Soundbar, the sequelThat was quick. Four months after closing his last place, Johann Sfaellos is back in the club business. The flashy club owner said he is moving into the vacant Visage space, which sits two doors down from his shuttered 414 Soundbar in downtown Minneapolis. Sfaellos walked away from that club in November after a dispute with his landlord. He and partner Enrique Delgado hope to open the slightly-renamed 400 Soundbar in April.

At 8,000 square feet, Sfaellos said the new club near the Twins ballpark will be three times the size of the old Soundbar. He signed the lease on Monday and is working on getting a new liquor license. Expect the same mix of Euro dance music and hip-hop (from such DJs as DJ Fresko, Alex Jarvis and Inno & Stash).

Sfaellos is planning three distinct areas in the club. There will be two front rooms. He described one as having a "traditional Russian palace look," while the other will be Asian-inspired. The large back room will be all modern, with a dance floor and nine indoor cabanas ("the size of small apartments," he said).

The Visage space is a homecoming for Sfaellos. He designed that club's original concept in 2006, but left soon after it opened. His 414 Soundbar had a three-year run starting in late 2007. After it closed in November, Sfaellos began searching for another downtown space, hoping to open a mainstream club called Deseo. He said he hasn't abandoned those plans, but will focus on 400 Soundbar for now. Check back here for opening-night details.

Monster mash-upsGangsta rapper DMX and indie rockers the xx would never share a cab, much less do a song together. But in the mash-up world of the Hood Internet, they're a perfect match. Mash-up tracks -- the mixing of lyrics and music from two different sources -- are a dime a dozen on the Internet. But the Chicago duo of Aaron Brink (ABX) and Steve Reidell (STV SLV) make it high art. They play the Varsity Theater on Thursday. As the Hood Internet, they've amassed a frenzied following of listeners who clamor for their next official mixtape. The brand-new "Volume Five" is available for free on their website: www.thehoodinternet.com. Get acquainted and then check them out in person.

9 p.m. Thu. 1308 4th St. SE., Mpls. $12. 18 and older. 612-604-0222. www.varsitytheater.org.

Spin closes, Brothers expandsWhile its owners aren't talking, it appears the once mighty Spin nightclub has closed. The dance club opened in 2004, helping usher in a new era of VIP bottle service. Apparently, the club's Sunday night, which is called Cream, is still running (no word on who's operating it, though). Rumors are swirling that the building's owner, Ned Abdul, and his associate, John Barlow (who runs Epic and Karma), are planning a new club in the space. Barlow wouldn't comment on the deal, but said, "We are in the process of acquiring the business."

In other downtown news, Brothers Bar & Grill is planning a massive party-bar takeover on 1st Avenue. Grant Wilson, the city's deputy director of licenses, said the chain's owners were approved last month for a liquor license at the shuttered Rosen's and District spaces. Management did not return phone calls. Brothers also received city approval to expand into the closed Refuge next door. Is this the makings of a frat-boy mecca?

TOM HORGEN