Posts Tagged ‘Steve Thomas’

While we should be soaking up the splendour of sun, sea & sand in South Africa, as we find ourselves rather languishing in London, we swap to snow for our International Special Focus, honing in on The European Gay Ski Week that brings together a bevy of brilliant clubbing brands in a seven day symphony of scintillating sounds.

 

Having lived in the Southern hemisphere for a sizable slice of our informative teenage & early adult years, we quickly acclimatised ourselves to the heat of the South African Highveld, Johannesburg our home city that, despite not having the sea & the sand on its doorstep, had sun in virtually year round abundance. And on the odd occasions when the weather was wet & inclement, we soon realised that we had an adverse affinity to the damp, the cold and the lack of sunshine, snow not even coming into the equation, we continuing to crave the heat, the sun and, with our folks now based on the natal north coast along with friends of ours in Cape Town, both the sea & the sand. Yet, as we found ourselves laying our hat in London, we have had to endure some pretty awful winters, not least this current one which is fighting off the spring, just last week we suffering snow on our streets and this is March for heaven’s sake. But while we make no secret of our hatred for the cold and everything that comes with it, when it comes to skiing, we accept that many others savour the wonderful white stuff and when on the slopes of the Alps or wherever it may be, not only report back that the sun can shine bright, but with the proper preparation & clothing, it can actually be a warming experience full of excitable enjoyment. However, the thought of spending a day, let alone a week staring at snowy slopes leaves us literally cold, although in casting this adversity aside, we find ourselves not only previewing but recommending the forthcoming European Gay Ski Week.

 

 

But before we extol the virtues of this year’s weeklong event which kicks off on the Alpe d’Huez ski resort this Saturday (16th March), marking the 5th Anniversary of the annual event, we thought we would share a slice or two of the history of The European Gay Ski Week (EGSW), the team behind it all telling us  that “…founded in 2008, year one of EGSW took place in Tignes, France in March 2009 boasting a promising yet relatively small 200 attendees, artists including Andy Bell from Erasure and Soul II Soul part of proceedings. Proving a popular ski area and resort and with clubbing parties in the evenings upping the offer, guests came back in even larger numbers. Year two almost doubled in numbers to 370 and doubling again in 2010 European Gay Ski Week had become the fastest growing and most popular gay ski week in Europe. By this time its reputation was growing throughout the industry as well and the roll call of clubs and D.J.’s that were participating in the event were beginning to read like who’s who of gay clubbing from Europe and beyond.  Amongst those who joined EGSW were internationally renowned D.J./Producers Steven Redant, Leomeo & Pagano, while clubbing brands Trade & La Demence were involved. In 2011, EGSW decided it wanted to treat it’s attendees to a new resort, Alpe d’Huez as this yearly event was becoming such a huge success, with its now 1000+ attendees, and the ever-increasing list of big-named artists. EGSW also knew it had found a resort that could further cater for its revellers needs. Alpe d’Huez transforming itself into a gay-town for one week every year, while in 2012, every club, restaurant, bar, and venue wanted a piece of the EGSW action….”

 

 

So that brings you pretty much up to date with EGSW which, this year, looks bigger and better than ever with a bevy of clubbing brands from across Europe getting involved, Spain’s WE Party, Amsterdam amazer Rapido, Brussels based La Demence, London’s Lovechild, Paris’s Scream & associated LAB party, Berlin based Greenkomm, Dutch beefy brand Bear Necessity & NYC founded fetish brand Hustlball all involved, making for the biggest clubbing collective yet, boosted even further by D.J./Producer Psagano’s own club brand Deviate. And the D.J. line up is equally impressive, Steven Redant flying the La Demence flag, Pagano clearly steering Deviate, while other stars of the scene heading to the snowy ski slopes include Paul Heron, Oliver M, Ben Manson, Tony English, Alessandro Londra & Steve Thomas, with plenty more on the cards but yet to be announced, while there will be a host of drag queens, performers & artists involved in this fabulous festival that is fast becoming more about the clubbing which in terms of balance is fast catching up the skiing in the scales stakes. And for those that love either aspects of entertainment, EGSW is certainly an enthralling event & festival, the numbers of attendees this year already considerably higher than last, perhaps an indication of its pluming popularity, while much of the actual detail remains under wraps, with no event pages to refer you to, while having scoured their Facebook page at https://facebook.com/EuropeanGaySkiWeek, it is clear, apart from attendees who will be privy to all the party details, we are left with the artwork jigsaw pieces  to try put together the programme, although with no particular dates posted our cause is all but lost.

 

 

That said, if you are one of the 1200 heading to the Alpe d’Huez this coming Saturday (16th march), you can be guaranteed both superb skiing & captivating clubbing each day & night of this weeklong festival frolic and EGSW’s eleven strong support team & management members Kevin Millins & Simon Patrick will give you the warmest of welcomes, meaning while we won’t be swapping sun, sea & sand for the ski slopes & snow anytime soon, this 5th anniversary of all things skiing & clubbing gets our fabulous thumbs up. (DISCO MATT)

 


For some, Christmas is about the treats under the tree, for others it’s about the turkey on the table, but for us? well it’s about the traditional turn with Trade and while Turnmills may just be a memory in our minds, this Christmas night we were given the next best thing, a Chrimbo combo that proved a sweet sensation that was well worth swapping the dessert for the dancefloor.

 

Classic Chrimbo Combo

We have always been a bit of a stickler for tradition, we always give up something for lent, not an Easter goes by without indulging on the proverbial egg, of the chocolate kind of course, while come our birthday a bottle of our favourite South African Beyerskloof is an essential inclusion in our sometimes singular celebrations. So when it comes to Christmas, we have plenty of traditions too, those that have known us over the years realising that Xmas Eve is never the same without the mandatory gammon & mash along with the classic film “Oliver”, while on the day itself, smoked salmon & champagne is a morning must while watching another classic, “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang”. Yet while in more recent times we can take or leave the tradition of Turkey, not least that in the sunnier climbs of our South African home, the heat of the summer doesn’t necessarily mix with the daytime feast that festoons the masses in the northern hemisphere, one thing we have grown to adore & pursue with a passion, is a little dancefloor debauchery. So, while last year it was Lovechild at Red & Blue in Antwerp, the previous handful had always been about the mother of all clubs, without whom no Christmas is quite the same, a club that always reigned supreme on Sunday’s although for on this occasion would step out in the night rather than the day.

 

Trademark Artwork

Trade is a name that had always been synonymous with another T, namely Turnmills and while many a Sunday morning during the 90’s saw us cutting a stride on this clubbing equivalent of churches, no less than eight occasions seeing us working off our Christmas lunch on the dancefloor of this infamous clubbing mecca, the debauchery & decadent feel that we always used to succumb to on a Sunday heightened even more in the knowledge that the vast majority of London, on this one night of the year, would be rather sleeping off theirs! So there was always something extra special about the Trade Christmas nights and, even when Turnmills was no more, there was always The Egg to fall back on, while the post Farringdon days also had another home for this mothership of Christmas day clubbing, namely Fire in Vauxhall, this venue choice not only proving a popular one, but opened up the opportunity for Trade to join forces with another amazing afterhours clubbing brand, in the case of Christmas, being none other than Orange, the outing that started Fire way back when & is the name behind the mighty organisation that now runs this Vauxhall venue.

