Posts Tagged ‘Andrei Stan’
May 19, 2013 | 
Author It may be a sedate Sunday in our world, but Brussels will be banging to bags of brilliant beats tonight as La Demence rounds off a glorious Gay Pride weekend with their “Leather Me” event, the dynamic D.J. line up including Steven Redant, Paul Heron & Ben Manson making our “Pick of The Day” selection simple, further details an image click below, while we deliver our own devotion beneath
If you are regular followers of our features, you will be familiar with a collection of clubs that we rank & rate highly among the wealth of others we have visited in the twenty or so years we have been stepping out on the scene, destinations that sport our selections extending to Antwerp, Barcelona, Brussels, Cape Town, London, Paris & Rome, while our historical & informative years home, Johannesburg makes it in too, the list of clubs reading as our own style clubbing who’s who. With names in the frames including clubs Bronx, Decadence, Matinee, Mucca, Red & Blue, Scream & Trade, when you to synch these seven with the eight cities, you will realise there is a name missing, but which & to which city? Well the answer lies in Belgium, not Antwerp of course as that is Red & Blue, but in Brussels & La Demence, a club that from the moment we stepped foot through Fuse’s front door, this brilliant brand’s base camp, we realised it was something quite special, the whole feel of the place, from the main room through the second space & upstairs to the play area, had an atmosphere akin to our decadent clubbing days of old, while it was the friendliness of the people, particularly the promoter & his terrific team that elevated this exceptional & captivating club to the who’s who heights we now place it. 
Now, while we have only visited two, it pretty much goes without saying that La Demence gets our whole hearted recommendation and this tonight is no different, not least as its “Leather Me” event rounds off Brussels Pride weekend, one which has already seen Hustlaball stand in the spotlight on Friday and at Fuse no less, Hector Fonseca in town the following night & pulling a colossal crowd, both parties pretty much laying down the gauntlet, although one we know La Demence is able to meet squarely in the eye & take up the challenge. And with a star cast of D.J.’s ranging from regular & roving residents, Andrei Stan kicking off the main room madness, followed by superstar international D.J./Producer Steven Redant, fresh from his stunning set & showing at Paris’s Scream, Paul Heron making a welcome return to the La Demence decks too, the place will be packed & pumping. But there is much more, Ben Manson another prolific player making it up from Paris, while Amsterdam based Dikky Vendetta is sure to shine, La Demence renowned for attracting a crowd not just from across Belgium, but from Amsterdam, London, Paris & even Spain, many of the Hustlaball heavies sticking around to see out Pride in style, the full line up a click away at https://facebook.com/events/582943995067829/, while more info on the club & this exceptional event can be found at http://lademence.com. So, with La Demence landing our “Pick of The Day” choice, it’s all steam ahead for their latest outing “Leather Me”, we wishing we could be there to once again soak up the awesome atmosphere, while f you are in Brussels, then party, party, party on our behalf, naturally making sure you “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT) 
Posted in Recommends | 
Tags: Andrei Stan, Ben Manson, Dikky Vendetta, Fuse, La Demence, Paul Heron, Steven Redant | 
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The Europeans seem to have a penchant for a party on Christmas Day, Splash Roma being no exception, this monthly meet extending a very “Merry Xmas” tomorrow night (Tues 25th Dec) when it welcome its own special Santa, Andrei Stan filling their guest D.J. stocking slot, all the event detail a banner selection away opposite or an image click below, while we précis & then propel the PR beneath.
There is something quite appealing about hitting the clubbing dancefloor on Christmas Day, a time when most of the masses here in the UK will either be sunk into their sofas after an indulgent day of dinner devouring & plenty more, while others will be with family, following the festive traditions that are part & parcel (no pun intended) of Christmas Brit style. Yet for many others, particularly our continental cousins, Christmas Day has a totally different ]and feel to it, much of the festive celebrations having taken place the night before, leaving Christmas Day free to do the sort of things the UK would reserve for Boxing day, clubbing quite high on the list. Indeed we have sampled a slice of this continental Christmas Day clubbing, having stepped out onto the Red & Blue dancefloor two years ago, while we are sure plenty will be doing the same in Rome tomorrow night (Tues 25th Dec), when Splash opens its disco doors, welcoming its own special Santa of sounds, the guest D.J. stocking slot being filled by the cute & cuddly Andrei Stan, who jets into the Italian capital from his base in Brussels.
So, with our précis prelude posted, here is the dinky detail of this merry meet…
Splash Roma, in its “Open Your Mind” fourth season &
In partnership with Crazy Ball Festival 2013
Presents their “Merry Xmas” G.L.B.T. Party
LINE UP
Resident DJ & producer Simone Di Basio
joined by international resident DJ & producer Andrei Stan
Live Act: Ame p & Radmantis
Drag Performance: Moira de Valcartiè
On stage: Dayanna, Papi, hot gogo boys, dancer, performances, surprises…
Visual by Federico Videosolid
Art Direction: Vincenzo Vigorita
WHEN/WHERE
Tuesday 25th December
New Location: Saponeria Club, Via degli Argonauti 20
Libetta Village | Ostiense | Roma
Metro Linea B Stop Garbatella
Official Website Location: http://saponeriaclub.it/.
TICKETS & SPLASH INFO
Tickets:
Advance € 13,00 (includes one drink)
On The Door € 15,00 (includes one drink)
Infoline: +39/334.81.82.654
Website: http://splashroma.it/.
Email: info.splashroma@gmail.it.
…while the Splash Roma PR team go into detail of their new venue home….
The Saponeria was born in 1998 from the ashes of an old soap factory in Via of the Argonauts, in the district of Ostia. The history of locality summarizes the mutations that Ostiense has undergone over time, converted from an industrial area into the epicentre of entertainment activities that are put to good use the great wealth of industrial archaeology inherited abandonment of several buildings in the early years The Saponeria is a structure, divided between space and track private room, designed to enhance the musical experience perceived by the public. After extensive restyling dictated by the attention more and more constant musical experience and the latest trends in modern design, Saponeria is today marked by a minimalist style that tends to enhance its original nature and bring it closer to the atmosphere of a large and sophisticated architectural soft. An example of foresight stylistic and structural, as well as the Saponeria a lighting system and innovative brand, is characterized by a system of “video art projections”, called “Mapping”, a first in Roman heritage.”
So, a very merry Christmas comes from Splash Roma and a festive frolic well worth sinking into, one that carries our extra bites recommendation, meaning, if you find yourselves in Roma tomorrow night, you should “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: Andrei Stan, Saponeria, Simone Di Basio, Splash Roma, Vincenzo Vigorita | No Comments »
Having set about catching up on lost time incurred during April & May with a series of four newsletters, for the eagle eyed in you, this fourth newsletter in that catch up series has been a long time coming, virtually two months to be exact, this in itself meaning we have catching up on catching up to do (heavens above!) . So, with our music hat firmly back on, as we get close to waving farewell to yet another month in 2011 (where is the year going?!?!), it’s time for that final chapter, as we cover off not just those music makers missing the previous three, but also bring you right up to date with the activities of some of those that did. Therefore, the term “colossal” could not be more appropriate, our most comprehensive newsletter yet pointing you towards a month that will see music come back to our core weekly postings, meaning more focuses, more special features & more newsletters.
Lecca, Lecca
So, let’s get to it and to our first catch up star Alessandro Londra, who has certainly had a busy last few months regular residencies at Rupert St, Lo-Profile, Lovechild, A:M & Barcode just a part of the picture, excursions with Alex Erfan’s loveable brand taking him as far as Istanbul & Sydney. So he can be kind of forgiven for the lack of studio work, although (like we are doing) has made up for lost ground with two recent releases. Sporting titles that couldn’t be any different, “Poison” & “Lecca Lecca” (Italian for kiss, kiss), both are representative of the Londra musical genre that has tech & progressive beats as core ingredients, these two podcasts allowing him to express his love for the tougher edged afterhours sound where he truly excels. These two mixes are certainly not mass market in appeal, but nevertheless reflect an emerging style of sound that is seeing alternative clubs sprout up right across Europe & the States, both worth a thorough investigation at http://djalessandrolondra.podomatic.com/.
Shoreditch Son
Now one of those D.J.’s that is right up there serving up what we like to call the “Shoreditch Sound”, this tech, come electro twisted vibes, is Kris Di Angelis and it would be fair to say that his decision to follow this direction with his music has paid huge dividends. From his involvement with the madcap metrosexual club Circus, through to the phenomenon that is Room Service, not to mention the magnificent Meat & the prolific Pooldisco, Kris’s year got even better when he reached an important career landmark after what can only be described as painstaking & solid hard work. And another crowning glory recently was his performance for Circus at Lovebox with an twelve piece orchestra on stage no less. So with all this going on, he would be forgiven too for not being in the recording studio, but none of it, as Mr Di Angelis has been a busy bee and with over 40 tracks, mixes & compilations to choose from, including his “Live” series of podcasts, meaning you can sink into the world of Kris & his hip hop, electro twisted, jazz funk & soul, by going to http://soundcloud.com/krisdiangelis/. Plus watch this space for news on on the return of the stylish & sophisticated “Bachelor Block Party” which Kris will be hosting at Soho house, this most talked about private Soho shindigs back for more this August Bank Holiday Monday with guest D.J.’s including scene queen Jodie Harsh & the priness of Soho, Munroe Bergdorf, both joining our Shoreditch son on the decks.
