What’s up, SeoulGrid? Hope you’re feeling well-rested: we have another three-day marathon party session this weekend. We’re looking at a First Thursday’s Aftework Party, guest DJs from Paris, Syndney, and NYC, and a professional beatboxer from England. Sound interesting? Read on.

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Now and then I come across some very unique and interesting venues in Korea. Sometimes they are specialty fusion restaurants, other times they are live jazz bars. Recently, I stumbled upon a gem called Pierrot Strike in Apgujeong.

As I first walked up to the giant wooden doors of the entrance to Pierrot Strike, I could tell that this bowling ally was going to be a bit different from your stereotypical ally of old men drinking beer. As I entered, I immediately noticed the massive bar straight in front of me along with the bowling lanes to my left. The venue is constructed mostly of well crafted woodwork and brick which gives it a “winter resort” feeling.

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[Update] S Bar apparently isn’t closed for good! They are undergoing renovation.  Read more about it on our Seoul Scene Updates post.

Once in a while but still too often for your liking, you hear about one of your old friends who you no longer are close to passing away.  You have so many memories with the friend all the way back, but for whatever reasons the friend and you separated to go on your own ways.  No longer close, but still hearing about a friend who made you who you are now, for better or for once, is never easy.

And a few weeks ago, I heard that S Bar in Cheongdam, one of the places to be for over a decade, had closed down.  It’s been over a year since I visited the place.  Don’t get me wrong, it was one of the hottest places in Seoul to hang out; however I chose to give all these new places popping up nearby a try whenever I was in the area.  S Bar to most, due to its long history and its continued popularity, seemed like it would be there forever.

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Club Eden opened its doors in December 2008, effectively making it Seoul’s second newest club next to Club Heaven. Located in Gangnam’s prestigious Ritz-Carlton hotel, Eden totes itself as a “megaclub,” and it does not disappoint. The dance floor is the biggest in Seoul, and on any Friday or Saturday night is guaranteed to be packed.

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Finger Lounge is one of those venues located in alleys of Cheongdam that not everyone knows about.  It’s a modern lounge located in the alley between Tom N Toms cafe and MNet building (the main road that connects ex-Circle, McDonald’s Drivethrough and Club Answer).

The interior is very modern and clean.  Bar, which is located in the center of the venue, is metal-finished.  The center of the venue space almost reminds you of a large kitchen, where as tables and seats surround the center bar is white and wooden-brown in color.  It’s an interesting blend of two different atmospheres captured within a venue.

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What’s up, SeoulGrid? Hope everyone had fun last weekend, because this weekend is stacked.

First off, we’re thirsty, and we just can’t wait for Friday. So this week what say we get started early?

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For the past couple of months, I have started to become bored of the beer choices Korea has to offer. Essentially, you can either choose from lager number 1, lager number 2, or lager number 3, all produced by conglomerates. Micro breweries are essentially unheard of in Korea. Understanding that many people have more sophisticated tastes for our fine friend hops, the series entitled “Finding the Best Beer in Seoul” will attempt to find the best Brew Pub in Seoul. The first venue reviewed on the list is “Big Rock Brewery”.

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There are few names in the club scene that carry as much weight as Paul Oakenfold. He’s been making music professionally since before I was born, and has been renowned as one of the top DJs in the world for over a decade. His music has been featured in dozens of movies, TV shows, video games, and commercials, making him one of the few electronic DJs to successfully break into the mainstream.

In other words, this guy is huge — but I’m guessing you already knew that.

And now for the first time ever, courtesy of On&On Communications, he’s coming to South Korea.

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Le Nuit Blanche is now Club Answer, again.

For Club Answer, one of Seoul’s most popular clubs, the last year or so has been nothing short of eventful. The club’s once mysterious insides took the public stage when controversially revealing photos of clubbers on the internet hit the news. Then toward the latter part of 2009, it closed down for renovations, re-opening with a brand new, confusing, and for many koreans, hard-to-pronounce name: “Le Nuit Blanche.” It soon changed back to “Answer,” though its intimidatingly luxurious gates that still bear the French name. [Editorial note: The sign out front finally reads "Club Answer" again.]

Despite the chaos, Club Answer’s penchant for exceptional music selection and a consistently great crowd that knows how to party have made it without a doubt one of the best clubs in Seoul.

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What’s up, clubbers — James here, and this is the first of a weekly series that’s intended to keep you up-to-date with each weekend’s club events and parties so you can make your plans accordingly.

Now, I’m not going to waste your time with every small party that gives itself a name and designs a pretty poster. Each week I’m going to stick to the four biggest electronic-music clubs in Seoul (Answer, Heaven, Eden, and Volume), as well as parties that have either proven themselves in the past or look interesting enough to warrant checking out. In other words, I’ll never post a party that I wouldn’t attend myself.

Throughout this series, I will also sometimes award a “top pick” — a recommendation for a party that I think will be better than anything else going on that night. Now, I’m sure there are a few among you who are snickering quietly to yourself and asking, “What does this guy know about the club scene?” Fair enough. It’s my first article, so allow me to provide some background on myself.

My credentials: I’ve been in Seoul for the past year and a half, and during that time the majority of my waking hours have been spent partying harder than could ever be considered sane or healthy. I’ve partied until the sun was high in the sky more times than I can count, and I’ve probably partied more cumulative hours in the past year than you and all of your friends combined. (If you’re reading this and that’s not true, then that means you probably already know me personally. Haha.) Ergo, I’d say I’m as close to an expert on the club scene in Seoul as one could reasonably expect. Yes, that’s me pictured above.

Hey; it’s a tough job, but someone has to do it. So without further ado…

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