Have you ever wondered where would be the best place to go out on a Saturday night? Where would have the type of music you like, the kind of people you want to be around, if there’s going to be too crowded or too empty and the exact location of the club in question?

Well, wonder no more people of Buenos Aires: GEOclubbing guide has come to Argentina! Using the Facebook platform, the web page basically takes all the information on the events posted by promoters on Facebook, packing all this data together in one place.

In the words of director Dave Blue: “Every single event listed on the site comes directly from Facebook. All updates made by the promoter, and all RSVPs made by clubbers, are automatically synced between Facebook and GEOclubbing. This requires no time, effort, or cost on the part of event organizers, and allows anyone to get a fast and simple overview of all clubbing events with just a few clicks. In other words, GEOclubbing complements Facebook’s ability to answer ‘What are my friends doing tonight?’ by using the same information to answer ‘Show me all Trance events in Amsterdam next weekend’.”

Blue has been in the clubbing scene since 2007, when he started DJing and throwing parties while at university in New Zealand. He says he had “always been kind of a geek”, mapping all the clubs around the area where he lived. He had what he calls his “eureka moment” in May of last year, when he realised he could use Facebook to upload events from all over the world without having to develop face-to-face relationships with the local nightlife players. After 15 months working in the technical groundwork, the website was finally launched in August of this year.

The user selects one of the five cities in the world that the company is present (Buenos Aires, London, Sydney, Hong Kong and Amsterdam) and then can check the dates to the most popular nightlife events put on by order of people attending it on Facebook. It works even better if you have a profile on Facebook because you can allow the GEO application into your account and see which one of your friends are attending which parties.

“You can of course ask your friends or chat up promoters, which is still a good idea, but I want to know all of the parties, and which are truly hot – not just being hyped by somebody. And I want know this very quickly for any given night so I can focus on enjoying the experience rather than fussing around with my computer,” states Blue.

It also has innovative tools such as a sound (so you can hear what kind of music the DJs on the event’s line up will play) and video (to show you the club’s atmosphere).

A map with all the events that will take place in the city is also available and are marked by dots – the bigger the dot, the more people will be attending it.

Keeping this in mind, Blue likes to interfere the least possible on picking which events are worthwhile getting on his nightlife guide, since there’s the online RSVP factor, measuring the popularity of the event. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t appreciate the efforts of promoters who are just getting started and don’t have much money to invest in parties. “With one of these questionable events a few weeks ago in BA, I actually checked out the Facebook page of the promoter and saw that at one of their previous events they decorated the venue by putting playing cards on the mirrors around the bar. So this nice simple touch showed me that the promoter is actually making an effort, and I’ll spend some time to ensure their future parties make it onto GEOclubbing.”

In his opinion, what makes the BA nightlife scene stand out from other cities in the world is by far the great amount of “free agents” (meaning actual people) there are working in promoting the nightlife instead of generic brands or clubs that do their own promotion and advises the clubbers: “Just as you would cling to a good hair stylist, once you find a good public relations in Buenos Aires, make sure that relationship is tight because this is how you get access.”

Future plans for GEOclubbing guide are to expand to all global cities, adding Rio de Janeiro and Mar del Plata soon to the list. The company also has plans to promote events in other Latin American metropolis such as São Paulo, Lima, Santiago, and Bogotá.

As hot air swarms the city and a fresh breeze becomes a distant memory, let the rooftop terraces of Buenos Aires waft you into nighttime cool. Welcome in the dusk with an icy drink as the muggy day evaporates off the buildings in the distance. From a magical French Mansion, to a cocktail that tastes like Marlon Brando, the rooftops of Buenos Aires are begging to beckon in the summer with the sun-revelers of the city…

1. Congo, Palermo Hollywood

A hazy oasis in the centre of the city, Congo has one of the best terraces on offer, with a dreamy atmosphere to match. Incomparably trendy, lushly decorated in beige and white and home to an expansive outdoor garden with a tree in the middle, Congo is definitely a top choice for soaking up the twilight breeze.

A quick drink will easily morph into an endless summer night; all too common when it comes to Buenos Aires nightlife. But the twinkling fairy lights and the freshly made drinks offer no good reason to leave.

