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San Francisco was exciting. It holds many extreme elements together in the most cohesive bond. I absolutely love LA, but there’s something about SF everytime I go that makes me wish I could tolerate the cooler climate up there. I love my sunny weather, and won’t be changing residence anytime soon. Anyway, meeting members of the Femme DJ collective was really nice, since I’ve been a member for the last year or so, but never got a chance to connect with all the ladies, and also, there were several new additions to the group. DJ LadyHouse orchestrated a weekend of photo shoots, female bonding and an all Femme lineup at the newest hotspot, The Supper Club, a swank venue out of Amsterdam.

The players that weekend were Amber Reyn, DJ Icon, LadyHouse, Noetic, Queen Agnes B and myself. Shauna Stein was the master behind the camera. The day started off with all the Femmes gathering together in a total of 3 cars and caravanning through the industrial district of the East Bay, scouting shooting locations. After finding a good spot, we unloaded, and the girls set up shop. No sooner did the last touches of lip gloss hit Icon’s lips, when a cop in an unmarked vehicle pulls up and asks us what we’re doing. “What’s going on here? Who’s in charge?! Show me some ID!” LadyHouse steps up. After some quiet conversation, it seemed she had just worked her charm, when out of one of the cars a voice shouts, “Let me see YOUR ID! Are you a real cop?” The cop jerks his head, demanding, “You! Get out of the car! Show me some ID!” I was filled with dread.

She gets out of the car, eyes glaring. “What’s your name?” he asks. “Agnes,” she replies, hand on hip. Fortunately, he had already flashed his badge, and the lights flashing discreetly from the inside of the beige mini-van were all-telling, not to mention the guy’s bad Hawaiian shirt from Tommy Bahama. “Ok, Agnes, I’m going to need to take down your information.” As he writes down his information, he turns back to Karlyn (LadyHouse) and mumbles, “She’s a real smart-. . . girl.”

Whew.

“Ok, you ladies have 45 minutes. This is private property. Don’t go near any of the trains or the building.” Amid the dust kicked up from the big rigs barreling by, with the Bart careening by on the rail up above, Shauna was able to quickly establish an intimate connection with each girl to capture her best mood. The mark of a good photographer is someone who can make the subject feel comfortable by giving subtle direction, enabling the true spirit of the person to come through. Shauna knows how to translate the creative vision in her mind to image captured in her camera.

We quickly packed up, and regrouped back in the City to complete the publicity shoot, as well as take promotional shots for our clothing sponsor, Vanderkitten. It was quite a sight, a crew of badass chicks, clad in her own rendition of the “all-black” outfit. Busses, cabs and cars flew by, sometimes causing a scattering of girls into the safe side of the street. Yes, to get the right shot, we stood in a formation, holding turntables straight in front of us, in the middle of a city street. One bus driver enjoyed running us off the street so much, that she tossed her head back and threw a wicked laugh out the window as she sped by! That was some funny sh**!

After all the pictures were taken and the girls hugged with relief at the end of a long yet productive day, we departed to prepare for the night to come.

A quick nap & shower later, we were set to arrive at The Supper Club. If it weren’t for the upscale sign over the entry way, one would wonder if they were in the right place for a swanky club. That’s the beauty of urban life though, gritty and dark outside, but once the doors sweep open and you walk through into that rush of air, fragrant with voices and beats, lights seeping out of dark corners, you know you are in the right place.

We were greeted by the host who was head to toe a bit of every club kid you’ve ever known, bleached hair, glitter electric blue, with a lot of platform in his shoes. First room inside was like a disco glitter dive. The room was seeping red, wood and dark, it was almost warm. Looking up, the ceiling dripped with disco balls, much like a silver screen siren drips with diamonds when making her red-carpet debut.

The outlying rooms extended out like parts of a club that reminded me of the Milkbar and Bed. Everyone kept asking, “Doesn’t it feel like you’re in Miami?” It really did. The rest of the club was walled in white. Colored lights projected from the floors up against the walls, while the industrial silver stairs led to railing that chased the perimeter of the room. Pretty patrons were waking up from their post-coital dinner bliss, and decorated the dancefloor with sassy smiles and hip shakes.

While the Neige room glinted with neon pink & blue hues, the Privee room glowed red. Ominous screens gleamed from behind sheerly veiled walls. Upon closer examination, you could see digital art displayed, changing intermittently on flat screen monitors. For the most part, House dominated the sound of the night, with a heavy lean toward the deep Tech and bratty Electro tinged selections.

It definitely suited the energy of the club. I played closing set, and decided to merge into the sound that was the theme of the night. However, I soon grew complacent, and decided to change things. A warm, atmospheric pad sweeped through the speakers, and tossed out a syncopated scattering of rhythms, as my 1st Drum & Bass record kick in. Instantly I felt at home. My fingers were free to sweep the faders, up and down, teasing the breakbeats of the next track. Noetic, who is a Drum & Bass DJ, but like me also plays House, got up to dance, and it was the greatest compliment, to have a DJ who appreciates the same sound you do, get up and dance. It felt like a big, “Yes!” to me. The best thing was that I played to my true self, and people responded. Whether it was due to or in spite of the completely different sound, the people responded. Nothing is more validating than that.

The night was a huge success with the owner of the club wanting to invite us back. Everyone had a great time. New friendships formed as old ones were strengthened. I can’t wait to see the photo shoot pictures!