 

Amazing Atmosphere

So, with Orange & Trade once again joining forces and asking us to “…enter the realm of The Snow Queen…” and with a line up that included Steve Thomas, Nick Tcherniak, Pagano, Paul Heron & Fat Tony, how could we resist, even the lack of public transport & triple taxi fares nowhere near enough to retain us from making the 20 minute jaunt from Clapham to Vauxhall and a meet with our Christmas night maker. And arriving at Fire’s doors at not long before midnight, it was clear that many had the same thing in mind, the queue already considerable, yet managed with the usual dexterity we have come to expect from our very own face of Trade (and many more clubs for that matter), Tom Fuller, the mandatory pause and catch-up stalling us in time to be greeted by Aaron Elder and our promoter of the year, Steven Sharp, the man behind Orange & the driving force behind this “Snow Queen” affair. But with the club beckoning as well as an expectant Chrissy Darling waiting for her Christmas kiss, we negotiated a rather overzealous security guard who went as far as feeling our crotch (how dare he!), is was Miss Darling that was doing the now acceptable feeling and having spent the previous Christmas day in her company, clubbing in Antwerp, it felt extremely appropriate that she was here too. But while all these entrance greetings love-in’s were welcome enough, well apart from that naughty crotch feel of course, it was Orange/Trade we were here for, the pounding music of the main room grabbing our immediate attention as we disrobed at the coatcheck & prepared ourselves for the decadent chrimbo cavorting ahead.

 

Snow Queen Show

And it got right off to a brilliant start, Orange RAW man Hifi Sean in charge of the tunes, entertaining an already considerable crowd to a ton of tech & deep house beats, the lighting & effects already in full flow as we found out to our sudden surprise as the snaky Smalls hit the go button on the special snow cannon installed for this  exceptional event, a shower of the white stuff flying over our heads in our selected spot, this time to the right of the D.J. booth (shock horror) & covering our hair & shoulders making us look like a south pole penguin. But with “Mr DiscoBalls” Sean sorting some sensational sounds, w soon shook off our snow covering, our dextrous “Doing The Disco Matt” moves shifting the last remnants of snow, while there were plenty others getting into the Orange/Trade groove too, one guy next to us even putting our extravert dancing to shame. Mind you, while this RAW element was doing it for us, it was the Trade treats we were very much looking forward, a peek into the mirrorarch, the space set aside for our mothership of clubbing captivation, spotting the screens being pulled back & the room swinging into action. So, it wasn’t long before we found ourselves up in our favoured spot (yes you guessed it, just left of the D.J. booth, the one & only Steve (Janet to his friends) Thomas masterminding the music, immediate Turnmills memories flooding back in our minds, as he set about scoring a succession of bulls-eye’s with his brilliant beats.

 

Adorable Andrea

Now we were well into this classic Chrimbo combo meet, the influence of Steven Sharp, not just a prolific promoter, but one half of The Sharp Boys who had been Trade residents themselves, clearly working like a dream, that other half in the form of George due on in the Orange room, although not before international playboy D.J. Paul Heron had his turn, our momentary pause from the thrills of Mr Thomas in the Trade room seeing us stall our return a little longer than we had planned. And for good reason as not only did someone wearing a straw in their ear as a Madonna like microphone that immediately reminded us of our beautiful Brazilian babe Bel, but another female close to our hears made her actual presence felt, Andrea bounding up to give us the customary welcome that never fails to reduce us to fits of laughter, “…you can f*** right off…”, while a flood of other familiar faces came walking by, Nick Tcherniak, Tom Marchant & Ariel Mayer among them, while another Nick, Mr Evans to be precise, was on close call having kindly transported his close pal Paul to Fire in time for his slot at this “Snow Queen” happening. Indeed Mr Heron was heaping hoards of heavenly house upon us, tracks such as “Souk” making us shout out in our minds, “where are you Steve & Celso”, while the delightful dancers now on stage were discerning distractions enough to keep us concentrated on the Orange/Trade task in hand.

 

Tony & Tonnic Treat

But Trade was to show the most hypnotic hand of the night, the club brands resident Nick Tcherniak the D.J. disciple to do it, a simply stunning set from start to finish enthralling the now packed to the rafters mirrorarch space, a hoard of Trade babies in attendance to witness this master mixer at his wonderful work. So, it was no surprise that we totally succumbed to this superb showing, spinning on our spot like a good un, even Trade’s Mark Mace mystified by a monstrous moves, while the arrival of Pagano for his turn at playing on our musical heart strings, did slightly stop us in our tracks, although such was the exhilarating energy being poured on us by the terrific Mr Tcherniak, we were soon back in the zone soaking up what was to be our performance of the party. Yet with so much more to enjoy and, as a result our nibble size tweeting pretty much grinding to a halt, it was Pagano who first thrilled us with a mound of magnificent music in the Trade space, including a new production of his that had a distinct nod towards a Bond theme of the OHMSS variety, while George Sharp kept drawing us into the Orange room, Tom Marchant’s new track also enthralling our ears. But the morning’s madcap melay for us was crowned by a prolific performance from Fat Tony, this Trade lite lounge legend very much sealing our satisfaction deal on this “Snow Queen” splendour, Tonnic’s vocals and Tony’s selection’s sending us skyward with every beat, our anthem of old, “Release Me”, even halting our exit, rather ensuring we reassumed our spinning spot in the Orange/Trade main room which marked our final focus on this fantastic foray.

 

Steven Superb Sharp

So what did we think of the latest chapter in our catalogue of chrimbo cavorting?, and who rocked our world in the eight or so hours we sank into this “Snow Queen” quest? Well, first & foremost, the combining of forces between Orange & Trade worked like a dream, this the third time the duo have collaborated over Christmas and we loved the way the two differing styles of beats & bodies merged as one and whilst it may have not quite had the overtly decadent feel of the Turnmills Xmas nights, the sensation that we were pushing the boundaries of normality were certainly evident. As for those that rocked our eight hour world, well, pretty much every D.J. did their bit in tantalising our musical taste-buds, from the deep tech house of Hifi Sean through the more uplifting citric beats of Paul Heron & George Sharp in the main room, to the Trade tipped tunes from Steve Thomas & Pagano in the mirrorarch, our trips back & forth between the two spaces were evident that each & every one of them were hitting the mark. However, we have to single out Nick Tcherniak for his simply stunning set in the Trade room, we lapping up every tasty morsel of his magnificent music, while our hats very much also go off to Fat Tony for his splendid set in the Orange space, it being extremely rare for a D.J. to actually pull us back from the brink of an exit and he did it in spectacular style. So hearty congratulations to all involved from start to finish, to everyone that said hi but especially to Steven Sharp, our promoter of 2011, for masterminding this classic chrimbo combo, you did both Orange & Trade proud, well done. (DISCO MATT)

Mothership Of Clubbing Re-Docks"

When we look back across our clubbing life in the capital there is no doubt that times have certainly changed since we first arrived on the scene back in 1990 and it would also be fair to say that our tastes in clubs & the music they play has also changed, we not necessarily moving with the times although with ageing comes mellowness, probably like a good bottle of wine. Mind you, sticking with that wine analogy, we certainly seem to be showing no signs of turning to vinegar, rather in our twenty first year of cutting a stride on the scene, we seem to be just as active as we were back then, perhaps even more so, save for the odd debilitating injury that clearly also comes with age. And talking of coming of age, usually, or at least in old money, twenty one years marks that moment, although in the case of this club, which celebrates its 21st birthday this coming weekend, there can be no doubting that it came of age many moons ago, the heyday of existence in its first ten, those heady yet heavenly times at Turnmills,  a time when clubbing, especially on a Sunday, was at its most decadently debaucherous and pushing the boundaries, as we did, was packed with excitement & naughtiness.