Blowing His Trumpet
While we are out Shoreditch way, we couldn’t let the moment pass without taking a brief look at super Swede Per Q.X., who, for those of you that follow these posts regularly will know, has been one of a mere handful of incredible influences on our clubbing career, residencies way back when at Barcode very much sticking in the mind, while we had one of the best New Years days in his hands in 2006. As for more recent times, there is no doubt that his intrinsic involvement with the way out & whacky Gutterslut has elevated this brand close to iconic status, Per seen by many in this alternative scene movement as a bit of a pioneer of what is now quite vogue. That said, he does show his hand back across in Vauxhall every now & then and played at uber chic private party “Up” last month, while showings for Lovechild, Queer Nation, Later and his old stomping ground, Barcode, have been recent features too. However, spreading his wings is very much reflected in his studio works of late, a recording from his live set at Ministry Of Sound high on the list, while gigs across Europe are represented by a slice from a Verona appearance among many others. And while his track “Blow Your Trumpet” very much catapulted his name right across the industry, his latest piece, “Ever Before” is right up there for us too, his long list of releases available by going to http://soundcloud.com/perqx/sets.
Right, time for a quick track interlude and one that is tipping our scales right now, but has been out there for a while, Roy Davis Jnr’s “Enjoy The Ride” is no dancefloor smash, but has considerable resonance with our rollercoaster ride experiences both on those dancefloors & elsewhere in our lives, the lyrics shouting exactly what we need to do. Having been given the James Talk & Ridney remix treatment, this immense track will be fighting for a slot in our year end top ten for sure and is available in full length glory at http://youtube.com/watch?v=yL2hBGwhc4E, while more & more D.J.’s seem to be including it in their performances & podcasts.
Gigolo Guy
Heading away from Shoreditch and more to Sydney, next up in our catch-up collective is Aussie born & bred Terry Vietheer, who has very much laid his hat here in London and to great effect, having landed guest & residency spots that include clubs Lovechild & Popcorn, as well as the recent new smash Gigolo, all three spurning compilation creations, the former following his tour with the brand to Israel, while Popcorn celebrated its 14th birthday recently, Terry in the thick of the action and marking the occasion with a mix. Then of course there is Gigolo, Terry having featured large in three of its parties already, his compilation from their “Do It” event earlier this month very representative of his & the clubs disco house sound, so well worth a listen at http://soundcloud.com/gigolo-disco/gigolo-disco-sessions-mix-5. But compilations aside, Terry is also a fine producer of tracks, alongside recording partner Chris Cooper, their recent bootleg of Annie Lennox’s “Little Bird” one of our favourites, this along with all his others & a selection of those podcasts available at http://soundcloud.com/terryvietheer/.
Man Of All Seasons
Sticking with the Sydney & Aussie theme is a new entrant to our newsletters, but a worthy addition none the less, as Alex Taylor has an international reputation that has seen him play across all corners of the world, along the way picking up awards, making appearances at parties of the biggest names in the music industry and, as a result, commanding a C.V. that reads like a who’s who of the clubbing community. Harping from Auckland in New Zealand, Alex has adopted Sydney as his home & base, but is fortunate enough to be able to escape the tardy winters in the southern hemisphere, jetting up to Ibiza & Europe for a summer season that has also seen him land in London occasionally. Indeed Mr Taylor is currently enjoying a bit of summer sun and has laid down a compilation to mark the occasion of his northern hemisphere appearance, his “European Summer Mix 2011” packed with pumping beats & summery sounds including “You’ve Got The Love” & “Stronger” (now where have we seen those?!?!) among 15 others, a compilation well worth adding to your collection via http://djalextaylor.podomatic.com/. Plus, watch this space for a focus on this man from Oz coming up, as there is so much more of this terrific talent to share.
Sorry Shoes Star
So, finding ourselves back in Europe, it’s to Germany that we head now, although interestingly it’s another Aussie that gets our attention, Sydney born & bred Mike Kelly having made Cologne his home, a brilliant base to spread his good musical word right across Europe, although such has been the success of the record label & agency business he launched, a fair chunk of Mike’s time is devoted to Sorry Shoes recordings which boasts a significant stable of artists including Oliver M, Nick Tcherniak, Steve Thomas, Hifi Sean, Guy Scheiman, Ivan Gomez & Nacho Chapado, along with fellow creator Jean Phillips. That said, Mike remains just as busy as ever live, playing across Germany and Spain, while his studio works also leave us breathless with their regularity, whether it be full-on compilations or track releases. So, with much to catch-up on in the Kelly world, the last three months alone having seen no less than seven podcasts & two track pressings, highlights for us have to be his “Bouncin” compilation, a 104 minute marvel that sends superb sparks through the soul to get your feet well & truly tapping, while for the more progressive come techno feel of the Germanic music sound, his “Late Night Steamer” mix is one to savour. However, with so much more to choose, the easiest way is to check out all nine by going to http://soundcloud.com/djmikekelly/ and watch this space for news of a new joint release of Mike’s with Nick Tcherniak’s other half Tom Marchant, featuring the vivacious vocals of Lizzie France.
Berlin Based Boy
Sticking with Germany although heading for its capital, next on our list of entrants is Eduardo De La Torre, this vivacious Venezuelan having made Berlin his home just over three years ago and hasn’t looked back, although he still draws on his experiences in both Spain & here in London, both having been bases for Edu during his D.J.’ing career. However, it is the German capital where his production work has really come alive, a studio collaboration known as, No Scene, they having risen to the heights of an entry into The Eurovision Song Contest no less, while Edu’s individual tracks & compilations continue to float our boat. Indeed, since we have been off musical air, Mr De La Torre has remained busy recording as well as playing live across Europe & at his residency spots in Berlin, a never-ending stream of sounds coming out of his stable, making picking out highlights quite tricky, although we do love his “From Berlin To Ibiza” mix which was pressed back in June, while the Ibiza theme continues with his latest podcast, both which you can grab at http://djdelatorre.podomatic.com/. However, the Ibiza theme doesn’t stop there, as No Scene have released their latest track “Step Ibiza” out on Beat port, a production labelled as progressive house but has tribal & tech intentions with uplifting flows & vocal injections that has the white isle written all over it and is sure to make the playlists of D.J.’s not just in Ibiza but right across Europe too, so one to check out at http://www.beatport.com/#track/step-ibiza-2011-original-mix/2066805.
Belgian Brilliance
Right, jumping over the border from Germany to Belgium, we find a superstar D.J. that is, for us, the Belgian equivalent to Steve Pitron, such is the terrific talent that is Elof De Neve, an incredible individual that is just as prolific in the studio as he is live. And having first seen him play at Red & Blue in Antwerp on Christmas Day last year no less, we have since been treated to further spectacular sets both back in Antwerp and across in Barcelona for the Delice Dream festival in April. And it would be fair to say that in the few short months we have been following Elof & his music, we have grown to love his sound style nearly as much as the prolific Mr Pitron, although having missed out on a further trip to Antwerp in June, we were robbed of another of his simply superb sets that he pulls out, week in week out at Red & Blue. But we fear not, as we find immediate solace in his compilation’s which give us the Elof fill we need, his aptly named “Finest Selection” series cramming our collection, each edition brimming with that uplifting & energetic sound that we have come to adore, perhaps his “The Summer Feeling Mix” tipping our scales the most. That said, we will leave it up to you to decide which one does it for you the most, by checking each & every one out at http://soundcloud.com/ElofdeNeve.
Now, it time to digress slightly for a moment, our thoughts having been sidetracked slightly when focussing on Elof, as another name always springs to mind when we think of him (apart from our Belgian boy J.d. Ceronnez of course!), Carlos Gallardo a real inspiration of Elof’s, not to mention a good friend to boot. So, it seems appropriate to include a cut of Carlos’s music right here, his “Podcast Music Mix” a nineteen minute snapshot of the sets that have made him one of the most popular Spanish D.J.’s imports London has seen, not least when he appears for the wonderful club brand WE. So, to sample some of his sounds, check out this mix at http://soundcloud.com/carlosgallardo/carlos-gallardo-podcast-music and make a date this coming Saturday (27th Aug) when he returns to headline the “Prison Of Love” event at The Coronet.
Pint Sized Powerhouse
Right, back to Belgium and to a pint sized powerhouse that has made considerable waves here in London in recent times, having first come to our attention at the ill fated Matador club that has been the cause of so much upset in our lives. However, far from upsetting us, Andrei impressed us so much back in March last year, that we have been tracking his progress since, regular returns to the capital seeing him play for brands including Beyond & A:M, along with a special party on Halloween weekend, while back home in Brussels, he cuts a considerable stride both at his regular weekly slot with popular club/bar, the Box, while the mighty La Demence draws on his considerable talents, Mr Stan playing out for each of their twice monthly parties, while he was part of their inclusion in the Delice Dream festival back in April & the cruise in July. Add to that a recent tour of Mexico and it is no wonder that we consider this young talent as part of our prestigious protégé list (one of just six), meaning we cannot recommend his studio works enough, all symptomatic of his superb showings & sets, his “promo” mixes as good as any, but his “June Pride” podcast right up there, all available at http://djandrei1.podomatic.com/.
