DJ Nocturna Presents: Camera Obscura, The “Dark Chamber”…

By George D’range

(Published in the April Issue of The 808 Scene Zine)

This article was written under a full moon…
In the beginning there was only darkness: Black, mysterious, and seductive. It became known as the nighttime, that special time when we can get away with the most mischief and mayhem. But as we all know, partying all night is an exhausting affair, even for the most stoic devotee of darkness. So of course, daytime had to be created to even things out, and give night clubbers and vampires a chance to rest! And so, DJ Nocturna said: “Let there be a Feast of Friends!" -every Saturday night from 6 to 9 On 90.3 KTUH FM- a kind of broadcast Sabbath for the dark at heart. But of course, there also needs to be a social gathering, a thematic event for her Gothic coven to connect, dance to goth and darkwave music, and otherwise hook-up with other likeminded worshipers of the night. Someplace nice and DARK… And so, the Goddess of darkness said: “Let there be a Dark Mask Ball!”
Enter Camera Obscura, held the First Saturday of every month at Next Door at 43 North Hotel Street. Camera Obscura is Latin for "dark chamber", and March 1st kicked off the latest season of this monthly costume-thematic event, held on first Saturdays. So I donned my own dark mask, put on my fangs, and fastened on my cape to see what it's all about.
Adorned in their Faustian finery, coming out from their dark dwellings from around the city, Nocturna's shadow army converges, confounding the otherwise 'regular' people milling about Chinatown. It's not hard to discern the clientele of Bar 35 from that of Next Door. The people going into Next Door look a little scary, like characters out of "Eyes Wide Shut" or "The Story of 'O'", whereas the Bar 35 people just look a bit scared. But it's all a part of the thematic fun that is the difference that makes Camera Obscura a cut above the average rave or happening. Well, that, and the mature and courteous nature of Nocturna's throng of loyal friends. As pointed out by Kawehi Haug in TGIF, this is a discreet, no-touch dance crowd, definitely not for random strangers looking to get their freak on with other people they don't even know. But in order to truly appreciate Camera Obscura, one really has to experience it first hand.
As I immersed myself in this world of night, I was greeted by Nocturna's regular friendly doorman Ray, and walked into the candle-lit and cavernous atmosphere of the antique landmark building. The evening kicked off with the dark, 80s retro grooves of DJ Modboy, who was followed by the impeccable tastes of our host Nocturna, and the expert goth belly dancing of Michael Azure. There was also a dark mask contest during the fray with prizes for the darkest mask and most original mask coutesy of Millennium Hawaii. Tarot readings by Jill and Greg from Prosperity Corner were given, and the evening culminated in the high energy dance mixes of DJ Gary O.

Though I am not one normally known for getting my dance on, the mix was just too much to resist! I think I have rediscovered the dance sound that has always had me in it's grip, and by the time Nocturna served up the dance dub of Soft Cell's "Sex Dwarf", I was already completely lost to the dark wave beat as I lip-synced lyrics learned long ago in a nearly forgotten era! For a brief time I was there again, and it would have been very easy to forget that I actually had an article to write!

The Dark Mask Ball was the theme for just the first Camera Obscura event of this year. April's event was "A Night of Bast", an evening dedicated to the Egyptian goddess Bast or Bastet, a deity with the head of a cat, and the body of a beautiful woman, protector of cats, women and children and patron goddess of love, birth, music and dance. Appropriately, it was a fundraiser for Joey's Feline Friends, a no-kill shelter for homeless, abused and physically challenged cats. As with the Dark Mask Ball, showing up in costume true to the theme of the night gets you two bucks off the cover at the door. And the Night of Bast called for costumes resembling Bast, cats, and all things Egyptian.
May's theme will be a Victorian Ball, so break out your old corsets and stovepipe hats from the 1850s, and get ready to go retro… on the darker side! If you think you might be as dark -if not darker- than Nocturna, please point your browser to: myspace.com/djnocturna -or- myspace.com/808cameraobscura, and add to friends!