elbo room
The Elbo Room holds a special place in San Francisco’s Nightlife. Not really grungy or super flossy, Elbo Room focuses on hot music, whether Rock, Reggae, Funk or Latin. Located at 826 Valencia between 17th and 18th in the Mission, Elbo Room is an old-school venue which consistently shows the hottest new music. Downstairs you’ll find a full bar, pool table and those cool sit-down, classic video games. Upstairs is the perfect small venue for live music, big enough to dance comfortably, but small enough to see all the action while being deep in it. The sound system is one of the best in the City, and excellent booking and management ensures that the hottest bands and DJ shows come through regularly.
Of note to Latin dancers are the Colombia! nights led by DJ Vinnie Esparza, who also holds the popular Free Funk Friday shows (also known as “Treat Em Right” ) with well known SF DJ B-Cause, Tormenta Tropical with a more electronic Cumbia/Latin sound, and Joey Pleasuremaker and Señor Oz’s excellent Afrolicious nights. The Colombia! nights (or alternatively, Panama!) also feature DJs Guillermo (Sweater Funk) and Beto (Soundway) and often coincide with one of British label Soundway Records’ new releases. Tormenta Tropical gets a lot of press as a well known SF party night, and features the DJs of the Bersa Discos label. An Afrolicious night can span the gamut from Funk to Afrobeat to Reggaeton to Salsa and Descarga, and generally includes hot live percussion accompanying the DJs. Live percussion with a DJ can be tricky, but the Afrolicious boys pull it off every time, and the crowd seems to get more and more energized as the night goes on.
Check out the Elbo Room’s site for upcoming shows and don’t miss one of the great dance venues in the city. As the Afrolicious tag line has it, “it’s a party not a show!”
