Archive for January 21, 2011

DM Recommends – “B Stands For?!…” – Weekend Best Bites – Fri 21st to Sun 23rd January

January 21, 2011 | Author

Well, January is speeding along at a right old pace, although having been laid low since day three, we haven’t been indulging quite as much as we should or could have done anyway, although with Wednesday just gone was one of a few outings for us , plus an occurrence standing for B, on this occasion, birthday’s, as we indulged at Industri, joining in a right old knees up & good time for Minty’s, Paul Heron’s & Industri’s birthday(s), plus it seems regular Terry’s & guest D.J. Chris Brogan’s too. But with that enthralling event under our belts, but our ear infection yet to be banished, we once again tackle our Best Bites post at the 11th hour, bringing you our top choices in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere, extending our choices a little & equalling out the exposure too.

Starting with Soho, we get straight to the point, Profile & Lo-Profile topping out pile, Friday (21st Jan) seeing an influx of new blood upstairs, as Room Services & up-coming hot shot Zack Black takes to the decks, firing up your Friday in full-on fashion from 7 p.m, while downstairs in Lo-Profile, Nathan Six makes a welcome return, kicking the macho & muscular music, while espaniol lover Tony English sets you steaming into Saturday with a storming selection of sounds. Talking of which, Saturday sees main Profile man Craig Daniels start off the night, then it’s another Beyond pre-party in Lo-Profile, with Nick Evans & D’Johnny trading up the tunes, while fab hostess Chrissy Darling tempts & woos you to Vauxhall with those sort after discount entry vouchers. With fantastic food upstairs & to die for drinks downstairs, Profile & Lo-Profile offer a weekend package that takes a lot of beating, further details available at http://profilesho.com & http://loprofile.com.

Over at the Shadow Lounge, its busy weekend business as usual, the discounted entry for guests on the list still operating,  that means if you’re on the list it’s a fiver to get in, but if you’re OFF the list its as much as £10, maybe even more. So, before we tell you what’s on, go join their Facebook group at http://facebook.com/theshadowlounge & message Angel with your details. Now as for tonight (Fri 21st), it’s another “Therapy” sesh, with D.J.’s Minx & Mis-White mixing up classic hits with the latest sounds, while the ever popular “Inferno” takes hold on Saturday, resident D.J. & popular playboy (musically of course) Andrew Elmore selecting the pop-tastic tunes. Plus, having had our ears to the ground, it seems the team at this select spot in Soho have a new night up their sleeves, so with our finger on the pulse, watch this space for more news, although if it’s current Shadow Lounge news you need, then log onto their website, http://theshadowlounge.co.uk  for details of these events & much more.

Two other quick mentions go first to Rupert St, who have D.J’s Jc Christopher & Alessandro Londra masterminding the music on Friday & Saturday respectively, while Barcode have another of their hugely successful “The Cave” nights tonight (Fri 21st) downstairs in the club, with Megawoof’s Tim Mcloone on the decks, while upstairs resident new boy Dilmar Brito is joined by the legend that is Jo Publik on the decks, the whole night being free of charge, wow!, as is entry to Rupert St. More details on both bars can be found by going to http://rupertstreet.com & http://bar-code.co.uk

Moving on & down to Vauxhall and its, yet again, another busy weekend for The Orange Group, with theirs already having started with Gravity last night, continues tonight (Fri 21st Jan) at Area with the overhauled Onyx, D.J.’s on duty including Oliver M, Lee Harris, Tasty Tim, & Paul Christian, then switching to Fire for A:M, seeing the return (although as a guest on the main floor), scene favourite D.J. Jamie Head. Saturday & Sunday in the Orange Group world definitely has B as the biggest ingredient, B on Saturday standing for “Birthday”, Queer Nations’ 20th at Fire to be exact, “Bear” as Amsterdam club brand Bear Necessity rolls out at Area, while on Sunday, B stands not just for “Beyond”, but for “Booster” too, Area really taking centre stage for the weekend as both clubs play out there. Now, we have already covered Bear Necessity & Beyond in a special Weekend Focus & our devotion to Queer Nation is coming right up. As for the rest, which also includes Later & Orange, more details are available at, at http://fireclub.co.uk/fire-nightclub-london-gay-parties.php, while guest list inclusions can be sorted by going to http://gayguestlits.com/ & then adding your favoured club after the forward slash, got it?!