 

Iconic Logo

Trade has left on indelible mark on our lives, along with many others, some who like us, are still cutting that stride on the scene, while others will have long resigned themselves to a life less clubbier, the newer generation of Trade fans possibly not even having witnessed those wonderful times when it found itself at what can only be described as its home sweet home. Yes, there is no mistaking that combination of Trade & Turnmills is the bread & butter, the cheese & biscuits or the strawberry’s & cream marriage of the clubbing scene, hardly any other brand & venue association coming close, save for perhaps Salvation & Cafe De Paris. Yet, interestingly, as Trade turns 21,  for nearly half of that time, this mother of all clubbing brands has found itself without a permanent place to lay its hat, venues including The Egg in Kings Cross, Fire in Vauxhall & Ministry Of Sound in Southwark all playing host to occasional events, whether it be the still surviving Christmas Day parties or, naturally, the birthday bashes. Yet while attempting to emulate the feel of Turnmills, The Arches getting the closest, it seems that the clubs ethos has diluted somewhat, not least in the style of music, the crowd it attracts &, of course, the overall atmosphere. 

 

Turnmills Trade

But before we talk about where Trade will be for it’s 21st, we thought it only appropriate, especially for those of you younger folk who were not around in those heady Farringdon days, to give you just a taste of what it was like to take in a Sunday morning at Turnmills, by, as briefly as we can, paint a picture of an a-typical trip to Trade. Generally, it would start with a 3 a.m. wake up call, followed by a 4 a.m. rendezvous with our Trade baby pal Terry in the early nineties, & Chris in the latter nineties, an arrival at Turnmills doors meaning joining a queue, sometimes for an hour or more, although the wait was worth its weight in gold. Then, with fevered anticipation we would descend the stairs into the main space, the bar the first eye catching sight, a wonder under the arches avoiding the packed “muscle mary alley” (so called as all the hunky men would meet here), then up the steps into our spot opposite the D.J. booth door, from where we could survey all the action on the dancefloor as well as casting our eyes on the D.J.’s at work. And it would be here that we would dance pretty much constantly for the next six hours to the likes of Malcolm Duffy, Alan Thompson, Steve Thomas, Rachel Auburn, Lisa German, Ian M, Tony De Vit, Gonzalo & Pete Wardman. And pretty much nothing would move us from our spot, save a short break for a coffee on the first floor around 11 a.m. or the need for refreshments & to refresh ourselves, hardly a week going by when we wouldn’t be there as the lights came up and when Laurence Malice turned them off again, a midday finish going on till 1 p.m., we eventually crawling out of Turnmills, bleary eyed, into a bright Sunday afternoon, happy days indeed. And if you were part of this era of Trade, then this video clip should bring those happy memories flooding back, http://youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=o_OuDT9Jch0, providing a rare piece of footage from the last event at its legendary home, whilst Laurence Malice’s interview in The Independent is a MUST read for all Trade enthusiasts & inquisitors alike, gives you as good an insight to the club & the man behind the club, so one you should absorb in all its glory by going to http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/10/24/laurence-malice-on-after-hours-partying-being-kidnapped-and-turning-away-axl-rose/.

 

The Future Is Pulse

So, looking to the now, where is Trade laying its hat for its birthday this year? Well, interestingly, they have opted for new club Pulse Southwark to house the event, the place, just off the south side of Blackfriars bridge where both SuperMartXe & Lovechild now stage their scene showings, Southwark as a district having been the home for Trade’s 18th & 20th birthdays but a hop, skip & jump down the road at The Arches. Now, following a number of false starts this year, we still have yet to see this new, state of the art clubbing venue, although from what we are told there will be plenty of space to house the hoards of people that will no doubt decide that this 21st birthday bash will be their Saturday night choice of where to be & be seen on the scene. And yes you heard us right, Trade’s birthday this year will be on a Saturday night, as opposed to the traditional Sunday morning, although the so called coming of age also means that life is a little different, not least that the afterhours phenomenon that effectively killed off Trade’s weekly parties, Beyond, will be joining forces with its nemesis, for an afterparty at Fire in Vauxhall, details on this we will be covering in a separate Weekend Focus post coming up. As for Pulse emulating the days of Turnmills, well those days are definitely over, but we are sure that with the planned artwork, Trade Mark style & the usual prolific production, it will be as close as we could wish for.  

 

Trade Babies Beats

With the bricks on this birthday bash beginning to build up into a fuller picture, the venue & the night now sorted, what about the most important element of any Trade party, the music? Well, given the line-up it should be top draw Trade style as usual, big hitters of recent times, Pagano & Nick Denton in amongst a sea of stars from those magical days of Turnmills, main room men of that time,  Pete Wardman & Gonzalo (he didn’t use Rivas then) also in the mix, while we are sure Steve Thomas & the face of Trade, Nick Tcherniak may surprise us with an impromptu back-to-back performance to match that wonderful one at Fire a couple of years ago. But the list goes as lite lounge originals The Sharp Boys & Fat Tony are there, while the long list extends to the likes of Daz Saund, Leonardo Glovibes (suggesting a Megawoof style room!), to Andy Farley, Rosco & Ross Homson (a hard house room for sure!), while the team also welcome special guests Monika Kruse (check out her interview at http://dontstayin.com/article-14593)& the legendary Smokin Jo who, together with Jon Byrne & James Nardi, complete a line-up that has something for everyone, from Trade babies of old, to lite lounge enthusiasts, through to those more used to the modern face of this 20th century colossus celebrating 21 years making music & now firmly in the 21st century. Plus, judging from the line-up, our guess is that there will be three, maybe four rooms, although as usual, the team are keeping these details very much close to their chests.

