When multi-national organisation Gaydar decided to take the plunge into the bar & clubbing market, adding to its already well established online dating & networking business, as well as its popular radio shows & other online services, some immediately questioned why they should be entering a market place that was in complete contradiction to is regular offerings. Yet, with its first foray out on Frith Street, the venue gained considerable following, filling a neat gap in the selection of Soho sophisticates, although this massive conglomerate was keen to make a bigger impact of the capital’s clubbing scene and like its bar operation, fill a much needed gap in central London, particularly given the fact that many existing venues were either closing down (in some case bulldozed) or diminishing in popularity. So, they soon sought out a space on Wardour Street which had previously seen failed attempts to do similar, a launch under the guise of “Sweet Suite” falling at the first hurdle, although with the might of Gaydar behind it, this new operation had every chance of succeeding where others had failed.
Lo-Profile hit the ground running in 2007, very much capturing a change in clubbing trends, as people began to desert the larger venues in preference to the more moderate affairs that were better matching the needs & demands of a shrinking audience, some laying the blame on this change, funnily enough, at the door of online organisations like Gaydar, for revolutionising the way people meet & connect, this trend change meaning that the traditional way of meeting people, in bars & clubs, was becoming much less the norm. So, very much flying in the face of their bread & butter business, the bold move to open a nightclub was seen by some as controversial, as was the extrovert decor of Lo-Profile, the overt shapes of lighting around its entrance working well, but the replication across the club , a little too much for some. Plus, with certain club ventures failing to ignite expected attraction, it seemed the club was, like its predecessors, would flounder, although three years on, it is not only still alive, but very muck kicking.
So, given both the appeal of its sister venue, Profile, now located directly above on Wardour Street, plus with all the recent improvements to the club space, we simply couldn’t forgo making the trip down to Lo-Profile for its 3rd birthday celebration, even if we had stated we were suspending our reviewing activity for November, we very much pleased to make this exception. Therefore, we made plans to meet up with D.J. close pal Brent Nicholls, who was due to perform at this special birthday bash, making our way to Profile for around 10 p.m. for the liaison with our friend, also catching up with Profile’s Friday resident D.J. Phil Marriot, who was in his usual chirpy mood & keen to party on downstairs after his stint behind the decks, transmitting his show live to Gaydar Radio’s Club Nation audience. And with the bar a frenzy of activity, not least with the bubbly enthusiasm exuded from fellow friend Andrea, who bounded up to make her presence felt
But the main focus was downstairs, so with Brent Nicholls leading the way, we headed through Profile and then down past the clubs reception, entering Lo-Profile’s space in time to catch the end of the VIP reception for this special birthday occasion, D’Johnny in charge of the musical direction, pumping out a neat selection of tech infused house hits to a select bunch of invitees ready to party deep into the night. So, soon finding ourselves at the bar, we grabbed some refreshments, served by the charming Philippe and began to circulate the space, bumping into familiar face, one after the other, including yet more D.J. pals (was it a convention?!) Alessandro Londra, Paul Heron, Nick Evans & Jamie Head, all making their appearance to toast Lo-Profile on its third year in operation. Plus, some the Gaydar top brass were around, we even getting invited to a glass of champagne, most agreeable, everyone in cheerful & celebratory mood as the club began to swell in numbers before our eyes, the staff motoring to get everyone served in their now customary efficient manner, special “3” balloons festooning the back bar to re-enforce the birthday message.
So, now we were set fair to soak up this Lo-Profile special occasion, planting ourselves in our favourite spot (come on you should know by now) just by the D.J. booth, the perfect vantage point to see the new lighting system swing into action, the bank of lasers swinging to the beats D’Johnny was bashing out & bouncing off the sea of bodies that was now filling the dancefloor. But when the podiums filled, first with enthusiastic party goers, one such hunk stripping to the waist, although he was soon to make way for an even tastier guy, part of the troupe of dancers that were to entertain our eyes throughout the rest of this pulsating party. And it came as no surprise that Mr photographer himself, Chris Jepson, was on queue to snap the gorgeous dancers in action, although fortunately we were also in pole position with our phone pointed directly at this sexy stud in front of us, our hands quivering as we shot away to our hearts content.
