Shanghai Shenanigans FINALE: All the good stuff I never got to post

Its hard to pack 4 weeks of ridiculousness into a handful of blog posts. Mostly because I was usually too tired, drunk, or hungover to make more posts. There was a ton of funny, silly, interesting, or otherwise entertaining things I never got to show or talk about, so I figured i’d pack them all up into one final post. Like to hear it? Here it go…

FORGET SAVING BEST FOR LAST, BEST GOES FIRST

This was my first week in Shanghai, at Club Hollywood afterhours.. This dude was riding the struggle bus HARD. Talk about not feeling your face, this dude couldn’t feel his entire life right now. Doing everything he could to hold it together, thank goodness for that concrete post.

2 CLUBS, FREE COVER + ALL YOU CAN DRINK FOR 100RBM ($16 USD)

This could NEVER go down in the States. People would die, one way or another. This really happened though, and apparently they have nights like this all over the city every night of the week. We didn’t actually go to the clubs but we were outside when the club got out and holy smokes, I’ve never seen so many girls being carried out by their friends, or puking their brains out on the sidewalk. It was pretty gross actually.

In my tasteless nature I got a good shot of 3 dudes trying to carry this girl out but they couldn’t even pick her up. Just 85lbs of dead poisoned weight.

THE WET MARKET – WHERE BIRDS GO TO GET MURKED

The wet market is where the Chinese go to get fresh fruits, vegetables, meats, etc, all for dirt cheap. Among those fresh foods are cages upon cages of live chickens, ducks, and other innocent birds. They all just kind of hang out like they’re at the city park, not knowing that at some point in the day they’re gonna get their throat cut and insides ripped out for the next customer. It actually all goes down right in front of them and they just have no idea.. Poor little buggers.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

YOU THINK YOUR LAUNDRY SUCKS? SHUT YOUR SPOILED MOUTH.

Its not even that dryers are uber expensive in China, they just don’t really have them. And the few that do are tiny and worthless Like you could MAYBE dry your socks in one of them and that’s about it. So all over the streets you’ll see people’s underwear, bed linens, and every other garment hanging on just about anything.

As you can imagine laundry day is completely dependent on the weather, so the first nice day after a rain, extreme cold, or extreme heat is guaranteed laundry day for errrrybody.

Me being the spoiled American that I am, I stuck to dry cleaning. I first posted about a spot that gift wrapped your clothes upon return, well I found another place that individually bags your clothes like they’re brand spanking new! Nothing feels better than putting on a crispy tee you bust out of a plastic bag every single day. Welcome to the good life.

WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT OSCILLATING REAR CLEANSING? o_O

While we’re on the topic of excessive luxury… It was quite a shock to run into this in one of the Shanghai bathrooms, especially considering how scary the normal bathrooms are (i.e. hole in the floor with no toilet paper). I didn’t give this thing a full whirl but it did have a heated toilet seat, and this nice set of controls on the side. Talk about next level clean for your lower half..

WHAT YOU KNOW ABOUT THAT iPHONE MINI DOE?

I really almost bought this, and kinda mad that I didn’t looking back. Yes its a real phone and it actually works.

ObaMao T-SHIRTS

Funny they would align Obama with one of the most controversial dictators in world history, but considering how highly regarded Mao still is in China, I think they meant this in a good way..?

SHANGHAI FUN FACTS

This puts in perspective just how massive Shanghai really is:

BOWLING? YOU DON’T WANT NONE.

I’m the Justin Bieber of this bowling shit, son!

FIN.

All in all it was an incredible trip and experience. I got a ton of dope footage and will be compiling another “Lost in Shanghai” video when I get some time. Thanks to the 5 people who read my blog posts, hope you enjoyed them!

Shanghai Shenanigans Day 30: LAST NIGHT, MISSED FLIGHT, SINGAPORE & MINK DRUG RAID

M1NT FAREWELL SHITSHOW

4 weeks goes quick… Friday was my final night at M1NT, so I figured it would be a shitshow. However I didn’t expect the chain of events that would lead to me losing my iPhone 5, annnnd missing my flight to Singapore. I don’t remember everything that happened after my set, but it involved lots of Jameson, purchasing a bottle of Moet, girls throwing up, misplacing my DJ bag, and dumplings (all roads lead to dumplings in this place).