 

The Face Of Trade

So what can you expect from the music?, Well, house, progressive house, hard house, harder house & techno house, although we were hoping to find a Trade 21st birthday compilation release to promote, while as of going to press we are still waiting for one, but what we can do is share links to podcast pages of some of the stars of this coming Saturday’s show, The Sharp Boys up first with two recent releases that give a nod towards what to expect from their set, both Sharpcast Episode 9” & the special promo edition worth picking out from their page at http://sharpboys.podomatic.com/. Then there is Nick Tcherniak, the so called face of Trade, as, with the exception of Tom Fuller, it would be Nick that Turnmills regulars would see first, although these days, Mr Tcherniak is better known for being behind the decks rather than in front of them, his set on Saturday one not to be missed, an idea of the kind of treats in store available by checking out his latest podcast, “Everybody”, at http://nicktcherniak.podomatic.com/, which includes the track of the same name, recorded with studio partner Steve Thomas (or Janet to his Trade pals) along with vocals from Lizzie France, who performed live at Trade’s birthday last year. Another name pretty synonymous with Trade and one who kind of stepped into the vacant shoes left by the prematurely lost Tony de Vit, is Gonzalo, his main room sets in the latter 90’s, pure memory making magic, we pinning our hopes on Mr Rivas to produce a podcast devoted to Trade’s birthday, although his “Cums Deep & Penetrating” mix is as close to the mark as we can get it, well worth a listen at http://gonzalorivas.podomatic.com/, although like Nick’s, his set on Saturday is one you should be around for.

 

Devoted To De Vit

Now we mentioned that name didn’t we?, Tony De Vit, no preview look at any Trade birthday would be complete without a mention for him and while he may have passed onto a better place 14 years ago now, his memory still lives on in many people’s minds, not least those Turnmills Trade babies that, like us, are still circling the scene, or at least pitching up to these annual birthday bashes. And in terms of giving those of you not accustomed to the full on high speed hard house sets that we used to enjoy week in week out on the Turnmills main room, just check out this video clip that, without visuals, introduces you to a real de Vit anthem, “Are You Ready” (http://youtube.com/watch?v=oWIzTYVUcIM), this track along with a host of unmissable others to be found on his “Global Underground” album & one we will be digging out & dusting off for a few plays before heading out from home on Saturday night. But with a never-ending list of YouTube clips available to mark the memories left by this legendary D.J., here are just a couple that give you an idea of the magic that this man created every time he played, http://youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=dfzkHmCQySQ chronicling another Tony anthem “The Dawn”,  while the full 9 minute feature of “I Don’t Care” at http://youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=OWaWPx3hUa8 evokes the pounding & pumping surge of excitement that used to race through our veins while Tony was masterminding a Sunday morning spectacle of a set as he used to do with consummate ease.

 

Go There! Be There!

Right, with you now surely in the mood for this Trade “A Journey To The Dark Side” event, all we need to do is to run down the detail, we once again stressing (more for Trade enthusiasts of old) that this is a Saturday night, rather than a Sunday morning party, Pulse’s doors opening at 10 p.m. and the event running through to a “superlate” finish. Now, if you haven’t yet got your ticket then best you get on the case pretty quickly, as we expect this to be a sellout, or at least a roadblock affair, advance £15 entry available online by going to http://www.clubtickets.com/gb/2011-10/29/trade-21-a-journey-to-the-dark-side, where you can also grab the joint £25 option which gets entry to the afterparty, “Ultimate”. However, if you prefer grabbing a ticket by hand, then Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & 50 have them on sale, while for the foolhardy, there may be entry on the door, but expect to pay more & wait a long time to get in (so you know what to do!!). And, why not join the Trade mailing list at http://tradeuk.net, as by doing so, you get the chance to be included in the draw for free VIP passes to the party, while with our ticket already in hand, you can expect to see us on the Trade dancefloor come this Saturday night, reporting on it all, so if you do, come say hi, naturally making sure you “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)

Well, what a month it has been in Disco Matt land, first the flu & then a nasty ear infection that has left us most out of sorts, although it hasn’t stopped us getting out & about on the scene, and when we haven’t, recommending the places to be & be seen. So as the first month of 2011 draws to a close, it’s time to once again look at what’s on offer in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere to tempt you out on what is (for many we suspect) the first payday of the month.

So, spotlighting Soho, Profile & Lo-Profile get our first shout, another wonderful weekend in prospect that takes off upstairs tomorrow (Fri 28th Jan) in Profile from 7 p.m. with Nathan Six on the decks, while down in Lo-Profile, Brent Nicholls serves up the funky & Latin flavoured fun from 10 p.m., followed by Latino Gonzalo Rivas, who takes you deep into Saturday morning, till 4 a.m. Then on Saturday, Profile gets going with the grooves, courtesy of Craig Daniels, while downstairs the duo of Jamie Head & Alessandro Londra should ensure two sets full of stupendous sounds, percussionist David H adding his own spice to this Saturday shindig. Now, in our books, both Profile & Lo-Profile still sit as the best package in Soho for a complete evening of socialising & clubbing, plus môn-congrats to Profile for their runner up slot in the SeenQueen (SQ) Best Bar poll category, more details of both venues available at http://profileshoho.com & http://loprofile.com.

Down at The Shadow Lounge, news is still brewing of a new night, our ears (at least our good one) still close to the ground, while the weekend winning format currently stays the same, Friday seeing another “Therapy” session with the boy girl combo of Miswhite & Paul Heron spinning the dance worthy discs, while on Saturday, the ever popular & adorable Andrew Elmore injects a whole load of “Inferno” into the occasion, pop-tastic tunes being the order of the day.  Now, just a quick couple of dates for your diaries, next Thurs (3rd Feb) seeing the return of house hit “Hola” with Terry Vietheer & Bodytalk’s DJ Rokk, while the following Friday (11th Feb) it’s the Delice Dream pre-party (more details right here next week). Further info on these & all other events can be found by going to http://theshadowlounge.co.uk/ or connecting with their group at http://facebook.com/theshadowlounge.

Now a furtherl Soho shout for Barcode, who must surely be in celebratory mood, having scooped the crown  for Best Bar in the SQ “Your Disco Needs You” poll, Friday (28th) kick starting the celebrations with another “The Cave” club night downstairs, special guest Hifi Sean selecting the sounds, , while regulars Dilmar Brito & Jo Publik pick the hits upstairs. Plus, don’t forget Industri, which now has its residency here in Soho & takes place at Barcode each & every Wednesday, D.J.’s Brent Nicholls & Paul Heron on weekly rotation, but Minty always there to steer this social splendour in the right direction. More details of happenings at Barcode can be found by going to http://bar-code.co.uk.

Rupert St & Ku Bar are our last best bites, Rupert St seeing D.J. Minx mastermind the music on Friday, while on Saturday, the legend that is Fat Tony makes his indelible impression of this Soho sophisticate, info on the bar available at http://rupertstreet.com. Over at Ku Bar & Club on Lisle St, its Brazilian beats a-plenty, as they host the “official “The Week” pre-party tomorrow (Fri 28th), with the delectable DouGuim on the decks & a carival collective sure to gather, more news on Ku available at http://ku-bar.co.uk.

