The Sound Factory

Writing this since NYE is almost upon us– a group of friends and I booked a booth/​table at The Sound Factory for NYE last year and had a blast. As far as clubs go, it’s pretty standard. The dance floor is a bit small, it could be cleaner, but there’s a second level (that’s pretty cool) and the bar upstairs was offering free drinks!
Booking the night set us back around $ 50 a person, which isn’t tragic considering the prices on comparable NYE events in San Francisco. To be fair, the booth we booked was supplied with sparkling wine (?), instead of liquor, contributing to the low price point. Still, it’s a cool venue for a lower-​cost celebration with friends.

We really liked the halloween party by Raindance. We were impressed by the Fungineers performance. The space was great, the crowd was great, bartenders weren’t assholes.
Only problem I had was that we bought the VIP tickets for this event and was told by a staff member putting up signs for the event that there was no VIP area or specials even if you had a VIP ticket. Soooooo… WHY DID YOU SELL A VIP TICKET THEN? It’s $ 10 more than the general admission btw.

I was at Sound Factory last Friday night for a party. Interesting scene, but music was WAY TOO LOUD. My friends thought the same. It’s Monday and my ears still haven’t recovered. If I ever visit Sound Factory again, I’ll be sure to bring earplugs. Going deaf is NOT a good experience. On the plus side, bartenders juggled the crowd relatively well.

Great NYE event, until some old hag decided to pick a fight with me over a glow stick. You be the judge. Besides that nice venue.

We bought presale tickets for the New Year’s Eve event. When we arrived, we were told we would be waiting in line or at least 90 minutes, meaning we would get inside roughly 15 minutes before midnite. This is after paying around 300 on tickets. We ended up just leaving after being thrown up on in line, and just went elsewhere.

Bleh, this place sucks! Where do i begin… maybe my standard is a lil too high since i dont go to clubs and the only clubs ive been dragged to were in Vegas. I mean who can top vegas clubs? Anyhoo, my friend won girls night out on wild 94.9 and she begged me to go thats how i got here. The floors are wet, they use flimsy disposable cups, and have u noticed their trashcans? Theyre the same kind landscapers use! Ridiculous! Ok maybe im being too harsh but if u ask me, thats how i describe this place. The only good thing that happened that night was yes, Jason Derulo. I know this is off topic but the radio talked about massages and hair n makeup that went along with the win? Lies! Theyre literally, 5-​minute massages and 5-​minute hair touch-​ups!

Great for private events!

I wouldn’t think for a moment about going to sound factory ever, but since my favorite band was performing there I really had no choice. I purchased the ticket a month ahead of time since they said no tickets will be sold at the door «they were», but that’s not the reason for the horrible rating. We were made to wait in line for more than 45 minutes, while the line for new ticket sales was going right through.

Came here yesternight for NYE event hosted by Nessa
I must say I had a really good time. Everyone working that night was really nice and everyone seemed to be there to have a good time. Main room had plenty of space but those beams in the middle of the dance floor are kinda annoying. Its a decent walk from the Bart station be prepared for a mini hill if you prefer not to drive (No D.U.I for me!!)
Good looking women and a fun night for New Years Eve can’t really ask for to much else. To that one girl that gave me my first hug from a stranger in 2013 I was too drunk to get your number but damn u were fine.
*Plays Future song * «Turn On The Lights» IM LOOKIN FOR HEAAAAAA

Line wrapped around the BLOCK! Be prepared to come early, this place gets pretty packed.
PROS:
— The main dancefloor is gorgeous
— Has a really nice dressed up, grunge feeling to the place
— 2 dance floors, a hip hop room up top
CONS:
— Non-​stop fights throughout the night! Even in the girls’ bathroom
— Line is wayyy long, and they keep you out there to get more people to pay cover

