Captivating Clubbing In Calella
Now we do like a good party and when the opportunity to sink into a full on festival presents itself, we tend to take to it with gusto, although here in the capital, full length festivals, (i.e. days long) are few & far between, especially those aimed at the gay market, although we did have fun at the London Global Dance Festival last year, albeit that it was quite on the scale of massive events like Circuit in Barcelona, LGDF concentrating more on the clubbing rather than all the extracurricular activity that Circuit offers. However, with our wings well and truly spread into Europe and beyond, when we heard of plans for a spring festival organised by Delice, in Barcelona no less, we kind of jumped at the opportunity, our arm being further twisted by Delice head poncho Anthony Areal & the drop dead gorgeous Mourad, when they visited London for the love-in with Alex Erfan’s Lovechild, literally days before we headed off to South Africa.
So, with our homage home over with, yet with the tug of travel still running through our veins, it didn’t take long for us to affirm our associations with this Delice Dream of a draw, the enticement of meeting up with a whole host of friends & familiar faces from across Europe pretty much sealing the deal on this exceptional expedition. Indeed, having landed in Barcelona literally four hours before the start of this full-on festival, an expedition it turned out to be, the realisation that the host hotel & resort in Barcelona’s Callela, was in fact a jaunt of a journey, the hour or so train journey made much more palatable with the presence of La Demence’s resident pintsized player, Andrei Stan, who, like us, was staying for a sizable chunk of this five day anglo-French foray. So, with our travelling companion linking up with us in central Barcelona, we made our unsure & unsteady way to Callela, eventually arriving at our temporary home with only a few minutes to spare before the first event at host club Zillion, just a hop skip & jump away from our hotel home for this fantabulous frolic with all things Delice.
Dream Of An Opener
With the festival theme “No Time To Sleep” very much our feeling too, having been on the go for well over 14 hours already, it was nevertheless all steam ahead for the opulent opener “1001 Nights”, so having slipped into smoothing more appropriate for this first of many parties, we arrived at the club’s doors not long before 1 a.m., being greeted by the ever smiling Delice head honcho Anthony Aureal, who greeted us at the club like a long lost friend, the substantive stresses & strains of masterminding this huge festival undertaking hardly showing on his face, this warming welcome setting us on our way into the sumptuous venue feeling considerably content with our lot. And as we descended into this Calella club, we were very much impressed by the look & feel of the place, the opulent feel reminding us a little of Cafe De Paris back in London, although without the huge sweeping staircase & the bright chandelier lighting. However, with regal seating around, balcony’s encasing the dancefloor below & a stage area at one end, the multi levelled spaces all accessible to the eye, whilst offering select spots from which to soak up the splendour of this delightful Delice Dream opener and the venue was very much shaping up to be the perfect place to hold this first of five main parties.
So it was down onto the dancefloor we went, the space already heaving with handsome hunks, some dressed down to their torso’s, others already aloft of the two podiums gyrating to the brilliant beats, Enrico Arghentini kicking off the musical proceedings with pumping euphoric & vocal house hits that had Zillion alight with audacious action. But the first curtain raiser in a series of stage showings by the drop dead gorgeous Delice Boys, not least the majestic Mourad, all dressed in Arabian costumes & exuding masses of middle eastern mystique & magic, as they flexed their taught muscles & moved to the music magnificently, we were soon completely immersed into the delight of this “1001 nights” naughtiness. And with our camera clicking both pictures & videos, while our supposed relative anonymity having been broken by a handful of familiar faces, a couple from London, one based in Barcelona, by Belgian boy Andrei Stan, but also from a very forward & obliging Diego Lombardi of Muccassassina, our night definitely ended up being a Delice Dream of a four hour frolic, second D.J. Luiggi performing a spectacular set, a good 1001 times better than the last showing we had seen at Red & Blue in Antwerp.
So, with the first event now under our belt, we arose relatively early to take in what daytime delights this Delice Dream festival had to offer, the hotel a little basic for our liking, although taking the whole package into consideration, good value was certainly to be enjoyed if you immersed into all the activities & hospitalities. And that’s what we did, savouring the second of the, as we called them, “before parties” come Sunday evening, we were to pole position to lap up the loveliness of La Demence resident Andrei Stan, who’s set well & truly shone, getting the gorgeous & not so gorgeous looking Delice Dream lot in the mood for more. With rousing renditions that left us & others spinning on our spots, but with disappointment that the planned AussieBum fashion show was postponed for the following afternoon, it was down to a drag queen duo & other WE party enthusiasts to provide the additional entertainment on Andrei’s, this cavorting collective warming us up for the incumbent “Attacks” event which followed in the club.