Right moving over the river and south to Vauxhall, we capture another weekend of jam packed activity at Fire & Area, The Orange Group cast of clubs & highlights including Onyx, who hold a stylish “Burlesque Ball” this tomorrow (Fri 28th) which includes contemporary choreographed dance performances & a special P.A. performance, the team clearly keen to pack out the place as there is an inflation busting entry offer of just £1 before midnight with a flyer, ad or concession g/list entry. Following that is afterhours A:M, another SQ award winner, clinching second spot in Best Weekly Club category, so Oliver & the team will be in party mood, welcoming  guest D.J. Paul Heron to the decks. Back over at Area & probably the biggest celebration will be at Beyond this Sunday (30th), as they lifted the big SQ crown as Best Overall, as well as adding another SQ Best Weekly Club award to their trophy cabinet. Add to that their “The Week” afterparty with the likes of D’Johnny, Steve Pitron & Alan K, and this will be THE place to be for sure. With a clubbing cast that also includes Gravity, Later, Booster & Orange , you can literally party from Thursday right through till Monday, bouncing between both venues, although The Coronet will surely be a  diversion on Sat (29th) when Brazil’s best is back, The Week landing back in London (more in a min). For more info on All Things Orange, go to http://fireclub.co.uk/fire-nightclub-london-gay-parties.php, while guest list inclusions can be sorted by going to http://gayguestlits.com/.

With a Weekend Focus Extra coming up on fetish club Hard On! which will be the other Vauxhall victor on the club scene this Saturday, we wind up our shouts in the Soho of the south, with two quick mentions, first for The RVT, who have a fabulous threesome, Friday seeing the return fabulous night “Marvellous”, while the ever popular “Duckie” stands proud on Saturday & then no Sunday would be the same without a S.LA.G.S./Chill-out session with the majesty that is The Dame Edna Experience. Details of these & other events at this legendary boozer can be found by going to http://thervt.org.uk.

Our other shout goes to two new clubs from ex Onyx promoter Steve Geller, who is now firmly in bed with the team at Union (formerly Crash) and sets this Saturday (29th Jan) alight with new club night, “Epic”, Mr G being joined in the main room by D.J. Daniel Stone, while Barbara Bush & Robbie Keats pop it up in room 2. Then on Tuesday, Steven is back for more, this time an afterhours style event called “Desire” which kicks off at 4 a.m. with our the multi mixing Steven taking charge & thrilling with four decks at once. More details of both events & more can be found by going to http://clubunion/co/uk.

Moving onto all things elsewhere, our first best bite goes to The Week which, whilst an a-typical big club choice, does fall outside the premise of Vauxhall, as the London team have chosen to move it from Fire to The Coronet in Elephant & Castle, & having spoken with the teams head poncho, he explained of the move “…we are stepping up the pace to & increasing the space to showcase the best Brazilian carnival feel to the London crowd…” further adding that “…The Coronet will allow us to display the extravagant production and the array of dancers &performers to their absolute best…” And with costumes finalised, the stage settings complete & the choreography crafted, The Week is ready to take London by storm again, this 2nd event taking place on Sat (29th Jan), full details avaiable in our Weekend Focus post via direct link http://discomatt.com/web/2011/01/dm-recommends-brazils-best-is-back-the-week-saturday-29th-january-weekend-focus/.

As for our real alternatives, The Dalston Superstore (DSS) takes our top choice slot, their weekend starting with the return of night “Revive Her” this Fri (28th Jann) with a cast of D.J.’s that include Lovefingers, Jonny Nash, Minkioni, Dan Hill & Nicholas Fee, all mixing up classic house sounds with future dosco & much more, surely making for bucket loads thumping fun, although Saturday looks like being even better, as “Phat Bitch” takes DSS by storm, hosted by the iconic Tasty Tim, who welcomes an array of guests to share the decks downstairs, while the sweet sounds of Eka Browdny & Scott Webster steer the satisfying sounds upstairs. And with no weekend complete without a “Tutti Frutti” session on Sunday, Dalston & the DSS is the hip happening place, with more details out via their Facebook page or by following the boys at http://twitter.com/dsuperstore.

Next we hone in on Saturday night (29th Jan) as there is something quite special going on at East Bloc, Wayne Shires & Laurent Chaumet’s Shoreditch hangout that is making many waves in this part of the world, their event “Meat” sure to do that & much more. Billed as “…The sexiest party to hit East London ever…”, this all out underground man fest welcomes the might of internationally renowned D.J./Producer Tom Stephan (aka Superchumbo), the original underground rocker of Wayne’s first clubbing love, Crash, Tom being backed up by Shoreditch son Kris Di Angelis, who has been strutting it in the studio with Tom of late, so we are expecting them to share the fruits of their labour with us. With plenty more besides, this is going to be one major mash-up, the team having extended the opening hours until a brave 6 a.m., more details of this & other events (incl. the fab Disco Fag Bar on Friday’s) out at http://eastbloc.co.uk.

Our other alternative is new venture The Sunday Club takes which place this, yes you guessed it, Sunday (30th Jan) at The Kings Cross Social, a new venue on Britannia St, the Farringdon end of this trendy & rejuvenated area of London. Headed up by the legendary Trade D.J. Steve (Janet) Thomas, The Sunday Club is sure to sport plenty of brilliant beats in the tech & progressive style, the emphasis as much on the chat as the tunes, and as Steve aptly puts it, “pop in, unwind, kick back, chit chat, boogie down, drink up, then…….”. Joining Steve on the decks will be a selection of special guests (rumour has it Nick Tcherniak may take his turn too), the club kicking off at 4 p.m. & running through until 10 p.m., entry free until 6, then £5 thereafter and if you fancy a sneak preview, check out their video at http://youtube.com/watch?v=HBmA3CzQZNY, while venue details are available at http://kingscrosssocialclub.com.    

Right thats it, our best bites choices up for another week,  just leaving us  time to point you in the direction of tip top clubbing website, SeenQueen, who have their own hot & happening tips for the places to be seen on the scene, plus much more besides. Indeed, why not go check out how your favourite bar, club or event faired in their “Your Disco Needs You” poll, this & a whole load more available a mere click away at http://seenqueen.com.

Back to http://discomatt.com and watch this space for that focus on Hard On!, plus a feature on the re-launch of Open as well as Gravity Gold, before we hit the European trail next week, this upcoming weekend seeing us get away from it all in Brighton, as Danny Verde flies in for a gig and then Nick Tcherniak, Steve Thomas & Lizzie France star in a special music Industryparty, all seeing us do a bit of DM networking.

However, here in London it definitely looks like being a carnival collective of a weekend as The Week dominates with that pre-party at Ku, the main event at The Coronet & the  afterparty at Beyond, so if you are going Brazilian & shaking those samba moves, have a brilliant time, but, wherever you are & whatever you are up to, have a wonderful weekend and as we always say, “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)

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

When we first landed on London and started our clubbing career in the capital, Sunday’s were very much the day to party hard & decadently, this trend having been forged by the mighty Trade, which when opening its doors back in 1990, quickly caught the imagination & short of transformed Sunday’s into the vogue day of the week, many swapping paper reading for partying, church for cavorting. So, it was natural that, when spilling out of Turnmills (Trade’s home) the energetic throngs of clubbers simply didn’t want the merriment to stop, thus an institution was born that, like its Sunday morning mother, firmly established itself on the capitals clubbing calendar, host venue Villa Stefano’s a must visit for any post Trade baby looking to dance deep into Sunday evening in what become the most decadent tea dance we have ever known.

