Hard Rock Cafe Bali ; Founders Day

June 14th
A celebration of the day on which the seminal shrine of rock n roll, food & fun first appeared on the radar some 36 years ago in London. In suitably retro mode, Hard Rock Bali opted for a seventies/eighties disco slash glam rock vibe, with staff in polka dot dresses, afro wigs and tight, garish shirts. Retro-maestros The Upstairs stunned with a barrage of synthesizers and new wave antics, while newcomers Changcuters were a revelation with their Rolling Stone/Strokes charisma and a look somewhere between overcooked mod and Ramones fan. Nice to see Hard Rock Cafe still pushing the envelope after 36 years.

Deejay Club ; DJ Eric Entrena

It may have been a bit quieter then expected at DeeJay Club in Kuta as DJs Aldo of Juice Magazine and Mamsa of Radio Plus opened up the night, but by the time Spanish DJ Eric Entrena hit the decks at 4:30am, the room had filled out nicely with a crowd eager to hear what the visiting guest had to offer. Keeping things chugging along with his brand of electro progressive, the audience was not disappointed and stayed on till the wee hours, DeeJay Club-style.

June 15th

Sector ; STP Free Sytle Bartending Competition

The final showdown of the Free Style Bartending competition was huge, huge, huge on June 22nd in Sector Bar and Restaurant. Loads of people went down to witness the battle between 10 bartenders from various establishments like Bacio, Pandan Bar & Restaurant, Four Seasons, Nikko Bali Resorts & Spa and Resort Seminyak etc. The contestants were all out and super creative at synching their performance with the live bands, gamelans and DJ. But the one that came out on top was I Gede Subagiada of Four Seasons with his Bali Meruti drink and Rangda performance. Congratulations!

this event held by Sekolah Tinggi Pariwisata Bali ; June 22th

The Laguna Resort ; Putri Indonesia Pageant

The pageant for Putri Indonesia Bali chapter 2007’s crowning night had brought 12 angelic contestants from almost all regencies in Bali. And the winner was, Fransisca Lidyawati from Gianyar who recieved the crown and the chance to represent Bali in the National Putri Indonesia in Jakarta on August 3rd.

July 6th

Ultimo ; Bazaar

Ultimo Restaurant held its very first Bazaar last Sunday, with a number of local clothing designers selling mostly women’s and some men’s fashion. The event started at 9am and finished at 3pm, with guests enjoying a delicious buffet as well as perusing the fine designs on display including clutch bags, bracelets, earrings, skirts, pants, t shirts, shoes and dresses. Check The Beat for details of future bazaars at Ultimo.

Flamenco Fever at F Lounge

A new addition to the F-Lounge programme, hosted by Lady Tasha of the Dance Company, bringing together the mixed rhythms of Latin America, Africa and the Caribbean. The Latin enthusiasts turned up and the Dance Company threw down some crazy couples moves on the floor. Check it out every Wednesday night - dance flamenco, bang the bongos drink mid-week margaritas...

Wonderland at Mal Bali Galeria

The 7th anniversary of the original Bali Shopping Mall: Mall Bali Galeria turned out to be a blast. There was one full week of massive discounts in all the shops, until things climaxed on Sunday the 30th with an amphitheater atmosphere featuring stiltwalkers, colorful tents and fireworks. It did really feel like stepping into a wonderland. The live bands kicked in at dusk, with performances by Kaimsasikun and The Hydrant, capped off with DJ Wilson. Now who said that Rock’n’Roll and shopping cant go hand in hand?

Q Bar 7th Anniversary

Bali’s original HQ of camp, Q Bar celebrated its 7th Anniversary with a James Bond 007 themed bash.Guests were entertained with fire dancers, muscle boys and playboy bunnies, plus free flow martini – shaken not stirred of course. Unfortunately Pussy Galore couldn’t make it, but there were plenty of men with Golden Guns in their pockets.

Tranceworxx at DeeJay Club

It seems like Deejay Club is a-flood with international DJs lately. On Friday, June 29th there was Holland based DJ Robert Burns who tore up the dance floor with his hit tracks. He took to the decks around 3.30am, right after DJ Noise Addictive had warmed up the crowd. The vibe was progressive trance, which suited the crowd just fine, thank you very much.

