Gender Bending Dance Club Modern Romantix to Close; M/R/X to Relaunch

Modern Romantix

Job Leatherette and Friend at Modern Romantix

Modern Romantix, the club that urges patrons to "hide your genetics under manic cosmetics" is calling it quits. Tomorrow night's party at El Cid (start time 11:30 p.m.) will be its last bash.

Launched earlier this year, Modern Romantix was a spin-off of the popular monthly party M/R/X-Wolfpak, which had temporarily shuttered when venue issues arose in late 2008. Where the latter focused on minimal electronic pop with a modern edge, Modern Romantix is decidedly retro. It's playlist focuses on the brief early-1980s reign of the New Romantics, mixing well known artists like Visage and Duran Duran with more obscure tracks of the era. Promoters encourages patrons to adopt the androgynous, otherworldly look of the period as well, as though you were attending a Steve Strange party in London circa 1982. While Modern Romantix successfully got Angelenos to dress up for a night on the town (no small feat), it wasn't to last.

Modern Romantix

Modern Romantix takes a new spin on an old style.

Job Leatherette, promoter and DJ for both parties, told LA Weekly that the decision to close Modern Romantix was necessary in order to devote more time to M/R/X's relaunch later this month. Yes, the club that first introduced Los Angeles to the stark synthpop stylings of bands like Medio Mutante and Xeno & Oaklander and helped revive the career of seminal LA synthpop figure Mark Lane is set to resurface on June 27. For more information in that regard, stay tuned to M/R/X's MySpace page.

For those interested in learning more about the New Romantics, watch the UK Channel 4 documentary Whatever Happened to the Gender Benders? available on YouTube.
Check out these Modern Romantix-friendly videos.

Ultravox
"Dancing with Tears in My Eyes"

Spandau Ballet
"To Cut a Long Story Short"

Adam & the Ants
"Prince Charming"