DTPM is without doubt one of the leading clubbing brands, whose reputation has stretched far & wide, a club that has very much moved with the times, literally, from its original slot of 3 p.m. on a Sunday through to more of a Monday morning club & back ago, its 18 year history littered with amazing parties at a host of venues in the capital, including The End, Fabric & more latterly Paramount, but finding favour for us the most both in that original timing slot & at ancestral home Villa Stefano’s, it also being the natural follower to any Trade event. Indeed, living up to its name, in Latin, “Delirium Tremens Post Meridian”, roughly translated (in Disco Matt talk) as meaning “Delirious Teadance Post Midday”, it always seemed to have more significance on a Sunday afternoon rather than a Monday morning and so, when we heard that it would be making a welcome return to the scene, not only in our favouring timing slot, but following Trade’s 20th birthday event, we simply had to include it in our schedule, not least as promoter Lee Freeman had chosen the superb Cargo as a host venue for this “Eastbenders” titled trounce.

With Trade wearing us out in more ways than one (all for good reasons of course), we felt the need for a respite before landing on Rivington Street in London’s select situ Shoreditch for DTPM’s afternoon event, a short amount of re-fuelling of energy sought at hip hop hangout Rupert Street, before landing on Cargo at just turned 5 p.m. Whilst our arrival was a little later than planned, plus a good 4 hours after the party had kicked off, we were still in time to catch the ever engaging Laurent Chaumet on the door, who greeted us with his familiar French charm & warmth, escorting us through the entrance & past the  friendly security staff & into the club proper, taking a moment to catch up in bits & bobs with us, before returning to his met & greet duties. Then it was just a case of finding the coatcheck to deposit our bits & bobs , while acclimatising ourselves to the inside of Cargo, this being our first visit, although the location being familiar to us as our daytime duties often require us to call on the address.

Ready & raring to go, we made our way into the main room space, filled nicely with plenty of partygoers, many whom had made the trip up form Trade, while a select few had very much more fresher legs to carry them through to the planned 10.30 p.m. finish. Moving around the dancefloor towards the bar to grab refreshments, we soon came across familiar faces, including Clington Forbes, who was still looking remarkably fresh following well over 12 hours of clubbing (like us), he having changed out of his Halloween attire that he had graced so fabulously at Vauxhall Chainsaw Massacre the night before, he getting down to the magnificent music at this “Eastbender” event with his usual gusto, invoking a similar reaction from our now refreshed legs, the New York & nu disco house that incumbent D.J. Guy Williams was selecting, very much hitting the mark & easing us into the party perfectly. And, it wasn’t long before we found ourselves at the D.J. booth saying our hello’s to the man behind the decks, Mr Williams still looking full of beans, even after the full-on fourth birthday bash for his own club brand Black Rabbit, as well as succumbing to the pleasures of Trade, which included a set in the lite lounge, the man clearly in party mood & enjoying this DTPM leg in his marathon weekend immensely. Indeed, he was very much in the grove with his music selections, the style much more akin to his performances at paradise 45 (another brand of his), but every bit the part for this cavorting at Cargo.

Feeling the need for a quick break out on the terrace to indulge in our re-emerged vice, we first caught up with Simon Patrick whom we had seen a mere four or so ours ago in a similar spot at Trade, he having taking the sensible decision to pop home & refresh himself for this post midday shindig. With a clutch of other familiar faces also taking a breather from the action inside, including D.J. Mikey D, who bounded up to say hello, soon followed by main man Lee Freeman, sporting his trademark trilby hat, who was just as pleased to see us, diving deep into conversation about all things DTPM, also touching on the change in D.J. line-up, Boy George, who was supposed to be headlining the event, cancelling (we were told for good reason) at the last minute, although such was the strength of the rest of the team, it didn’t make any difference to the party’s outcome.

With the familiar uplifting music sounds piping through onto the terrace, we starting searching for the source, soon finding it in the shape of the intimate second space, which was tucked away at the end of the venue, a neat little room with its own bar & make shift dance area, filled with a select crowd of faithful’s lapping up the superb sounds of the man in the seat, none other than Fat Tony, who had, just hours before, captivated us in Trade’s lite lounge. And with Clington in attendance, we soon get into the swing of this more uplifting & funky offering, spinning on our spot by the D.J. booth, even Lee & Simon joining in for a while, others also spilling in the space and adding to the already audacious atmosphere, all helped along by Tony’s selections which would never be complete without “Release Me” and “Here Comes The Rain”, both erupting the room & everyone in it.

But, as good as this little space was, we were being drawn back into the main room, our arrival timed to perfection as Guy Williams was ready to hand over the reins to the duo of Nick Tcherniak & Steve Thomas, an increasing gathering of party goers having assembled around the D.J. booth & stage, including the naughty but nice Tom Marchant, as well as Mr Patrick’s crew, which included TTD men Billy Richard & Greg Mitchell. And, with Guy in a really mischievous mood, not just playing with the red light behind the booth, but joking u with us & Steve, it wasn’t long before the whole affair descended into one hilarious moment after the next, Mr Williams continually put Mr Thomas off his stroke as soon as he got anywhere near the decks to mix a record, Nick having to assume control, while we were bent over in fits of laughter, Gus face an absolute picture and everyone around entering into the spirit of this jovial encounter extra-ordniarre.

So, with Mr Tckerniak in complete control of the music and his selections finding favour, the music more on the tougher side & much more akin to the DTPM style we had been used to, the stage also erupted into action, two scantily dressed go-go’s ascending each side & displaying their wares in front of the massive screen which was flashing vivacious visuals to enhance the show the twosome were entertaining the crowd with, the whole place pulsating with action and the atmosphere building by the second. Yet, as good as the party was becoming, our energy levels suddenly fagged somewhat, the previous 12 hours plus of hectic dancing beginning to take its toll on our remaining reserves, so we resigned our mind into following what our body was telling us, gracing our exit from this exceptional “Eastbender” event, to saunter back across town, leaving a still buzzing Cargo & DTPM mash up which partied on deep into Sunday night in style.

Having made the effort to make it across to Shoreditch & the brilliant host venue Cargo on Rivington Street, there was no doubt in our minds that this was the best choice place that lee Freeman had made since bringing the brand back to London just about a year ago. Yes, the location was not the most familiar to many, perhaps reflecting in the overall attendance, but the whole feel & vibe of Cargo suited DTPM perfectly for us, that post midday timeslot also finding our favour, added to the fact that the pitch of the music was just right, Guy Williams’ nu-disco blending into Nick’s more tech infused style brilliantly, while the second space in the hands of Fat Tony right up our street. And, while our stay wasn’t as long as we would have liked, the time we had there was full of fun from start to finish, the atmosphere amazing & the company equally so, meaning that our Cavorting At Cargo ended up being a most enjoyable experience, we looking forward to the next DTPM outing with interest, especially if the host venue is this swish spot in Shoreditch. (DISCO MATT)

Casting our minds back to when we were twenty, finds us frolicking in the clubs in & around Johannesburg, our informative years having been spent in South Africa, but in moving to London when we did, signalled a real step change in the way we clubbed. And the music we listened to, the hi-nrg sounds of the eighties transforming to the hard house tunes of the nineties with one club shinning out over & above the rest as the real trendsetter in this respect. Plus, setting its stool on a Sunday morning was also very much an evolutionary step for the London scene, especially at a time when the only option after the mainstream clubs closed, were illegal raves for clubbers & cruising for others, this now legendary institution quickly establishing itself as THE place to be & be seen, the place being Turnmills & the club being Trade.

