subculture
Living on the Cutting edge Body engLish remains the pLaCe to hear what everyone eLse isn’t
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Jen Chase photography erik kaBik
nyone looking for fresh music in Vegas should know that the cutting edge is as sharp as ever at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Its Body English Nightclub & Afterhours has long been known for featuring respected underground legends and undiscovered talent before they became the next best thing. It is still the place where these artists and the unique music they play are the focus of the every-Fridaythrough-Sunday set. “These megaclubs—with their megastars and their mega-meganess— they kind of lose their soul … and lack any kind of true magic,” says Branden Powers, creative director for Hard Rock Hotel. “With us, guests aren’t going to a concert, but are experiencing a show as a participant, not just a viewer.” Body English is dark: black walls and leather booths, purple lights, sparkly accents and seductive visuals such as surrealist Dalí and clips from Kenneth Anger ficks, as well as montages of Hunter S. Thompson, William Burroughs and Charles Bukowski. Powers likens it all to Aleister Crowley’s manse after Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page bought it. When it reopened in 2012 after a several-year closure, Body English maintained its original infrastructure but moved the DJ booth from its 1970s-esque virginal lookout to a few feet off the ground and closer to the people. But more than its come-hither interior that Powers calls sexy, underground and cutting edge, Body English is still all about the music, serving a potent cocktail of alternative, hip-hop, indie, indie dance and bass, among other genres. Although Body English’s underground ’tude drives music programming nearly every night, it does offer a pop assortment with its Sunday-night programming. But that’s approached with tongue in cheek. The rest of the week at Body English, music fans know they can hear the likes of Kill the Noise, De La Soul, Dilated Peoples, Flosstradamus, Robbie Rivera, Dan Reynolds (lead singer of Imagine Dragons) and other fresh talents that, Powers says, wouldn’t otherwise play Vegas. “We’ve let artists know we’re not going to tell them what do to with their art,” he says. So the next time you’re there, close your eyes, listen and think subterranean Berlin or New York in the ’80s. Then, open them up. With the DJ booth a foot away and provocative visuals you just might want to try out later with whomever takes you home, you’ll not forget where you were when you heard 12th Planet for the frst time. After all, you are at Hard Rock Hotel.
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hardrockhotel.com