Though the prices aren’t too hefty, be wary: as the night sky lightens, so too will your wallet. Nevertheless, Congo is a great escape from the insufferable December heat. Let the evening breeze and low beats that tiptoe through the bar lull you into a summer daze.

Congo, Honduras 5329, Palermo Hollywood

The leafy terrace at Milión (Photo: Andy Donohoe)

There is nowhere more instantly magical than Milion Bar. An early 20th century French mansion, now converted into a bar and restaurant, the stunning setting is simply unmatched in romance and beauty. Oozing charm, and enchantingly whimsical, Milion may as well have been sculpted out of droplets of Dior perfume.

The pastel window frames compliment the delicate masonry, exemplified in a grand stone staircase that leads into the vast garden below. It’s not difficult to imagine elegant partygoers of the past spilling out onto the terrace; a century of chatter fragrantly peppering the night sky.

The garden, full of its own mysterious delight, boats giant cactus plants along side trellises of roses and fairy lights. A romantic playground for the nostalgic, or a tranquil backdrop to the night, a drink at Milion seamlessly blurs the twinkling lights of the city with the summer stars above.

Milión, Paraná 1048, Recoleta

3. Le Bar, Centro

Le Bar has everything you could ever wish for from a bar – and more. A rotating schedule of live music performers, combined with interesting video art, topnotch cocktails, and lively décor make Le Bar a must see in Buenos Aires. The roof terrace is the cherry on top. Sink into the slouchy beanbags, or spy on the beautiful people on the floor below through the skylight.

A welcome change from Palermo nightlife, Le Bar is located in Microcentro, and is chock full of more local clientele who really know what’s what in the city. Thursday nights offer a particularly interesting performance, combining an open mic with a stellar selection of 50s-esque pop and soul turned grungy by DJ team, Radio Royale.

Check out the website for the full music schedule: Though you’re unlikely to have heard of the performers, the shows are rarely a letdown – and the mystery is all part of the fun.

Le Bar, Tucumán 422, http://lebarbuenosaires.blogspot.com

4. Post Street Bar, Palermo Soho

Graffiti covers the terrace at Post (Photo: Andy Donohe)

A little more edgier than it’s suave counterparts, Post Street Bar is also an art space. With walls covered in graffiti, and a gallery of street art called Hollywood in Cambodia, this venue certainly doesn’t offer a rest for the weary. In an explosion of colour, neon tigers pop out of the bricks and mysteriously familiar faces emerge from stencils – and that’s before you’ve had a drink.

The exhibit downstairs changes periodically, showcasing new directions in “urban decoration” and the motifs on the wall are provided by different artist’s collectives throughout the city.

The terrace garden, also drenched in bright pinks, emerald greens and fluorescent yellows, literally glows under the BA night sky. The bar is gritty, in keeping with the urban ethos, but the central Palermo location doesn’t place it way off the map. Particularly striking is the regal vaulted dome that hovers just above the cement terrace, uniting historical urban design with it’s contemporary equivalent.

Post Street Bar, Thames 1885, Palermo Soho

5. Nascondiglio Ristorante, Las Cañitas

Embrace nightlife tackiness at Nascondiglio Bar in Las Cañitas. The silver beads that block off the windows suggest more of a strip club than a bar, and the garish décor is a little too try hard. But that just adds to the charm as the bar vacillates between a sleazy massage parlour and a trendy cocktail lounge.

The rooftop bar boasts Miami Beach style white leather cushion benches that sprawl out across most of the deck. When the cocktails – which are actually incredibly good – hit home, they double perfectly as a bed. And that’s not just because you’re seeing two of everything.

However, the best treat Nascondiglio has to offer is the menu. If you’ve ever wondered what Marlon Brando tastes like as a cocktail, look no further than the themed drinks list. Choose between cocktails based on actors, famous Latinos, Aphrodisiacs, Revolutionaries and Footballers. Marlon Brando is a blend of whisky and brandy cream – on the rocks, of course. Evita seems fitting; vodka, citron syrup and orange. And in case it ever crossed your mind, Ghandi is a combination of Absolut Pepper, grapefruit juice and grenadine. ‘The hand of God’ is a heady mix of vodka, white rum, triple sec, gin and coke (the drink). Explains a lot then.

