In a clubbing love affair that started on Christmas Day 2010 and is as strong now as it was then, it was only a matter of time before we would be back to the dance diamante Saturday jewel in the captivating Belgian clubbing crown, the amazing Antwerp our delightful destination and Red & Blue the brilliant beats box, Propaganda holding its third foray and one that lived up to every inch of expectation and more, we still flying high over the heavenly happening and this is why…
We can recall still quite vividly a whole glorious collection of firsts in our lives, many particular passions of ours, while there are a number of not so nice firsts that never made seconds, the good ones including the first time we stepped onto an aeroplane, our love for that mile high club and everything that goes with it still filling us with erupting excitement every time we set foot in an airport. Then there was the first Formula One race we watched, the Nigel Mansell & Ayrton Senna seasons securing it as our favourite sport, while our love for Tennis has roots in our surrogate home in South Africa, here the first time we served & volleyed and even sat in the umpire’s chair. But the list goes on, our first true love, a marvellous man with the same name as ours, the times we spent riding into the South African sunset on our motorbikes, magical memories that will live with us for the rest of our lives, while there plenty more first loves we can recollect, our first proper kiss, our first taste of chocolate, our first ever job, our first score of music and, naturally, our first dive on the clubbing dancefloor. And, without exception, all theses first have become, seconds, thirds, fourths and countless more over the many moons we have found ourselves traversing this wonderful world we call Earth.
So what does all this talk of firsts have to do with the subject of this review? Well, the first time we spent Christmas, either away from home in South Africa, or while living here in London, was when we tripped over to Antwerp with Alex Erfan & crew for Lovechild at Red & Blue and while we cannot count this as our first ever clubbing cavort across to the continent, it was our first time in Belgium and the first time we had toured with a troupe of this sort. And while our stay was relatively short-lived, just Christmas Eve through Boxing Day, it will be one we will never forget, as it was packed with magical memories from start to finish, not least the fabulous friendships we formed & cemented with both the Lovechild lot, but with two Belgian boys who have since become firm friends, despite the distances between us. Indeed, having fallen in love with Antwerp as a city, but moreover with Red & Blue as a club, it would be no surprise that we were itching to return, a trip just two months later, further forming the fabulous friendship with those Belgian boys, D.J./Producer Elof de Neve &, particularly, the wonderful J.d. Cerronez, one which would blossom in Barcelona later that year during the first Delice Dream festival. But with the boys links to Red & Blue would be the driving force behind this, our third return to the club, one which for so many reasons was well overdue, but proved perfect timing for a number of reasons, not least that we had (possibly by fluke) chosen the best party in the clubs calendar.
Propaganda is a name that evokes memories from our youth as it was the German band the propelled into our popularity at the time with their huge hit, while a string of further single & album releases have secured this pop sensation as one of our all-time favourites. But Propaganda in terms of clubs is also connected with Germany, the Berlin based outfit having recently re-emerged, just as the scene in this captivating city has in the last handful of years, while Moscow also boosts a club of the same name, even Nottingham here in the U.K. in on the Propaganda act. However, it is the Belgian party brand that has been making the most waves of late, the philosophy stemming back to the early nineties, which were, as the Propaganda promotions team tell us, “…times when heels and lipstick meant something, when clubbing was about making fun, when people dressed up to go out and when people did go out because they felt the urge to do so, while nothing was impossible…”. Yet while Propaganda Belgium was born just last year, it has quickly adopted many aspects of these nineties clubbing characteristics, indeed in the eyes of many at the launch & since say, “…nothing has changed except our will to obey the freedom…”, Propaganda propelling a real sense of that along with an environment that encourages its clubbers to escape reality for a while, succumb into its splendour and, in the promoters words, “…release us from being ourselves, from those acts of obligation in our lives and in doing so realise that’s when Propaganda carries the change…”., its two superb strap lines being “Obey the freedom, whatever form it takes” and “Where porn meets humour, sexual freedom can be found”.
