My first ever visit to the almighty XS to see what the fuss is all about would have been a much more enjoyable experience had it not been for the absolutely craptacular, headache inducing house / feck-no \""music\"" they were spinning the entire night. Perhaps I chose the wrong evening to visit, but apparently, there was some \""superstar DJ\"" on stage named \""Norman Doray,\"" so I was expecting something great. I kept waiting all night for him to put on something cool, but it was nothing but set after set of just banging and noise.\n\nAnd believe me when I say that I wasn't the only one who felt this way. Out of the hundreds of visitors in attendance, I'd say that less than 10% were even attempting to dance. Now, as a former DJ myself, I can appreciate talent on the turntables, and as far as actual skill, this guy has definitely got it goin' on, but the genre he chooses to waste his talent on is a crying shame. But hey, I'm sure he's making his bread, so who am I to criticize?\n\nOn one of our taxi rides around town, we struck up a conversation with a younger, more hip cabbie, and asked him about this troubling techno trend in Vegas these days. He himself said that he abhors it, and wishes they would play more normal music that can be enjoyed by the general populace, and not just a select few.\n\nWith all that said, the outdoor portion of XS is quite wide and roomy, and not once did I feel like a piece of wood on the sanding machine like at most other clubs. Aesthetically, it is indeed a beautiful venue. Best of all, there are plenty of ledges to sit on, which was perfect for us, as not a single one in our group of 20+ (mostly from the Bay, and some from Japan) could get down to the horrid beats emanating from the sound system. What's worse for me was the fact that I don't drink, and I couldn't even drown my sorrows in the bottle or cup.\n\nNo lie, I was this close to actually giving alcohol a try for the first time in my life just so I could relieve myself from the noise.\n\nFurthermore, If there is one demographic in clubs that I can't stand, it's obnoxious, yuppie aZns, and this place has them in droves. Hey, everyone knows that Asian peeps tend to gravitate towards whatever is perceived as the hip and happenin' spots, and XS certainly falls under this category. I personally much prefer the non-Asian clubs myself.\n\nSince it was \""Swim Sunday,\"" the pool area was open for those brave enough to take a dip, and a couple of members of our crew actually decided to take them up on this offer... with their clothes still on! However, since my head was on the verge of bursting like a pumpkin at the musket range, I was long gone by then.\n\nNow, if you'll excuse me, I have an appointment shortly with my audiologist to get fitted for a new hearing aid.\n\nP.S. There is actually ONE genre of techno that I do like, and love to dance to, which is Jumpen, aka Hardstyle. Unfortunately, none of that was anywhere to be found on this night.