I have no idea how I lost my phone, but i’m sure whoever found it is extremely happy considering how much they cost in China. You’re welcome. As for the flight, it wasn’t like missing a Southwest flight back home.. these fools were trying to make me BUY A NEW FULL PRICE FLIGHT. There was no hopping on the next plane. I got routed to 3 different counters pleading my way onto another flight without have to drop an extra $600 for no reason. I finally got to the highest manager for the airline who somehow bought my pity party “its not my fault” story and put me on the next flight. So the party continues..

HELLO SINGAPORE, HELLO ENGLISH!

I arrived in Singapore only 4 hours behind schedule…best initial part of getting here, everyone speaks English!! I damn near forgot what its like to not have awkward broken sign language conversations with locals.

Next best thing about Singapore, THE FOOD. Holy smokes, all the food is so damn good. And spicy. Huge change from China where i’m scared to eat half the local menu items (see my previous post on roasted brain). I ate at quite a few different places while I was there and all of them were off the hook, and cheap. Even their mall food courts have like 20 different food options from all over the world. No McDonalds, or KFC in sight like Shanghai (shits are on every corner). Definite highlights were the infamous Hainanese Chicken Rice (very plain to look at but surprisingly delicious), chili crab and black pepper crab- which might be the best thing to ever happen to seafood.

China charges for toilet paper in public restrooms.. Singapore charges for napkins!! Anywhere from $.10 – $.40, no matter what super messy food you are buying that obviously will require clean up. And I thought paying for paper bags in San Francisco was an outrage..

Jack move on the Chicago Bulls logo, buy this food spot “Chinatown Beef”. LOLZ

Prob the most common thing heard about Singapore is its clean.. like, really really ridiculously clean. That’s part to do with their crazy laws to keep it that way. Like the well-known no spitting and no gum chewing laws. They actually don’t even sell gum anywhere in the country.

Besides being clean its also the safest place on earth.. which is no surprise considering they still hang and cane people as punishment!! Some people might remember the US teenager who was caned in Singapore for vandalism back in ’94. Next level shit. So yeah, don’t go there planning to act a fool, they will make an example out of you.

CLUB MINK is kind of a big deal

How about the reason i’m actually here.. as the guest DJ at Mink! I knew it was a good venue b/c its the same owners as Filter which is another popular club in Singapore. However after talking with locals it seems like Mink is THE hot spot in town. I was surprised at the caliber of talent they are bringing in due to the size of the club (Bassjackers, John Dahlback, Morgan Page, etc).. Only about 400 capacity (which is peanuts after being at M1NT which is probably triple the size). But they are doing everything right: sound, lighting, DJ booth, and crowd are all legit. Much more educated crowd than anywhere in Shanghai, and even many places in the US in terms of house music. Still no hiphop though, besides Niggas in Paris which seems to fly in the middle of pretty much any set.

I played from 1:30-4am and the crowd was even more rowdy when I was done than when I started. I just kept getting busier and crazier the later it got. I think I left around 5:30 and it was still jam packed hands in the air. One of the best club crowds I’ve seen in a while!!

POLICE RAID!

So this was a first… Apparently Singapore does random police raids at clubs in the middle of the night. They showed up around 2am and put the club on LOCKDOWN. Lights on, no music, and no one is allowed to enter or leve the club until their done. Shit was pretty wild. I goess it only happens every few weeks and I was lucky enough to hit that jackpot. It lasted about 20mins and then it was back to Gangnam Style (of course that was song they shut down the party on). Talk about killing the mood tho.

So this is what the club looked like at peak hour during the raid… Welp, time to see what’s going on in the Twitterverse.

MARINA BAY SANDS

All I have to say is WOW. One of the most beautiful pieces of architecture i’ve ever seen in person. Staying at this hotel has been on my bucket list since I first heard about it and saw photos, and i’m so happy to be able to cross this off. The main attraction is the cruise ship-esque top deck that sits 57 stories up on top of 3 hotel towers. The top deck has 3 restaurant/lounges and the infamous Infinity Pool. I can’t remember the last time someone was able to get me in a body of water that wasn’t a bathtub, however I had no problem being the token black guy in the pool all day long.

A few panoramic shots to get the full view (mouseover to scroll)

Singapore weather is insane… These photos were all taken on the same day. Beautiful blue skies in the morning, clouds roll in the aftertnoon, moonsoon showers hit for a couple hours, then a calm evening.