Parisian Pal
Moving across borders again and into France, we simply couldn’t avoid a mention for our Parisian pal Leomeo Carandang, a D.J. that has been spinning sounds for as long as we have been clubbing (we are talking double years here!), this Philippine turned French national one of the most globetrotting D.J.’s we know, an exhaustive schedule seeing him jet across to The States, Canada, Australasia & all corners of Europe, as well as his adopted country of France, leaving virtually no weekend when he is not live behind the decks. Truly dedicated to his art and to pushing out his music, we simply cannot keep up with his compilation releases, part of the reason why he gets a mention so often, but moreover that we love the way he continues to evolve his sounds, tribal through trance, progressive & tech house always including an uplifting element that is proof of his popular pudding. Having missed out on meeting up with him a week ago when he played for Room Service in London, we are sure it won’t be long before we catch up with Leo again, well when he lands his feet for a while, just this weekend seeing him play across in Ibiza for one of the islands biggest events of the season. So, it comes as no surprise that he has already pressed a mix to mark the occasion, his “Sunset Terraza” compilation as good as they get and a must for your collection at http://soundcloud.com/djleomeo/sunset-terraza-mix/.
Right, before we head to shores closer, it’s time for another track mention and one which is very much doing it for us at the moment, partly as it is part of a prolific podcast that we simply cannot put down. So, leaving you to guess just which “Summer” selection this comes from, we look like including it in our next autumn podcast release, David Tort’s “One Look” a tech house triumph that is no better when in the hands of Norman Doray who has remixed it to absolute perfection, a mid track snapshot a worthwhile listen at http://youtube.com/watch?v=kAlszjEQXwI, while watch for its inclusion in the next of our “Dance-tastic” podcast series.
Dynamic Dude
So, setting our sights back to blightly, it seems appropriate that we land where most ships used to before those huge iron birds took over as the main mode of intercontinental travel & transport, Portsmouth being the base for one Lee Harris, although it seems he hardly spends anytime there, well at the weekends anyway, his regular Friday residence at Onyx dragging him up to London and often seeing him party right through the rest of Saturday & Sunday with the best of us. However, this is only a small picture of Mr Harris’ performances, as he plays in Brighton every other week and also jets up to Newcastle, as well as across to Southampton, theses two port cities fulfilling monthly residences, meaning that he clearly works as hard as he plays. And that also goes for his studio creations, his compilations popping up at least every four weeks, sometimes more often, August being no exception as Lee has pressed an ep form his live “Housenation” series, as well as a compilation marking his tour of The Circuit Festival in Barcelona, the latter a collection of new & classic tracks, this & another nine of his releases available via http://lharris.libsyn.com/HouseNationUK.
The Dowser
Now, we head to the other end of the country, to Scotland & Edinburgh in fact and to a D.J. that has been skirting our newsletters for a while now but has finally gained his deserved inclusion having laid down a succession of compilations that have caught our attention. Known to his followers as “Dowser”, Michael’s background belies his base in the Scottish capital, as he has connections with The States, Germany & Ibiza, the latter two being destinations where he both played & drawn on influences for a wide range of musical styles, from hard house through electro and now to musical style which he explains as “…London Sound…”, his main inspiration for this current direction being The Sharp Boys. Holding down residencies for Edinburgh’s hotspots GHQ, The Street & Kidology, Mr Dow’s podcast releases are reflective of his appearances & his style of sound, the live recordings from GHQ slanting towards electro, while his latest offering laid down just this last weekend hits resonance with us right from the off, not least as “Enjoy The Ride” sets the scene for a score of funky & disco tainted tracks that make this a compilation to cherish and one you can grab now at http://soundcloud.com/dowzer/.
Brazilian Beats
So, having whizzed from one end of Britain to the other, we head to its capital now, although like many of our inclusions, we look to individuals whose roots are far away, the first being a Brazilian born & bred but one that has made his biggest impression right here in London. Having been spotted in a D.J. competition held in Ku Bar last year, Doug Guimares, better known on the clubbing circuit as DouGuim, has risen meteorically to the dizzy heights of residencies & guest appearances at clubs including Beyond, Casa Latina, Lovechild & Onyx, while his connections with Ku Bar remain as he heads up their weekly Monday nighter “Citric” as well as playing out at “Candy Boys” every Tuesday. Now, we focussed on Doug in our last music post back in July, just ahead of the second Casa Latina event, but simply couldn’t resist including him here too, as literally five days ago to the year marked his first ever D.J. gig, this charming young man remarking on Facebook that “…On this very same day in 2010 my status was: “See you all tonight in Manic Wednesdays @ Arch 635. The bar is open from 7pm, I will be playing from 8 – 12! The address is 15-16 Lendal Terrace / Clapham North Station.” That was my first gig and there were only 20 friends and my love in the whole place and that was it. Look where I am now, what a life change and that’s thanks to each one of you who believed and supported me throughout this journey! A massive thanks to you all, YOU ROCK!…” . And he has been no studio slouch in that short time, a total of eleven podcasts produced, the latest “Sunny Days” right up there as one of his best, as it is packed with a feel good factor that is so Doug’s style of sound, so need we say more than get yourselves onto http://douguim.podomatic.com/ now and click on that download button as we know you won’t be disappointed.
Okay, so we are nearly there, but time for another track interlude and one that caught our eyes & ears just a couple of weeks ago, although has also has seemingly been spotted by a handful of D.J.’s since, some who have included it on their latest podcast releases. And for good reason, as Mark Knight’s “The Future” follows on from his remix smash of the classic track “You’ve Got The Love”, the Florence & The Machine version the best yet, although this new track of his dips back into the Knight style of sound that tips towards tech & progressive beats with minimal vocal interventions that is much more Mark’s trademark and one well worth a listen at http://youtube.com/watch?v=mWbwQL61d-c.
Tantra Tony
Right to our final three and first to an Italian based in London, Tony Bruno having been treading the D.J.’ing boards for many a moon although having somehow missed out on an inclusion in our newsletters so far, while mini mentions in previews & reviews of his appearances for Lovechild in recent months have ensured he has not been entirely overlooked. And it has been at Alex Erfan’s clubbing brand that Tony introduced a style of sound he calls “…Tantra…”, a mix of trance to tech sounds that of very reflective on the genres he continues to play out in exceptional effect, a mix of dance ambient, tech house, techno & progressive beats that are also displayed through is series of podcast pressings, no less than nine recorded in just five months, a hefty handful of them marked as “crossover” compilations, blending beats that give them a unique flavour. However, having featured in the recent La Demence cruise, Tony has drawn influence from the brand, laying down a mix lifted from a chillout set he played during the six day Mediterranean adventure, while his latest creation, “Music For Main Floors” are two that have grabbed our attention the most, although all nine are well worth a listen at http://soundcloud.com/tonybruno/, especially, if like us, you fancy a change to the norm or like expanding your ears to a variety of aural stimulations.
Music Mentor
Now to a dynamic D.J. that has been doing it for us as long as we can remember, from the heady days of Crash, Action & PSP, through to more recent times at Lovechild, Lo-Profile & Hard On!. Brent Nicholls may have made London his home, but remains Australian through & through, his music styles as cosmopolitan as his homeland, although genres of latin & nu-funk very much a two labels he is known for the most. Having said that, virtually no style of sound has escaped the Nicholls treatment over the years, a colossal collection of compilations cramming our collection, many ranking as our all-time favourites, “Disco Electrique”, “Pervert” & “Get On “MyGayFace” right up there among a host of others that continue to fill our ears, while 2011 has already seen his “Groove” double release hit our high notes. But topping the tree this year is his “I Rock, I Sweat, I Dance” podcast, released just over a month ago, but brimming with brilliant Brent beats that include elements of disco, dance, funk, latin & tech, all rolled into 119 minutes of magnificent music that showcases his tremendous talent for stringing these differing styles together in seamless sophistication, this a well deserved addition to your collection by going to http://djbrentnicholls.com/web/2011/07/15/podcast-i-rock-i-sweat-i-dance/. Plus it seems he has been a busy bee while we have been writing about him (literally) as out has come a “mini-cast” that we haven’t listened to yet, although judging by the playlist, it looks like another Nicholls gem, so will let you know what we think in a future newsletter.
