- Open since the 1980s, Celebrities is one of Vancouver's longest running nightclubs, an anomaly in a city known for its high turnover of venues. Once a prominent gay hangout, over time it's morphed into a concert venue and glitzy club that hosts big DJs like Richie Hawtin and Sasha. A renovation in 2013 brought in a formidable Funktion-One soundsystem and a Watergate-style LED ceiling, but it still didn't appeal to your average underground dance music fan. Since then, Celebrities has undergone a continuing makeover. First, the downstairs green room was turned into a space for special events, and more recently, the large basement, once a storage closet for stage props, has been transformed into a warehouse-style room, taking the mainstream club literally underground.
Bookings in the basement are overseen by Pacific Rhythm label head Derek Duncan, who has so far hosted parties with Shanti Celeste and Bake, among others. Last weekend's event, called Walk The Night, was a Pacific Rhythm Halloween showcase, headlined by Australian producer András (formerly András Fox), who was making his North American debut. This kind of booking shows why the new space is a good thing: it's got an underground outlook with the financial backing of a major nightclub. (On the other hand, the space is also subject to regular licensing, which means shutting at 3 AM, much earlier than the city's afterhours parties.)
The night began with a back-to-back from Duncan, AKA DJ D.DEE, and fellow DJ-about-town Tyler Fedchuk, who played a set heavy on Italo and goth favourites while dressed in costume. I walked in to Charlie's "Spacer Woman," which soon morphed into Depeche Mode's "Behind The Wheel." The crowd was thin at first, but by the time D. Tiffany turned on her live setup at the side of the booth, there was a solid group of people watching. She busted out the kind of vintage, breaks-heavy techno found on this summer's EP for 1080p as DJ Zozi.
The night's highlight, for me, was Slim Media Player, a new producer who debuted on Pacific Rhythm in September. He was playing live for the first time, and though the peak-time slot might have been an odd choice—his music was generally more relaxed than everything else that night—he performed a set of spirited deep house that climaxed with something rougher and more hard-edged than his two tracks on Rhythm Of The Pacific Vol. 3.
Before András, there was just time for a few more tunes from Fedchuk and Duncan, one of which was a necessary airing of Bent Boys' "Walk The Night," a lesser-known Canadian version of the Skatt Bros classic. It goes without saying it received a rapturous reception. Next came András, who closed the night with 90 minutes of groovy, laid-back house. Though he played mostly Australian material, his set followed the Vancouver acts nicely, underlining the affinity between András's native Melbourne scene and the Canadian Riviera.
When the lights came on at 3 AM, it felt a bit premature—I'm used to parties with this kind of relaxed, easygoing vibe lasting until 5 or 6 AM. But it was hard to stay annoyed for long, given that the event had been allowed to take place in a safe, legal space with all the necessary amenities. With a new soundsystem on the way and more smart bookings round the corner, Celebrities' basement has a solid chance of becoming Vancouver's next hotspot for underground dance music.