This is Paradise Found
A portrait of a new gathering.
Sup, y’all?
This edition of On Beat is going to be a bit different. Yes, you’ll still get a picture of Nano.
But I wanted to take some time to share a special moment we’ve been working on for the past few months. It's a pure labor of love that will come to life this Saturday, May 31:
It’s Paradise Found.
Throughout our twenties, my partner and I threw house parties in our small spaces. Friends from different circles—journalists, techies, artists alike—would come together and have a laugh.
We love communal gatherings: During our early years at Burning Man, my friends and I would haul a container of gluhwein, our generator, decks, and speakers to the deep, dark edges of playa (or in one case, a massive elephant art project) and spend the time enjoying life with each other and with whoever stopped by.
For our wedding, we convinced our friends, some of whom flew into San Francisco from across the country, to caravan in the backwoods of northern California for a renegade gathering on our friends’ land outside Guerneville, all for an unforgettable weekend of dance, joy, and laughter.
I never imagined that those intimate moments would, years later, turn into my first venue takeover at Bergerac in San Francisco.
If you haven’t been to Bergerac, it’s an ornate cocktail bar in San Francisco’s SoMA neighborhood opened in 2013 that has served as the downstairs sister venue to the nightclub Audio SF. Here’s how Esther Mobley, the senior wine critic for the San Francisco Chronicle, described it in 2015:
The ostensible inspiration for Bergerac, the SoMa cocktail bar opened in 2013, is Villa Nellcôte, the Côte d’Azur mansion in whose basement the Rolling Stones recorded “Exile on Main Street” in 1972. The villa, which was Keith Richards’ residence for a year, was ornately appointed. Private chefs prepared luxurious food, servants waited on guests and legendary parties went down.
Gastronomic temple, den of mayhem and site of genius artistic creation — what better concept for a bar?
Nellcôte’s imprint on Bergerac, however, is subtle. Except for the black-and-white photographs of the denizens of Nellcôte on the walls — Keith and Anita Pallenberg, the Micks (Jagger and Taylor), various unidentified beautiful women — the influence is impressionistic rather than explicit. The result is a lively, comfortable atmosphere that doesn’t bang too hard on the “concept” gong. Bergerac doesn’t feel as if it’s trying to transport you to the French Riviera. It feels like a bar. And that’s a very good thing.
Today’s, Bergerac is home to not just headliners like Dusky (whom I had the pleasure of supporting) but also homegrown Bay Area talent searching to create an experience for the people.
So when I had the opportunity to throw an event there, I felt immense gratitude. I had plenty of memories upstairs at Audio SF. I knew I couldn’t pass this up.
Dear reader, you’re probably wondering: How can you help? Buy a ticket and experience it yourself. Can’t make it? Buy a ticket and gift it to someone you know in the San Francisco Bay Area. Can’t make it due to cost? Let me know, and I’ll help you make it happen.
Not from San Francisco? That’s okay! Click that you’re interested in Resident Advisor. That will help with increasing the event’s visibility. Spread the word to friends and fam around the San Francisco Bay Area via Facebook or Instagram. Send this post about the party to your friends and say, check out this new experience. You won’t forget it.
Any ticket purchase will not only support me but more importantly, all the artists who are involved in making this night happen. So any dollar counts. If you need any other incentive, I’m also making the debut of Paradise Found my birthday party, so grab a ticket as a birthday gift to me.
It’s surreal to go from writer to DJ to community builder to producer to “party promoter” all in the last year and a half. But it’s also a beautiful realization that we can inhabit so many different identities at once to make up who we are.
Life is crazy sometimes.
I’ve always had a soft spot for a memorable experience. I knew I wanted Paradise Found to be a reflection of the parties and festivals I fondly remembered from my twenties. At the same time, I wanted to also manifest the parties my parents and their friends attended back in the day in New York City.
I wanted to recreate the feeling dancers had when they went to the Paradise Garage or The Warehouse, where people got lost in the moment all night long under the warmth of soulful tunes that made their bodies move and groove. I dream of recreating the beautiful liberation felt at Glitterbox parties from around the world.
The times on the dance floor I've most remembered are the ones that feel intimate, connective, and joyful.
They are moments like in Sydney when the phones are away, and we’re surrounded by friends, old and new.
They are moments when we can wear whatever we want—tights, fur, bright colors, etc.—and feel liberated.
They are full of laughter. They are moments when you can feel whatever you want to feel, without judgment from others.
That's what Paradise Found is all about.
In this House, we are equal.
It's about the experience of life. It's about the creation of memories. It’s about immersion. It's about inclusion of all sorts.
The dance floor is our sanctuary. It should be full of love and free of hate, just as our predecessors in Chicago, Detroit, and New York wanted.
It’s our escape.
It’s our place for free expression. To dance. To feel joy. To feel the feels. To release.
It’s our place to live in the moment—to be in community, to connect, to feel safe, and to have fun.
The music of the night will fill the soul. Free expression will reign supreme.
But the moments together will stay in your heart.
Let's get together on Saturday for such a beautiful moment of connection. We'll have artistic expression of all sorts: Soulful music from friends like NISA, GOMA, Bay B Sol and Charles Hawthorne (subscribe to their newsletter!). Gogo dancing from the Voluptuous Vibes, our friends DJ Kinki and h!gh mel0dy. Visuals from friends like DJ Maculate. Photography from the lens of Naïma Naz. Drag from Amyl Westwood at a time when it's under attack elsewhere across the country.
Let's find solace in Paradise together this Saturday. Dance and dress like a diva. Be yourself. Be free. Embrace your authenticity.
Truly thankful to my friend Justin Duke aka 1 to 1 and the Bergerac team for believing in us to put this together. It would mean the world to me if you came out to Paradise for just a moment to bask in the joy of life, together.
Much love,
Eddie aka Black Panda
Let’s Not Forget
As a treat for making it to the end, here’s a pic of Nano, who wants you to go to Paradise Found.
Edwin “Eddie” Rios is a Brooklyn-born, Oakland-based freelance writer and DJ/producer (Black Panda). You can find his writing life here. You can follow his musical journey here. Here’s his SoundCloud and Spotify. Share this with your friends.