MERRY CHRISTMAS from SANFRANDISCO!

I'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! However you celebrate the season, I hope that you and your loved ones have lots of fun and great memories. A big thank you to everyone who has supported me and the site for the last year. Lots of good things are on the way, and I hope to see you all soon!

DJ TIESTO @ KOOLHAUS - December 14, 2002

Since I haven't updated for a while, a lot of things have been going on...one of those things was the DJ Tiesto party. My friends and I had previously sworn off going to the Guvernment/Koolhaus complex forever because of the Summer's End fiasco this past August. We were almost crushed to death in the Orange Room due to horribly crowded conditions. But my friend Emma, whose favourite DJ is Tiesto, wanted to go, so we decided to go as well. I really like Tiesto, and have been to pretty much all of the parties he's spun at in Toronto, so I thought this one might be alright, since it was going to be in Koolhaus and not the Guvernment area of the club. The last time I was in the Koolhaus proper was for the Air concert, and that rocked!

So, we arrive in the front of KH, and line up. A stretch escalade rolls up, and a pile of pseudo-thuggish suburban boys and girls pile out...They all have towels around their necks and barge into the line in front of us. Budding is fine when it's only 1 or 2 people and you have some friends in the line, but a whole group? Things weren't starting off right.

After a long wait in line and a fairly polite security check, we got inside. Luke Fair was spinning a mix of progressive house music, which was not to my liking, but passed as good background sonic wallpaper while we were waiting for Tiesto. However, the crowd was a real aggravation. Everywhere we went, we seemed to be the magnet for hordes of surly clubgoers who constantly walked in front, behind and into us. Others jabbed us with flailing limbs from their attempts to dance in the very limited space available. It seemed like most of the crowd was only there because 1) it was their regular club spot for Saturday or 2) they heard that there was some cool DJ playing but didn't know who. So the place was filled with people who really didn't know what was going on, plus the people who were actually there for Tiesto.

At one point during Luke Fair's set, the speakers near us all cut out except for the sub-bass speaker. for 20 minutes, all we heard was distorted basslines farting out of the nearby horn, while others inexplicably still tried to dance, oblivious to the rotten sound quality. One clubgoer even admonished us for not enjoying the music, even though the only thing you could hear was a continuous bzzz/bffft/bzzzz/bffft sound as the treble and mids were completely gone. Finally at 2AM, Tiesto came on the decks, to the delight of many there.

The sound problem was fixed and Tiesto dropped his set...it was quite enjoyable, with many tracks I had never heard before and others a bit more familiar, like Urban Train and the new song from iio. However, the Koolhaus became even more crowded as the night wore on, with a constant barrage of people pushing their way in front, back and sides of us for over 2 hours. After 4 O'clock, we got very tired of all the hassle, and decided to leave, even though Tiesto was still playing.

For $35, I think I could have enjoyed myself more sitting at home and playing a pile of Trance records with friends. We could have had a ton of beer and wouldn't have to deal with the horrid crowds. Much as I loved the music, it wasn't worth all the stress and hassle. So, farewell Koolhaus and Guvernment, you will never see another dollar from my wallet...unless AIR is coming back for another concert ;) For that, maybe I'll make an exception.

REEL ASIAN FILM FEST:

Check out the Reel Asian Film Fest this week here in Toronto! I just returned from their opening party at Una Mas. They're showing an interesting cross-section of films from Asia and by Asian North American artists from today until Sunday, December 1st. I'll be checking out the Yubari Shorts programme as well as the Seven Films About Love series. For more info, check out the Reel Asian Film Festival website. Screenings will be at Bloor Cinema and Innis College.

WILL WONG & Friends Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who came out to see the Will Wong & Friends show! I had a great time, especially after we all warmed up. Thank you to Will for organizing such a great event! The show was sold out thanks to all your hard work! Thank you to all the wonderful performers that evening. You were all amazing! A special thanks goes out to my co-host Habeyah for helping me out with the cue cards at such a last minute. I look forward to the next event. Pics will be up soon.

WEBSITE UPDATES:

The website is still undergoing changes in content and design...Look for a full re-design in the Spring. In the meantime, outdated info and events are being fixed up. Stay tuned for more!