Nascondiglio Ristorante, Baez 390, Las Cañitas

Photo by courtesy of Buenos Aires city government

Seemingly overnight the Buenos Aires government’s signature yellow posters sprung up throughout the city ominously asking passersby: ‘do you know where you’re going out tonight?’ The grainy accompanying image featured a menacing-looking portal with the words ‘dark basement bar’ scrawled on it in white chalk, while the text invited the curious to visit www.saliseguro.gob.ar.

A quick visit to the website was all it took to strip Saliseguro of its aura of mystery, and reveal it to be a city-wide initiative aiming to monitor safety in nocturnal entertainment spaces.

The timing of Saliseguro’s launch is no accident. It comes in the wake of the verdict of the Cromañon trials, which once again thrust the scandal into the media spotlight. The sentences handed out on 19th August placed responsibility on the negligent club owner for the nearly 200 people who were killed owing to the nightclub’s inadequate safety measures. This has brought personal safety to the fore of many clubbers’ and their families’ minds as the Cromañon deaths were brought about by a lethal combination of a highly flammable interior, a venue filled over capacity and blocked emergency exits. By inspecting the fire-safety standards in venues, Saliseguro aims to avoid a repetition of this tragedy.

The seemingly innocuous website can be consulted by anyone for information regarding their security before heading on a night out. It informs the visitor as to how well equipped the venue is, whether it has a history of failing to comply with government norms and if it has in the past held events for which it was deemed unsuitable. This is vetted by the Agency of Governmental Control, which inspects venues on a regular basis in order to ensure that they are not filled over capacity, and are properly equipped to deal with fire, including an adequate evacuation procedure and accessible points of evacuation. Members of the public are also invited to report any of their own nocturnal haunts that they have perceived to be of questionable safety.

When Is a Bar Not a Bar?

Worthy as it sounds, it is unclear as to whether Saliseguro is quite so simple. While head of cabinet for Buenos Aires, Horacio Rodríguez Larreta, enthuses that “parents can control where their children are going out and young people can enjoy a safe and risk-free night out,” many working in the nocturnal entertainment industry are up in arms.

A forward circulating by e-mail entitled ‘The Closure of Bars: The Truth’ highlights the thousands of people losing their jobs as a result of the initiative. It suggests that late-night pubs and bars are falsely classified by Saliseguro as cafes, drastically reducing their maximum capacity to 3m² per client. A network of successful clubs is believed to work in collusion with the government, denouncing others in order to eliminate the competition.

The forward further argues that spontaneous dancing does not turn a venue into a club and therefore Saliseguro classifications are often fraudulent. Anecdotal evidence testifies to bars in Buenos Aires that ask their clients to refrain from dancing in order to avoid a switch in category which would make them susceptible to government intervention. These unclear definitions have been accused by blog ‘ChauInfracciones’ as a “confused attempt at classification with a complete lack of legally established regulations to back it up.” According to news website ‘Noticias Urbanas’, shortly after the September launch of Saliseguro, “out of a total of 180 venues inspected, ten bars and pubs were closed.” The question remains as to whether these were dangerous dives shut down for the public good or simply neighbourhood watering holes that rubbed the inspectors up the wrong way.

Club Niceto packed with revelers (Photo: Thomas Locke Hobbs)

A Government Keeping Up Appearances

The scheme and its unusual system of classification affects a wide range of venues which occupy very different places in Buenos Aires’ nightlife scene. The popular Club Niceto attests to relatively favourable treatment. Pablo del Bosco, of the communications department, asserts: “The truth is they keep an eye more on other places because there are other nightclubs with heavy drug circulation. Of course anyone can come to Niceto and take whatever but it’s generally relatively clean. In any case the owner is a very honest, clean guy in that sense, he has no connections with the underworld.”

Nevertheless there are still certain aspects of Saliseguro which they oppose. Corruption is a recurrent theme, and Del Bosco claims that “the club next door was repeatedly closed then reopened so surely they must have had a contact in the government.” Furthermore, he derides the incentives-based system of remuneration for the inspectors, which means “they earn more money the stricter they are…so you could end up with inspectors closing everything down just to earn more money.” Niceto’s major bugbear are the fines for smoking, as it is almost impossible to control. Overall, Del Bosco considers Saliseguro to be rather inconsequential: “I haven’t really noticed any change since Saliseguro came out.”

Club Niceto’s indifference, however, is not shared by more alternative venues, such as the bar at community radio station La Tribu. Journalist and bar manager Rafa Lopez Binaghi laments that “they don’t treat everyone the same way, they distort the facts.” The cycle of inspections is neverending, the rules inconsistent. As another member of La Tribu, Diego Skliar, explains, the regulations “change all the time. The inspectors come and say ‘you can’t have this chair here’, so we move the chair. They come back the following week and ask ‘what’s this chair doing here? It can’t be here, it’s got to be there’, and they put it back where it was in the first place.”

La Tribu Patrons enjoying a show (Photo by courtesy of La Tribu)

They feel that the Buenos Aires music scene has suffered most from impossible restrictions, notably the decrease in available spaces for aspiring acts. There are illogical disparities in what the legislation does and does not permit. Skliar explains that “any poet can come to La Tribu to recite a poem and that’s fine. But the instant you bring in a guitar, then it’s not. Musicians are effectively discriminated against.” Lopez Binaghi suggests that the government is overcompensating for the inaction and corruption which led to Cromañon: “When the state tries to look active what happens is they forcibly destroy things which already exist…They just do things for show, which are in the public eye, like a website where you can check things out for yourself.  But the reality is that it solves nothing, it’s an illusion, perhaps linked to the idea of marketing, that they’re working.”

The conclusion that La Tribu has reached offers a disheartening portrait of a government preoccupied with superficial gestures to the point of paradox. Lopez Binaghi adds: “The initiative is senseless, because if the rules and methods of control are fair then everyone should conform to them, and there’s no need for a website which tells you what’s safe and what’s not. The moment you have to worry about where fulfills safety regulations and where doesn’t, that’s when you know something’s wrong. How can the government tell you not to go somewhere because it’s unsafe and at the same time let it remain open? So I’m against the website, because there shouldn’t be a need for one. It dies by its own sword.”

Not Part of the Solution, Part of the Problem

Perhaps increased government scrutiny is never in the venues’ favour. Nevertheless, as for the people to whom it is destined to be useful, online electronic music forum ‘Buenos Aliens’ similarly evidences rejection of the government’s attempts to make the night a safer place. Although many young clubbers agree that social problems need tackling, they also bemoan that a city famed for its all-night party culture should be handled in such a repressive manner. Their attitudes seem a further manifestation of a very Argentine distrust in its government. One participant asks: “Do you pay taxes so that some man behind a desk can tell you when you can have a beer at a party? Does that sound like civilisation or the first world to you?” Another emphasises that the idea should be “to prevent rather than prohibit”, with Saliseguro only serving to exacerbate existing tensions by driving cultural activities underground.

It is unlikely that the slope is so slippery as to lead to the apocalyptic vision of a Buenos Aires devoid of bars, clubs and pubs that the forum members propose. Nevertheless it is clear that many Argentines believe that the government does not act according to what is genuinely in their best interests. From both sides of the bar accusations that a potentially useful scheme is both poorly applied as well as riddled with corruption are rife. Saliseguro may in theory offer a solution to appease nocturnal nerves, however in practice it is just another throwaway symbol of a government out of touch with its citizens.

Photo by Anthony Bale

Buenos Aires is a place renowned for its bustling nightlife with lots of bars, clubs and venues dotted all over the city. Palermo is a neighbourhood where you can find something to suit all tastes including Club Aroaz, as you search for your own particular buena onda. ‘Lost’ is held there every Thursday and is a bit different to the predominantly electronica influence of music in Buenos Aires’ night clubs.

Before entering I could already feel the heavy bass from the impressive sound system. In the queue I noticed some interestingly dressed people, making some peculiar hand gestures that I had only ever seen on MTV. To say the least, I was intrigued.

Instead of my ears being assaulted by the bleep bleeps of head banging techno or house music, I was met by the melodic beats of Fat Joe and Jay-Z. Here I was treated to a mixture of hip-hop, rnb and of course, everybody’s favourite – reggaeton! The club was well laid out with the dance floor located right in the centre surrounded by bars and balconies above and every space was filled with late night revellers.