Since its launch back in 1990, Trade has assumed that legendary status with consummate ease, along the way bringing us larger than life character’s, not least its creator Laurence Malice, but also other including the amazing artist, known best as Trade Mark, as well as a host of D.J. talents from Malcolm Duffy, Alan Thompson, Steve (Janet) Thomas, Ian M, Pete Wardman, Gonzalo & who can ever forget, the late great Tony De Vit. And these main room D.J.’s really set the trend for the hard edged Sunday morning partying that went on at Turnmills throughout the 90’s, further enhancements including the introduction of the Trade lite lounge, spurning greats like Guy Williams, The Sharp Boys & Fat Tony, while the post weekly Turnmills years have seen the brand choose venues like The Renaissance Rooms, Colosseum, Area, Fire, Egg, & MOS to lay its specialist night hat, never failing to celebrate its birthday in style somewhere, the most memorable of late being the 18th, which was held at The Arches in Southwark. So, celebrating Trade’s 20th  birthday was a given and in returning it the place of those memories of two years ago seemed an incredibly popular move, but how did this landmark anniversary in the clubs history turn out? and what were our huge highlights?

With the anticipation for this 20th birthday building to a crescendo, we found ourselves in a lengthy queue at Arcadia’s (formerly The Arches) doors at not long turned 5.30 a.m., the fevered frenzy feel that used to grip us back in the days of Turnmills back with fervent, our hearts tripping a beat as we patiently waited for our turn to be checked in by the extremely overzealous security on the entrance. Mind you, given the incidents at the 18th birthday, it came as no surprise that the checks were somewhat over the top, clearly slowing the process down, as was the woefully undermanned coat check system once we were inside Arcadia’s walls. However, as with those heady days back in the 90’s, we quickly learnt patience needed to be the order of the day, this being rewarded by our release into the club with fellow Trade party goer Benoit, to grab refreshments at the busy main bar, having already in this short time, caught up with a score or more of familiar faces.

Main room bound, we were keen to check on exactly what the D.J. line up would be, the first room by the entrance already having been laid aside for Gabriele Cutrano to warm the crowd into proceedings, we finding the delectable Per QX opening, not necessarily the start we had expected, the usual form of Malcolm Duffy mysteriously absent. However, we quickly warmed to Per’s electro twisted beats, the main room already filled to brimming, even at this early hour, an indication that this commemorative Trade outing was the lions share choice over any other. Establishing our spot, strangely nowhere near the D.J. booth for a change, we soon bumped into yet more friends & faces from clubbing years past & present, Chris Brogan & co lapping up the building main room atmosphere, even old Trade babies Glen & Maz, two iconic individuals from our years in Turnmills, very much in the thick of the developing action, the Arcadia main room having the closest feel to the former Farringdon home we have experienced. And looking around, the team had certainly gone to extra effort to make it feel as much like Trade & Turnmills as possible, the walls blazoned with Trade Mark artwork, classic trade production hanging from the ceilings & just enough laser lighting to give it that truly decadent & rave house feel that we had so loved back in the club’s heydays.

But, we were keen to investigate further & with the other spaces opening, we ventured forth, first checking out the classic room which was about to get going, then the space opposite, interestingly set aside as a darkroom, and eventually finding our way down to the lite lounge where Circus resident Kris Di Angelis was setting the scene with some sordid sounds. Bounding up to say hello, he seemed as pleased to see us, as we him, our encounter temporarily putting him off his stroke, although it wasn’t long before he was back in the groove & stirring up a storm of terrific tunes to tantalise, so, having found our feet across the expanse of the venue, we headed back into the main room where Nick Tcherniak had taken over the decks duty. Finding favour with each & every track selection, his set slowly built from the more melodic classic Trade sounds through to energetic hard hitting house that had us spinning in a dervish in our spot towards the back of the dancefloor, yet with the space now rammed with party heads, we struggled to find room to dance extravagantly as we had so been used to doing both in the Trade of old & the Beyond of new, eventually finding a spot to swing our pants & settle into his set.

So good was Nick’s music, especially when he pulled out & played the fabulous “My People”, we were in absolute heaven & loving every minute of his magical mixing, our pal Benoit struggling to find his own pace with the tough edged tech sounds, but so many old Trade faces lapping up this 20th birthday bash with gusto. Then, as if Nick had been brilliant enough, up stepped recording partner & Trade original resident Steve Thomas (known affectionately as Janet) upped the ante with an octane fuelled string of sounds that well & truly set the room alight, closing our eyes for moments of his magnificent music, transporting us right back to the 90’s & those tremendous times at Turnmills in his hands. So superb were the sounds & so amazing the atmosphere, we were now going absolutely nowhere, even the massive screen in front of the D.J. booth firing up & displaying iconic Trade visuals to add to the incredible laser lighting & other effects that were giving this main space at Arcadia a fantastic Trade-esque feel.

Now the place was swarming, our extravert moves on the dancefloor only rarely traded for refreshment & relieving stops, the whole venue a veritable feast of eclectic & euphoric Trade followers, very much a who’s who of clubbing and clearly the only place to be on this final day of October 2010. And with the morning hardly half way through, there was so much in store, not only from a prolific PA performance from Lizzie France, who, to our delight, ascended the main room podium right next to us to belt out the Tcherniak & Thomas collaborative EP hit “The Answer”, but didn’t stop there, treating us to three other tracks, before making her leave & handing the controls of this colossal commemoration to Trade over to none other than Pagano. In an instant, this disc spinning maestro had the room in his grip, switching the feel, pace & direction delightfully, swarms of Pagano followers surging forward towards the D.J. booth to soak up his sounds, while the podiums were topped with Logan’s muscle-bound go-go dancers to give this Trade party a distinctive edge.

With the heat of the main room beginning to bite and our pal Benoit in need of some lighter edged music, not to mention a truck load of messages on our phone from a sadly missed & absent D.J. friend, we headed into the lite lounge where Fat Tony had taken charge, flanked by the vivacious vocalist Tonnic, ready to take the space by storm. And that they did, the room a wall to wall sea of bare chested bodied man hunks & glorious girls, all intent on non-stop dancing to Tony’s towering tracks, while, like in the main room before, we quickly found our feet re-tuning ourselves to this more uplifting & accessible musical magic, this time positioning ourselves in our favoured spot, yes you guessed it, just left of the D.J. booth, fighting off the perspiration & heat of this lite lounge love-in, as Tonnic delightfully added her vocal infusions to the scintillating sounds been selected. Now Benoit was in his own heaven, the feel more akin to Beyond than Trade, although we knew exactly where we were, memories of two years ago flooding back in our minds, only the stifling heat stopping us in our tracks in favour of respite out on the rain soaked smoking terrace and the occasional dive into the main room.

