We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Adam 12 (aka Adam Bravin) is L.A.’s most versatile DJ. The man who keeps Cloak & Dagger’s dance floor musically mysterious on Tuesdays and Giorgio’s Disco’s floor feverishly funky on Saturday also somehow found time to tour with his band She Wants Revenge last year, and guest around town, too. (He used to spin soul jams at soirees for Barack Obama, and I’m sure he misses it as much as we miss the former prez.) The DJ also knows how to make a room heave on hip-hop, and his club AFEX did it, and did it well throughout the mid-2000s after kicking off at Temporary Spaces on Fountain (the now-ceased traveling club concept from Sean Patrick) and Colony on Cahuenga (also long gone).

On Friday, Bravin returns to his rap music roots, bringing back the beats-driven bash for his birthday and that of his co-promoter Eddie Donaldson. AFEX only rocks hip-hop, classics and breaks from 1979 to 2005 (it used to be up to 1999, but they smartly expanded the playlist a bit) and it goes for old-school vibes atmosphere-wise, too: It's known for serving 40s in brown paper bags, and the fresh-from-the-liquor-store-style brews are back.


But it’s probably the party’s guest DJ and performer procession that brings the real flashback fire. I'll never forget the time I saw KRS-ONE sweat it up with his “Hip-Hop History Lesson” there, and Mad Lion and Doug E. Fresh joined in. DJ AM (R.I.P.), Samantha Ronson and Jazzy Jeff are just a few of the biggies who've joined behind the decks at AFEX, and you never who might stop by, but the scheduled guest is sure to take things to a higher level: none other than recent Hollywood Walk of Fame recipient Cypress Hill’s B-Real. You better believe he’ll be getting insane with his mixing brain for his buddies’ birthday bash.

After this Friday, look for AFEX to hop into the Whitley every first Friday of the month. Bravin also has a C&D event at the Whitley coming for the Ides of March featuring the dark '80s trinity of Depeche Mode, The Cure and The Smiths all night, and unlike the Tuesday club, it's open to non-members, too.

AFEX at The Whitley,  1714 Whitley Ave. Hollywood; Fri., Feb. 1, 9 p.m. Tickets available here. More info here.

Advertising disclosure: We may receive compensation for some of the links in our stories. Thank you for supporting LA Weekly and our advertisers.