There's more mixing of styles, criss-crossing of genres and exciting fusions of ideas than there has been in years both here in San Francisco, on the West Coast, in the U.S. and the world over. And as the urban musical culture expands, the cracks and crevices fill up with everything from the dark and introspective thoughts of San Francisco's Simone White to the frantic drum and bass that's spilling over the underground in London with records like Goldie 's debut Timeless . The British know their music and enjoy exploring the outer reaches of what's permissible on wax. Bar Rhumba on Monday nights proves that. The best part about That's How It Is - dancing.
People go to shake and sweat and they trust the resident DJs to take chances.
Maybe that's why L.A.'s Marques Wyatt was camping out in London for a month flexing house gigs, on holiday from Brass. Bongo Record's Kevin Beadle spun some intense, wierdo music - on a great sound system in the basement of some church or warehouse. Hi-hop beats weave techno through a dub filter. Kruder and Dorfmeister came on and kept the dancefloor going. This is surely another fine anecdote to all the weak records on the shelves.