And yes of course, like most clubs, there was a VIP area which I was given access to, although there was no real difference between this area and the rest of the club. With the exception that the clientele seemed to be even more concerned with their image than the regular posers. But it is definitely the people there that drew most of my attention, which is exactly what they seemed to be trying to achieve. I felt like I had just stumbled into a Daddy Yankee or 50 Cent music video with a plethora of flat caps and outrageously, baggy clothing on display.

Photo by Anthony Bale

Maybe I’m just too old but I thought clothes were supposed to fit you and not be three sizes too big? And for a club that was so darkly lit, I was quite perplexed at so many people wearing shades indoors. Kidding aside though, Lost is definitely a place where people who are in to their urban, hip hop style come to flaunt it.

With a mixture of UK, US and Latin sounds, the DJs certainly knew how to get the crowd moving. And for an added little treat I was able to watch some of the city’s best break dancers battle in the middle of the dance floor which really got the crow going.

If you don’t like these particular music styles then this isn’t for you, but if you’re looking for somewhere to just have a drink, meet some interesting people and shake ya booty, then you should definitely go get ‘Lost!’

Lost, every Thursday night, Calle Araoz, 2424. Entrance: $25

 

Photo by Daniel Estrada

Naming a night after a Slovenian sociologist, philosopher and social critic, who has the beard to match, married an Argentine and found himself splashed across the pages of ‘Caras’ is perhaps suitable for a party like Žižek. Like Slavoj Žižek, the night that takes place every Thursday at Niceto Club, Palermo, confounds its public by refusing to stick to one fluid ideology.

Wading through the hordes of surprisingly stationary electronica fans at Niceto to get to ‘Lado B’ (which must mean ‘backroom’ in Spanish because the place is tiny), you may be greeted with the now familiar rhythms of reggaeton and cumbia. But hold the phone, continue a little further and it sounds like someone dropping English-speaking rhymes in a decidedly urban manner.

The ‘mash-up’ is the stand out extract of the Žižek creed; utilising the music of one genre with the vocals of another. The environment certainly puts out some positive vibes and makes a refreshing change from your average night in Buenos Aires. It’s a beautiful thing to get in, go to the bar for a drink, then dance to some cumbia beats with hip-hop vocals, or a reggaeton track with bashment toasting laid over the top.

The crowd’s made up of hip young types who enjoy their cumbia, but perhaps aren’t up for a late night jaunt to Once. Rubbing shoulders are b-boys dressed head-to-toe in New Era and Nike, nice girls who may scowl at you for daring to walk anywhere near them, gringos out on the lash in Palermo, and average folks who are just having a chilled night out. The night features resident DJs Villa Diamante, Nim and G-Love, and VJ Lucas DM alongside a wide variety of specially invited guests every week (the internationally renowned Diplo, whose production styles helped launch MIA onto the map, DJed Žižek’s 1st anniversary bash last year).

However, in many ways it is the tools with which Žižek operates that sets its limits. Lado B of Niceto is a small place and the overwhelming popularity of the night makes it difficult to dance, let alone move around. It is bizarre considering the electronica night taking place in the main room is less popular and features about as much dancing as ten year olds at a school disco. Then again, one Saturday a month they do remedy this by having Super Žižek perform a takeover on Lado A.

 

Photo by Daniel Estrada

The difficult juggling of various genres leads to some haphazard mixing at times (and woe betide you if you show up to DJ with a laptop) but overall the range of selectas is good. As much as I’ve tried to enjoy reggaeton and cumbia, it’s difficult to stay awake to the exact same riddim for hours on end. ‘Mashing it up’ provides a cute distraction, but eventually there comes a time to send this one-trick pony to the knacker’s yard. However the sheer variety in DJs, and the organisers’ competence in attracting them, means you might have a bad experience one week and a blast the next.

Check the potential DJs beforehand, go on the right night and it could be excellent. Get there early and not only will you get in for cheaper, but you’ll be able to enjoy yourself a bit without being pressed against a wall.

Žižek takes place every Thursday at Niceto Club, Niceto Vega, Palermo, starting at 11pm. It’s $10 for chicas and $15 for chicos until 1am, after which it’s $30 for all. There’s a 2×1 guestlist until 1am, check www.whatsupbuenosaires.com/zizek