Ending the month in Singapore was definitely picture perfect. Its been a long and exciting month, but its time to head home now. Next update will be on US soil! Yeeeeeeeeee. I need a burger and some apple pie.

Shanghai Shenanigans Day 18: M50 – Shanghai Art District

Venturing out a bit from the standard Shanghai tourist traps, I decided to check out the Shanghai Art District called M50. Its a super industrial loft-like campus that used to be a textile factory. Around 2005 a few people opened art studios there and it grew to the point that now its THE designated creative district in Shanghai. Its a huge district jam packed with studios, galleries, workshops, and artists from 17 countries. There have to be over 100 spaces all showcasing some of the most incredible art i’ve ever seen.

They say a picture is worth 1000 words, so i’ll just show you the snap snaps:

M50

Exterior photos

[Panoramic scroll]

Shanghai Shenanigans Day 12: New Digs | Jing’an Temple | Street Life | M1NT

NEW DIGS!

After 1 1/2 weeks in a hotel i’ve finally moved into the M1NT apartment. Its a nice 3bd apartment in the Jing’an District, that i’ll be sharing w/ one of the other resident DJs and the club Manager. Nice to have some roommates, a living room, and a KITCHEN! Not that I ever cooked at home but I will def be doing more of my own (familiar food) cooking here. Woo!

Smallest fridge everrrrr…SMH

LAND OF CONVENIENCE

If there’s one thing to absolutely love about this place its the fact that you can have just about anything you want delivered to your door, anytime. Food, laundry, women, you name it. As many know from last time, i’m a sucker for the McDonalds delivery man (no homo). He shows up in a McSpaceSuit with a square backpack of piping hot spicy wings for like $3 USD.

I also discovered a wash and fold laundry service that comes and picks up your laundry, will follow any special care instructions you provide (i.e. air dry my t-shirts), and dropped off the clean stack, folded and GIFT WRAPPED in under 24 hours. Amazing. And cheap.

JING’AN TEMPLE

Amongst the eating, sleeping, and partying I do manage to get out and do some worthwhile sightseeing..

I stumbled upon the Jing’an Temple the other day which was nothing short of amazing. Its over 700 years old and has a ton of history. Despite being a big tourist attraction, once I got inside I quickly realized I was the only one there to take photos. Literally every single other person in there was getting their hardcore worship on. I almost felt like an asshole for shamelessly snapping away, but hey its called shameless for a reason (ha).

(PANORAMIC SHOT- SCROLL ACROSS WITH YOUR MOUSE!)

The original temple is over 700 years old, and was moved the current location in the early 1900′s. It burned to the ground in the 70′s and was rebuilt in the 80′s. The Jing’an has several huge rooms with different statues of worship. The main room has the largest buddha statue in all of China, which is 15 tons of pure silver, and another room has the second largest- a 5 ton buddha statue made of pure Jade. The Jade satue is 12ft tall and the silver is 26ft tall.

Most people were in the main courtyard area burning Joss Sticks (Chinese ritual incents) and either tossing or balancing coins for good luck. All in all it was very fascinating to watch. And as much as I stand out, everyone was so involved in their rituals I felt like no one really even noticed I was there…

STREET LIFE

All the most interesting and outlandish things happen at the random hours of the night on the street. Despite the fact that there is an extremely small (borderline nonexistent) homeless population in Shanghai, there are beggars GALORE. Holy smokes. They will literally open your cab door as soon as you pull up somewhere and shove a paper cup in your face. Then they’ll follow you at least half a block before giving up if you haven’t given in.

Some have even got creative with their tactics.. You’ll often see kids used as bait to get money from you, and one man even has a pet monkey.. that does tricks!! I’ve encountered him a couple times now and have not problem shelling out a few Yuan to see some monkey trickery.

I was lucky enough to have some partners in crime the first 2 weeks of my trip.. Both DJ Deville (Tampa) and Agent Smith (LA) were in Shanghai at the same time so we all got to kick it together, halfway across the world (gotta love our jobs!).

Here’s a quick video of us on our way to Hollywood Afterhours, and getting mobbed by beggars, small children, and furry animals:

[VIDEO]

M1NT – Where are all the asians?