I came here for the MECCA event a few weeks ago. I love love this place!
I wasn’t 100% sure about coming here since it is a really old club. Its been around since I was a teen. and that was many many years ago. I won’t say exactly how many. but it’s been many years lol.
The line was crazy and wrapped around the block. There was no way we were going to make it in for the guest list. A few of my friends got in and they said the club was empty. I really HATE it when clubs do that. They process the Guest list painfully slow, and then Nazi the amount of people they let in. But then. whooo! The promoters actually extended the guest list past 11. Woah! who does that! 5 stars totally impressed! Usually holdups are a part of the guest list, but we actually got in a little past 11, For FREE! I have to give these promoters props!
The club is 2 levels, with I think 3 bars. The club is a pretty good size and another plus. The bathrooms don’t get crowded! Ladies, you know how long the lines get at clubs usually. There was one creepy worker guy inside the bathroom. I think he was trying to hand out towels but none of us would go near him. He really doesn’t need to be in there!
Downstairs, there are tables in the front right room and a bar. When you walk into the main room there is a bar and a dance floor further back and more tables. They played good EDM in the main room all night! Upstairs there is a hip hop room which gets a little stuffy, but the ventilation is much better where the tables are. There is also another bar up here and a window where you can look onto the main dance floor.
I can’t wait to come out here again for the next Mecca event!

Actually was pretty impressed by this venue, I would say inside is nothing spectacular but the sound system is good, they had a few decent DJs playing EDM throughout the night, and plenty of bars so we did not have to crowd around to get drinks. The line also moves relatively quick.
Will come back on other nights & check out more of their events.

Boooo. This place sucks.

Damn! This place is still open? Had some great and not so great memories here. Whatever you do don’t bring drunk friends that like to spit on the bouncer’s backs! We all got kicked out and we weren’t even with him when he did it. My friend was by himself near the entrance and we were waaaaaay back on the dance floor. How in the hell did he find us?!?
One of our theories is he probably told the bouncer’s «Look for the hottest guys there.» J/​K

This is an awesome venue space with great events!
SITREP
I’ve been coming to the Sound Factory since the early 90s. By far the most memorable experiences for me here have been the HOUSE OF USHER special events that were hosted when Xavier and Shawni would regale us with the absolute best in Gothic-​Industrial-​EMB music formats.
THE SETUP
Located right near the corner of Harrison and 1^st — where the on-​ramp to the Bay Bridge takes you back to Oakland, the Sound Factory is a great space with several different rooms. You can actually have a large DJ-​event going on in the main room and another DJ-​event going on in the 2^nd main room.
Of late, there have been more House and High Energy dance events that I’ve attended here and they have been a lot of fun.
THE LOWDOWN
The Sound Factory remains one of the première spaces in San Francisco to host a really awesome DJ-​Dance event.

I almost forgot my last time been to Sound factory… it was almost 10 years ago. It was a rave and I remember that I had a good time there.
Went there again (after 10 years) last Saturday… It was an Asian party that night. The people started to line up at 10pm; kinda crazy!
I really like the dance floor. Big, huge and high ceiling, so you have plenty of room to dance… The drink was ok, not strong enough; $ 6 for cocktail and $ 10 for shot.
The restroom was small and kind of dirty. But I don’t think people were really cared after 2 – 3 drinks!
Be aware, the crowd can be very young… early 20s,

Promising space, horrible countryside disco experience. There must be a secret passenger railway tunnel under this venue which carrying all the people from all the Walmarts of the midlands directly to here. Run.

My friend celebrated her birthday here a few weeks ago and I have to say, thumbs down. Maybe it’s because I’m not feeling the SF clubbing scene lately, but I really did not like this place.
Reason 1: The fact that I felt like I should be playing lazer tag with 10 year olds rather than wearing a short dress and heels.
Reason 2: The temperature. There were not that many people on the dancefloor, there was no reason it should be that hot. It was stifling.
Reason 3: The DJ. Pretty much a disappointment. Popular music is absolutely fine by me, but lineup is just as important. You can’t just randomly throw songs together in random order and have good clubbing music, it needs to flow, and that night there was a major lack of flow.
Reason 4: The gigantic group of smokers and gigantic cloud of smoke you have to walk through in order to exit. I get it, people like to smoke at the club, but do you really have to cram 45 smokers into a teeny tiny space that also doubles as your exit? Can anyone else say fire hazard? Oh, haha, I think I should get double points on that one. Yes, I sometimes laugh at my own jokes. Don’t hate.
Yea so overall, bleh. And apparently this place is nicknamed «Stab Factory» due to random acts of violence? Ok yea, this place just definitely jumped to the top of my No Go List.