So, with the prospect of the Propaganda “XL American Dream” event topping previous visits to Red & Blue, this along with the much awaited reunion with Elof de Neve, but particularly J.d. Cerronez, we had to grace our absence from a number of events back in London, including the new Bakebox club launch, as nothing was going to stop us heading for Antwerp and the resplendence of Red & Blue. And our excitement levels were at fever pitch as we boarded an early(ish) Eurostar to Brussels and a planned short stopover to see D.J. pal Guy Scheiman who was playing a gig in the city, although with Guy still a tad jaded after an crack of dawn arrival, we headed on to our Antwerp destination, that excitement growing with each & every kilometre canter. With the splendour on Antwerp’s central station the best city greeting we could wish for, we swung by to catch up with our favourite hotel manager, Lesley Middleton, before checking into our own & taking a short tour around Antwerp catching the advancing dusk & sights on camera before a short disco dose ahead of what would prove an exceptionally enthralling evening. Indeed, our anticipation with our reunion with Elof & J.d. meant we could hardly sleep, a ring on the phone confirming our Belgian boy was waiting for us in the lobby, that moment when we met again one that will live with us forever, while more memory making moments were to come over dinner & then pre Red & Blue drinks, this valuable & precious time we spent with our two brilliant Belgian’s meaning more than words can say.
However, it was Red & Blue and Propaganda’s “XL American Dream” party that was calling, our arrival at the club not long after midnight finding the place already packed with party goers on this most popular of outings, we following J.d. through the crowd & up into the club’s dressing room to pause before the ensuing excitement & enthusiasm that Elof’s stunning set would serve. And this pause in our clubbing proceedings gave us the chance to meet & be introduced to the larger than life character that is Lennart Valgaeren, the mastermind behind this Propaganda party, his extrovert & endearing nature evidence of why he is very much a lynch pin in the Red & Blue set up, he & J.d. very much peas in the pod when it comes to fun & frivolity, just one of many reasons that has made our trips to this captivating club the best of anywhere in the world. And clad in demi drag, Lennart along with the bevy of beauties that would make up the Propaganda dance & stage show troupe, where clearly in party mood, we warming to the whole affair with aplomb, although with Elof needing to prepare for his set, we headed down with him & J.d. to the D.J. booth where we found new(ish) Red & Blue resident Gust Morris sorting the sounds, his rather eclectic mix & switching of upfront & tech house a little tough to acclimatise to, indeed his style not much the warm up that was required, the feeling that he wanted to steal the spotlight rather than play his team part. However, it was Elof’s performance we were here for and with the promise of new track productions on offer, we couldn’t wait for our brilliant Belgian beatmaster to assume control of this party, the crowd also anticipating his start, he without a shadow of a doubt THE most popular resident of Red & Blue and a big & dynamic draw to boot.
And the moment arrived in a trice, both ours & J,d,’s excitement at the prospect of a prolific performance evident for all to see and with Gust out of the picture, we were set free to dive headlong into the fabulously extrovert fun & frivolity that has marked all our meets with our Belgian boys, Elof setting about sending us skyward with his superb sounds. And with J.d. right there we were brilliantly benefitting from inside track commentary on these productions that would pepper Mr de Neve’s pulsating performance, his own remix of the currently popular “Skyfall”, probably the best version of “Show Me Love” in his & J.d.’s 2K13 form, that we had heard, one that even gave the towering Taito Tikaro’s mix clean pair of heels, while it would be their private production, “Searching For Love” that would tumble our trademark tears, not least that J.d. exclaimed “…this is our track Matt…”. However, the music aside, which was thrilling us unequivocally, the fun we were having with J.d. was something quite special, we not remembering any time in our recent clubbing past when we have laughed quite so much, the centre of amusing attention being a small collection of toy dolls that were to cause of innocent yet hilarious indulgence, J.d.’s humping and then the doll lying wasted on the side simply splitting our sides, this bawdy behaviour & extrovert enjoyment evoking marvellous memories from our times together at Delice Dream, the fun we had then playing out once more to exemplary effect.
Now it was time to turn the spotlight, for a while at least on the stage, as Lennart & his gorgeous go-go boys & girls, who assumed their positions to propel this “Propaganda XL American Dream” event, the clear USA theme showing in their characterful and, in some cases, scantily clad costumes, while with star spangled banner backgrounds & flags adding to the showtime entertainment, the statement was certainly superb, this the first of a few sowings throughout the night. But the entertainment also extended to a an amazing acrobat who, hanging & balancing on lengthy ceiling connected cloths, performing mind-blowing moves that captivated & thrilled his audience, while with podium dances aplenty, there was no shortage of eye catching entertainment throughout. Indeed, as with our previous Red & Blue visits, this one was proving that our continental clubbing compatriots are just as good, if not better than London in putting on superb shows, only Matinee meets & WE party production (both Spanish of course) elevating London to the equal of other European events. And, in terms of atmosphere, lighting & effects, Red & Blue is right up there with the best, their lasers simply stunning, ticker tape explosions adding to the enjoyment, while the up for it crowd is, without doubt, one of the friendliest we have encountered, they a million miles away from the edgy & ill mannered clubbers we all too often experience in London’s larger events such as Beyond, WE & Matinee, perhaps the organisers attitude rubbing off on their audience.