The Carlos & Peyton Show
So, with us well into our Delice Dream “No Time To Sleep” stride, the next instalment in the five strong main party procession beckoned, Spanish smash WE Party taking its turn in the limelight and one we were very much looking forward to, not least as this brand that had pretty much stolen the SuperMartXe show, capturing the imagination right across it’s homeland & beyond, the recent tour of their sequence of parties “Attacks” having hit the shores of London, Paris, Rome, & Miami to mention just a few. And now it was Delice Dream’s turn to feel the WE wonderment in warp speed, the brilliant billing including Madrid based Carlos Gallardo, whose course was set for Calella along with prolific PA Peyton, French fancy D.J. Mister Mola and, naturally, those drop dead gorgeous Delice dancers, although with expectations high, there was much to live up to. That said, with a slow start and the feeling that more than a few festivalers were feeling a tad jaded just two days in (surely not?!), it was a good two hours into this WE inspired second main party leg that we found ourselves still awaiting the much anticipated action on the stage to spellbind host venue Zillion, Mola’s music good but not great, the party lacking the oomph that it so desperately needed.
But all that was set to change when a selection of Delice boys along with WE party dancers hit the stage and the expected octane fuelled audacity commenced, the crowd also suddenly coming to life, getting into the “Attacks” mood, as were we, alongside Antwerp’s Red & Blue finest, D.J. Elof De Neve & close companion J.d. Cerronez adding that all important ingredient of fun & frivolity that very much set our experience alight. And to then add to this now audacious action, incumbent D.J. Carlos Gallardo began to steal the Delice Dream show, taking the initiative, along with prolific P.A. Peyton, who focussed the cavorting crowds attention away from the stage & towards the side of the lofty D.J. booth, from where he performed two tracks, including the tremendous “Trapped” that evoked memories of his magnificent & most magical mastery at the London event on NYD. With the atmosphere now amazing, in the hands of Carlos, the party hit top gear terrifically, track after track wowing the captivating clubbers & seeing us go into “Doing The Disco Matt” overdrive, even the drop dead gorgeous Delice cover boy Mourad dancing in very close quarters, sending our senses skyward, while the night was Mr Gallardo’s who gave the performance of the festival so far, the whole WE party under his steership attacking the minds bodies & souls from start to finish of his simply scintillating set.
So, that night was going to be a task & a half to top, especially given the captivating company we had kept with both Elof & J.d., both in pumping party mode, their energy (especially J.d’s) making the whole experience magnificently memorable. And this same vein would carry through to the Monday evening, when it was Elof’s turn to play at “the before party”, he proving just what a tremendous talent he is, packing in piles of pumping & heavenly house hits that wowed the warm up wonderfully, he probably more deserving of a slot in one of the main parties, but content enough with his lot, partner to crime J.d. entertaining enormously with his audacious antics. But the night was still young and despite feeling a tad jaded, there was definitely no time to sleep as we made a date with Alex Erfan’s loveable London based brand, Lovechild, taking centre stage at host venue Zillion with their “White” themed party, the place decked out to delight with branded banners & balloons, all in white of course, the considerate crowd also entering into the spirit of the theme fantastically.
Praying To Pagano
Arriving with irresistible Israeli D.J. Guy Scheiman in tow, having met him earlier in central Barcelona, then negotiating that long haul of a train journey back to Calella, meant we were definitely back in partying mood, especially with other partners in partying crime, Elof & J.d. in close quarters. And this Lovechild leg of the five day Delice Dream festival wasn’t going to disappoint, although having joined forces with Berlin based club GMF, their resident jock Chris Becker kicked off proceedings, his set very much in the style of that club, a tough tech fuelled set that sat well with some, not with others, we at pains to remind a few that Chris was playing to the GMF music policy, rather than to the style or taste of the Delice Dream crowd, his set finding favour with plenty party heads who filled out Zillion’s dancefloor. However, with our sagging energy levels requiring a more inspired boost, we were to find it in our own Italian Stallion Pagano, who made is prolific presence felt, belting out bag loads of classics including “Loca”, “Digital Generation” & “Back To The Future” mixed in with this Sicilian star’s new style of sounds, techno treats blended with progressive pumps fitting the feel of this third frolic fabulously. Indeed such was his prolific performance, he had the core crowd in awe of his aaamazing set, they eventually swamping the stage & even bowing at his feet as he departed following more than one encore. Added into the mix were the muscular Delice men, mighty in their magnificence, proving the extra lift the party needed, dishing up dollops of drama & drooling on the dancefloor, in delightful decadence.
