In my latest installment for the Los Angeles Times “Boogie Nights” column, I visited Club Soulside at Cafe Club Fais Do-Do, a monthly invocation of all things mod (a subculture with roots in 1960s Britain). In the late 1970s and early ’80s, a mod revival swept through Southern California, introducing a new generation to its [...]

When I first heard bachata at a salsa club a couple of years ago, I was puzzled. Salsa DJs regularly slipped salsa’s tropical cousins cha cha and merengue into the mix, but this Dominican sound was something I’d never heard before. I quickly scooted off the floor when a bachata song came on because I [...]

When I first saw the videos of the dance phenomenon known as silent disco, I was tickled beyond belief. It’s a quirky concept: instead of having a dance party with giant speakers to amplify the sound for the crowd, revelers tune into a DJ broadcast on wireless headphones. So when people walk by and stumble [...]