Captivating Collaboration
That said, we don’t leave Brent for our last mention, rather celebrate a little self indulgence by pushing our latest creation with him in what is becoming an emerging collaboration that we hope will continue into an annual collection of seasonal mixes. This marriage of musical minds has its roots in our last yearly round-up chart when Brent kindly offered to put together a compilation to reflect our top twenty tunes of 2010. That was back in January, since when a second creation followed, much more in the collaborative mould as, while we selected the tracks, Brent gave them his funked up twist, making what was described at the time as “…the biggest collaboration since when Benny met Bjorn and McCartney teamed up with Lennon…” a ten track triumph that was our “Spring Bloomers” podcast. So, a third was sure to follow and once again we went on the selection trail, picking off ten towering tunes to make into a new compilation for the next season in the year, although as Mr Nicholls described, “Summer Scorchers” “…had been the blender for nearly a month with one track or another sabotaging its completion…” before it finally made the grade at the end of July. However, the reaction has since been superb, messages coming in from all quarters saying, how did one person put it, “…fabulicious” it is. And we couldn’t agree more, not least that Brent has once again taken our choices, given them a little twist and crafted them into a 53 minute marvel which we think (well we would) you should be downloading & enjoying by going to http://djbrentnicholls.com/web/2011/07/30/podcast-disco-matts-summer-scorchers-2011/, while watch this space as an Autumn mix is already in mind, our selections creeping towards that ten track milestone ready for the Brent blender.
Now just quickly before we finish, we are excited to announce another collaboration in the making, as we have also teamed up with impressive Israeli, Guy Scheiman, to produce a podcast that is much more of a joint effort in terms of track choices, as the compilation will be a 50/50 split of selections and one that will give a serious nod to all things Ibiza, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Plus, why not pay clubbing website SeenQueen (http://seenqueen.com/web) a visit, as they have just updated their music page with a host of new releases, some mirroring our choices, but others very much in the music making melting pot.
So, that’s it for this final catch-up newsletter and one that will hopefully be the last of this nature, as we plan to post at least one a month from now on, all things being equal the next one out during the first week of September. In the meantime, we trust you like our choices here, leaving us to simply say “sit back, select those sounds, turn up the volume & let them play as music is the answer”. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Music | Tags: Alessandro Londra, Alex Taylor, Andrei Stan, Brent Nicholls, Carlos Gallardo, David Tort, Eduardo de La Torre, Elof De Neve, Guy Scheiman, Kris Di Angelis, Lee Harris, Leomeo, Leomeo Carandang, Mark Knight, Michael Dow, Mike Kelly, Per QX, Roy Davis Jnr, Summer Scorchers, Terry Vietheer, The Dowser, Tony Bruno | 1 Comment »
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)
Posted in Reviews | Tags: Alex Erfan, Andrei Stan, Anthony Aureal, Carlos Gallardo, Chris Bekker, Danny Verde, Delice, Delice Dream, Diego Longobardi, Elof De Neve, Enrico Arghentini, GMF, La Demence, Lovechild, Mister Mola, Mourad Back, Muccassassina, Pagano, Panic Room, Peyton, Victor Pallas, WE Party | No Comments »
Stunning Stage Sparkles
We really do adore a t-dance style soiree, but Salvation’s “The Future” event was always going to be more than that, this second foray at Koko in Camden, on the cards at least, looking like a smash as well as creating a splash on the spring bank holiday scene, meaning it simply had to be on our schedule, especially given the history of this heavenly happening. So, despite our thoughts being miles away on matters in South Africa, we made our way up to this Sunday soiree and a liaison with cougar clubbing pal Stephen, along with close companion Brent Nicholls, but with both of them running late (as usual) we headed into Salvation on our tod, entering Koko’s main arena to a warming welcome from Industri mates Jeremy & Andrew, we immediately catching up on news before our cougar clubber arrived, the four of us sinking into the Salvation splendour just in advance if the stunning stage show to come. And from our elevated spot on one of the many tiers to this Koko venue, we had a brilliant view of proceedings below, the dancefloor brimming but not packed, but the tremendous tunes from pint sized Salvation resident Miswhite, packing a considerable punch, her uplifting beats & euphoric energy eruptions definitely hitting the mark with the considerate crowd.
But it was the stage show & the exceptional effects that was going to really make this Salvation something extra special, three massive LED displays dominating Koko’s stage, a huge Stargate style ring of steel surrounding the centre, together with some simply stunning laser lighting, exploding into action after a planned few moments silence that grabbed everyone’s attention perfectly. And with the reveal over, the drop dead gorgeous go-go dancers delighted, dressed in Tron style costumes that certainly caught the eye, not least ours when we got a sneak post show look backstage, while upfront incumbent D.J. Paul Coals continued where Miswhite had left off serving up some superb Salvation style sounds, very fitting for this galactic gathering that, with that stunning stage setting, very much lived up to its 22nd century billing. Finding ourselves back out front, we returned to our lofty spot, where a succession of familiar faces frolicked with us, including the marvellous Minty with pals David & Stuart, D.J.’s Joe Publik, Andrei Stan & Oliver M and the natty Naomi, who’s “Emperor” adorations in our direction left us gasping with laughter & others in amazement of her continual approaches, all this while Brent Nicholls snapped whole slugs of this Salvation splendour in his wonderful way. So with more still to share on the stunning stage dominated Salvation showing, its “…ready, steady, go for the review…” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Previews, Reports, Reviews | Tags: Andrei Stan, Brent Nicholls, Minty, MisWhite, Naomi Ruiz, Oliver M, Paul Coals, Salvation, Steve Elliot | No Comments »
Welcome back to our delectations on the Delice Dream Festival, this fourth of five tasking a look at the “before” parties held in the host Hotel bar, four different nights with four very different D.J.’s, two in particular topping the scales superbly, our bite sized summary going like this….
With the Delice Dream festival daytime focus very much being based around the host hotel, the all-in attraction of boozing & cruising proved irresistible for many, meaning that come 8 p.m. each evening, the place to be was in the bar, soaking up the sounds of the various guest D.J.’s. Mind you, having arrived very late on Saturday, we missed out of the first foray, a fashion show by the 
BelAmi boys, D.J. Soren mixing the music, although the feedback we received was less than flattering. However, come Sunday, 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 lot in the mood for more, with rousing renditions that left us & others spinning on our spots. That said, it was a bit disappointing that the planned AussieBum fashion show was postponed for the following afternoon, although there was plenty of entertainment from a drag queen duo & other WE party enthusiasts warming up for the “Attacks” event which followed in the club. Then on the Monday, it was the turn of Belgium again, this time Red & Blue’s Elof De Neve, who proved 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. Cerronez entertaining enormously with his audacious antics. Finally for us came Tuesday and our last “before” bash in advance of heading back to London, we 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, much of the focus on the Delice boys out in the foyer for a photo shoot, especially our man Mourad who was lapping up much of the limelight. So, with our focus on the two brilliant Belgian’s in our full on reflection, it’s “…ready, steady, go for the review…”. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Previews, Reports | Tags: Andrei Stan, D.J. Amine, D.J. Soren, Delice, Delice Dream, Elof De Neve | No Comments »
Welcome to the first of what will be a whole series of our bite sized reflections that will capture each & every party we visit in the twelve strong schedule of events that make up this year’s Delice Dream Festival, the five day gathering in Calella that captures 25 performer, 16 D.J.’s and over 70 hours of clubbing & cavorting, truly evoking the festivals strap line “No Time To Sleep”. And what better way to start but from the beginning, the gatherings first club event “1001 Nights”, which took place at host clubbing venue, Zillion, a mere 10 hours ago, our short sum up going like this……
With certain events having crystallised our decision to make it down to Barcelona’s Calella resort for the five day Delice Dream Festival of events, we landed on the host hotel not long before the start of the first full-on clubbing event, “1001 Nights” kicking off at midnight at club Zillion, just a hop skip & jump away from our home for this, our five day frolic with all things Delice. So, slipping 
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 Lille, the stresses & strains of masterminding this huge festival undertaking hardly showing on his face. With arrival formalities over we were down into the club in a trice, the opulent feel reminding us a little of Cafe De Paris back in London, although without the huge sweeping staircase & the bright chandelier lighting, although with regal seating around, balcony’s encapsulating the dancefloor below & a stage area at one end, the venue was very much shaping up to be the perfect place to hold this first of five main parties. And with Enrico Arghentini kicking off the musical proceedings with pumping euphoric & vocal house, the real curtain raiser was the first a many showings on the stage by the drop dead gorgeous Delice Boys, all dressed in Arabian costumes & exuding masses of middle eastern mystique & magic, as the flexed their taught muscles & moved to the music magnificently. With our supposed relative anonymity being broken within minutes of arriving, first by a handful of familiar faces from London, one based in Barcelona, then by D.J. Andrei Stan, but moreover by 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 so much more to say, it’s “…Ready Steady, Go For The Review…” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Previews, Reports | Tags: Andrei Stan, Anthony Lille, D.J. Luiggi, Delice, Delice Dream, Diego Lombardi, Enrico Arghentini | No Comments »
In the few short months that we have spread our wings beyond the boundaries of Britain, there has been one club that we have been wanting to capture, probably more than any other in Europe, well possibly with the exception of the magnificent Muccassassina in Rome, this club being a little closer to home just over the waters in Belgium. So, when, post a Christmas visit to that very country, on that occasion with the Lovechild crew for a liaison with Antwerp’s Red & Blue club, we decided on a return visit to the diamond city, also hopping over the border into Holland as well as sightseeing tour of the French capital, it became obvious the opportunity to fulfil our desire to land on Brussels’ best was pretty much a given. Indeed rolling Amsterdam, Antwerp, Paris and the Belgian capital into one was a match made in a mini Euro disco tour heaven, with the expectation that the jewel in the clubbing crown would present itself in the form of this long standing & legendary club night.