So, Tuesday dawned with us very much looking forward to another Italian’s arrival, this time Milano man Danny Verde, who we caught briefly as he arrived and we headed into our final “before” bash in advance of returning to London. And we were very much in the mood to let our hair down with our posse of pals, J.d. particularly providing enough satisfying fun & distraction from D.J. Amine’s dour dance deliveries which proved pretty disastrous. while much of the focus was on the Delice boys, who had gathered out in the foyer for a photo shoot, our man Mourad lapping up much of the limelight. But with the hotel party coming to a rather abrupt end, it was now all about Muccassassina, as we headed down to Zillion for the last time, the expectation of Diego’s dream of a team topping off our week in a wonderful way. And we were not be to disappointed in any respect, the right royal send off we had been hoping for very much delivered from the off, resident D.J. back in Rome, Danny Verde, kicking off the night at Zillion in scintillating style, gloriously gathering an ever increasing crowd with a solid string of superb sounds, some Verde classics, others new tough tech & progressive beats that won him even more fans than he already had.
Mourad The Magnificent
But then enter from stage left the Mucca dancers, dressed provocatively in erotic black tight pants, g-strings & the like, immediately pushing the mercury off the scale with the best stage show of the week, Danny’s musical mastery matching the men’s movements magnificently. With the atmosphere elevated beyond expectation, Mr Verde’s performance, like Mucca’s show, proved to be the set of the festival, very much like they stole the show at The London Global Dance Festival some ten months previously, Diego waving his choreographic wand, casting his spell of style on the whole occasion and Mr Verde’s soundtrack simply spectacular. But, with Mucca gracing their exit & Danny’s superb showing over, the party was far from it, as Mister Mola, representing Paris club Panic Room, took up the mantle majestically, keeping the party pumping well past the 5 a.m. finish, cries & clamours for more from a packed out stage & dancefloor the ultimate crescendo on a truly captivating clubbing night. Having thought Mr Lombardi would pull of something quite special, we were right on the money with our estimation of this euphoric event, the company of Guy Scheiman, Elof De Neve, J.d. Cerronez & co a delight, while the drop dead gorgeous Mourad was at his breathtaking & brilliant best, making our ecstatic evening complete.
With the morning after the night before signalling our final day in the hands of Delice, with a London early evening flight precluding us from soaking up the splendour of the final event down at Zillion, all that was left to do now was to pack up our belongings and head back into central Barcelona for a lunch liaison with our good friend & D.J./producer Javier Medina, making that final lengthy train journey from Calella in the charismatic company of three people that, like so many others, had made this Delice Dream festival an absolute delight, Guy, Elof & especially J.d. making all the difference and leaving us with memories that will last forever. But apart from these fabulous three, we cannot finish this special look at Delice Dream without role calling mentions for all the following, that made us welcome & made us feel special, first to Delice’s head honcho Anthony Aureal, then to promoters Alex Erfan, Diego Longobardi for pulling out perfection personified,, to La Demence’s Thierry for his unforgettable antics, to the D.J.’s Carlos Gallardo, Pagano, & Danny Verde who really tipped our scales, to all the gorge Delice dancers, especially Mourad whom we will never forget, and to everyone else that made this week wonderful, who came & said hi & partied with us with no time to sleep,
Festival Fantastique
In summing up this Delice Dream festival, we can say that, given the magnitude of the organising & the marriage of minds, we walked away really impressed with the whole affair. Yes Calella ended up being a little divorced from Barcelona itself & a tad short of gay life, the hotel accommodation & facilities also a little basic, but when you consider the package value, we had no complaints at all. Bringing together so many people, such a pool of talent & a clubs from across France, Germany, Belgium, Spain & England, Delice Dream offered pretty much everything we could have expected. Naturally some made the comparison with Barcelona’s own circuit festival, but in reality this was something very different, a clubbing vacation rather than a clubbing cacophony, it may have lacked some of the outright flair of its rival, but this Dream festival ticked as many boxes as it could, achieving what it set out to do, capturing over 25 performers, 16 D.J.’s and over 70 hours of clubbing & cavorting in scintillating style, meaning you can’t say fairer than that. So major up & thanks to Anthony & his merry men for this magnificence and here’s to next year, we are told probably in southern Spain, yippee!! (DISCO MATT)