With D’Johnny’s set now over, it was down to Brent Nicholls to further elevate the already awesome atmosphere, he very much taking the music, grasping it with both hands and giving it his trademark latino edged & funky filled touches, with plenty of house heaven anthems from across the three years of Lo-Profile’s existence, trading classics like “Sunday’s At Heaven”, with more recent hits “Devil Walking” “Hey, Hey” and many more, although the rapturous reaction to Toca’s “Miracle” was one of the most amazing we have seen anywhere & proved a truly magical moment within this Aussie D.J’s superlative set. And we were very much in full flow, especially in the company of Mr Marriot, who had now made it down from upstairs to join in the party, we not only trading dance moves, but also sharing more than a joke or two which was, yet again, proving to be a fabulous Friday sashaying in Soho rather than being vivacious in Vauxhall.
With Brent in complete control of the decks and the new lighting & effects in full tilt, we were going nowhere, our original plans to stay for just an hour or two, laid to waste, our dancing dervishness showing no signs of slowing down, so good was Lo-Profile, even outstaying the usually energetic Andrea, who curtain called before us. But with yet more people swinging by, including the charming Suzana Quentin & the lovely Naomi Ruiz, as well as beautiful Brazilian Lunarde Martins, the captivating company couldn’t have been better, our spot by the D.J. booth proving the perfect place to be, Brent continuing to delight with one delicious dance tune after the next, all very evocative of this special 3rd birthday bash, he pitching the music perfectly, ensuring the dancefloor remained rammed right up to the 4 a.m. finish. And, whilst we really wanted to stay to the end, the call of our bed & resting before a journey to family duties the following morning, meant we had to grace our exit, collecting our bits from behind the D.J. booth, saying farewells to those around us, then sliding out into Soho to wend our way home & reflect on what was certainly a superb celebratory event extra-ordinaire.
There is absolutely no doubt that Lo-Profile, in its three year history, has gone from strength to strength, Fridays as well as Saturdays proving more & more popular as time has gone by, this being no surprise, particularly when you consider the wealth of D.J. talent the team employ to attract the masses, talents Steve Pitron, Mikey D, Jamie Head, Paul Heron & Gonzalo Rivas, among a host of others, all very much the cream of the London clubbing scene, that many a larger club operation would be proud to sport, meaning the music is the best you will find anywhere. And with both D’Johnny & Brent Nicholls masterminding that music for this 3rd birthday bash, we were very much treated to a truck load of terrific tunes from start to finish, all added to by the brilliant new lighting installations that have made such a big difference to both the atmosphere & ambiance of this Soho sophisticate, combining to make Lo-Profile, not just a credible alternative to the larger offerings south of the river, but a captivating club in its own right. So, we raise our glass in hearty congratulations to the team behind this prolific place & look forward to celebrating the next birthday in just as much style as this. (DISCO MATT)
Postscript
To mark Lo-Profile’s third birthday, resident D.J. Brent Nicholls has compiled a special mix, marking this special occasion, his 18 track devotion covering the three years of the clubs history with some truly amazing anthems, Brent describing it, modestly, as “…nothing groundbreaking, just a collection of good time memories defined by house music…” this hardly doing justice to what is one of his best creations of 2010 so far, keeping us addicted from start to finish and will surely do the same for you too.
So, to download this mesmeric mix, go to http://djbrentnicholls.com/web/music & click on the relevant link. Plus, to see the new look Lo-Profile in full swing, captured in video by Mr Nicholls, go to either his own website or to direct link http://seenqueen.com/web/tag/lo-profile-3rd-birthday/ and sink yourself into both the music & the action of this outstanding outfit.