Over at The Eagle, it’s a reasonably regular weekend, with Tim Jones & this Tonker tribe are back for more muscular manfest action tonight (Fri 21st), with special guest Alan X turning up the musical volume, while tomorrow (Sat 22nd), the venue takes hold, keeping it simple but saucy, with plenty of men on men marauding but with a fun & friendly feel to it all, music being of the old skool classic variety. Then Sunday sees a right old shindig, as the Horse Meat Disco crew wrap up the weekend with yet more dollops of horsing around action, the dollops not of the manure kind, rather of the mash-up musical sort, with the likes of Jim Stanton, James Hillard & Severino selecting the sounds. Plus, don’t forget that Tim & his Tonker tribe host the second room at Bear Necessity on Saturday, details of Mr Jones’ club available at http://tonker.co.uk while for The Eagle, go to http://eaglelondon.com.

Two other quick Vauxhall mentions go the The RVT for tonight (Fri 21st), when Boogaloo Stu takes over this venerable institution, creating another madcap melay, “Pop Kraft”, as only he knows how, helpers including Sparklemtion & Size Zero Albino (say’s it all), while on Saturday (22nd Jan), Barcode delves into all things “Deviate”, the brand going banana’s on us (literally!), this apparently being their favourite fruit, our Italian stallion, Pagano ruling the musical waves in the main space, while the front bar has Daz Saund along with Bills & Hurr hitting the house heaven. For details on these & other events at the venues, go to http://rvt.org.uk & http://bar-code.co.uk.

Right to our alternatives and first up & back with a bang is The Dalston Superstore (DSS), which hits the ground running tonight (Fri 21st Jan), with the re-launch of “Boy Dem” with D.J’s E-Man, Erol Sabadosh, Oliver Rant & Laurence Matthew, which looks like being a blast, while tomorrow (Sat 21st), Dan, Matt & co have a special night to mark the launch of the SMS (that stands for “Stop Making Sense”) festival in Croatia, which takes place this coming August, the DSS boys starting early (and why not!) with Marcus Wongul, Nadia Ksaiba, Mikki Most & Rokk joining DSS’s Dan Beaumont on the decks, all five a feature of the SMS festival in Petrcane. Then, to polish of the weekend, D.J. Squeaky selects the sounds at the madcap “Tutti Frutti”, on Sunday (23rd Jan) joining the disco dots with a bit of soul & classic house to slide you into next week. Further info on happenings at DSS, can be found by, by following the boys’ tweets at http://twitter.com/dsuperstore, joining their Facebook group, or by dropping them a quick ask at hello@dalstonsuperstore.com.

Back towards Shoreditch, City Road to be exact and it’s the enthralling & entertaining East Bloc that struts its stuff, tonight (Fri 21st) seeing another “Disco Fag Bar” roll into town, the DFB boys very much be ruling the roost as they welcome back both John Sizzle & Luke Howard to the disco decks, the duo being joined by special guest & Gutterslutter, our super Swede Per Q.X., while door hosts Kristoffer Chapman & Diego keep the entrance in order, Wayne Shires & Laurent Chaumet doing the opposite inside (but we like a load of naughtiness Shires style don’t we!?!). Then on Saturday (22nd Jan), it’s monthly night “Dare!”, with resident D.J. guest John Pleased Wimmin & special guest Jon Marsh (he from Beloved) & ASBO’s Alivin C, with a music policy that ensures only “the best new electronic dance sounds alongside those that inspired it”, sounds excitingly electrical in a past, present & future way.  With news of a special night next Saturday (29th Jan) which includes the appearance of Shoreditch sons Tom Stephan & Kris De Angelis, both fresh out of the recording studio on a joint production, go check out these & more details about East Bloc at http://eastbloc.co.uk.

Finally, a quick alternative attention goes to The Cambria in Camberwell, a typical traditional pub that has been given the classy as opposed to ghastly “Gastro” treatment and plays host to an afternoon of song & socialising with extra entertainment from hostess, the legendary Mz Kimberley & her special guests. Plus, Sunday wouldn’t be Sunday without a roast, the Cambria team serving carvery style between 3 & 5 p.m., with meze style snacks afterwards, making this “Upstairs” alternate affair a successful certainty, more details on the venue to be found at http://thecambrialondon.com/.

Right, with a little less fuss & a few more best bites, that’s just about it for our weekend round-up, but just time to mention our clubbing website friends SeenQueen, who have a hefty weekend weight on their shoulders, as Sunday sees the release of the “Your Disco Needs You Poll”. Now if you are reading this tonight (Fr 21st Jan), then we urge you to check your junk e-mails in case your vote needs verifying, as with the comp as close as can be, your vote could make all the difference. However, if your conscience is clear & you just want to know what’s hot & where to be seen on the scene, check out their new(ish) look website for their choice picks, by going to http://seenqueen.com.

So, all that’s left to say is, have yourselves a wonderful weekend, wherever you are & whatever you are up to, although if you find yourselves at Bear Necessity & Beyond, come say hi, as we plan to be there (ear plug inserted of course) too and as we always say…..”Go There! Be There!”. (DISCO MATT)

Posted in Recommends | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »

DM Recommends – “Epic Enclosure Times Two” – Bear Necessity Meets Beyond At Area – Sat/Sun 22nd/23rd January – Weekend Focus Special

January 21, 2011 | Author

Of all the venues currently on the circuit in the capital, Area seems to fit us like a glove more than any other, as not only does its history hold magical memories for us, not least through the early days of just plain old Area in the hands of Crash supremo Wayne Shires, probably our most respected & revered club promoters of all time, then the amazing afterhours, Ultra, which cut a swathe through Sunday’s at the time. But times move on & oh has Area changed, now sporting Friday night phenomenon, Onyx, but also the biggie, Beyond, we having waxed lyrical about this in many a review & post, this brilliant brand  having risen above all others as our favourite club of all time, quite a statement really, but when you think of all the amazing parties it has been responsible for over the years and, in Area, Beyond sporting “our spot”, a mystical yet surreal creation that has gained a reputation as strong, if not stronger than our “Doing The Disco Matt” dance craze, it deserves this amazing accolade.

So that is Area and we kind of know it as the home of Beyond, indeed whilst Onyx is extremely successful and a great club in its own right, there is something that sets Beyond apart and, like the Area glove that fits us, it also seems to fit Beyond too. However, come this Saturday (22nd Jan), another club night looks like getting in on the Area act, as Amsterdam’s answer to Megawoof, Bear Necessity, hits town for the third time, although finds itself in a new home, yes you guessed it, Area, this burly brand starting 2011 as it means to go on, stretching its legs & upping its offer to really stamp its authority on the capital’s clubbing circuit. But if you were expecting a straightforward Bear Necessity party, thing again, as this third instalment looks like being an absolute corker, of the caged variety of course. Why “Caged”?, well the team will be importing a specially made & constructed cage to form the centre-piece of Area’s main room, filled with a feast of sexy muscle-bear dancers to drool over, whilst their will be plenty of performing besides, the podiums filled with hirsute & horny hunks to delight in, along with the odd fire eating & angle grinding display to add some extra spice to the shows.

In terms of music, its set to be just as muscular as the men, with Bear Necessity Amsterdam resident, D.J. Rado taking centre stage, an antipodean (there seem to have been a few this month already!) that moved over to Europe to cut a career behind the decks just three years ago, choosing the Dutch capital as his home, although he was a feature in most of the major clubs & events back in Australia before he moved to Holland, including “Queen” & “Indulgence” at Midnight Shift, Sydney’s  amazing afterhours club, “Phoenix Rising”, along with appearances for “Mardi Gras”, “Sleazeball”, & leather pride parties “Manhole, “Ascension” & “Inquistion”. Indeed Rado has a bit of a passion for leather, so landing a residency at Bear Necessity was a natural move, although he has stretched his talent around Europe, to include clubs like, “Naughty” in Brussels, “GreenKomm” & Nightcontrol” in Cologne, as well as “UC” in Frankfurt. However, this is one D.J. that has never really craved fame like so many others, rather channelling his passion into the music he plays, very much transcending the genres, between progressive tech, deep house & tribal, the underlying feature of his sets being the creation of energy and, as he puts it “…selecting the sounds & the right tracks that deliver the emotional state I believe they search for & what fits the moment…”, so a man after our own heart really.

So, this is one set & performance you won’t want to miss, Rado being joined in the Bear Necessity main room by clubland favourite Brent Nicholls, who will, we are sure, feel right at home rubbing shoulders with a fellow & familiar Aussie (they are taking over!!), but also making a welcome return to Area, his last appearance being for the Beyond/Pervert party last March, although he was always a feature of Area events when it was under the steership of Wayne Shires. Also joining the men from Oz, are Italian Mickey Galliano, resident of Rome’s “Muccassassina” club, as well as a host of others right here in London, including “Queer Nation”, while making up the quartet is an Alex Erfan find, D.J. Isavin having made his London debut at “Lovechild” and is sure to get the party going in style. Now, whist we can’t share music from Rado (we will be pressing him for a podcast), Micky has a new release well worth a listen at http://mickygalliano.podomatic.com, while Isavin’s podcast very much belies his uplifting & energetic musical style, also worth checking out at http://isavin.podomatic.com, Brent having well over 20 recordings from the last twelve months alone, all  out at http://djbrentnicholls.com/music (ooh, what’s that latest one!?!?!)

