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On a whim, we visited the Uptown Arts Bar for the KansasCity Techno event jux-ta-pose, featuring Luke Hansen from St Louis.   Arriving early, as is our habit lately, we were pleasantly surprised to discover this was the old “Hangout.”  Although it was mostly the same as we had left it last, it did have a fresher look.  The front bar area was certainly more inviting, with uncovered windows and plenty of soft lighting setting the perfect mood for socializing away from the dance floor. The staff was super friendly too and we had an opportunity to visit with the General Manager about the establishment, its direction, hopes and dreams.  They have quite a line-up of events every day of the week, in an effort to support the arts community. There seems to be a little something for everyone; indeed, looking over their calendar of upcoming events, we made up our mind that we would definitely be returning soon. The music was excellent though, with two rooms of sound fro

We headed out to St Louis this past weekend for Above & Beyond at Europe Nightclub in St Louis.  A bit off the beaten path for the usual clubs, it caters primarily to the electronic dance music (EDM) scene in St Louis. The venue frequently hosts some of the greatest acts in EDM, through a collaborative effort between B&W Productions and Donnie Disco Production that is has been going on for around 10 years.   This combination mixes nicely for a diverse crowd with mostly singular intent, dancing. We arrived early enough to catch the opening act for this show, but don’t recall who that was.  If anyone knows, post up a note.  He played a pretty good set, with quite a variety of tracks. Rob Lemon took over to a mostly full house and really got everyone moving.  By the time Above & Beyond took over he had the whole house rocking, and then the place exploded. The entire place was in motion, lasers and other lighting effects emphasizing every beat and breakdown

It was good to get out and get a good dosing of House this past Saturday at Czar Bar for the monthly Swell. The featured artist for this round was Brett Johnson, who played a fantastic set that kept folks movin and groovin throughout the night. It was obvious from the beginning that folks had come prepared to dance. We arrived just in time for the end of a set the relative newcomer DJ Panduh, and folks were already dancing. Progressing through local veterans Mr Nuro and Jason Kidd, the dance floor only continued to swell (no pun intended… or maybe it was); indeed, by the time Brett Johnson took the stage, you almost had to Conga through the mass to even have a chance at making a break for the restrooms. This event was not just about Brett Johnson though. It was the last night Kansas City would be able to claim Mr Nuro as their own. phocas.net has been there for nearly every beat of his career; that certain savoir faire that Mr Nuro brings with him in person