Diva La Disco at Hu'u

It’s not the first time Bali’s seen a diva singinng a capella alongside a DJ, but Diva La Disco have the act down pat. Singer Mizmoni comes from a gospel background and her rich voice brought a whole new dimension to colleague Alex Botar’s house grooves. Mizmoni also had a lot of charisma, inviting guests to sing along with her and filling the dancefloor with gyrating bodies in no time.

Hard Rock Cafe ; Soul ID

Bali’s hip hop community was there, looking for hip hop sound that’s rarely seen in Bali. Yacko, a newcomer female rapper, was the opening act and she got the crowd going. Soul.Id was next. The hip hop songs were good and their energy was awesome, but when they break down to RnB, the crowd wasn’t feeling it. The show was closed with a crowd choir to their remake of Ini Rindu (This Longing) and Branuday.

July 6th 2007

Sentosa Club ; The Yak Magazine Party

Our esteemed colleagues at The Yak/The Bud pulled out the stops on June 29 for the third annual Yak Awards party. Bali’s social sets were out in force, all converging on the Sentosa Club where the early birds enjoyed oysters and champagne while DJs and live bands performed. There was an impressive light set up and the awards generated some excitement, but the piece de resistance had to be the ice sculpture, where chi chi guests got slowly sizzled on ultra chilled vodka.

June 29th

Kama Sutra ; Naif Live on Stage June 29th

OZ Radio Bali celebrated their 2nd Anniversary at Kamasutra inna fine retro style with headline performances from 2 of Indonesia’s most distinctive acts: The Hydrant with their Rockabilly shoe gaze and the legendary NAIF all the way from Jakarta who came with their 70’s retro sound and accompanying crowd who came in striped shirts, well combed do’s and aviator sunglasses. The house was packed and the music jacked.

MBarGo : Pretty In Pink on June 28th

Some looked prettier than others in their pink get up, but no matter, MBarGo went off like a bucket of prawns in the sun, with the DJs throwing down remixes of classic R&B and Hip Hop while go-go dancers kept it hot and pink on the bar.

Dewi Sandra at Hard Rock Cafe June 28th

A big crowd showed up at Hard Rock Café to witness Dewi Sandra performing hits including ‘Kuakui ‘and also her latest single the upbeat I Love You. She also performed an impromptu duet with Indonesian Idol runner up, the little guy with a big voice, Judika - everyone sang along to their version of Boyz II Men’s I’ll Make Love to You and End of The Road medley. Great stuff!

Gigi Live at the Hard Rock Cafe June 27th

GIGI is one band that truly deserves to be called seminal. Sprouting thirteen years ago from Indonesia’s fertile soil, Gigi have a passionate fan base and are respected and admired by...well, just about everyone. This was a typically cutting edge performance from the band, with a twist of acoustics reflecting the sound of their latest album. It was both up beat and romantic, featuring a surprise performance by soul singer Glenn Fredly who dueted on “Perihal Cinta” (To Do With Love). They ended the night, of course, with their current smash hits “Nakal” (Naughty). Inspiring

A Mild Live Soundrenaline 2007 at Garuda Wisnu Kencana

The biggest music event of the year, A Mild Soundrenaline 2007, will soon be here. Taking place around the country from July 15th to August the 12th, the mega concert will stop in five locales - Padang, Palembang, Bandung, Surabaya and Bali (August 12) with no less than 75 performers in the lineup including Nidji, God Bless, Seringai, Kangen Band, Club Eighties, The Titans, PAS, Steven and The Coconut Treez and many many more. Also local groups from Bali Lolot, Superman Is Dead, Suicidal Sinatra etc and international groups like Dearest Canada, Death Before Disco (Belgium), Saw Loser (Singapore) and Scraping for Change (USA). For more details and online competition, go to www.amild.com.

Bali Dining Festival

HSBC has teamed up with The Bali Tourism Board, Bali Hotel Association, Bali Culinary Professionals and Garuda Indonesia to create Bali’s first major culinary event “The Bali Dining Festival 2007”. The event will be held throughout the month of August in featured dining establishments in Bali like La Sal, Blossom, Hu’u Bar, Kaizan and many more with programs like The Passport to Delight, The Culinary, The Chefs Master Classes and last but not least, the festival finishes with island-wide Gala Dinners on 31st August.

