Those who love breakbeat music know that Vancouver's scene has not been too spectacular when it comes to shows, especially in the last while. Basslines have been replaced with the new sound of electro, and all the little children that that genre has spawned. While this isn't necessarily a bad thing, it has meant that breaks enthusiasts are a bit of a dying breed. For all those left standing, and for those who are curious, I encourage you to come out to noTofu tonight and see Jez of the Autobots do his thing.

Hailing from the UK, the Autobots are two nu-skool breaks DJs and Producers who also run their own record label, Broke Recordings. They've played at shows all over the world, including Glastonbury and the Winter Music Conference. They've been to Vancouver several times before, and every time I've seen them, I've come away quite pleased. Tonight, one half of the duo is in town, so get your dancing shoes ready and head down. Luke Summers, Dee Bass, and Akeel open.

This is my first year cycling year round. Well, okay, not this week - my skinny city slicks are in no way equipped for ice-covered snow. And while I used to consider myself a "fair-weather cyclist", it actually wasn't that hard to make the switch to year round cycling. Once you're okay with dropping a fair bit of coin on rain gear, that is.

Whether you're a geared-out geek on the bike route or only ride your steed in the sunny summer months, this weekend's Bikes Inside is a welcome chance to get together with other cyclists and celebrate bike culture in the dead of winter. Two days of events including an art-show-bike-ride-party (fun, but not totally inside) starting at Science World and ending at Gallery Gachet on Friday night, and a party featuring performances, a fashion show, and tournament finalists (microcross and bike polo) on Saturday night. See you there, cyclista.

If you have fond memories of high school prom then screw you. You had your fun. The annual People's Prom is for everyone that was too smart, cynical, ugly, or awkward to enjoy that obligatory 'highlight' of adolescence. That's not to say that the squares with social skills and 90210 looks are not invited. People's Prom--one of the best parties of the year--is inclusive and community-minded. It's also queer-friendly and gender-blind. In fact, boys and girls share the same bathrooms. Just don't go at the same time as your date.

Vancouver has been losing out on performance space over the last few years with the tearing down of the old (historic watering holes) and the building up of the new (shiny condos). Anyone heading out after 10pm looking for some live music, stand-up comedy or variety acts of any shape and size are sometimes left to wander the streets in search of a destination. A new venue in town promises to fulfill those simple needs with local and touring bands, Watermelon and Canned Hamm (respectively, to name a few).

The Biltmore Cabaret (395 Kingsway) opened it's doors on Monday night for a free neighbourhood preview. Seeing as I live a few blocks from the club and the furthest I usually got inside was the caged offsales trap, it was time to see the place with a new light. That new light was red. The place has been completely renovated with lush velvet curtains, deep cushy booths and a very spacious floor to bounce, dance or bob to the music. A few more pics below...

It is difficult to categorize true artists as they defy conventions. One such artist, Johnette Napolitano proves to us the veracity of this claim again, on the night of November the 13th, at the venue of Richards on Richards, in her album tour, Scarred.

This past spring, Johnette's first proper solo album, Scarred was released; it is a collection of heartfelt rockers and soulful ballads, included is an acoustic cover of Coldplay's "The Scientist", the disc showcases Johnette's latest transformation and incorporation of her inspirations. In today's world of mass-marketed synth-pop, digitally modulated vocals, of Female singers that gyrate scantily across MTV with the impunity of strippers, all the while hiding behind the cliche excuse of 'female empowerment', Ms. Napolitano showed these manufactured Divas what it means to really really be a vocalist, nay, a Musician.

As we approach the next Sin City Fetish Night this coming Saturday Nov. 24th at Club 23 West Cordova, it is a good time to reminisce about prior events -- and catching up on stale posts. Days before our recent Halloween, this intrepid reporter did the rounds at all of the fetish boutiques in Vancouver to find many happy neophytes racking up their credit cards for the biggest naughtiest bash this city have seen: the Halloween Sin City Apocalypse Fetish Party on the 27th of October at Richards on Richards. The regular fetish crowd was surprisingly friendly and opened their play-space to the public-- those who wanted to flirt with the wild and naughty side for a night.

And FLIRT those neophytes did, with a succession of revelers in more and more outrageous costumes plus elaborate props than the regular rubber, whips chains and spikes. A strictly enforced dress-code has a few unsuspecting participants strip off their offending garments and do without. Everything was skin-tight, or just, well, SKIN, or as a wizened regular commented, with a naughty twist: IF IN DOUBT, LESS IS MORE.

The decor was aimed more for easy accessibility than maximizing cinematic ambiance. After all, why do you need props when the attendees themselves serve the function to titillate and visually captivate everyone else? Gyrating nude -- well, almost; there were wolf-boys, beauteous raven-haired succubae and vampiresses to take your breath away, and fetish doctors and nurses to resuscitate you. The ever-popular DJ Pandemonium supplied the raw pulsating music that flogs the air into a hedonistic bodice-ripping pitch, the dance floor would be proud to witness any rites of the bacchanal; well, for this newbie eye-witness at least. But I must say, as a Sin City virgin, I made out -- no pun intended-- like a naughty bandit: two gropes, three flirts, and all the while my being dressed as a chinoiserie Anne Ricesque Vampire, right down to the tail-coat-brocade-vest and frilly lace shirt.