A little nightlife update for a certain Connecticut-bound compatriot of ours.

As per this week’s Voice, the 9th Precinct MARCH (Multi-Agency Response to Community Hotspots) has stepped up its scrutiny of LES and East Village bars. On November 19, Scenic was raided, but escaped without any violations - on November 12, six bars were hit with 79 violations: Babel, Horus, Sutra, the usually quiet neighborhood dive The Library, Rue B, and Rififi (home of staple Friday weekly, Trash). Also raided on that date were Remote, Bar None, No. 1 Chinese, and Sophie’s – though no violations were issued. Coincidentally, my phone was stolen in Sophie’s that very night – thanks for nothing, NYPD.

Of note: Rififi was sited for violating the Footloose-inspired Cabaret Law, which begs the question: who the hell was at Rififi on a Saturday night? Thankfully, the 9th Precinct is as yet unfamiliar with this humble site: otherwise, they’d know to hit Scenic on Fridays and No.1C on Wednesdays – doi.
...until now, that is: The Wednesday weekly Bang! party at China 1 plans to haul ass to Beauty Bar within the next month.

On a more serious note:

Rest In Peace Stefan Lockdown

NYC-based DJ Stefan Lockdown, co-host of the beloved Tuesday weekly staple We Bite! party at Happy Ending, and winner of the PAPER Nightlife Award for Best New DJ along with other We Bite! host Spencer Product, passed away on Wednesday night. The cause of death, as far as I know, was a heroin overdose. I did not know him personally, but did (and hopefully will continue to) attend his parties regularly. My thoughts go out to his family and friends.

*Note My notice of Stefan's death was not meant to be disrespectful, nor was I trying to be a rumor monger; rather, I meant to acknowledge and pay respects to a figure in NYC nightlife who will be sorely missed. My source was the Village Voice:

...Stefan Lockdown...overdosed sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday afternoon, after his and Product's party We Bite at Happy Ending. His longtime DJ partner wrote: "It's just another example of an amazing person with all the potential and love in the world [getting] mixed up. He was one of my favorites; we worked so well together and I'll always be thankful for having known him. I miss that fucker so much already!"