Events, happenings and reviews in and around desi, queer and alternative New York.
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Sholay Gup Shup
DJ Ipek at Desilicious on July 26th
This month's Desilicious bash will feature guest
DJ Ipek Ipekcioglu
who stormed the Berlin club scene in the
mid-nineties with her groovy mix of Middle Eastern-Balkan Dance
Electro-Breakbeats-Pop. Her international style takes her audience on an
aural journey through the cultures and music of Turkey, North-Africa,
Israel, Persia, the Balkans, Greece, and Bollywood. Check her out live
at Studio B as she teams up with resident DJs Ashu Rai and Bobby on July
26th!
2008 Pride and the era of forgotten sex clubs in the Meatpacking
As we celebrate gay pride in 2008 and lament the
shuttering of Florent to greedy landlords and "fuck-me-pumped Jersey girls that stomp around the hood",
Jeremiah from
Vanishing New York has a wonderful photo essay of the area's famed sex and fetish clubs. Every time I pass Vento's on
9th Avenue and 14th street, I can't help but wonder if all of its patrons are aware of the "nefarious" actitivies that took place in that spot in the 80s and 90s.
Formerly the Manhole, then the Vault, then Hellfire.
Today's it's Vento's - mediocre, pricey Italian food.
Ego Magazine's 2008 Desi Pride Guide
If you would like to know what's going on in NYC over Pride,
check out Ego Magazine's pride listings.
And, don't forget Color Me Queer on June 29th!
Queen Harish - Direct from Rajasthan
We're thrilled to have Queen Harish
join us for a live performance at Color Me
Queer on June 29th. Hailing from
Jaisalmer, in the desert of Rajasthan, Queen Harish became a dancer
purely through instinct. Her connection with the rich cultural roots and
rituals of her environment along with her addiction to Bollywood movies
have inspired her art. She has toured internationally for the past 8
years and was featured on stage with legendary Rajasthani music groups
such as Musafir and Maharaja. Through her travels in the world of
performing arts, she has assimilated elements of Flamenco, Middle
Eastern, and contemporary dance into her work.
Desipina's Seven.11 series returning...
Desipina & Company's award-winning series Seven.11
Convenience Theatre returns this June with entirely
new plays, written by today's hottest South Asian and
Asian Pacific American playwrights. It will be on June 4 - June 22, 2008 at the Richmond Shepard Theatre
309 East 26th Street (at 2nd Ave) in NYC. The series is directed by Sherri Eden Barber
With: Manoj Advani, Laura Anderson, Don Castro*, Nick
Choksi*, Anna Itty, Seril James, Sheila Shaigany* and
Jeff Stroud.
SPECIAL SHOLAY DISCOUNT:
$15 tickets! Just click below OR use code SHOLAY on
https://www.ovationtix.com/trs/pr/49421/prm/SHOLAY
Or via phone at 212.352.3101
Queer Sikhs in Vancouver
Interesting article on Sher Vancouver, the first ever Sikh gay and lesbian organization in Vancouver. The group,
since forming this spring, has 33 members. The group is also planning its first float in this year's gay pride parade in Vancouver.
Hollywood to Bollywood this weekend in Boston
Join the Boston desi queer organization Masala this Saturday, May 3, as they
showcase previews of MASALA-sponsored films at this year's
Museum of Fine Arts LGBT film festival in Boston. Proceeds will go towards MASALA Pride 2008.
Hot Talent: Ru's Eclectic Mixes
We'd like to use this space to continue to promote the talents of some of our amazing Sholay friends here at Pop Kulcha.
One of them is Ru Bhatt, who's been posting his signature mixes at his blog,
http://rouxbot.blogspot.com, for the past couple of years now. We always check in
to hear his eclectic choices, with everything from the newest Bollywood tracks to Amy Winehouse and The Killers. Check out his latest mix here
at Muxtape, where we discovered the hot XL Junkies remix of "Cities in Dust", one of our favorite Siouxsie tracks. Ru creates a new mix almost every month, so make sure to bookmark his blog !
Reviews of Desilicious Spring Fling w/ Mr. Black
We're still recovering from the incredible Desilicious Spring Fling party over the weekend with Mr. Black. And the reviews are already coming in,
here and
here..
We can't wait for the May 17th bash!!
Ramchand Pakistani at Tribeca Film Festival
Local Pakistani female filmmaker, Mehreen Jabbar, will have a Tribeca film premiere with
"
Ramchand Pakistani",
a story about a Pakistani Hindu Dalit boy who accidentally crosses the
Pakistani-Indian border. Congrats to Mehreen on the screening. We hear that the story
is compellingly told and the shots of the Thar Desert are captivating.
Click here for dates and times
on the screening.
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Thousands dead and millions affected in Bangladesh
Cyclone Sidr has left children in Bangladesh without food and shelter and has already killed thousands. Half of the 3.2 million affected are
children,an estimated 400,000 of them under the age of five. Please take a moment to
donate to UNICEF, which is on the ground helping the affected population with water, dry
food and essential items to help them put their life back together. Your donation will help UNICEF provide 7.2 million water purification
tablets, high-protein biscuits, hand pump repair kits and water
tanks - all critical for child survival in the days and weeks after a
disaster.
Mahindra IAAC Film festival in New York this week
This year's festival, produced by the Indo American Arts Council, features a
great lineup of desi/diasporic films, including Sanjay Leela Bhansali's much-anticipated
Saawariya and Rituparno Ghosh's
Dosar . You can purchase tickets for the festival and
view the line-up here, which includes dates and venues for all of the films.
