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Tue-Sat. 9:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
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I went here last night for Soul Night and had a blast. It's got a great vibe to it. It doesn't feel too hipster, fratty, or anything like that. It's just got a great mix of people and everyone was just there to have fun. The music was actually pretty good and we all had a blast there.
The drinks/shots were about $6, not too expensive compared to other places.
The music was pretty cool (although the front room had way better music than the back room). It was a lot of fun dancing. I appreciated that there wasn't a lot of drunken dancers who always end up shoving/pushing those around them by the end of the night. For the most part everyone was having fun and enjoying themselves.
I really liked the vibe here, down to the turntable spinning on the wall as decor. Great place, and I look forward to coming back here for some more soul night.
Before I went to the Lo Fi for the first time I did a little "yelp research." Basically, from what I read, is the Lo Fi is a cool little place with expensive drinks. Being broke, I was scared by this.
But I picked up my ball bag and gave up $5 for funk and soul night on Wednesday. Then, to my surprise, there were $2 PBR Tall Boys, and $3 wells. Then, the music started and it was actually good. Then all of the sudden, I found myself in the middle of the dance floor, surrounded by happy people, some having rhythm others looking like Elaine Benes. Then, it dawned on me.
I was having fun.
But most importantly there were $2 PBR Tall Boys. I dare you to look in a man's eyes and have him deny the beauty of such a low price for this Blue Ribbon winning beer.
Especially this man. Cause I woke up Thursday with a smile in my pocket and money on my face. Or was it the other way around?
Damn PBR.
I'm a bit apprehensive to throw a 5 star up here, if only because I'm smitten after one visit. I'm reserving the right for future edits. That said...
Who would have thought that on lame old Eastlake there was this chill space where you could dance in a nicely decorated space to good music (the night I went to was technically hip-hop, but there was definitely some soul represented) to watch some amazing dancers without any pretentious or holier-than-thou hipster behavior. To think that you could smile AND dance in the same room without anyone thinking you are lesser of a person?! How fucking novel. And it is in stumbling distance to boot.
Oh I'll be back - with my dancing shoes in tow and my smile a mile wide. Next time, I'm bringing my posse.
I like this place. It's not your typical bar/club.
You just feel a little hipper when you're inside. If your self-esteem is a little low, go to Lo Fi and maybe you'll walk out feeling a little better about yourself.
I usually go down to this place on Wednesday night when they have live soul, hip hop and funk., and it is great. Actually it makes me feel like I am not in Seattle at all. Feels more like I stepped out to a Roots show in Philly or at the old Ying Yang Cafe in Atlanta when people like the Goodie Mob and India Arie would get up and do their thing. Seattle needs more of this kind of thing. I think it is great to see there is a vibrant group of young musicians, singer and rappers dedicated to this music in Seattle. I would have given this place an even higher rating except for the one bathroom situation.
I am utterly in love with Lo Fi.
The space is effortlessly hip, "different," and cool without the feeling that they tried too hard to make it that way. The range of events hosted here will keep me coming back for a new experience every time. Lots of nooks and crannies to get close and personal to your sweetie (or a stranger, I suppose).
Love, love, love Lo Fi!
Two dance floors, that's nice. Low key and casual, that's nice. Waiting for the restroom SUCKS. $10 cover I paid, uh not impressed with that. This place gets too crowded for me though. And those of you who drink too much and think that I'm a good person to fall into while I'm dancing, STOP IT!
I hate this place. HATE IT.
Reasons why -
1. The art sucks
2. The bathrooms are always packed
3. The drinks are expensive
4. And most importantly, they over charged my card. Yes, some how the $24 dollar charge turned into $52 when I checked my bank statement.
All that being said - Soul Night is there every first Friday of the month and that night makes it worth putting up with Lo Fi's crap. Just remember to bring cash!
We visited the Lo Fi for the first time last night, during Soul Night. It was fan-friggin-tastic! Considering that we didn't even make it there till 2am, I was amazed at how many folks were still there dancing.
People were even in soul-themed attire!
In the front of the club, there is a bar with a really unique lounge area, and the sound is set so you can still hear the music from the back of the club, but it doesn't overwhelm you- conversation is possible.
Then, the dance area itself is large, with high ceilings and a ton of windows. I started to really sweat, yet never felt stuffy or overwhelmed- which equals perfection when all you want to do is dance, dance, dance. Plus, all the music was played on actual 45s. It really felt like I was dancing at a friend's house, rather than at a club on Eastlake.
People in general were friendly and engaging. I didn't feel alienated just because we hadn't come dressed to the nines. When the few people we talked to heard it was our first Soul Night, they got really excited and told us we had to come back again.