Castaway Party

Absent for 2006, Bali’s biggest rave party returns this year and word is it’s going to be bigger than ever. Still no details from the committee about who’s going to play or perform, but we can tell you that the Castaway party will be held on 16th of August at Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park. Mark your calendar people, as this is going to be huge. More details as soon as we have them.

Mekare-kare at Tenganan

For two days at the end of June, within the walled stronghold of Tenganan, a large crowd gathered to cheer on the ritual ‘mekare-kare’…

Tenganan is one of Bali’s original pre-Hindu settlements; a unique, 700-year-old village, hidden in the hills three kilometres north of Candi Dasa in East Bali. Here, the 300 residents – the Bali Aga people – practise a time-honoured lifestyle based around ritual and ceremony, bound by strict ‘adat’ (customary law) practices to maintain purity.

The mekare-kare is an annual theatrical fight between the young men of the village, utilising prickly pandanus leaf whips! Each dual is staged to the intense martial sounds of ‘gamelan selonding’ music, and lasts only a few seconds, accompanied by much merriment and laughter.

The attacks are warded off with tightly woven ‘ata’ vine shields; there are no winners and no losers because the objective is to draw blood as an offering to the gods. After the battles, the combatants’ wounds are treated with a stinging mixture of alcohol and turmeric, leaving no scars.

During festivals such as this, the women of the village wear the famous hand-woven double ikat textiles, known as ‘Geringsing’. Tenganan is the only place in Indonesia where this double weaving technique is practised and the ritually significant, magic cloth haas the power to protect the wearer from sickness and evil vibrations. On the first day of the mekare-kare, the unmarried maidens of the village ride creaky wooden ferris wheels, which are manually operated by the men. The turning symbolises the descent of the sun to the earth. Mekare-kare takes place in Tenganan every year in June or July as part of the Usaba Sambah festival. Visitors, however, are welcomed to the fortress-like village at anytime of year during daylight hours; many of the houses function as shops and workshops where expert craftsmen and women perform their centuries-old skills. This living museum is well worth a visit!

Bali 2007 The High Season Party Hotspot

Where will you be partying this summer? Last edition we previewed some of the parties you can look forward to, but there’s more. A phalanx of phoenixes are about to rise from the ashes of the old, all of them intent on making themselves some of the hotspots of the high season.

Syndicat
Paparazzi is no more, the Syndicat has taken over. Think sophisticated speakeasy for the hip hop generation, with a traditional bar featuring a full display of drinks, moving away from the centre where it used to be in the old Paparazzi to the side wall beside the DJ booth. The décor will be urban eclectic, including a ‘wall of fame’ featuring the luminaries of soul, funk, hip hop and more. there’ll be lounges and high stools and no House music whatsoever. Created by Fredo Taffin’s E-Space design studio, Syndicat will feature tailor made furnishings and décor, plus art visuals by Cedric. Watch out for the Grand Opening on 26 July, with Pimped Out Cars, Fashion Shows and wicked soulful grooves keepin it chilled & souled out.

Daydream
Something is happening behind a makeshift fence on the site of the old Living Room restaurant in Petitenget, Seminyak. A pared down combination of white stone, cool water, manicured gardens are the frame for Daydream, a brand new venue that’s set to hold it’s Grand Opening on August 15. Open from 6am – 3am everyday, it features a large pool with daybeds, a restaurant, two bars, garden lounge and massage booths. Resident DJs will be Nason and Johnny spinning laid back house grooves. The Beat took a peep inside and it’s looking slick already – killer feature? Has to be the crescent pool, perfect for all day lounging and dipping….

Nirvana Club
Any Bali old-hand will remember Spy Bar. It was one of the most notorious bars on the famed Dhyana Pura strip – packed every night and bumping. After finally closing more than a year ago. Now, a brand nbar, restaurantew restaurant/bar concept is about to emerge on the old Spy Bar site. Nirvana is owned by the somewhat legendary Pak Suparman, who owns another stalwart of the Dhyana Pura strip, Santa Fe. What’s it all about? A chill out lounge/restaurant concept with a restaurant at the back serving intercontinental food, a terrace on the street and seating for 100.

MGM
After a very long hiatus, there are stirrings at the site of the old Space club in Dhyana Pura. We don’t have a lot of information yet since the place is still a building site, but the completion date is rumoured to be in the next six weeks. The concept? A two floor bar/club focusing on live music as opposed to DJs. Sounds very different from its predecessor - which is probably a very good thing.