Being a member of a counterculture subset can get kind of lonely. And despite the fact that loneliness, depression, and anger are common attributes for members of goth and industrial subcultures, there is a tangible aura of euphoria when these dark-garbed folks gather. Tomorrow night, Doll Hut will begin a new year of hosting them at 7ven, the monthly goth and industrial club.
According to promoter / DJ Tyler Courville, 7ven started as a weekly goth club in October 2013 at a venue in Santa Ana called Bistro 400. “From my understanding it was originally put together by the manager of the Bistro 400, Keith Bennett, along with the DJs: Gunblaid, Saint, Morose, and Velocity. I wasn’t part of this particular night until later on when I came on as a sound guy and DJ. Sadly the venue closed and we had to find a new location.” The club found a new home at the Doll Hut, which has been its host on the first Wednesday of every month since June 2015.
On the club’s Facebook page, the first 7ven of the year has a roster of four DJs and two vendors. Courville points out that these DJs are regulars [all of the aforementioned are on the roster with the exception of DJ Gn0m3 instead of Velocity], but he added that 7ven also hosts guest goth / industrial DJs from the neighboring SoCal counties and welcomes new DJs. “Most of our guest DJs tend to come from other club nights and we have worked with a lot of them for years,” he says. “[As for new DJs,] we aren’t afraid to give new people a shot, and as a small kickback style event, it is actually a good way for them to get used to live shows.”
That being said, 7ven’s principal DJs are veterans of the scene. They know the music, and they know the culture. Courville emphasized that the purpose of the event is to give lovers of dark music a place to feel at home. He says, “The whole point of this particular event is to give everyone a place to go and relax and be casual — even the DJs. We encourage our DJs to play new music and not just the hits; yes, we play the Goth Top 40s too, but we like to mix it up and play music people don’t hear all the time. Overall we try to achieve a home away from home feel rather than a club feel, which is why we call it a kickback. You might say it is kind of a Goth/ Industrial lounge.”
For folks looking to get their fix of newer and / or lesser played songs, it is best to get to 7ven earlier in the evening [the music starts at 8:00 (plus there is no admission charge before 9:30)]. As the evening progresses, the music will become more familiar and dancier. For more information on 7ven, visit the club’s Facebook page.