Cutting a considerable stride on the gay clubbing circuit around Europe, La Demence stands out from many as one of those must visit club nights, not only attracting some of the big international names, but also drawing in a crowd from far & wide, admirers from Amsterdam, clubbers from Cologne & players from Paris, not to mention a handful of hedonists who, like us, were prepared to make the trip across from London especially for this Friday night frolic. And having been firmly established as one of THE European clubbing hotspots for close on 20 years now, La Demence has a reputation & respectability combining all the qualities you expect from an internationally renowned club of stature, mounds of mesmeric music, engaging entertainment and an awesome atmosphere to match, so simply had to be part of our mini Euro tour. The question remained, would the club live up to this lofty reputation and what were the huge highlights of our liaison with La Demence?
Waving bye to two days of pure & unadulterated delight in Paris, a truly unforgettable experience all aided along by our glorious guide during our stay, our Parisian pal Leomeo, it was time to concentrate our minds & devote our energies onto the next stop off on our tour, as we bordered Belgium then braved our first visit to Brussels and into the clutches of La Demence. And my were we brave, negotiating the back streets in the short 10 minute walk from our hotel, arriving at venue Fuse’s doors at not long after 11.30, an earlier planned meet up with Brussels based boy Andrei Stan going array due to a duo of extended disco naps. Negotiating the coatcheck was a relatively pleasant experience compared with some in London, leaving us to let loose on La Demence, entering the main room down a set of stairs illuminated by a huge mirrorball, the space already packed with party heads and opening out on us like a tardis, we making a beeline for far end of the room grabbing refreshments at one of three massive bars, weaving across the dancefloor which was already pulsating to the barnstorming beats of the disco napped Andrei.
Finding our spot, surprise surprise, just next to the D.J. booth, we attracted the attention of Mr Stan, who, having checked his tracks, bounded up to say hello and then welcomed us right into the booth for as photo opportunity before indulging our services to take video shots of what was already making for an enthralling event, the La Demence cruise paraphernalia along with the Delice boy influences adding to the regular Fuse elements that clearly make this such a popular party. Plus, looking around, it was evident that La Demence on this & many occasions, attracts a pure clubbing crowd of up for it individuals of all persuasions, from leather men to disco boys, muscle mary’s to hairy bears, handsome hunks to more average joe’s and everything in between, very much making for one of the best mixes of crowds we have enjoyed in a long time. And with Andrei infusing the filling room with euro-style vocal infused beats, the spot & laser lighting doing their bit to elevate the atmosphere, the party was definitely finding top gear, we diving into the thick of the dancefloor action to snap more video footage of Andrei in action.
With Steven Redant due on the decks imminently and with our video duties over, we returned to our new found favoured spot in Fuse, the man himself spotting us and exclaiming his surprise to see us here on what is very much his home territory, Steven beckoning us into the D.J. booth then giving us a welcoming hug before introducing us to La Demence’s promoter, both making us feel even more welcome than we already were. With Andrei loose to show us round, a quick guided tour of Fuse quickly revealed that it encompassed pretty much everything, from the massive main room to a more intimate second space, a third room with strippers and even a darkroom with sling glory holes & the like (where is Crisco Matt!), our walk round seeing the place pack out even more in front of our engrossed eyes. But it was the main room that was calling on our devotion, we squeezing past the mass of bodies to the bar to grab more refreshments, but feeling our bum pinched we turned immediately to see London clubbing pal Ross Patterson beaming a smile at us, one of only a few familiar faces that had broken our anonymity, yet a welcome one nevertheless.
Our spot was now calling, although with the main room dancefloor a sea of bodies, the majority bare cheated men bopping up & down to the brilliant beats of Steven Redant, we eventually made it back to our elevated enclosure by the D.J. booth, a space that was now also packed with people, although not quite so much as the dance arena below. But, while we had difficulty in extending into full “Doing The Disco Matt” mode, at least we got a fabulous view of the full extent of the lighting & effects, the mass of men below us and the dreamy Delice boys who ascended the end bar for one of many dancing displays of the night. And with Mr Redant truly radiant & on fabulous form, delivering an equally dreamy set of dance, house, tech & uplifting tunes, we were sent into seventh heaven with a succession of scintillating sounds, hard edged hits intermixed with uplifting vocal smashes that was leaving us wanting more & more, not least when the awesome “Till We See The Sun” was rolled out, Steven’s prolific performance seemingly going from strength to strength., we now doing the Disco Matt just like we were at Beyond.
So we were going nowhere, even if we had to battle to keep our dancing spot, although with captivating company around, Ben Manson coming up to say hi, then Pagano arriving for his stint, there was no way we were moving, rather continuing in dancing mode as we had done right through the whole of Steven’s scintillating set. Then, getting chance to catch up with the man before he headed off, very much completed the rapturous Redant package, this then paving the way for our Italian stallion to serve up his own truck load of terrific tunes. And he wasn’t going to disappoint, quite the opposite in fact, as Pagano pulled out one of the best performances we have seen in a long time, track after track hitting our sweet spots, new hits of his like “Reflex” & “Kissing The Wookie”, played alongside a re-work of “Loca” and a whole string of other superb sounds. In fact, as much as Steven had sent us stratospheric with his stupendous set, Pagano was matching him with his majestic music choices, the arrival of the Delice boys & drag queen into the D.J. booth adding to our enthralling experience that we didn’t want to end. However, with 6 a.m. fast approaching and a trip onwards to Antwerp & Amsterdam on our minds, as much as we wanted to stay on for the full extent of this incredible La Demence event, Ben Manson due to steer the party right up to the 11 a.m. finish, we had to say our farewells to this captivating club, wending our weary way back to our hotel base to rest & recuperate for the remainder of our mini Euro disco tour, safe in the knowledge that this Brussels leg was at its brilliant best in the hands of La Demence.
In trying to sum up this exceptional experience, there was no question that the club lived up to its lofty reputation, moreover the mature yet hedonistic feel of the whole night surpassed even our elevated expectations, made for one of the best clubbing nights we have had in a long time and one outstanding outing to rival any. There were so many highlights on this enthralling event, a superb opening set from Andrei Stan, Pagano in pulsation form with a precision perfect performance were two big highs, while Steven Redant pretty much stole the show with a scintillating set that had us spinning on out spot for the duration. Add to all that the amazing atmosphere, the truly mixed & up for it crowd, the immense & incredible host venue Fuse, not to mention hospitality extreme both from promoters & D.J.’s alike, including Ben Manson together with the injection of the dreamy Delice boys and La Demence gets a resounding recommendation as one of THE must visit events in the globe, so get your butts to Brussels for the next party, as like us, we are sure it will blow your minds. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Reviews | Tags: Andrei Stan, Ben Manson, La Demence, Pagano, Steven Redant | No Comments »
For a while now, we have been scratching our heads for a way to break the fresh feeling news on our various visits, be it a bar, club or event either at home or abroad, as more often than not our extensive reviews take a few days (sometimes weeks) to appear. So, having found inspiration on the La Demance dancefloor last night, we came up with it, simply called “Preview The Review”, a one paragraph post giving you a bite sized flavour of the bar/club/event experience we have not long encountered and a hint towards the full review to come. Short & sweet, the aim is to capture the mood of the moment and whet your appetite for the full review, rapid & succinct being the key words and the result.
So enough said, lets crack on with our first post and a special one at that, capturing both Spyce Bar in Paris & Las Demence in Brussels, two very different experiences but both memorable for many reasons.
