My girlfriend is part of the newly formed Long Beach Roller Derby, which meant I really couldn't say no when she asked if I wanted to attend their Friday night fundraiser at Que Sera. Luckily for me, I went, and unlike her work Christmas parties, this wasn't a drag at all. It was really fun.
Not knowing what I was in for, I grabbed a flier near the entrance and
discovered the fundraiser was actually part of a new monthly event
called Rock Box Long Beach.
On this particular evening, DJs Frankie Alvaro, Neko, Saratonin and
Soozee were spinning a range of house music to '80s re-mixes to Biggie
Smalls hits. Somehow, it all worked.
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Since I came unprepared, and because the DJs shielded themselves from the crowd with a massive clipboard, I can't tell you who span what. All I can say is there was a definite shift from one DJ to the next.
My girlfriend isn't into anything electro, but I've been getting into it the past few months. I have zero idea what songs were played or what DJs produced them, but I know I liked it. And so did the 30 cramped dancers on the floor shaking their plaid thrift stores shirts in unison. In fact, perhaps the coolest thing about Rock Box was how many songs I heard that I didn't recognize. Some people like to go out and hear the hits; others want to be exposed to new things. I fall into the latter. This doesn't make reviewing things easy for me, but if I want to hear tunes I know and like, I'll stay in and dig through my record collection. That said, “Rock With You” is always a show stopper.
This may not be the most detailed review, but I promise you this: If you're into getting loose on a Friday night with fashionable young people, Rock Box is the place. I'll go back for sure, and next time, I'll get the full scoop.
P.S.: Did I mention all the young, attractive hipster lesbians grinding their bodies together on the dance floor? Hmm…maybe that should have been the lede.