That was the #1 question I got after posting the first club photo from M1NT.. I had never really given it much thought but I guess its a valid question, considering…

There’s really 2 type of clubs in Shanghai.. Chinese clubs, and Western clubs. The typical Chinese club is much more focused on tables and bottle service than dancing. So these huge elaborate clubs will have dancefloors that might hold 50-100 people. The rest is all tables. The music format is quite a bit heavier on the hard electro remixes of top40, and they are HUGE on live performances throughout the night. Like every hour. Most of them don’t charge cover and will have ridiculous (all-you-can) drink specials (more on that in the next post). Western clubs by contrast are more like clubs in Europe and the States, catering to all the Expats (expatriates/foreigners) in Shanghai.

M1NT is like the uber upscale western club in Shanghai, although its also frequented by very rich Chinese. Its for members only and guests, so they don’t charge cover but you have to have a membership. I’d say 70% of the clientele are Expats. And the Chinese that are there are spending money popping bottles, not on the dancefloor.. Hence not being in the photos

Shanghai Shenanigans: Day 4 Update

First of all welcome to the blog! Keeping with the tradition of the last trip, i’ll be updating every few days with tales from the Shanghai streets. There’s so many cool, funny, odd, or otherwise interesting experiences out here.. I can hardly capture it all, but I do my best.

SINGAPORE AIRLINES

14 hours is a long-ass time to be couped up in a chair next to complete strangers.. so I booked my flight with Singapore Air b/c of all the rave reviews and my desire to be as comfortable as possible. All I can say is holy shit, SA is incredible. Seriously like the Chuck Norris of Airlines. I got a little ~~depressed~~ envious walking past First Class, as the seats looked like mini-cubicles made out of cushions and pillows- which could easily seat 2 people each.

Economy class was no slouch tho, and the service was on par with a 5 star restaurant. Before we even took off I had hot towel in hand, 8 page food menu, headphones, peanuts, and a Givenchy scarf. OH MY! The meals were delicious and dinner came with a king-sized ice cream sandwich! If that’s not winning I don’t know what is. The icing on the air-cake was a USB port on the back of the seat, woo! Going back to Southwest will be a sad day…

MY NEW HOME + THE TYPICAL DAY

M1NT has a “DJ apartment” where they house their guest DJs on extended stays. Its currently occupado so i’m staying in a hotel for the first 2 weeks. Its a new hotel an apparently one of the few that actually has WiFi so no complaints here. My daily routine is a bit odd at the moment as i’m still setting in to being 16 hours ahead of US time (I’m literally living in the future.. so if you want the winning Powerball numbers, let me know), and also the incredibly late nights that seem to happen here.

This has been my routine so far..

1pm: Wake up. Anyone who knows me knows this is unheard of. I’m usually up by 9am regardless of when I got to bed (blessing and a curse)
Watch 2-3 episodes of Sons of Anarchy. Not the best use of time in a foreign country but i’m roped the f*ck into that show, so good.
3pm: 1 hour search for normal food. The most challenging part of my day is finding somewhere to eat that isn’t scary and isn’t McDonalds or KFC (one of the two is located on just about every block of the city).

9pm: Dinner. At M1NT if i’m working that night. Amazing food

I got 2 phones so they call me 2Phones (2Chainz voice).. One for chinese contacts, one for US texts and social networks (when I can find WiFi). I phones are like $800 USD in China so I look a real asshole walking around with 2… #FirstWorldProblems

11p-1a OR 1a-3a: DJ @ M1NT. I rotate the early and late shifts, both equally fun and completely different sets. It gets busy early but no one dances until about midnight b/c they are all at the bar getting their drink on. I don’t think anyone goes out for the sole purpose of dancing. Drinking is the priority. After 12 its game on balls to the wall until 4am. The music format is super big room festival-style house, electro, and remixes. NO hiphop whatsoever. Not that the club forbids it, it just doesn’t work with the crowd.
4am: Food truck tacos. That’s right! Some westerner opened up an american-style food truck outside of M1NT, serving hot dogs, popcorn chicken, french fries, tacos, and quesadillas. BRILLIANT.
430am: Afterparty. The new hotspot is Club Hollywood, which goes til I don’t even know when. I was there until 7 or 8am last night and it was still going strong (Oy). Since you can drink 24hrs a day there is a higher ratio of normal people at afterhours, as opposed to just people that can’t feel their faces.

7-8am: Bedtime.

Rinse and repeat.

SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE..

