Denver’s clubs are getting in the spirit of the season lately. Like mistletoe, benefit parties are popping up everywhere.
The next is on Saturday, when the AfroBlu crew comes to Bar Standard (1037 Broadway) to tap into clubgoers’ holiday generosity with “Beats Build Hope,” a fundraiser for AIDS charity NextAid.
The charity is “close to our heart,” says AfroBlu co-producer Ashara Ekundayo. “It’s about Africa, it’s about people, it’s about being global citizens.”
NextAid helps African children affected by the continent’s AIDS epidemic, especially kids orphaned by the virus. With an emphasis on sustainability, NextAid funds projects that provide services and education.
To celebrate World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, NextAid partnered with groups around the United States to throw “Beats Build Hope” parties at dance clubs.
Along with collectives in Brooklyn, N.Y., Chicago, San Francisco, Detroit and other cities, Denver’s AfroBlu joined the cause.
For Ekundayo and Peju Alawusa — AfroBlu’s “mastermind,” according to Ekundayo — it’s a personal commitment. Both women have friends and family members with the virus.
“AIDS has not gone away,” says Ekundayo. “It’s right here. It’s right in front of us. We can’t pretend like it’s not there, particularly when black women all over the world are contracting it more than anyone else.”
AfroBlu’s take on “Beats Build Hope” brings together AfroBlu regulars Ces and RJ Duran with DJ Ivy. As usual, the music will be tuned to Afrobeat — but with an open mind.
“They’re playing more than deep house, Afrobeat and soul,” Ekundayo says. “It’s a funky, global-soul mashup of spirited grooves. We say, ‘Whatever you have, bring it.’ ”
Expect sprinkles of reggae, hip-hop and just about anything that’ll keep the dance floor moving.
If it seems strange to throw a giant dance party for AIDS orphans, know that it’s part of NextAid’s usual strategy of collaborating with the arts to raise money and awareness.
It’s not unusual for an AfroBlu club night to have a higher purpose, either.
“It’s one of the ways we can engage our community,” says Ekundayo. “It just seems like we have to be very creative to get our community to step up and talk about this disease. (It) has always been a taboo topic, but we’ve been addressing it in the black, urban community for 10 years.”
Admission to “Beats Build Hope” is $5, though larger donations are certainly welcome. The party starts at 9 p.m.
In the house.
If you need a dose of soothing house music to bust the winter blues, stop by Vinyl (1082 Broadway) Saturday to visit with Satoshi Tomiie.
A veteran DJ and producer, Tomiie got his start as a dutiful piano student in Japan. When American hip-hop and house music began crossing the Pacific in the 1980s, Tomiie heard his true calling.
His career took off after partnering with house legend Frankie Knuckles on the hit “Tears” in 1989. He hasn’t looked back since, continuing to DJ, run a record label and release his own tracks.
Presale tickets are $15 at . Doors open at 9 p.m. Saturday.
Winds of change.
It was only a matter of time, and now it’s here: Rockbar (3015 E. Colfax Ave.) is hosting a karaoke night.
Show up early on Thursdays to belt out all your rock ‘n’ roll favorites. The karaoke party runs from 7 to 10 p.m. — which is just as well, because there probably aren’t too many singers out there who can pull off Guns n’ Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle” as intended.