So to Spyce a new bar in the gay district of Paris (Le Marais) and a hip & happening hangout that sports a stylish look & trendy crowd to match, live D.J.’s and much more. With a modern feel and a massive LED lighting wall to entice you in, Spyce certainly makes a statement and attracts a sophisticated & mixed bunch of cute boys, party girls, professionals & scene faces, all up for social splendour and terrific tunes. Our second visit in two days found us in the capable musical hands of Parisian Ben Manson and a better set we couldn’t have wanted for, tech, tribal, euro style, uplifting & vocal then back again, Ben masterminding the music magically. Plus, in venue host Philippe, the hospitality was exemplary, all added to by the drop dead gorgeous bar boy’s, ours a hunk of a man with a smile to match his stunning good looks & bronzed body. Suffice to say, Spyce sat superbly with us and major thanks go to Philippe, to Ben & also to Parisian pal & host Leomeo for an experience we will remember for a long time, yet with so much more to say & lament on this pulsating Parisian place, we say, “…its ready steady go for the review…” (DISCO MATT)
Cutting a considerable stride on the gay clubbing circuit around Europe, La Demence stands out from many as one of those must visit club nights so simply had to be part of our mini Euro tour as we landed on Brussels in the expectation of something special. And we weren’t to be disappointed, host venue Fuse stretching out like a tardis and encompassing everything, from a massive main room to a more intimate second space and even a darkroom with sling et all (please no Crisco Matt!). Plus, with a pure clubbing crowd of up for it individuals of all persuasions, from leather men to disco boys, muscle mary’s to hairy bears, the mature yet hedonistic feel of the whole night surpassed even our elevated expectations. The main room attracted the lion’s share of our devotions, not least for a superb opening set from Andrei Stan, Pagano in pulsation form with a pitch & precision perfect performance, both sandwiching Steven Redant who stole the show with a scintillating set that had us spinning on out spot for the duration, doing the Disco Matt just like we were at Beyond. Add to that, hospitality extreme both from promoters & D.J.’s alike, including Ben Manson (not for the first time) and the injection of the dreamy Delice boys. this was one outstanding outing to rival any, leaving us to say “…its ready steady go for the review…” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Previews, Reports | Tags: Andrei Stan, Ben Manson, La Demence, Leomeo, Pagano, Spyce Bar, Steven Redant | No Comments »
As much as our bar, club & event yearly round-up reviews have become a tradition, our look back at any year would not be complete without our full on reflection of the music & the D.J.’s that have made our year, indeed, without the music and without the D.J.’s, the bars, clubs & events would not exist as they do and we would have little to report on, save for our weekly recommends posts & our D.J. focuses, of which there have been many throughout 2010. But it has been an interesting year on the music front, a year that has seen the resurgence of retro-tastic tunes remixed, remodelled or remade, it has been a year with plenty of newcomers, while we have certainly spread our musical wings, focussing on a breathtakingly huge amount of D.J.’s, based both home & abroad. So, amidst a continuing tough global economic & political climate, plus amidst all the controversy that was waged in our world, 2010 more than any other year meant that music was definitely the answer for us, hence this nod to the D.J.’s, their sets, their tracks & their compilations in this our final music review of this year.
So let’s get going and with the best place starting in January, we race through 2010 picking out our D.J. performance highlights, As One sporting our first outstanding achiever, when Alan K simply blew our mind with a superb set, erupting Fire’s main room & leaving us walking away with our first anthem of 2010, Celada’s “Underground”. That was swiftly followed by Phil Marriott, who impressed us hugely with a mammoth 4 hour set at the Onyx afterparty that immediately followed, and it was with Mr Marriott that we were to form a special friendship & bond, not least at Profile Bar on Friday’s. February saw two terrific turnouts by Trade veterans, first Steve Thomas at DTPM’s Valentine party at Jalouise, then Gonzalo Rivas with a sparkling set at Orange’s “Citric Seduction” event, both showing that they haven’t lost their magical touch to move us on the dancefloor.
Forwarding to May, the trio of Leomeo, Danny Verde & Phil Romano, short of stole the London Global Dance Festival show in the Muccasssassina room at the main event, although 2010 was littered with international star performances too, a veritable feast of talent landing in London for that LGDF party, other outstanding highlights being Dikky Vendetta’s performance at Onyx, Chris Bekker at Beyond & Ivan Gomez at the “official” LGDF afterparty, although Berlin based but home-grown talent D’Johnny’s set was superbly standout. Other international stars that did it for us in 2010 included Eduardo De la Torre, who was brilliant at Beyond during the summer, Leandro Becker who shone at The Week in London and then followed it up with another prolific performance in Paris for the Supersized Pool Party, while Andrei Stan stunned us with stonking sets at both Matador & A:M.
Talking of Spanish, a host of Spaniards also had their say too during 2010, with Carlos Gallardo doing it for us at both Hype & WE Party and the steamy & sexy Hugo Sanchez starring spectacularly at more than one SuperMartXe event, showing his raw talent to match his ravenous looks. But it was Javier Medina who was definitely our find of the year, making his impressionable mark in May and soon following it up with personal appearances in London for As One & Lovechild, he ending his year on a high, landing a contract with massive club brand Matinee. But you would be forgiven that we focussed too much on international talent through 2010, as there were plenty of home grown D.J.’s that hit our radar in 2010, some established, some new, Michel Mizrahi, Terry Vietheer, Jc Christopher, Norbert M, Lee Harris, Zach Burns, Dimity K, Chris Brogan and Jamie Hammond included in a long list on new(ish) talent, all making strides & impressions in this terrific twelve months of tunes. However, the established names were definitely rocking our world throughout 2010, the endless list including Paul Heron, Jamie Head, Nick Tcherniak, Phil Hewson, Tony English, Nick Evans, Terry Bryan, Guy Williams, Fat Tony and plenty more that set us in as spin.
2010 also saw us expand our specialist focuses, going all female first with our “Foxy Ladies” special looking at Mis-White & Minx, we looked in on Spain covering Gonzalo Rivas, Ivan Gomez, Nacho Chapado, Steven Redant &, our main man Javier Medina, but also turned Italiano with two specials, including Pagano, Alessandro, Micky Galliano & Gabriele Cutrano, Danny Verde never escaping our attention, while it was another Italian that made his impression on us, first at LGDF & then at Hustlaball in Berlin, Fabio White’s set there one of the big highlights of our five day foray. Our focuses also included a couple of nods to Beyond, homage’s to Lovechild, to new Spanish hit WE Party, as well as spreading our wings with our music newletters which filled most of the last few months of our year, our “Blighty Based Boys” & “Energetic Euro’s” including the biggest names that made our 2010, as did our final post of the year, “Big Guns & Baby Boomers”. But our D.J. bio’s & focuses still remained our single most passion of the year & with the opportunity to focus on plenty of talent for LGDF, we went into overdrive, pieces of our work featuring on official websites & D.J. pages.
But we digress from our hot sets of the scintillating 365 days of sound and whilst so many were memorable, our scales were definitely tipped by The Oli at Lovechild’s “Makin Hay” in July, while Brent Nicholls enchanted us with a full on nu-funk frolic, also in Lovechild, but August, Pagano also doing it for us at the third of Logan Schmitz’ private party UP & then again at Onyx “Digital” in September, while Luke Howard definitely displayed nu-disco dexterity at Paradise 45 in November. Then there was a stunning set from Terry Vietheer at Barcode Vauxhall’s 4th birthday, this south London spot being the scene for a brilliant back-to-back performance from Nick Tcherniak & Hifi Sean, close on the best back-to-back set we had seen all year, although some of our best performers of the year were to come out of the gaff next door, Area being responsible for Orange afterparty’s & Onyx, but of course the biggie, Beyond, pretty much bringing us full circle on our star sets selection, Jamie Head being one of three standouts from a score of others, Mr Head’s performances for Beyond in the Terrace going down as some of our favourites, although his best being at Orange back in May.
But as good all these people were during 2010, it is the duo of Steve Pitron & Mikey D that top our pile, we having been lucky to witness some very special back-to-back performances from them both, a handful at Beyond, but for us, their best at Brazilian import The Week in September. Individually, Steve impressed on countless occasions not just at Beyond, but also at Orange events, at WE party’s launch in December & then delighted us at Lo-Profile in the same month, although his standout set was at Beyond “Tokyo” in October, his anthem filled two hours simply stunning, we reporting on his set at the time in flowing form, including saying “…The man is genius and words cannot describe just how much, our best way to show appreciation of his art is to dance “…in our spot…” knowing that the man knows we are there and, in the words of one anthem, “…let the music pump right through me I can feel it in my bones…” & “…come on now show me pretty ladies how you really like to dance…” as in Steve’s hands do we dance or what…”. But Mikey D was just as prolific on a number of occasions too, like Steve really shining at Beyond, especially in December, when he stepped in for an unwell Mr Pitron, the whole two hours leaving us breathless in admiration and for us edged all his others, making the choice so very difficult. However, it is Steve Pitron that sways top spot for us, that “Tokyo” triumph back in October being our set of the year..
Well, that was the D.J.’s, so what about their compilations and having reported on so many artists during the year, we can count well over 300 that were covered in our focuses & newsletters. There were devotions to a long club brands including Beyond, Hustlaball, Lovechild, Matinee Red & Blue and SuperMartXe, which in turn led to mentions for specific D.J.’s, many of whom have already been mentioned. Yet with so many to wade through, we had to be pretty ruthless, the likes of Paul Heron, Hifi Sean, Terry Bryan, The Oli & Gonzalo coming really close to our top choices, but failing to make it into our final five. From a host of international stars podcasts & mixes, we had so excellent recordings to chose from, which like their domestic counterparts knocked hard on our top five, Leomeo, Eduardo De La Torre Steven Redant, & our find & newcomer of the year, Javier Medina, just missing out from a position in our choice picks. Then there was Pagano, his “Digital Generation” compilation having originally been scheduled for release in September, although with furied negotiations with label producers as to what tracks would make it onto the mix, this incredible collection of tunes has been out just four days, so is sure to feature large in 2011.
So who & what did make it?, well Nick Tcherniak did, landing in at number five with his “Matinee” mix, which included smash hits “The Answer” & “Deep Water”, this glorious 116 minute marvel opening up with a delicious remix of Rino Cabreara’s smash “Creapola”, but included a host of others, not least another Tcherniak & Thomas collaboration, “My People”, which on this compilation was given the Alan X “Peephole” remix treatment, so just had to be in our top choices. The remaining four all held & continue to hold very special memories for us, and whilst some were released much earlier in the year, it was the final four months that sealed all their fate in being our top picks of 2010. And you can still get hold of Nick’s fabulous nod to Matinee by going to http://nicktcherniak.podomatic.com/.
Danny Verde landed our number four spot with his incredible compilation, “Escape From Paradise” which filled our ears on our way to Berlin when we hooked up with him for Salvation there. Indeed from a host of records that included his awesome rework of Madonna’s classic track “Vogue”, a funk-tastic remix of Tears For Fears’ “Everybody Wants To Rule The World”, an even more incredible rehash of the dance diva hit “Hideaway”, the two that really made it a truly standout & spectacular composition were Danny’s own records “Let Me See Your Underwear”, which was remixed with breathless results and then the pinnacle of perfection, the uplifting & euphoric “Till We See The Sun” which brings back magical memories of Danny, Berlin and many more whenever we play it. So, we salute Mr Verde for this amazing mix which you can grab at http://dannyverde.podomatic.com/.
So, we come to our top three and ones that we found extremely hard to separate, each one marking special moments in our year for varying reasons, but all three filling our ears from the minute they were released. Indeed right up to the wire we couldn’t tear them apart and for good reason, as Steve Pitron, Mikey D & Brent Nicholls produced some amazing work throughout 2010, indeed our top 40 tracks of the year are littered with records they have delighted us across these terrific twelve months of tunes. Steve Pitron stormed into top slot back in the early summer with his aptly named “Summer 2010” mix, but then came out with an absolute corker in his “WE Party Podcast” which exceeded even the might of his previous composition. With tracks “Show Me Your Love”, “Get It Up”, “Dreamer”, Don’t Give Up”, “Back To The Dancefloor”, “Souk” & “Blow Ya Mind”, our mind was well & truly blown by this piece of Pitron perfection, not one of the 28 tracks failing to hit the mark. Having plugged it on no less than eight separate occasions, we will make it nine by saying, if you haven’t got this in your collection then get it now at http://stevepitronsessions.podomatic.com/.
As for Mikey D’s delectation, it is rare for the man to hit the studio’s and compile a full on mix, although when he does the wait is worth its weight in gold, “Lose Control” once again proving just why this man is still at the top of his game behind the decks. This mix dominated our trip to Paris in September and dominated our ears for much the time both before & since and no surprise, as with tracks like “Seek Bromance”, “Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough”, “Bodyshine”, “Air Miles” & “Diamond Life” the list of 13 also included remixes of two records that made our top ten, “Happiness” and “Release Me”, while Mikey was definitely the answer by including our tagline tune on his compilation, “Music is The Answer” featuring large. So good is this mix that it held top spot in our minds eye right up to the wire, although with the strength of the other two, made separating it too difficult, but we cannot recommend this to your collection enough, which you can still download by going to http://mikeyd.podomatic.com/.
Then we come to our third and one of a staggering 22 mixes that Brent Nicholls complied in 2010, many which could have made it into our top five, were it not for the other four. His “Let’s Chant” compilation for example was incredible, as was his “Aural” mix & his devotion to his appearance at Beyond Pervert. However, it was his “Get On MyGayFace” mix that made it to our top three, like the others, littered with incredible records from start to finish, the 15 track composition originally created especially for members of the new social networking site , MyGayFace”, hence the title on the mix. However, such was the demand for this amazing mix, Brent released it onto his website for general download, although we were lucky to get our own copy on the day of first release, it immediately pressing all of our musical buttons, not least with records “Upside Down”, “I Just Can’t Hold Back” & “Et Moi”, from two artists that really did it for us in 2010, Audio Jackers and Lissat & Voltaxx. But it would be a mind-blowing remix of “Release Me” and then an even more majestic Mollela version of Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina’s heart wrenchingly stunning “Stereo Love” that ended up securing this compilation in our top three, one which you can get for yourselves by going to http://djbrentnicholls.com/web/music/.
So was it a dead heat three? Well we couldn’t separate Steve Pitron & Mikey D, but at the eleventh hour in our summing up of our year of music, Brent Nicholls edged the other two, not just in recognition for his impressive amount of releases in 2010, but when it came down to the wire, it was the “Stereo Love” track made that essential difference, as more than any other record in our year, it held & continues to hold the most memorable moments in our travels, whether to or from a club or out on our two wheels, but especially during our trips to Berlin & Antwerp for which both “Stereo Love” & “Get On MyGayFace” will always remain synonymous and very much number one.
So we come to our tracks of 2010 and are we glad we took the advice of a close friend at the top of the year, from day one listing down those records that moved us most on the dancefloor & elsewhere. And was the list extensive or what, as we catalogued well over 100 tracks by the most varied of artists and musical genres. There was dance, house, tech, progressive, uplifting, nu-funk, nu-disco, retro-tastic, rehashed & remade, but naturally we had to break the list down, eventually settling on our top 40, which we have listed at the end of this special reflection, although as we did last year, we hone in on our own top ten, a choice that does not include the major dancefloor hits of the year, in fact excepting possibly one or two, the list could not be further away. However, what each track has in common, are floods of memories of our music-tastic year, although before we run down our top ten, just a quick mention goes to some of the tracks that didn’t quite make it, the whole top 40 being a really tight affair.
First to the ones that missed out but still stood out, Chris Montana filling our ears out in Essex in November with “Don’t Give Up”, while the baseline definitely took control for a while thanks to Dr Kucho back in June, Sandy Rivera really capturing our imagination with “Hide U”, while Audio Jackers made quite an impact with their remix of “Just Can’t Hold Back”, as well as their own hits “Upside Down” & “Check It Out”, the latter missing our top ten by just one place. Others that featured large in our year included Leomeo’s amazing “The Sound Of C”& Dennis Christopher’s “No More Lies”, as well as Rebeka Brown with her hits “Offshore” & “Show Me Your Love”, all which would have been worthy of top ten slots, were it not for the strength & importance of our chosen ones, even the brilliance of Lizzatt & Voltaxx failing at the last hurdle, despite both “Et Moi” & the amazing re-work on the classic “Now Or Never” a track that looks like going places in early 2011.
So to our top choices and in at number ten is Danny Verde’s incredible remix of Pagano & Wayne G’s “Trapped” featuring the amazing vocals of Peyton, a record which featured large in Brent Nicholls’ incredible compilation “Let’s All Chant” which was so close to making our top five, this record filling our ears while spinning around the roads of London and also got plenty of airplay in our ears while in Berlin, so deservedly made it into our top choices, consigning his other smash “Till We See The Sun” to 12th place. Next up is the Dave Aude remix of “Happiness”, a track that came in for a lot of stick from some, yet made it (in a different form) onto compilations of our two of our top three and erupted the dancefloors of Beyond & The Week, so rightfully takes in place at number nine. In at eight comes the truly amazing “Let The Love Take Control” by Milk & Sugar, another example of a rehashed tune that had plenty of fresh intentions, hitting our ears as early as March but not really featuring on the dancefloors, although due to its special meaning, made a top ten certainty. Onto number seven and a little known track, yet one with so much meaning in our year, Diagram Of The Heart very much captivating us with their hit “Dead Famous” which was never destined to make the dancefloor, but was enthralling enough to reach the spot it did. Then continuing the melodic & meaningful theme at number six is Medina’s “You & I”, a record that reoccurred right through the year whenever we were faced with controversy, giving us suitable comfort in our time of need, thus making it into our favoured few.
So to our top five and first in is another example of a track that did not have dancefloor credibility in 2010, but had so much meaning for us, as it represented a record that allowed our mind to escape & our frayed nerves to relax, Richard Earnshaw’s remix of Kenne Kursmoshi’s “Take Me Back”, taking us back to those dreamer late spring & summer days when it filled our ears. In at number four is not quite a record of 2010, but one that played a huge part in our year, having rediscovered a Brent Nicholls compilation classic “Disco Electrique”, which includes the tremendously rousing track “All Night Long”, John Dalhback remixing Mousse T’s tune superbly and, was it not for the lack of 2010 credentials, this would have hit the top spot. Then we come to number three and to be honest, as with the last track, it could have come top, as “Release Me” while firmly in 2008/09, still got major dancefloor airplay throughout 2010 and will surely go down as one of the all-time dance anthems, a number of versions making it big this year. However the Mind Electric remix that Brent Nicholls tracked down was our favourite in a crop of others, close on toppling the original as the best, but as good as it was, it only made it to third spot. So to our second and one which was first until our Antwerp trip, Pirupa’s “Sweet Devil” making an immediate impression as far back as January & continued to surface right through the year, a funk-tastic & full on minimal vocal track that gets our feet tapping and our dance juices flowing every time we hear it. “Sweet Devil” marks a style of music which we got completely hooked on during 2010, nu-funk, so modelled by Brent Nicholls throughout the year and a trend that a few others followed, but one that made his offering so fresh & appealing, as is this track which, while number two, is our definite top nu-funker of the year.
So to our number one and by now it should be pretty obvious, as the record which stole our heart & our emotions throughout 2010 was “Stereo Love”, one that, interestingly first came to our attention on Steve Pitron’s compilation “Ibiza Opening Fiesta’s” back in May, the opening & rousing version of Edward Maya & Vika Jigulina’s smash by Dave Ramone right up their, so much so that it has deservedly got the b side to our number one, the Molella remix that will forever be our tune of Berlin & Antwerp but so much more. Indeed it was this record that decided our top compilation, so it has to take top spot in our track chart, a forty record collection which we have included here as a postscript. Plus, watch this space, as we are hopeful of a special mix of our top thirty to come out in the early New Year, so will be sharing that with you as soon as we can.
Well that’s it, our 2010 music reported & reviewed, save for a final mention for our musical moment of 2010 and whilst all of the above, the D.J.’s the compilations and the tracks have meant so much, even the vinyl moment at Berghain (check our review) in Berlin or “Stereo Love” couldn’t topple our best bit, although it did come close with our amazing Antwerp trip. However, being welcomed into the Beyond main room D.J. booth by Steve Pitron for our birthday, and “Doing The Disco Matt” to what will probably be labelled as our record, “Release Me”, did it for us, pure unadulterated enjoyment & ecstasy that we will never forget. So, 2010 we salute twelve terrific months of music and if 2011 is anywhere near as good we will be in heaven. (DISCO MATT)
Postscript
So, here is out top 40 tracks of 2010, some dancefloor hits others just hits in our books, but all very much worthy of their place in our premier picks.
1. Molella remix of Edward Maya & Vika Jingulina – Stereo Love
2. Pirupa – Sweet Devil
3. Mind Electric remix of Zoe Baldwi TV Rocks – Release Me
4. John Dalhback remix of Mousse T’s – All Night Long
5. Richard Earnshaw remix of Kenne Kursmochi’s – Take Me Back
6. Medina – You & I
7. Diagram Of The Heart – Dead Famous
8. Milk & Sugar – Let the Love Take Over
9. Dave Aude Remix of Alexis Jordan – Happiness
10. Danny Verde remix of Pagano & Wayne G’s – Trapped
11. Audio Jackers – Check it Out
12. Danny Verde Radio Edit of Blake Lewis’ – Till We See The Sun
13. Chocolate Puma vs Bing Players – Disco Electrique Revisited mix
14. Lissat & Voltaxx remix of Tom Novy’s – Now Or Never
15. Norman Dory remix of Sandy Rivera’s – Hide U
16. Denzel Park vs Karina Chavez – World Go Round
17. Dennis Christopher remix of Nightstylers – No More Lies
18. Leomeo – The Sound Of C
19. Miguel Picasso Feat Rebeka Brown – Show Me Your Love
20. Alan X Peephole remix of Tcherniak & Thomas’s – My People
21. Rebeka Brown – Offshore
22. David Amo & Julio Navas remix of Interative’s – Who Is Elvis
23. Dr Kucho – Let The Baseline Take Control
24. Lissat & Voltaxx – Et Moi
25. Gabriel & Castellon – Deep In My Sax
26. Audio Jackers remix of Weekend Players’ – Just Can’t Hold Back
27. SNS – So Alive
28. Audio Jackers – Upside Down
29. Jason Riva – To Start Again
30. Sgt Slick – Back On Black
31. Shapeshifters remix of Candi Station’s – Musical Freedom
32. Peter Rauhofer remix of Zander Bleck’s – Everybody Wants To Rule The World
33. DJ Madskillz remix of Christian Smith & Reset Robot’s – Air Miles
34. Arumba – Filthy Rich
35. Jay C – Souk
36. David Penn- The Miracle of Love
37. Chris Montana – Don’t Give Up
38. Audio Jackers – Party People
39. Juanjo Martin & Albert Neve – Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough
40. Rossini Pain Feat Kaysee – I Will Be
Posted in Music, Reports, Reviews | Tags: Alan K, Alessandro Londra, Andrei Stan, Beyond, Brent Nicholls, Chris Bekker, Chris Brogan, D'Johnny, Danny Verde, Dikky Vendetta, Dimitry K, Fabio White, Gabriele Cutrano, Gonzalo Rivas, Guy Williams, Hifi Sean, Ivan Gomez, Jamie Hammond, Jamie Head, Javier Medina, Jc Christopher, Lee Harris, Leomeo, LGDF, Lovechild, Luke Howard, Micky Galliano, Mikey D, Minx, Mis-White, Nacho Chapado, Nick Tcherniak, Norbert M, Pagano, Paul Heron, Phil Marriott, Phil Romano, Steve Pitron, Steve Thomas, Terry Bryan, The Oli, Zach Burns | 4 Comments »
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19 May 2013 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Fantastic Foray At Fuse” – La Demence “Leather Me” – Sunday 19th May – Pick of The Day Mini Feature
It may be a sedate Sunday in our world, but Brussels will be banging to bags of brilliant beats tonight as La Demence rounds off a glorious Gay Pride weekend with their “Leather Me” event, the dynamic D.J. line up including Steven Redant, Paul Heron & Ben Manson making our ...
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24 Dec 2012 | 0 Comments
Picks/Recommends – “Santa Stan Is Coming To Town” – Splash Roma “Merry Xmas” – Tuesday 25th December – Pick Of The Day/Festive Focus Extra
The Europeans seem to have a penchant for a party on Christmas Day, Splash Roma being no exception, this monthly meet extending a very “Merry Xmas” tomorrow night (Tues 25th Dec) when it welcome its own special Santa, Andrei Stan filling their guest D.J. stocking slot, all the event detail ...
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24 Aug 2011 | 1 Comment
Music – “Colossal Composition Catch-Up Chapter Four” – DM Does… The Music News – Tuesday 24th August
Having set about catching up on lost time incurred during April & May with a series of four newsletters, for the eagle eyed in you, this fourth newsletter in that catch up series has been a long time coming, virtually two months to be exact, this in itself meaning we ...
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9 Jun 2011 | 0 Comments
Reviews – “Captivating Clubbing In Calella” – Delice Dream Festival “No Time To Sleep” – Sat 16th to Wed 21st April – International Club Review Special
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 ...
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31 May 2011 | 0 Comments
Reports – “Stunning Stage Sparkles” – Salvation “The Future” – Sunday 29th May – Preview The Review
We really do adore a t-dance style soiree, but Salvation’s “The Future” event was always going to be more than that, this second foray at Koko in Camden, on the cards at least, looking like a smash as well as creating a splash on the spring bank holiday scene, meaning ...
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21 Apr 2011 | 0 Comments
Reports – “Bravado In The Bar” – Delice Dream Festival – The “Before” Parties – Sat 16th to Tues 19th April – Preview the Review
Welcome back to our delectations on the Delice Dream Festival, this fourth of five tasking a look at the “before” parties held in the host Hotel bar, four different nights with four very different D.J.’s, two in particular topping the scales superbly, our bite sized summary going like this…. With ...
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17 Apr 2011 | 0 Comments
Reports – “Oppulent Opener” – Delice Dream Festival “1001 Nights” – Saturday 16th April – Preview The Review
Welcome to the first of what will be a whole series of our bite sized reflections that will capture each & every party we visit in the twelve strong schedule of events that make up this year’s Delice Dream Festival, the five day gathering in Calella that captures 25 performer, ...
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9 Feb 2011 | 0 Comments
Club Review – “Brilliant Brussels Beats” – La Demence “Delice Boys” – Friday 4th Febraury
In the few short months that we have spread our wings beyond the boundaries of Britain, there has been one club that we have been wanting to capture, probably more than any other in Europe, well possibly with the exception of the magnificent Muccassassina in Rome, this club being a ...
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5 Feb 2011 | 0 Comments
DM Reports – “Preview The Review” – Spyce Bar Paris & La Demence Brussels – Special Intro Post – Saturday 5th February
For a while now, we have been scratching our heads for a way to break the fresh feeling news on our various visits, be it a bar, club or event either at home or abroad, as more often than not our extensive reviews take a few days (sometimes weeks) to ...
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6 Jan 2011 | 4 Comments
DM Reports/Reviews – “Terrific Twelve Months Of Tunes” – 2010 Year Music Review
As much as our bar, club & event yearly round-up reviews have become a tradition, our look back at any year would not be complete without our full on reflection of the music & the D.J.’s that have made our year, indeed, without the music and without the D.J.’s, the ...
Event Review – “Bare Ches… : It would be fair to say that, over the years, we have s...posted on December 22, 2010
Recommends – “The Bel Ami… :
It hardly seems twelve months since we went str...posted on May 5, 2011
Reviews : Here you will find regular reviews of clubs, special ev...posted on October 7, 2010- Previews : Here we preview rather than review clubs & events that ...posted on October 7, 2010
- Music : Here we focus on, review and recommend the latest podca...posted on October 7, 2010
- Recommends : Here you will find recommendations for upcoming events ...posted on November 24, 2010
Reviews – “Eye-Opener Of … : Generally unplanned & unscheduled events in our clubbin...posted on March 2, 2011
Recommends – “Gay Boys In… : When the seeds were first sown on a specialist evening ...posted on April 11, 2011
Recommends – “Shoreditch … :
Having given East Bloc plenty of coverage in our We...posted on May 14, 2011- Reports : Here you will find reports & features on the latest new...posted on November 24, 2010
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