Some go for a roast dinner on Christmas Day. Some go for a movie and Chinese take-out. But why can’t getting one’s PLUR (Peace Love Unity and Respect) on become a Christmas tradition too? Like the NBA, The Continental’s weekly house club night—put on by local dance record label Sole Channel Music—REFUSES to take a night off, with house DJ Mr. V and friends spinning both the latest and the classics of tech-house, nu-disco and latin house. Sure, they’re dealing with a lot of competition, but has a midnight mass ever bumped this many beats per minute?

Bring Down the Walls
Sat, 9pm, Free
The Continental, San Jose

Dutch DJ Full Crate was way ahead of the Crate Challenge, mixing crates of styles together into a perfectly balanced, lowkey vibe that’s easy to sway to and never falls down. This is the kind of music that can be a getaway to peace from your troubles, or a lesson in how to stay cool and smooth. The DJ, producer and performer features an international array of artists sure to keep Continental’s cool clientele dancing throughout the night. This one’s a good night to bring a friend who might just be a little more than a friend.

Full Crate
Thu, 8:30pm, $20
The Continental, San Jose

Ladies and gentlemen, the dancefloor is open. After more than a year of weekends inside and social interactions over Zoom, Continental Bar & Lounge in downtown San Jose pulls back the velvet rope this Saturday and once again invites you to lose yourself in the music. To help get you there, they’ve got a slew of DJs dropping deep grooves, rare beats, and whole moods all night, including local Chale Brown, neodisco producer Julius Papp, and NY house master Mr. V. The flyer announces “vibes commence at 8.” Here’s hoping they never stop again.

The Grand Reopening
Sat, 8pm, Free
The Continental, San Jose

After all the gifts are unwrapped and the hot toddies are kicking in, sometimes you just need to get out of the house and get down. While plenty of watering holes will be closed, the Continental will have a wide-open dance floor. The eighth installment of this annual James Brown tribute is a bona fide holiday tradition at the Conti. Just a few years ago, Mayer Hawthorne stopped in and played a set, so there’s no way of knowing who might make it out. One thing you can count on is hearing some classic cuts from the excellent seasonal staple, James Brown’s Funky Christmas. Admission is free with an RSVP before 10:30pm.

Funky Christmas
Wed, 8pm, Free
The Continental, San Jose

This week’s installment of The Changing Same features a DJ sets from Santos Guzman and Fela Kutchii. Guzman has made a name for himself by blending textures from his native Mexico with hip-hop, electronic and indie rock sensibilities that are distinctly American. Oakland selector Kutchii prides herself on keeping things both inclusive and decidedly weird on the dancefloor. Her 2017 Boiler Room set opens by weaving together hits from the Yay Area and Dirty South before descending into deeper spaces—splicing in IDM moodiness and rapid-fire jungle beats.

Santos Guzman & Fela Kutchii
Thu, 9pm, Free
The Continental, San Jose

The Changing Same holds true to its mission of hosting the most promising rising stars at the bleeding edge of soul, funk and R&B. This Thursday, the weekly party brings Parisian beatsmith Arnaud Antoine Rene Bernard, known by most as Onra. He is perhaps best known for his 2010 LP, Long Distance—which garnered an 8.0 rating on Pitchfork. After releasing the first two installments in 2007 and 2012, Onra completed the final album in his Chinoiseries trilogy in 2017. All of the music in the series was built using samples from records he gathered while traveling through Vietnam, China and Thailand.

ONRA
Thu, 9pm, $13+
The Continental, San Jose

Fresh off the release of her new single, “Wait For It,” Los Angeles-based singer and songwriter SiairaShawn comes to The Continental’s weekly Universal Grammar-hosted party, The Changing Same. With an ultra smooth and spacey sound, SiairaShawn taps into everything that’s so good about the new generation of Odd Future-adjacent SoCal future R&B artists—see: Frank Ocean, Syd Tha Kid and Thundercat. Burnt-orange synths, syruppy-slumping bass lines and tastefully minimalist guitar strokes support her breathy, soulful vocals as she sings about breaking hearts by the beach.

SiairaShawn
Thu, 9pm, Free
The Continental, San Jose

Los Angeles-based DJ and producer Falcons is no stranger to the hip-hop scene. Even before signing to producer and DJ A-Trak’s Fool’s Gold records in 2015, he was a regular at live events like Coachella and Boiler Room, mixing and performing alongside some of the scene’s heaviest hitters. Three years and dozens of collabs later, he’s promoting his latest joint release with San Jose-based producer B.Lewis, titled Daydrift. The melodic, trap-influenced five-track EP features guest appearances by Bay Area rapper P-Lo, GoldLink and Jazz Cartier and doesn’t disappoint: Prepare for an extended set of hypnotic and uptempo beats.

Falcons & B. Lewis
Thu, 9pm, $10+
The Continental, San Jose

After all the gifts are unwrapped and the hot toddies are kicking in, sometimes you just need to get out of the house and get down. While plenty of watering holes will be closed, the Continental will have a wide open dance floor. This James Brown tribute is a bona fide holiday tradition at the Conti. Just a few years ago, Mayer Hawthorne stopped in and played a set, so there’s no way of knowing who might show up. One thing you can count on is hearing some classic cuts from the excellent seasonal staple, James Brown’s Funky Christmas. Admission is free before 10pm.

Funky Christmas
Tue, 8pm, Free
The Continental, San Jose

Since its founding in 2011, Los Angeles-based music collective Soulection has curated memorable music experiences with the help of its ever-expanding roster of talented musicians, DJs and performers. One of its newest curators, San Diego-based DJ Sasha Marie, will bring her special mix of neo-soul, hip-hop and jazz-inspired sounds to center stage for an evening of musical storytelling that’s sure to get listeners on their feet—and in their feels. Sasha Marie, who has appeared on BBC’s Radio 1xtra, Hypebeast and The FADER, will be joined by local supporting DJs Shea Butter, The C.M.E., Chale Brown and Mark Plstk.

Sasha Marie
Thu, 9pm, $7+
The Continental, San Jose