The dance floor is a scary place for introverted music nerds. One group of Beijing DJs takes on the challenge of enticing the shy indie rock crowd into embracing this intimidating party environment at School Bar’s monthly ‘Whale!’ night on Friday, May 27.

“It’s really not that difficult to get them dancing. If you really understand music you can appreciate Detroit techno as much as an indie rock song,” says DJ Le Chuc, one of the event organizers alongside fellow Whale! DJs Fun Party, Assassin Eyes, Bobby Dropper and Infinite Mana. “What Whale! is good for is showing that you can play obscure Italian post-punk next to something poppy and modern, and if you do it right, people who understand will respond well.”

From its genesis as a private music exchange night for Beijing’s music industry elite, the event has finally moved from behind closed doors. “The idea is to showcase a different approach to DJing,” says Le Chuc. “There aren’t any really comprehensive music nights in Beijing … they all tend to focus on one style, but no-one’s mixing these interesting styles together.”

It’s not simply a case of run what ya brung, though. The night’s musical policy is more like: anything goes, so long as it’s danceable.

“We always try to keep it upbeat. And of course, as the evening gets on, the energy level rises and more asses are being shaken,” says Infinite Mana. “I think the key is that people don’t want to just hear one genre of music, because that’s not how most people listen to music at home.”

With each Whale! DJ bringing multiple years of experience and superhuman musical knowledge to the event, the party satisfies record-store rats and Gongti two-steppers alike.

As for the DJ sets, Le Chuc hinted at “a lot of New York no wave disco crossover, with new stuff built on that DSA Records sound,” while Infinite Mana plans to hit the crowd with “‘Abash Crock’ by In Flagranti, that ‘Not In Love’ cover with Robert Smith and Crystal Castles, and maybe even some Sleigh Bells if things get out of hand!”

We don’t know what that means either, but we’re sure it’ll have us spouting our blowholes.

DETAILS

What: Whale! Night

When: Fri,. May 27, 10pm

Where: School Bar

Tel: 6402-8881