My only complaint is that the Ladies Room appeared to be closed, and we could only find one other bathroom, which was in a really, really sorry state.
Highly, highly recomended- I've also heard that their hip hop nights are amazing.
I went to funk and soul night and had a blast. It is a great little space with a lot of cool people running around. There is a big emphasis on the little part though. It is a very small club and when you make it to the bar, order 2 drinks, because getting back to the bar, is mayhem.
I attended Soul Night at Lo Fi and it was absolutely awesome -- great crowd of folks, great tunes, everyone dancing and not caring if they were dancing well ... just shaking and sweating it out and having a great time. No pretense, just lots of good midcentury soul and swaying bodies. Five stars for soul night.
The space is great (front bar, long hallway, dance floor with back bar and a rickety little mezzanine for people watching) and I love the exposed brick walls with the huge picture window overlooking the space needle. Five stars for the space.
That said, the night I was there, the bartender at the front bar was being a huge drama queen and pretty much ruined my night. I don't know if dude was having issues with his bar-back or was just a guy with some anger management issues, but as I waited for HALF AN HOUR to get two diet-cokes, I watched him throw down drinks, swear constantly under his breath with every order, slam doors, sigh histrionically and generally make a HUGE SHOW about just how frustrated he was by everyone and everything.
Again, maybe the guy was having a rough night. Maybe there was major bar drama or something. But dude's theatrics were so over the top that he made the wait for drinks take twice as long, and my patience for him ran out when I saw someone give him a fat tip and say "you look like you need it" ... and the bartender said thanks and then went right back to being an overly dramatic asshole about every single drink he had to make.
I realize that surly bartenders can be part of the charm of a dive bar, but this guy took surly to a new "in need of some anger management" level, and Lo Fi ain't no dive bar. Soul Night is a friendly, upbeat, AWESOME club night, and the half hour I spent watching this bartender treat people poorly and generally act like a pissy teenager came close to spoiling the whole night for me. Bartender: NO STARS FOR YOU.
Lo-Fi is different. i've gone to many clubs in Seattle (b/c i used to be a promoter for 7 years and i just party a lot) but this place is hard to pinpoint. it's not all in-your-face and VIP crazy like the rest of Seattle clubs are coming to be. it's strictly a chill dance club. emphasis on the "DANCE" part. people come here to dance, freestyle, b-boy, and get their scratch on (dj's).
i particularly like this kind of atmosphere- but i'd been going to only snooty or annoyingly trendy nightclubs with no essence of "cool vibe" like Lo Fi. it's not too known, yet it's known by enough people to make this place jump. Tuesday nights are low-key and chill. i really like the crowd and the non-drama. there's no MC screaming, "chyeaaaaah! holla at your boyeeeee!" or lots of fake-boobed go-go dancers all up in your face.
ithe drinks aren't too pricey and the front of the club is a chill little lounge with lots of interested artwork. like the long and narrow hallway. it's like a mysterious passageway back to the real world. i posted pics, so enjoy!
If only there was a place that charged ten dollars cover to hear DJs who don't even use vinyl playing music on a shitty sound system. And if only that said place charges more than the few other bars in the neighborhood for beer in a plastic cup. Hmmm. And when there's live music... If they could make sure there is no place to set your drink down, that would be even better. Yeah, too bad. Wait a minute, there is one. The Lo Fi. I guess the reason I didn't quite remember was that it was too expensive to drink to forget here. Wait what's this? It's also an art gallery? I've seen more art hanging on the walls in a coffee house.
Went here to see a fellow CouchSurfer play. Music was awesome, the place was ok, aside from the $5 cover on a thursday. Oh and they wouldn't let my friend in who had an expired ID, lame.
omg free gummy worms at the bar!!
Alright I have to do this place a little justice because it was my Thursday night home for over a… Read more »
Hmmm. I had heard such good things! But, when I went on Friday night for the Artifakt it was dead and there was very little art on the wall. But, it was a pretty cool spot and the bar was nice, so I'm sure that it's usually better there than it was.
Nice, low-key vibe and great place to chill. The DJs are the real deal.
Great place - thought I only come here about 2 times a month, usually for one of their Soul, Mod or Funk nights. Two rooms allow for different party vibes. Lately this place has been getting packed for Emerald City Soul club - line out the door - so less intimate than used to be. I guess the cat's out of the bag. Everyone who works here is real friendly.