WILL WONG & FRIENDS CONCERT UPDATE:

Just a reminder for everyone to come check out the Will Wong & Friends concert this coming Saturday, November 9, 2002! It will be happening at MHQ Karaoke, which is on the 3rd floor inside Pacific Mall in Scarborough. Pacific Mall is the largest indoor Chinese mall in North America, and is located at the corner of Kennedy and Steeles. The show is almost completely sold out, but an extra block of tickets have been released to Music Headquarters at First Markham Place (905-470-8038) and Pacific Mall (905-513-0018). Because of this, there will be NO tickets at the door so please purchase them as soon as possible! I will be hosting the show, along with Image Consultant Habeyah Yusuf. I checked out a few of the rehearsals and things are sounding great! I look forward to seeing you all there on Saturday.

F--- M--- UPDATE:

Thank you to everyone who supported F-- M-- during CKLN's FundFest pledge drive! You, the listeners are an important part of our show, and I thank you for your continued support. Good luck on the prize draw, and I hope that you enjoy your FM JPopcast Mix CDs! For those who were unable to make a pledge, you will have your chance again next October!

Please continue to send in your requests for the show. On deck for next week (Tuesday, November 12), I will be playing new music from Misia, Hirai Ken, Road of Major and more!

SANFRANDISCO @ FUNKASIA UPDATE:

Here's the latest info on this month's installment of FunkAsia, hosted by DJ ZAHRA. In collaboration with the Chinese Canadian National Council, it's a launch party to promote the CCNC's T-Shirt Design contest. It'll be a night of South Asian meets East Asian fusion, with MCs, DJs, Poetry, Breakdancers and more!
DJ Sanfrandisco will be there to spin a funky set of Full Moon styled Japanese R&B, Hip Hop and House.

FunkAsia presents...Get it off your chest!
launch party for ccnc's tshirt design contest

What happened? A & F put out a line of tshirts hoping we'd spend dollars on
what they think asians are like.
2 wongs make it white? buddha bash? wok n bowl? flip the script. represent yourself.

dj zahra: spins Basement Bhangra, Hard-Core Soca, Spicy Chutney, Hindi Film
Classics, anything goes. It is dj zahra spinning her roots.

masia-one: female Chinese hip hop artist. featured in NXNE and Canadian
Music Week in Toronto, this summers' Vans Warped Tour, & the Toronto Urban
Music Festival, Much Music, and a featured artist in Much VIBE.

dj jo: spinning all the best in R&B, Funk, Soul and more!

dj sanfrandisco: from CKLN's "Full Moon", will be spinning a set of Japanese/Korean R&B, Hip Hop and House

Plus: spokenword/djs/mcs like dean, jose, breakers, liondancers and T-shirt giveaways courtesy of Blacklava Clothing!

Friday, October 4th @ Fly nightclub. 8 gloucester street. tickets $10. Doors open at 9pm.

for more info:
www.djzahra.com
www.ccnc.ca/youth
www.sanfrandisco.ca

SANFRANDISCO @ FUNK ASIA

Fans of DJ Zahra's very popular Toronto monthly "FunkAsia" will be pleased to know that the next installment will be a "Pan Asian Celebration Party" in collabo with the Chinese Canadian National Council. Sanfrandisco will be there to spin a funky Full Moon-styled R&B/House set. Also appearing that night will be resident DJ Zahra, dj jo, live spoken word and poetry performers, breakdancers and lots more! It looks to be a wicked evening. Oh yes, this will be happening on Friday, October 4th, 2002 @ FLY nightclub. More details to come soon.

New Reviews:

At long last, new reviews have been posted up in the "Reviews" section, with more on the way. They include new material from Brandy, Whitney, Clipse and Jamiroquai. Click on the "reviews" navigation link on the right side of the page to read them.

Swimfan:

I got some passes to see the new "Swimfan" movie, starring Jesse Bradford and Erika Christensen. It was pure cheese, but very entertaining. Some of the dialogue will make you laugh out loud, but this "Fatal Attraction" for the teen set is worth watching at least once. Jesse was convincing as the Michael Douglas-type, while Erika's obsessive "new girl in town" character made for lots of cheap thrills. Watch this in combination with "The Hand That Rocks The Cradle" and the original "Fatal Attraction" for a movie night of pure stalker fun.