Learn the basic info to find the party you want in Shanghai

In cities with a more mature nightclub scene, music fans and party people focus more on "who" rather than "where," when planning for a night out. Not the case, yet, in our beloved Shanghai. I often hear people say, for example, "Oh, I like to go to Park 97, it's a good place." And when I tell them about a certain party, they ask, "is it a good place?" rather than "what kind of music" or "who's playing there tonight?" Or, I see the look of confusion when a group of teenagers in search of hip-hop at bonbon on Wednesday night, find themselves in the middle of an experimental noise rock show. Nobody says "Oh, I like to hang out at Yun Feng Theater," even though that place is hosting a bunch of good acts lately. This theater, however, did not choose these talents because they like them or because they fit their target audience. Yun Feng Theater is just a space, a venue, which the acts' bookies chose to host their various events.

For the past two years, I've been doing a little party called Antidote at a bar called C's. It's always the last Thursday of the month. But still, I hear people telling me they are surprised because they "went to C's on a Wednesday (or Friday, or whatever) and it was totally different!" Duh...

You see, the venue and the promoter are two different things. I can have my party at different places, and a venue can have a variety of different events on their roster.

There are ways to find out about what's coming up around town so you don't end up dishing out door money at some generic club. Use the internet, tell your friends to text message you, and of course, peruse the event listings in City Weekend. Do your homework before heading out into the night. Check out all the variety this city has to offer–come on guys, it is getting better!–and take note of who is organizing the events and music styles you enjoy.

Here's a tip. Midi, the best and biggest annual music festival in China, will be happening in Beijing (check out the National Edition of this issue). If you can't make it up there, keep your eyes and ears open here, as some of the bands will be coming down to Shanghai before and after the festival, at various venues in town.