This being my second time here, i’m pretty much over most of the culture shock and weird quirks of this place. However there are a handful of things I forgot about and was quickly reminded upon return:

The language barrier is NO JOKE. Besides hello and thank you, cross street names are about all you really need to nail down to get around town (via incredibly cheap taxis). Unfortunately if you mispronounce even one syllable in a word they won’t understand you, at all. And the percentage of chinese people that understand/speak english is extremely small. Definitely not a good city to get lost in (knock on wood).
100% of the population smokes. California public smoking laws got me spoiled with clean air indoors. Pretty much every club and bar here reaks like ash tray and lung cancer.
Getting asked if you want a ‘lady massage’ 5 times a day is totally normal. If they are real shameless they’ll rub on your junk at the same time… also fairly normal.
Red Bull comes in awesome cans, but is not carbonated. Vodka Red Bulls just don’t taste the same

They eat a lot of weird sh*t. Finding normal food can be somewhat of a challenge at times… I got my hopes up when I saw a spot called “Spicy Joint”, then I looked at the menu and saw Duck Blood and Roasted Brain.. YUM.

McDonald’s spicy chicken wings might be the best thing to happen to this world. I’m not sure why they don’t have these in the States but i’m starting a petition ASAP. Seriously incredible.

M1NT – Still #1

Its been almost 2 years since I was here last, and after DJing my first 3 nights its clear they are still crushing the Nightlife scene here. As soon as I mention to anyone that i’m the guest DJ at M1NT their faces light up, followed by “OMG I LOOOOOOVE M1NT!” Its really an amazing venue and absolute blast to play. They also have a 55′ Shark tank in the hallway which about as badass as it gets.

I wish I had more photos from the club but they keep it so freaking dark in there there’s few good photo ops. However I’m determined to get some good photos before the end of my trip!

Heading into the new week i’ll be upping my adventures a bit and hopefully not sleeping until 1pm everyday so I can get more out of each day. Check back soon for the latest update!

DRAKE GRADUATES HIGH SCHOOL, AGE 25

The softest rapper in the game has reached a new milestone.. As of last night he’s finally a High School Graduate! And not just from Degrassi.

As most everyone knows by now, Drake was a child actor on the TV show Degrassi. He also dropped out of high school to do so and just this past summer went back to finish.

Of course the streets are talking.. Many are giving him props for following through on his diploma, others are clowning that a 25 year old man is bragging about an average 18 year old’s accomplishment.

Whether you give him an LOL or a high-five, my only question is: How’d dude only get a B+ in the course!? Doh.

Club Applebee’s! No, seriously

Remember all those kids who were last picked for everything in High School? Well, they need somewhere to party too…

Applebee’s is testing out a new model in many of their Tampa, locations.. calling it Bee’s Late Night or “Club Bee’s“. After the restaurant clears of their typical family-oriented customers, the tables clear and the strobe lights come out- as DJ Such & Such plays the hottest PG-Rated 80′s, 90s, and Carly Rae Jepson you’ve ever heard.

The idea is to attract more of their younger customers who come later to dine and drink, then go elsewhere to hang out and party. I mean, what better way to burn off that 1460 calorie Three-Cheese Chicken Penne you just had than to dance it off on Wednesday’s Girls Night Out at The Bee’s?

The concept doesn’t come without its (obvious) criticism- restaurant consultant Clark Wolf says, “People aren’t sure what Applebee’s is to begin with. An all-American family chain? What does that mean anymore? This is not where I want to go for cocktails later. It’s weird. It’s like dating a cousin.”

Can Applebee’s ever be cool? Who knows, but dammit, they’re giving it a shot. I just better not get a drunken high heel in my Triple Chocolate Meltdown.

[via Bloomberg]

[AUDIO] NEW WIZ KHALIFA FT. THE WEEKND – REMEMBER YOU

I can’t vouch for Wiz’s wardrobe, but I will definitely vouch for his new jam w/ The Weeknd. I have to say that Weeknd makes the song and Wiz is more of the ‘feature’.. either way, great track.

Wiz Khalifa Ft. The Weeknd – Remember You (stream)

[Video] Avicii Exclusive Interview

[via MusicTalks]

Interview aficionado Rosa Barney takes her talents to the screen. Miss Rosa sits down with internationally renowned DJ Avicii for a less than conventional interview.

Be on the lookout for more sit downs from many of your favorite artists from the Music Talks team, questioning them on all things unconventional. The only beef I have with Avicii is that he prefers blondes, oh well, more dark haired beauties for me.

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