San Francisco’s Best Parties This Weekend

This weekend, we’ve got Grammy winners, wine coolers, and two nights of 100 percent wax at San Francisco’s best parties.

Our top five disco-ball-involved picks are below. Visit SF Station’s Events Calendar for complete listings.

April 25: Lights Down Low feat. Felix Da Housecat, Todd Edwards, and Tornado Wallace at Mezzanine
It’s a bamboozling combination for sure, but the stacked booking for LDL’s latest bash brings three acts, each with their own draw. Chicago’s Felix Da Housecat boasts the big letters. His tinsel-chugging “electroclash” made bold moves for the 90s and he’s still quick to lineup lightning rods of acid house and quivery techno in his DJ sets. Todd Edwards, on the other hand, is “The God” of garage. He holds a Grammy for his work on Daft Punk’s Random Access Memories, but for the decade prior, persisted as an unsung icon for his two-step shuffle, elated house. He’s the highlight here. Another choice pick (and another genre over) is Melbourne’s Tornado Wallace. With a recent 2013 release on Beats In Space Records, his spacey, drug-drowsy disco will make its way to the U.S. for a four-stop tour.

April 25: DJ Three & Ryan Elliott at Monarch
Though both are known for distinguished DJ skills, in a way, Three and Ryan Elliott are at opposite ends of the spectrum. The former was a prevailing NYC resident in the 2000s, handling the dance floor alongside the diverse likes of DJ Harvey, Doc Martin, and Sasha; it speaks for his wickedly mixed bag of records and tastes. Big names at the top laud Three’s extensive collection, and the eclectic way he puts it together on the dance floor has earned him the epithet “storyteller.” And yet, he’s always remained a part of the American underground. On the other hand, Ryan Elliott is a Berghain resident (the “mecca” for electronic fiends and media outlets alike). A Berliner by way of Detroit, he’s one of the few who plays both the club’s rooms—downstairs hard techno, upstairs house. Elliott also hops around Europe to the heftiest events you’ll find on Resident Advisor. Though rarely playing the same party these days, he and Three make an obvious match for two reasons: their arresting commands over house and techno, and the ability to adapt to a crowd. Come hear where it goes.

April 25: Cashmere Cat at 1015 Folsom
Norwegian producer Cashmere Cat first caught attention with his remixes of Jeremih, Lana Del Rey and 2 Chainz back in 2011. He’s become a general party pleaser since. Soft in touch, his lush melodies and popular hip-hop/R&B samples take just a twist of trap; it will definitely turn up into the kind of party where if your hands aren’t in the air, they’re around someone else’s waist. It won’t be a low-key warm-up from Doc Daneeka either. The UK house producer has his fair share of burning, swinging house tracks, edging towards harder basslines for Modeselektor’s 50 Weapons imprint.

April 26: 6th Borough Project at Monarch
A bit of restraint is always sexy, and to deep disco/house duo, 6th Borough Project, that means tempos burn slow. Though the name may spark a throwback to glitzy NYC circa 1977, Graeme Clark and Craig Smith are actually Scottish lads who convert vintage influences into their contemporary, hypnotic house versions. It’s ultra feverish, melt-in-your-mind music, that still has a DJ-friendly knock. Collaborating amidst strong independent careers since ’99, Clark’s distinctive disco works as The Revenge is a likeminded pairing to Smith’s prolific DJ career and 16,000+ record collection. This tour celebrates their March 2014 sophomore release, Borough 2 Borough via Delusions of Grandeur.

April 27: upptåg at Tank18
At a recent community panel concerning the fading state of SF’s music scene (Nightlife & New Tech, hosted by The Chapel), a city councilwoman encouraged a full room to book more live music in non-venue spaces. Essentially, create more jobs for artists. Intentionally or not, a new house/nu-disco day party by the name of upptåg is doing so down at Tank18, SOMA’s hip, urban winery. Inspired by the lackadaisical pleasures of “Sweden summers and Berlin backyards,” the promoters bring together SF local DJs (this week: Hi, Today and Onefiftyfive) and creative wine cocktails, with the hopes of introducing new, deeper sounds to newbies. It’s something different, but a dance floor nonetheless.