But back with Elof and with him deep into his scintillating set, we were well into the groove, his selections clearly captivating the considerable crowd of clubbers in front of his, the occasions when he delighted us with that Mr de Neve arms in the air pose, adding to what was becoming a truly phenomenal performance, while all the fun & frivolity we were enjoying with J.d. continued unabated, his energy & enthusiasm inspirational and part of this performance package, he even ascending the top of the D.J. booth at one point, waving the star spangled banner flag and thrilling us & others incredibly. Mind you, the dolls were also never far away and with Lennart no behind the booth too, the once again played their part in all the tom foolery that was to highlight this as one of the most hilarious happenings ever. However, like too many things in life, these gregariously good times we were having with Elof, J.d. & Lennart were to come to an end, well behind the D.J. booth at least, incumbent disc spinner Max Del Principe, having lurked in the background for a while, suddenly found fault with his computer equipment, this modern form of D.J.’ing leaving little room for failure movement, especially as we wasn’t armed with a back-up plan. And it seemed that back-up was the issue, as he had seemingly lost his whole catalogue of music, we looking on in complete dismay as he struggled for well over half an hour to restore his system, it looking for a worrying few moments that Elof would need to play right to the end of this “Propaganda XL American Dream” event, although as he finally sorted his sounds, and with Elof having extended his set for nearly 40 minutes, the reins where quickly handed over, we beating a retreat to the dressing room with head shaking haste.
With the continuous flow of complimentary refreshments, J.d. & us sharing the same drinks taste, plus with our injured knee now giving us some discomfort after all the dancing & cavorting, we were grateful for the comfort of a seat to see out the remaining proceedings, the whole dance team now back stage & winding down after what had proved yet another hugely successful Propaganda party that still had plenty of legs in it, the fun that ensued in the dressing room very much the icing on this captivating club outing. With wigs flying, balloons bursting, drinks flowing and more bawdy banter & behaviour brimming from this party within a party, we were having a terrific time with what was fast becoming our favourite clubbing crew, our Belgian boys Elof & J.d. always close at hand, while we were happy to allow the party proceedings in the club to take their own direction while we delighted in the debauchery of the dressing room. However, with our bed calling and Elof also keen to head home, we eventually graced our exit from the resplendence of Red & Blue, waving a fond farewell to Lennart, his whole team & the club’s management, before hitting the biting cold on the Antwerp early morning, our stead delivering us to our hotel door, we as emotional in saying au revoir to J.d. as we had been on our reunion earlier, although being safe in the knowledge that Matinee La-Leche in Paris would see us together again, our parting was a little easier to bear, while with the magic of modern technology we knew we would never be far away.
So, what was our verdict on Red & Blue and, particularly, this “Propaganda XL American Dream” event? Well, first and foremost, we definitely chose the right weekend to trip across to Antwerp, this clearly the most popular event on the club’s calendar, the numbers through the door especially impressive given that it was just a day after a huge event in the Belgian capital, while being reunited with red & Blue felt more like a homecoming rather than a continental clubbing experience, the friendly faces we encountered on both our first & second visits, welcoming us warmly as one of their own. As for Propaganda, it certainly lived up to all of its billing, the superb stage shows, the pomp & the circumstance matching all our expectations, while the larger than life Lennart & is passion for the party showed no bounds and was one of many highlights of this heavenly happening. However, our hats have to go off to Elof de Neve, who yet again proved just what a terrific D.J./producer talent he is, his set rivalling the best in the business, we even going as far to say that it topped a Pitron performance in virtually every department, the stand-out difference being those prolific productions that gave Elof’s performance delightful dexterity & discerning difference to playing peers. And with a clubbing resident & guest repertoire that has marked a magnificent last twelve months for Elof, he is clearly a D.J. in demand, the likes of Muccassassina, Matinee & The Farm just three of many more, while Red & Blue are clearly keen to keep him as their headlining hit, as he definitely draws a crowd, many Antwerpian’s & Belgian’s from further afield packing out the place when he plays. So, with this very much the best event we have attended this year so far, we will surely be looking to return to red & Blue sometime soon, perhaps this next time choosing a Propaganda party on purpose, given just how great it was and what a truly terrific time we had. (DISCO MATT)