Hip watering hole in the front, good house party in the back, (with none of the obnoxious underage drinking and a much better view). Lo Fi is Lo Key and we like it that way. If you wanna hear some fresh beats and indulge in some local b-boy flavor this is it. It's alright to be a wall-flower and observe or hit the floor and shake it out--even if you don't know what you're doing. Just stay out of the real talent's way so they can do the thing right. You won't be disappointed.
edit: Lost so many stars. To be fair i haven't successfully been here for 2 years until last night for various reasons. Sorry I came, here's why: This is the second attempt on my part within a month, showed out on a Thursday and didn't expect much anyway--but there really wasn't a thing going on and they were asking a ten dollar cover, there was supposed to be some jazz and I guess it hadn't started yet. Now last night we bit it and paid the cover--10$--we thought dude said "2" but it was too late by the time we realized we weren't getting change back from our 20. The front still looked okay, but as if there had been some ill advised remodeling. The result was a tiny front/bar area that easily looked packed. Once they did open the back room we discovered it was "house" night. Not my thing. But even if it was there would have been no one to dance with anyway. The people who must've known what they were coming to didn't even look like they were having a good time. I don't know where the hip hop went but I know there was someone "DJ"ing from their mac book--ie, just playing premixed shit from i-tunes? Also, screening the movie Badlands doesn't exactly get you hyped. On top of it, I was charged for club soda who does that? Not going back...unless I'm missing something?
I just need to say that I love the Lo Fi. It's a wonderful place. The front room is a stylish little bar, lined with couch seats and lighted tables, and neato decor. They feature local artists on the walls, which I always like. Down a corridor and past the most dimly lit bathroom since Bimbo's is the back room, which is surprisingly large. It's a cool room for a show, with huge mirrors on the walls, an upper deck with chairs, and another bar for your convenience. The bartenders know how to mix a drink, which around here is a plus, and I always feel swanky-cool when I hang out there.
I attended a 2-room event for New Year's Eve. At 2 AM, one room was closing so the DJ turned on ear-piercing feedback. He began to give the finger to the audience. I put my fingers in my ears. He then splashed a full glass of beer in my face. (Apparently he was trying to hit other audience members who had given him the finger back). Since this was completely unprovoked, I became angry and demanded to see the manager. There were multiple employees of Lo_Fi who told me no, I could not talk to the manager. Then they changed their story - 2 guys said that they were the manager, within 10 seconds of each other. I told them that he splashed beer in my face but they said it was water. They were all in agreement, 'covering each others back' about this. (There were at least 2 workers of Lo_Fi plus friends of the DJ involved in the dispute now). The argument escalated and the DJ attacked me. He hit me in the nose (bruising the bridge of my nose) and also in the shoulder. He tackled me to the ground and tore my sweatshirt. As soon as he attacked me, I began shouting "non violence" over and over and putting my hands above my head. The security pulled him off of me. My girlfriend, who was next to me, was also punched in the face (accidentally, I think). I did not throw a single punch, nor did I do anything to directly provoke the attack. (I was arguing with security, not even talking directly to the DJ when I was attacked).
I said I wanted to call 911 but an employee of Lo_Fi said that the DJ was "crowd surfing" and that I happened to be in the way. In other words, they were covering up for him and would lie to the police, so there was no point in me dialing 911. Since it's my word against theirs, and it was not technically an emergency, I decided not to call 911.
The security kicked me out "for starting a fight" but let the DJ stay inside. A minute later, when I was outside, a friend of the DJ and obvious friend of Lo_Fi employees came out and tried to start a fight, telling me I should leave immediately "or else." Security came and dragged him back inside. A few minutes later, when my partner and I were about to leave, the same person drove up in a car and told me to come close to the window. We walked up to the car and he spit in me and my girlfriend's faces.
My friend Tulsi was scheduled to appear at Lo Fi last Friday night so I rounded up my Seattle peeps to go and support him. It was my first night back in my old stomping grounds so what could be better than going to a hip-hop show? Me and four of my friends roll in, none of which had ever been there before. Lo Fi has a very chill, laid back feel to it. It is very dimly lit and has a great selection of artwork on the walls, in addition to a separate gallery area. It is a much bigger space than I thought it would be. As you walk in there is the main bar, couches, gallery and you walk down a long hallway into the performing area. There is another smaller bar and an upstairs area as well. There was a bit of excitement that night due to a dumb-ass, drunk-ass in the bar area that caused a bit of a rumble outside. The owner assured us that this was not the type of behavior that they condoned there and decided to close shop a bit early, which I totally respect. No worries this is not enough to stop me or any of my friends from coming back. I was shocked at how much the drinks cost, let's just say that the $12 I pay in LA for one martini bought me and my four friends a full round. WOW, maybe I SHOULD move back to Seattle.
i do enjoy soul night! i think this is a better place to go dancing than most just for the different theme nights and the mix of people that come here. its a great place to go if you want to avoid pioneer sq or capitol hill but still would like to be around a bunch of people in club setting.
tuesday night scene is top shelf. awesome vibe, really cool breakers, and sick dj's.
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