Featured in Karma Magazine Fall 2002
by club editor ray hom
© 2002
At the Sno Drift, a club on the outskirts of San Francisco, is where you can find the best fusion of hip-hop and house music. Got your dancing shoes ready? What makes the club different is this: from the same folks who did Backflip and the Red Room, Sno Drift is designed witha retro-chic, ’60s-style decor, with an Alpine ski-lodge theme added. As the bartender are feverishly taking orders at this popular club, a small “Snow Mountain” of ice displaying your favorite cool drinks catches your eyes and makes you eager to quench your thirst. The second half of the bar is where you’ll find booths to chill in (no pun intended), strategically placed next to a fireplace to warm the cool theme of the area.
At the Sno Drift, there is a tunnel separating the two types of music playing in the club: hip-hop and house. A unique experience in itself, the tunnel transports you from one area to the other with a the color of orange lighting your walk. When you “travel” through it, you feel like you’re walking through an ice cavern and that any minute the abominable snowman might appear and carry you away. They aren’t kidding about the snow theme! If only they had an artic wind blowing through the club, it would cool the hot young crowd, which provides a trendy partying attitude to the club.
The tunnel leads to the main area, where house music moves the bodies on the dance floor. But what is even more amazing is how the different lightings of blue, green and purple play with the theme of snow throughout the club, providing a contemporary artistic experience.
The DJs here really know their stuff and they mix to the crowd, getting them moving regardless of which side of the tunnel they are on. With the hip-hop and trance fusion carrying the sound waves through the air, you feel a rhythmic pulse keeping you from standing still.
Though the designers have created the impression that this is a shelter from the unbearable cold, this is definitely not a place for people to sit around and cozy up with your friends. You not only have to be social at the Sno Drift, you have to move from spot to spot to appreciate the decor, and more importantly, to meet the people at this club. If you can’t find them at the bar or in the booth nursing their drink, they’re dancing. There are no wall huggers because if you were to keep to the margins, you would look as though you were out of place freezing.
In 2001 and 2002, the Sno Drift was considered one of the “Best Placees to See And Be Seen”. You won’t find the unique snow theme of the club anywhere else–so go see what needs to be seen, if you haven’t. But be sure dress soothingly warm.
