It may already be December, but Halloween is never over for those who truly believe. This Thursday, downtown fixture The Caravan Lounge hosts SHRINE, a certified Goth Nite featuring DJs Hex Embrace, C_Death, and (the most goth name of them all) Julian. Hex Embrace has been spotted spinning all over the Bay anywhere dark dance tunes are needed. Vampires and normies alike can undulate to the eerie, pulsating sounds of darkwave, post-punk and industrial every second Thursday of the month. Caravan’s no-cover tradition (more drinks!) has 6-inch platforms clomping and black makeup melting until 1am.

Shrine
Thu, 9pm, Free
The Caravan, San Jose

The Satori goth club has been keeping South Bay dance floors weird for 12 years now. The first venue to host the recurring dance night was Club Savoy north of downtown San Jose. From there it moved to the Blank Club and now lives at The Ritz. As the creepiest night of the year draws nigh, this Halloween-themed Satori will feature resident selectors DJ Bit and DJ Owen spinning up plenty of goth and industrial tunes from the likes of Ministry, Joy Division, Skinny Puppy, The Cure, Depeche Mode and more. It’s free before 10pm with an RSVP; $10 after.

Satori Halloween
Fri, 9pm, Free
The Ritz, San Jose

“I think we’ve survived because we’re the least ‘goth’ club out there,” says Ryan Higgins, musing upon the question of how he and Club Satori co-DJ Kevin Rollis have managed to run their gothic club night long enough to be celebrating their 10-year anniversary at The Ritz.

He may be correct. The music that Higgins and Rollis spin at Satori appeals to a broader crowd than many other deathrock-  and industrial-oriented genre nights in the Bay Area. Higgins (DJ Vitus) and Rollis (DJ Kevin) primarily spin classics from acts like The Cure, Bauhaus and Siouxsie & The Banshees, along with modern EBM, such as Covenant or And One. The former could be heard on any random dive bar jukebox, while the latter has a lot in common with ’80s new wave, with its use of synthesizers and commanding vocals. In fact, depending on the track playing when you walk into Club Satori, you might not even realize it’s a goth club.

That is, until you see the patrons.

Despite their commitment to a night focused on a stereotypically stoic genre of music, the DJ duo don’t take themselves too seriously. “We’re not professional DJs; we’re just two guys—with many great friends who have helped us through the years—who want to hear and dance to the music we like,” Higgins says.

Higgins and Rollis have fostered a light atmosphere, with their crowd regularly shaking it to tunes ranging from Joy Division’s “Love Will Tear Us Apart” to an industrial metal cover of Rod Stewart’s “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy?” You might even hear the odd Scorpions or WHAM! track if DJ Kevin is wrapping up the night for a particularly boisterous crowd.

“We started Satori as a direct response to our lack of interest in a lot of the music the clubs in San Francisco were playing towards the start of the 2000s,” Higgins says, commenting on his motivation to start Satori. “We felt most clubs forgot their roots. If you’re a goth club and you’re not playing at least one Bauhaus song, something is wrong.”

Higgins and Rollis’ relaxed attitude towards the music they play is reflected in the mix of people that make it out to Satori each month.

“While we get a lot of people dressed up in some extreme goth and deathrock outfits, most are pretty simple in jeans and T-shirts,” Higgins says. “Black, of course.”

The crowd has not only stuck around. It has continued to grow, as Satori has moved from their initial home at the (now closed) Savoy in Santa Clara, to The Blank Club, and now to their newest home at The Ritz. Check out some of the best goth getups from the Club Satori 10th Anniversary. Photos by Geoffrey Smith II: