Very much back in the preview groove, it seems that the scene, after a brief January respite, is exploding into action from the first weekend of February, Pushca right up there as one of the top notch turns, its “Undercover – Let The Mystery Begin” event expected to euphorically erupt with enthralling excellence at Electric in Brixton, we delving deep into the detail in the second preview devotion of 2013.
They say that a change is as good as a rest, although with January on the capitals clubbing circuit looking a little lack-lustre, well in terms of large scale events at least, it seems that a break & rest from the same old, same old is what the DM doctor is ordering and while there is plenty happening out east, not least at Wayne Shires heavenly hangout, we can’t help but feel that the whole of London is drawing breath ahead of plenty of change to come. Indeed, while Profile & Lo-Profile’s sudden closure has shocked the scene, the saying’s “…as one door closes, another opens…” and “…open a new window, open a new door…” seem quite relevant just now, not least that new Tuesday nighter “Swallow” starts next month, as does the new Saturday soiree “Baked”, while it seems established brands are stretching their legs somewhat, Room Service certainly making hay, while its all change for Deelooded from next month, its move out east sure to amass amazing attention & attendance. So, it is also pleasing to see, as part of the change that has every chance of sweeping the scene shortly, that a brand perhaps more associated with our straight clubbing cousins, is aiming to attract a gay audience too, the so called metrosexual scene that has been bubbling under the surface for a few years now, set to explode with electrifying excellence on the first Saturday in February.
Puscha is a club & brand that has been pushing the enthralling event envelope for close on ten years now, this London based metrosexual, or as Puscha prefers to call it, polysexual party having also toured Ibiza & Asia in its time, it having built a reputation to going that extra mile with its staging & its themes, fervent followers very much into dressing for the occasion, making for a most fabulously flamboyant frolic. Indeed its creators have masterminded a mystique that outsiders may sometimes view as poetic fantasy, but for those in the know is all part of the prolific Pushca package, a club that knows no bounds both in terms of budget for its bashes & imagination for its incarnations, a glance at their website just one of many indications of the elaborate eventing that has become the brands byword. Yet, having based itself in the Victoria venue, Pascha, for most if its years on the capitals clubbing circuit, like many of its contemporise, this superb spot has been given away to construction & developers, in this case a major expansion of Victoria underground station, leaving Puscha without a permanent London home. However, this small setback has not stopped the club in its tracks, a move out east in October last year, seeing it stage a successful soiree at Village Underground in Shoreditch, David Morales headlining an event that was every bit the extrovert & enthralling event that everyone has come to expect of Pushca.
Yet while Shoreditch was a breath of fresh air for the brand, its unbounded budgeting & substantially sophisticated staging was always going to crave for a venue much more flexible than Village Underground, both in size & stature and so for this next instalment in the new London life of Pushca, the team have landed on the revamped Brixton Electric (formerly known as The Fridge) as the place to propel their party, “Undercover – Let The Mystery Commence”, which has a distinct 007 theme running through it. Indeed, looking through the party PR, it seems the costume wearing that Pushca’s party people always throw themselves into, is being pushed to the fore, not least when they say “…think 007 License to dance, Austin Powers meets James Bond, the Secret Service, Miss Moneypenny, The Avengers, Bourne Identity, Spooks, Nikita, Goldfinger, Dr No, Jinx Johnson, Mission Impossible, Severine, Men In Black, Octopussy, & Solitaire…” these just a few hints & ideas of what apparel its attendees may be wearing. As for Brixton Electric, it seems Pushca has found a perfect bedfellow, both the size & style fitting it like a glove, the team eager to tell us that “…Pushca has transformed this impressive space to provide their largest and most spectacular venue to date. It features a massive dance arena framed dramatically by VIP areas, with clear stage views from every angle. There is also a second dance space for those looking for something more intimate & steamy! Electric Brixton boasts one of the most advanced sound systems in London, and is equipped to provide the ultimate live experience with dazzling over-the-top production and pyrotechnics. All this plus the kind of effects and show-stopping performances that you can ONLY expect to see at Pushca!…”.
So that’s the theme for “Undercover” along with plans for transforming Electric’s superb space, but what about the music, after all, for any club event, this is the considerable cornerstone that scores highly in the success stakes and glancing at the line-up, it seems that Pushca has struck gold (or is that Goldfinger?!?), sporting stars of the music scene that have been at the top of their games for a collective amount of experienced years that far exceeds the clubs history by a long shot and, for us as well as many more, is a dream team of a D.J./Producer delegation. So who could it be, well Tom Novy is the first, this Munich born musician having been in both the D.J.’ing & production business since 1995, a long discography list that includes huge hits “Without Your Love” & “Your Body”, the latter having charted into the UK top ten in 2005, while we will always link him with what became a DM anthem for a while, the fabulously funky “Now Or Never”, brilliantly remixed by Lizzat & Voltaxx, accompanied by one of the mist eye catching videos we have seen.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yFmvB13R_Jc[/youtube]
And with MTV appearances galore, plus booking request from the likes of The Backstreet Boys, Jimmy Sommerville & fellow producer Erick Morillo, Tom brings both experience & energy to this Pushca party and will surely storm the show with a scintillating set. The there is Paul Gardner, one half of the superb Soul Avengerz who’s productions never fail to ht our heavenly house music mark, while Paul himself is best credited for his single recording with vocalist Peyton, “You Can’t Hide From Yourself” having made it big back in 2010, while more recent hits include “Come Get My Lovin” and the massive “Music In My Soul”, which was huge across dancefloors right across the globe. So, we have no doubt that Paul’s Pushca performance will press plenty of pulsating buttons, his uplifting vocal infused soaring selections scoring superbly.
Then we move to Seamus Haji, who’s name we will forever link with both the dance music label Hed Kandi & with his studio partner, Paul Emanuel, not least as huge hits “Take Me Higher”, “Weekend” and the number one smash “Last Night A D.J. Saved My Life”, all featuring large on the dance labels albums, while Seamus’s list of other track productions is impressively extensive, stretching back as far as 1996 to as recent as 2011. But it doesn’t stop there as Mr Haji has remixed the records of an amazing array of artists, a list that reads like a who’s who of the music scene, Danni Minogue, The Sugarbabes, Rihanna, Mariah Carey, Jamiroquai and most recently, Jessie J & the Scissor Sisters, while it his remix of the scintillating Shakedown’s “At Night” that is our tip top track re-work of his
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UO5YHkW-mc4[/youtube]
As for his Puscha set?, well given all these prolific uplifting vocal drenched productions, it looks like plenty more of the same next Saturday and with his resplendent rhythm repertoire, it will definitely be a set you won’t want to miss. Then, completing the D.J. package is Pushca’s own Tony English, a guy that plays the polysexual D.J.’ing card just as much as the club does, appearances for Lovechild, Lo-Profile & SuperMartXe added to his regular slot on the already much missed Gaydar Radio, while he neatly balances this with a string of showings on the straight scene, so is Puscha personified. Plus, he was the one that introduced us to the brand some four or so years ago, so can take a lot of credit for us getting to the stage of promoting Pushca as we are now, while his style of sound is very much in-line with the three other stars of this spectacular “Undercover” showing, Mr English not the final performer on the Puscha pack, as special P.A. Abigail Bailey who follows up her dancefloor smashes “Touch Me” and “Runaway” with a performance to launch her new single “OCD”.
Now, while Puscha’s “Undercover – Let The Mystery Begin” event is likely to get our further focus, in some form or other, ahead of Saturday 5th February, given that we have the keys to the party detail, it would be rude not to share it with you now, this first outing for the brand in 2013 taking place at Brixton Electric, doors opening at 10 p.m. and the event running through to a planned 6 a.m. finish. Advance tickets, as is usual for gathering of this size, is very much the way to go, a number of sources at your disposal, the early bird £10 options long gone, while the standard £20 tickets can be gobbled up online via Club Tickets, direct link http://www.clubtickets.com/gb/2013-02/02/pushca-undercover-spy-ball, or at Resident Adviser, http://residentadvisor.net, while should you prefer to put your hands on one in person, then if you’re in Soho, head for Prowler &/or Clone Zone while Minnie Boutique out in Brentwood (yes people travel distances for a Puscha party) are selling tickets too, details & web links for all three as follows, http://prowler.co.uk, http://clonezonedirect.co.uk/ & CustomerServices@minnies-boutique.co.uk, although, inevitably, you may end up wishing just to pay on the door and you can, but perhaps expect to pay a little more. For the full PR event rundown, you can go check out the clubs website at http://pushca.com or hit on the Facebook events page at http://facebook.com/events/473672562668215/, while we give some of the last words to “Madame Pushca” herself when she say’s “…So join me, my fellow revellers, for a night to remember. Indulge your uniform fetish, become a professional undercover agent for a dazzling one night career – take advantage of your position and get trashed on the job, after all you only live twice. This will be a fabulous playground for the seriously uncommitted, hosted in a truly delightful venue. Experience a wonderfully frivolous, unique Pushca designed for the more adventurous amongst us…”.
So, it seems that all eyes will be on Brixton Electric on the first Saturday in February, Puscha yet again pushing the boundaries & propelling its party prolifically, that D.J. line of of Tom, Seamus, Paul & Tony an absolute dream, meaning that this will definitely be THE place to be & be seen on the scene, meaning we can’t recommend enough that you should “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
