at the Kunstwerke Berlin this latest offering includes five oversized projections in which young girl repeats the sentence ‘I Like To Run and Not Slow Down I Like To See And Look’. This is intercut with images of aeroplanes, car steering wheels and human hands.
Twilo
530 W 27th St between Tenth and Eleventh Aves (212-268-1600)
Subway: C, E to 23rd St. Hours vary with event.
With little else besides an immense sound system and dance floor, Twilo was designed to be a temple of music. unfortunately, it wants to be both underground and trendy, a difficult feat. The result, sadly, is uneven music and crowds. Friday, the straight (i.e., mixed) night, draws lots of suburban ex-ravers who have graduated to disco shirts and club-babe outfits. The music can be excellent, but the hype-driven booking policy yields uneven results; the upstairs lounge, on the other hand, has hosted everything from drum ‘n’ bass to loungecore. On Saturdays, Twilo attempts to restore the magic of the old Sound Factory, with Junior Vasquez. But while the original Factory sound was hard, brutal and funky, Junior’s music now is largely fluffy HiNRG, and his following has mutated from working-class, streetwise black and Latino gay kids to straight suburbanites and bourgeois white muscle clones more concerned with pecs and sex than dancing. Still, it’s worth catching some cheap flights and checking out who’s playing on Fridays, and if you go on Saturday (suggested arrival time: 5am), you will feel as if you had a big night out.
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Posted in Uncategorized
Tagged atu, black gay men, c 30, dan little, fol, friday fun day, straight up, urban play, wis
Raw Comedy
It doesn’t come much rawer than this – a comedy talent search in front of a crowd of merciless punters. Every Sunday until March, young hopefuls and the possibly quite deranged will stand up and work their schtick in the hope of breaking into show business with a gig on national television and scoring a free trip to the Edinburgh Comedy Festival. Other more experienced hands will compere each evening just to keep the laffs flowing. Catch one of the cheap flights to Melbourne so you can check them out next time you are there.
Dark Days
Twentysomething English lad Marc Singer’s incredible documentary about homeless people living in tunnels beneath New York City. DJ Shadow provides the cool trip-hop soundtrack.
Nick Spice at Reality
If there’s one party in Joburg to check out before Christmas it’s UK deep house and techno DJ Nick Spice’s one night at Reality. He started Acid Box in Brighton – later restarted by Cristian Vogel as The Box – and now plays all over the world. His musical credentials alone are worth enticing a visit. Nick is a bi-monthly resident at Tresor in Berlin, started Solid records with Mat Consume, has recorded as Splinter for Eukatech and also runs the Off The Wall label together with Chris Liberator.
La Casona de 17
Calle 17, entre M y N (334529)
Open noon-midnight daily. Main courses $4-$10.
Air-conditioning. Outside tables.
If this bright, airy converted house was on the Malecón rather than overlooking the hideous Focsa building, it would be immeasurably better. According to the management, Fidel’s godparents lived here in the ’40s and the man himself, of course, came to stay. Whatever its history, this painted, peach-coloured 1920s mansion is well worth a visit. Choose from two indoor dining rooms (which are air-conditioned) and a recently opened outdoor barbecue-grill. Private dining rooms are available for groups, and contemporary paintings hang on the walls (allow the proud, friendly staff to point them out to you). Healthy-sized traditional Creole dishes such as beef with garlic, grilled lobster, fish and even paella grace the menu, but the best deal is the house speciality: half a chicken with rice and beans for $7. With lobster at $10 and cocktails from $1.50, eating out at La Casona de 17 really is an interesting, affordable experience.
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Tagged 9 end 2 outs, ace for men, do re me you, group 5, ione, special one, stay with me, this is our god
Smokey Robinson
Despite a career spanning 40 years, Smokey Robinson’s rep as a talented songwriter and smooth singing soul superstar hasn’t waned a bit. During a recent Las Vegas filming of a British music documentary, crowds gathered anxiously ’round the set, screaming, begging for autographs and randomly belting out lyrics to ‘My Girl’ and ‘Tears of a Clown’. Smokey graciously accommodated his fans, even when the filming stretched into the early hours of the morning. That’s generous action by the man considered by many to be one of America’s greatest songwriters.
Menshen am Sonntag
‘People on Sunday’ was a German silent film from 1929 that served as the springboard for screenwriter Billy Wilder move to Hollywood where he became one of its greatest directors. The story is simple – a group of young Berliners enjoy a Sunday afternoon. These screenings not only feature a brand new print but there is a whole new soundtrack – compliments of the Alliage Orkest who will be providing a live accompaniment of loops and grooves.
Karting Mall
‘Ladies and Gentlemen, start your engines!’ State-of-the-art karting comes to Hong Kong in a new complex filled with bars, restaurants and shops at the former Kai Tak airport passenger hall. The indoor circuit is one of the largest in the world with a one-kilometre track. Budding Michael Schumachers can get behind the wheel and travel at more than 40km/h. Electric engines ensure this is an environmentally friendly attraction. There’s a 64-lane bowling and snooker centre nearby if you need a pit-stop.