 But Bear Necessity (BN) doesn’t stop there, oh no, as Tim Jones’s musclebear brand “Tonker” takes its rightful place in proceedings, the man himself behind the decks in the second space, with some surprise guest to boot, while the BN team will be rolling out a special beer (or is that bear) garden, slap bang next to the “Tonker Terrace”, where you can grab a beer & a boogie, the beer being of the draught variety (yum yum) so as to satisfy those bear-tastic thirsts, this whole Bear Necessity “Caged” spectacular kicking off at 11 p.m, & running through until an advertised 7 a.m. Advanced tickets are on sale at the usual Soho outlets, plus online at http://clubtickets.com, all priced at just £10, while more will be available on the door but for more.

However, what about Beyond we hear you cry?, well fear not as both Bear Necessity & your favourite afterhours dovetail with each other from 5 a.m., Beyond kicking off, as usual in the “Future House Chapel”, where resident Paul Christian will be joined by the jocular jock, Hifi Sean, who very much comes into his own in this room & is sure to hit the high notes like he did for us on 2nd Jan. Then, as the BN crew melt away from the main room, they will be replaced by Beyond all-stars Steve Pitron and Alan K, we very much looking forward to assuming (or will that be reassuming?!) “our spot” in time for another precision Pitron performance at 7 a.m., while special guest Paul Heron sandwiches the regular Beyond boys, making this , in his own words “…my first gig back in London after Australia for NYE/NYD…” (well, he was playing at Industri on Wednesday, but maybe that doesn’t count!), so is sure to whip up an uplifting progressive & tech storm of a set. Then, to round off what will be a 14 hour back-to-back bash, Beyond’s main room couldn’t be in better hands than the multi-mixing master himself, Alan K making a most welcome return & to the place where he truly belongs (Beyond management please note!), no Sunday morning afterhours at Area worth its salt  without Mr Adams on board.

Add to all that the music from the “Sunrise Terrace” with what seems like the Orange’s Group’s busiest & most used D.J., Fat Tony, along with Beyond regular’s D’Johnny & Jamie Head (yes Jamie is back!), along with the main room madness that will be awash with laser lighting, yes even more than usual, the theme of the night centred around that cage installation which the BN crew will have already made use of. However, for the fresh faced fanatics landing on Beyond, it should be pretty much of an eye opener, while dancing choreographers Elektra Paris & Shaun Capewell promise some dazzling displays and drop dead gorgeous guys & girls on the stage & podiums, we hope movin & grooving a bit more than they usually do.  Plus, reading through the press release lines, it looks like there may be a prison theme running through Beyond (maybe Cell Block H with all this Aussie influence in the air!), your warden (or as we prefer to call her, hip-hop hostess) for this Beyond “The Cage” affair, being Chrissy Darling, who will be shepherding you all in beautifully while our Tom is still lying on a beach.  Now, the news on the ground is that, if you have been at Bear Necessity, then you can stay on for Beyond free of charge (fabulous), although if not, it will be £12 in advance, tickets on sale online at http://clubtickets.com, at the usual outlets in Soho, plus over the bar counter at Rupert St, while Chrissy will be armed with plenty of discount passes at the “official” pre-party at Lo-Profile on Sat night (22nd Jan), where D.J.’s Nick Evans & D’Johnny will feature.

So, all in all, it looks like Area will be stealing the show this Saturday & Sunday and with a cast that includes Brent Nicholls, Steve Pitron, Jamie Head, Paul Heron, Alan K, Hifi Sean & Micky Galliano, wild horses won’t be keeping us away, ear problems or not, as we are destined to resume “our spot” for this epic enclosure times two and we think, if we can, you should too. (DISCO MATT)

Posted in Recommends | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | No Comments »
This Is Disco Matt
Who Is Disco Matt?
Disco Matt is London’s original party boy and independent journalist who previews, reviews & recommends London's best gay clubs, events & businesses, links to & reviews the scene top D.J.’s and generally covers the gay scene including international gay clubs & events.
Contact Disco Matt
Just drop us a line at matt@discomatt.com.or complete the contact form found at the bottom of this column.
Disco Matt Suggests
To link up with our scene website suggestions, simply click on the chosen banner below
Disco Matt Published
To follow our alternative press publication points, select your chosen banner below
Disco Matt Post Diary
January 2011
M T W T F S S
« Dec   Feb »
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
31  
Disco Matt Supports
We promote and support a wide range of clubs, events, music producers, publications & businesses, both in London & internationally, our choice picks included in rotational banner sections below
Supporting Clubs/Events
Below are our rotational banner picks/links choices from the wide range of clubs/events we support in London & internationally.
Pick of The Day
Hot Shot Happenings
London Best Bites
International Best Bites
Supporting Music
Below are our rotational banner picks/links choices from the wide range of music producers we support in London & internationally.
Podcast/ Of The Week
Podcast Picks
Track Of The Week
Track Producer Picks
Supporting Publications
Supporting Businesses

Designed by Brent Nicholls.