The festival will also showcase AIDS Jaago and 4 short films
directed by Mira Nair, Vishal Bhardwaj, Santosh Sivan, and Farhan Akhtar that aim to dismantle myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS. AIDS Jaago will be shown
on Friday, November 9th at 8:30 PM at Newport Mall in Jersey City and on Sunday, November 11th at 2:30 PM at the Loews-19th Street theater in Manhattan. For special Sholay-discounted tickets, just enter "PART" in the coupon section for $12 discounted tix!
Boston Masala Mela
For those of you in the Boston area, don't forget to check out Masala Mela 2006, a dinner and desi dance party for Boston Masala,
the South Asian queer organization in Boston. Part of the proceeds will go to NAZ Foundation India Trust to help in their
continuing struggle to overturn article 377 in the Indian Penal Code that makes
homosexuality illegal. You can reserve tickets by sending an email to bostonmasala@gmail.com.
Sawcc's Sultana's Dream
Don't miss SAWCC's 10th Anniversary Exhibition,
"Sultana's Dream", from
August 4th until September 1st at Exit Art in Chelsea. There's a whole schedule of events all month, including
films and panel discussions. SAWCC has a significant place in our heart, as it was a creative outlet. Don't miss this show.
India's first Condom Bar
Condomania closes in the West Village, probably to make room for another Ralph Lauren shop, while India opens its
first condom bar in Chandigarh, of all places!!
Ashu Rai's April 2007 Top 10
Agree or Disagree?
Visit our MySpace page and leave comments.
1. LCD Soundsystem's new release,
Sound of Silver
2. Kickoff of the final season of
The Sopranos
3.
Karsh Kale's
EXCELLENT remix of my favorite Police song,
"Spirits in the Material World"
from
Backspin: A Six Degrees Records 10 Year Anniversary Project,
a great collection of covers from the SF-based label's artists.
4. The infectious dance beat of
"Shakalaka Boom Boom Remix"
5.
Parisian producer Joakim's "Lonely Hearts" & "Drumtrax" from
Monsters and Silly Songs
6. Timbaland's "Bombay" from
Shock Value
7. DJ Suketu remix of "Laree Choote" from
Ek Chalis Ki Last Local
8.
Mark Ronson's soulful cover of The Smiths'
"Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before",
personally approved by Morrissey himself.
9.
David LaChapelle's "Awakened" at Tony Shafrazi Gallery in Chelsea
10. The arrival of
Spring Weather??!?
Cheney Lurking in the Bushes
This shot is just too creepy for words..
but, they say a picture is worth a thousand words. And,
a video is worth even more, apparently caught on camera by a very astute
CSPAN camera person. No comment...
Shot in the Dark
Desis are all over Next's back pages this week..
See if your picture is here..
!!
Ask Tracey Thorn
For all Tracey Thorn/Everything But the Girl fans,
Arjanwrites.com is fielding questions to ask Tracey Thorn
during his exclusive interview with the souful dance-pop diva on April 4th. You can also
listen to a track from her excellent new solo release, "Out of the Woods". Our question: the next Everything But the Girl tour??
!!
Bloomberg's Illegal Spying on Republican Convention Protestors
While we definitely prefer Bloomberg over thug/egomaniac Guiliani, we just can't ever forgive him for his
Gestapo-style tactics during the August 2004 Republican convention. Back in Bush's 50-60% approval days (wow, remember those??), Bloomberg bent over backwards to kiss up to the Administration, in the face of thousands of NYC residents.
This NYT article outlines the strategy used by the NYPD in posing undercover and spying on groups and organizations protesting the policies of the Bush Administration and the invasion of Iraq.
Targets included street theater companies, church groups, antiwar organizations, environmentalists,
groups opposed to the death penalty and globalization and three New York City elected officials!!
Sanjaya's Bad Hair Day
We're not supposed to care about American Idol, a show that has probably attracted more US voters than the last 3 presidential elections, but we have been
more than a little curious about
Sanjaya, the hair. We were shocked to find out that he lasted after his massacre of a Diana Ross fave, but even
Simon Cowell is shocked and in disbelief. Whether or not he's sent home soon,
how long before we see him at a Desilicious party??
Roxy's Last Dance
I'm sure you all know by now that another NYC landmark dance club, The Roxy, has joined the ranks of Twilo, the Palladium, just to
name a few.
Village Voice has a nice obituary of the former roller disco turned nightclub. For us, The Roxy evokes fuzzy memories of late night Rauhofer beats, dancing until 4am before heading up to Twilo to begin our night with Junior and dancing to the percussive beats of Dhol Foundation at Basement Bhangra.
Is the era of the super-club over?
Sleazy Desi Designers
Indian Fashion Designer and FOPH (friend of Paris Hilton) Anand Jon
is currently in a Beverly Hills jail with a bail set at $1.3 million on charges of forecible rape and lewd acts "upon a child", with an accomplice.
According to Sepia Mutiny and other folks , Anand has quite a reputaton of being a sleazebag and verbal abuser. Well, if he is proven to be guilty, let's hope we don't see his atrocious clothes and face for a looong time!
"Living in the 80s"
Fans of the 80s will enjoy
this Gawker piece on the similarities between current times and the 1980s. Read the comments for interesting and crazy comparisons. Our favorite comment - Then: Nightlife, Now: Pinkberry. So sad, but true!
Monday, February 19th
In the aftermath of the layoffs at MTV and subsequent demise of MTV Desi,
Sepia Mutiny has an interesting analysis of the difference between MTV India and MTV Desi.
Honestly, MTV became irrelevant for me after the cancellation of
Liquid Television and 120 Minutes. But, we do agree with SM that Nusrat Durranti, head honcho at MTV Desi, is
"insanely hot"...
RESOURCES AND LINKS for the happy, healthy and hip queer...
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