Rubdown '99 by KRISTA The facts of the event as I am about to tell them are true. To protect the identity of those involved I'm not going to disclose the location, except to say that it wasn't here in Montreal. Saturday evening, myself and a friend decided that we would accompany another friend on a small road trip to Ottawa, to an age 16+ gig he was to DJ at. Now, perhaps something should have clicked when I heard the words "16+ event," but it didn't really dawn on me until I went to the traditional unisex rave bathroom. There I heard one raver tell another that he now only takes caffeine pills (five at a time) because he used to be addicted to speed. Like when? When he was 12?! While wandering around the party my friend and I began to feel that we had travelled back in time to the rave days of yore. Everywhere we looked we saw little kids in full fun-fur regalia, complete with baby pacifiers and the letter E sewn to their backpacks. In the second room, someone was playing a disturbing combination of happy hardcore and gabber techno. But it was in the makeshift chill-out area that I really started to feel uncomfortable. Nestled in the 50 feet of space between the two DJ booths, a hedonistic "Caligula" for the millennium was taking place. Girls in their bras and shirtless boys were strewn about the floor, all pawing each other. One boy in particular was going from group to group offering to give a backrubs... At that point, I decided I needed to leave, and fast. It's not that I've never seen that kind of thing at a rave (I've been doing the DJ thing for a while) but it suddenly seemed weird for pubescent teens to be allowed out all night long to take drugs and touch each other. I know I had a curfew imposed on my ass until I was 18. I'm sticking to clubs where debaucherous activity is undertaken mostly by people who have at least graduated from high school. Crazy night In case you haven't already heard, there was a nasty scuffle of sorts at Jello bar last Tuesday, involving ex-promoter about town Crazy Eddy and another man. Reportedly, an argument had ensued regarding a third party of the female persuasion and shortly thereafter some shots were fired. Dave Dash, a manager and DJ at Jello had this to say: "Nobody got shot, it didn't happen inside the club. Apparently, two shots were fired outside the club, but nobody heard the shots." Except for maybe the police, who arrested Crazy a short while later and charged him with a variety of offences. Hot Wednesday Wednesday is the winner of the "hottest night of the week" award. Despite the fact that we are heading into what is traditionally the lamest time of year, when clubbing becomes a yawn, Wednesdays rock. There's something for all musical tastes. Jingxi has Robot Rock with DJs Nice Fred and Luv serving cut-up beats, High bar has Chrome, Jaï bar has the drum & bass Session with DJs Jordan Dare and Double "A" & Twist (yes, they're really back), and Tokyo has a new night called Progress featuring Mateo and myself playing warm house grooves. Also, tonight (Thursday, January 21) Fred Everything celebrates the official launch of his mix CD, entitled Disco-nnection, at his likewise-launched Vira La Derencha night at Jinxi, 410 Rachel East. Info: 990-0994.