Many of Denver’s gay club kids remember the dance club Tracks, which originally opened on Fox Street in an obscure part of downtown in 1981 and was renamed Tracks 2000 in 1995.
Once merely an after-hours warehouse space to keep the dance grooves going, the club evolved into a full club and well-loved hangout, catering to the gay community but known as encouraging a broad spectrum of sexual and ethnic diversity. Now the tradition returns with Tracks Denver, which officially opens Saturday night at 3500 Walnut St. with a much anticipated grand opening in the space formerly known as Dream nightclub.
“As soon as we say the name, people are like, ‘That’s what we’re talking about!”‘ says Bob Hill, who served as general manager of the original Tracks club and will continue in that position at the new location. He’s confident that Tracks Denver will live up to its name, and keep the sense of camaraderie and acceptance that made the original version so successful.
“At the sneak preview last weekend, the energy was just amazing,” he said. “Everyone was so excited.”
After Saturday’s grand opening, the club will be open Thursday through Sunday, with the usual array of theme nights to suit different tastes. Starting June 9, Thursdays will be set aside for the younger crowd. The 18-and-over night will offer hip-hop and house in the main room, plus “Glamorama,” a 21-and-over weekly event in the lounge with DJ Tim Cook (Lipgloss) and DJ Cannon (White Girl Lust) spinning Britpop, Electro, Indie and glam rock.
Fridays, DJ Tatiana will spice things up with Latin house and salsa tunes, and monthly special events organized “by women, for women.” Saturdays will include changing special events, dance music in the main room with DJ Norm and ’80s retro in the lounge, and Sundays will cater to African-American gays with “Chocolate Sundays,” featuring hip-hop and R&B. Cover charges vary; call 303-863-7326 for details.
What’s in an ever-changing name?
A new wave of events is starting up at The Wave nightclub (303-299-9283, 2101 Champa St. ). It’s hard enough to keep track of all the changing names for club nights around town, but now outside promoters are changing the name of the club as well. Confused? Join the club.
Here’s the deal. Sunday through Wednesdays, The Wave keeps its name, with regular self-promoted events like Lounge Lizard Sundays, a 16-and-over event; Wave Wednesdays with hip-hop, Top 40 and $1 drinks; and Transmission Thursdays, featuring goth, industrial and synth-pop. On the weekends, the club name simply changes with the night.
Starting tonight, the club will be known as Privilege on Friday nights only, with Ritual Fridays at Privilege presented by Ryan Dykstra Nightlife. Dykstra wanted to differentiate the Friday event from the rest of the week by changing the name of the club during his events. “It’s really a promoter-driven night,” he said.
Ritual Fridays will focus on showcasing local DJ talent, with up to 20 performers rotating in one-hour shifts on two stages throughout the night.
“A large part of the community really respects the good local talent versus the national headliners,” he said. “This gets the up-and-comers in front of a large crowd.”
Dykstra hopes that crowds will appreciate the chance to check out many styles of music in one place. The formula worked well for him when he promoted a similar event at Moscow Underground this spring before it outgrew the space.
Saturdays, the club changes again, this time simply to 2101, where Softcore Saturdays kicked off last weekend. Residents Tim Cook and Michael Trundle of The Denver 3, along with DJ Tower and The Postman, will take over the club each week to spin electro, Britpop and indie rock.
See? It’s only slightly convoluted. Let’s just hope this isn’t the start of a new trend for nightclubs, or soon we will be in for some serious mass confusion.
Kat Valentine writes about nightlife Fridays in 7Days. Reach her at kat@kingproduction.com or call 303-820-1568.