Yay, I finally got my K2 Cherry Popped!
Please note: if I had to rate Sound Factory as a venue alone they would be getting 1 – 2 stars, but this K2 event was EPIC hence the 5 Star rating!
I’ve heard so many good things about Synergy’s Legendary K2 parties at Sound Factory when it was held back in the dot com days, how it was always crackin’ and how crazy fun it was. I’ve never been to any of the K2 parties because unfortunately at the time, I wasn’t old enough and/​or was stuck in the relationship bubble.
As much as I love to party every single weekend, I was getting to the point where I’m so worn down from clubbing that I sometimes rather spend my time at a lounge. However, when a flurry of Facebook invites came in announcing Synergy was bringing back their legendary K2 party (Sound Factory was re-​opened for this event) and hearing from people that it will be hella crackin’, I was very enticed to say the least.
On Saturday, 3.5.11, my friends and I came to Sound Factory at 11:35 PM. Even before entering, I knew it was packed as I can see a sea of people inside from the main door that was open ajar and from the line that was wrapped around the block.
Kindly excuse my lack of details as part of the night was a blur (approximately 12:30 AM to 3:00 AM) so I had to refer to my FB invites for some of the details.
COVER:
*FREE before 11 PM
*$ 20 for General Admission or after the GL closes
As a side note, I know many people complain about paying cover/​not making GL. Getting in line at 10:55 PM is NOT going to cut it. If you want to make GL, you have to take into account waiting in line so get there early.
LINE:
The GL line was wrapped around the corner and the General Admission line had a very short line with a less than a 2 min wait.
DRESSCODE:
NO sports attire.
MUSIC:
*Main Room: Top 40s, Hip Hip and Pop (Yay, DJ Ken C!)
*Sky Lounge: House and Trance
CROWD:
Asians in their early 20’s to early 30s. HOWEVER, it wasn’t the typical Asian crowd that we see every week at Synergy parties. Apparently, the party generated a lot of buzz because I saw a lot of new faces and met people from all over the Bay Area and So Cal.
BARS:
*6 Bars
*Wait time for a drink was about 5 minutes
DRINKS:
$ 10 for top shelf liquor. But WTF, CASH ONLY!!! There was an ATM inside, but still… WTF!
BOTTLE SERVICE:
*20 private booths
*$ 150/​bottle (reservations required)
STAFF:
Bartenders weren’t the friendliest but Security was super nice. The club was closing but I had to use the restroom and one of the SUPER HOT Security guys, Robert was nice enough to let me go. He nicely escorted my friend and I to the restroom and then outside to the club. We were one of the last ones standing and security kept asking if we were ok and my friend said, one even offered to drive us home.
AMBIANCE/​DÉCOR:
Compared to other SF clubs, Sound Factory is run-​down and dingy. It has an underground feel to it with a laser light show; perfect for rave events. One good thing about Sound Factory is that it’s big (2000+ capacity) and the main room has plenty of room for dancing. I was in the main room the entire time (from what I remember) so I can’t note how the Sky Lounge was.
RESTROOMS:
Dirty, no toilet seat covers, and no toilet paper (in some stalls). Luckily, even though it was a packed venue, I didn’t have to wait in line for more than 3 – 4 minutes because there were multiple bathrooms with several stalls in each one.
We had such a blast that it was past 3 AM (closes at 3 AM) and we didn’t even know it. I can’t even recall ever having so much fun at a party in SF; it even TRUMPS some of my nights at XS in Vegas. So, I can say without a doubt this was definitely one of the BEST «firsts» I’ve ever had HANDS DOWN!!! Hmmm, I wonder if there will be an indefinite return of K2?
P. S.- To the cute Engineer I met from San Diego, HOLLER!!! ;)

I have heard many negative things about this place, including the club being called «Stab Factory»
*shrugs*
I’ve had fun ALMOST every time i’ve come here though.