With morning turning to afternoon & the a list crowd showing no signs of dissipating, we continued to savour the delights of this awesome Trade anniversary, the lite lounge finding favour over the other spaces, many familiar faces also finding their way there, we catching up with the pals Michelle Thornber, Clayton Wright, Tom Marchant, Clington Forbes, Tamsin Roberts, Joel Thomson, Guy Williams & many more, all soaking up the lite lounge sounds, even bumping into yet more faces old & new. Plus, catch up moments out in the terrace, including those with Simon Patrick & Pagano himself, matched by earlier liaisons with Per QX, Lee Yeomans, Mauricio Ortiz, Paul Weller, Adam Barr, Gabriele Cutrano, Ross Patterson & Hassan Hatoum, to mention just a few (we can’t leave out Glen & Maz of course), meant that this party was living up to its billing as not the place to be but the gAylist place to be. Indeed, the constant wave of people either saying their hello’s to us as Matt or as Disco Matt, some recognising us from recent times, others from the past, all combined to make this one of the more memorable events in our clubbing year thus far.

But, as truly terrific this Trade birthday bash was, our decadent delighting had to come to an end, the stifling heat in the lite lounge having drained us of most if not all of our energy, an upsetting encounter in the main room sealing our departure fate, not to nicest end to this prolific party that we had wanted, although the mound of mesmeric minutes we have experienced throughout our nine hour marathon far outweighing this unfortunate end to our day. So, waving farewell to Arcadia & Trade, we sauntered into the West End to recharge our batteries & gather ourselves for the next instalment in our weekend of wonderment at DTPM’s “Eastbenders” bash, yet still full of tremendous moments of Trade magic etched on our mind & in our soul that would mean it would be hours before the euphoria of this epic encounter with the mother of all clubbing brands wear off.

Trade, having dominated our lives throughout the nineties, can be held solely responsible for shaping our clubbing world. Yes there have been so truly ground breaking clubs since that have & still form a major part of our lives, the iconic Crash being one & Beyond undoubtedly the other. Yet, as much as Trade is now only an occasional outing, it still holds all that magic it did back in those heady days of Turnmills. And with its 20th birthday bash, the brand proved that it remains just as decadent, just as debaucherous & just as delightful as it always was. Whilst Arcadia did prove a brilliant host venue, the heat of both the main room & the lite lounge was sometimes too much to bear, plus the overzealous security did put a dampener on the party for some, reports coming in of sporadic checks for no reason, an unfortunate result of issues from two years before, added to the fact that the place was a little on the dirty side for others.

However, that said, Trade’s 20th lived up to our expectations & more, real highlights coming in the shape of scintillating sets from Nick Tchernaik, Steve Thomas & Fat Tony, even the vocal infusions from Lizzie France, Tonnic & friend, adding extra spice to an already enormous event that has to go down as another titanic Trade triumph. But, all the highlights aside, what really made the party were the people, a magnificent mix of old faces & new, all intent on having the best time possible & making the most of this mesmeric mash up as only Trade & a handful of other parties can achieve. Plus, the news that Laurence’s brand will be back for more on a regular basis, should sufficiently shake up the scene & give it the injection of energy it needs, leaving us to raise our glass to Trade & its Tremendous Twenty Turn and may we wish it plenty more. (DISCO MATT)

Having just reflected on the massive club brand Trade, which celebrates its 20th birthday this weekend, if there is another club that sits in a similar bracket to Laurence Malice’s creation, then it is D.T.P.M., the Sunday afternoon event that started life back in the 1990’s at the fabulous Villa Stefano’s in Holborn (who can forget those infamous buffets), very much being the next clubbing port of call after frolicking in Farringdon. Indeed D.T.P.M. itself made it round to this mid-town area, having seen moves to Shaftesbury Ave & The End, before resting its laurels on massive venue Fabric, which saw some of its most successful times, shifting the timing from afternoon to evening & eventually running deep into Monday morning. But, unlike Trade, DT (as many affectionately call it) called it a day a couple of years ago, stopping at the height of its success but leaving a serious gap in the Sunday clubbing market.

But, as they say, you can’t keep a good thing down and DTPM was back with a bang last October, taking to the dizzy heights of Paramount for a re-launch that went like a dream, the team following it up with a NYD bash over at The Roof gardens in Kensington, clearly the lofty intentions of the club very much the pattern. But coming back down to earth with nearly as much of a bang on Valentine’s Day, saw this superb Sunday smash land on the posh Jalouse in Mayfair, much of the ingredients that made the previous parties so successful present, but something slightly lacking. However, after a well deserved break during the spring, it was summer were hope sprung eternal for DT, as not only did they take Brighton by storm, but followed that up with a return to Paramount, where “The Bitch Is Back” had made such an impact just a few months before.

 So, with Halloween on out doorsteps & D.T.P.M. very much back in the frame, the team couldn’t have timed their latest party any better, as with Trade celebrating their 20th birthday & swinging into action on Sunday 31st October, DT promoter lee Freeman is very much looking to re-capture some of that original magic that made Sunday’s so special, D.T.P.M. “Eastbender” kicking off at the Sunday afternoon timing of 1 p.m., yes a couple of hours earlier than the original at Villa Stefano’s, but a Sunday afternoon nevertheless. And, to add to the excitement, the team have chosen host venue Cargo on Rivington Street in Shoreditch, a place that should suitably impress, as not only does it offer two rooms of dance & the feel of decadence yet with all the 21st century technology to deliver that delectable experience, but there is even a heated terrace area too. Further details of the venue can be found at http://cargo-london.com/.

As for “Eastebender itself, well Lee & his team have secured the services of some of their best resident D.J.’s as not only will Miguel Pellitero be making a welcome return, but Guy Williams will be back too, these two having made a considerable impact at Paramount last October., as will the one & only Fat Tony, But it doesn’t stop there as both Nick Tcherniak & Steve Thomas will be performing a special back-to-back set which will no doubt include their latest hits “My People” & “Deep Water”, both which have charted straight to number one on Juno’s download chart, as well as their brand new release “The Answer” which has the incredible vocals of Miss Lizzie France & will have had a first playing at Trade’s birthday, in advance of its official release this coming Monday (1st Nov). Then there will be the superb D.J. talents of Boy George to add into the mix, along with now regulars the House Husbands, the duo of Salvo & Mike getting their own EP say too, their “All Aboard” release receiving favour & heading up the Beatport charts, the guys giving us access to the link, which is well worth a look at https://www.beatport.com/en-US/html/content/track/catalog?contextEntityId=124591&contextName=Househusbands&contextType=artists&pageNumber=1&resultsPerPage=13#app=a40&a486-index=0 (wow, that’s a long link!). Add in further additions in the form of Dave Kendrick, who has been rocking the East End scene for quite a while now, especially at Guy Williams’ “Paradise 45” & other Dalston Superstore outings, as well as the massive “Macho City”, so will be a welcome addition adding the east into the bender that will be surely a beat-tastic DT party in the hands of all these gem D.J.’s.

 Now to the all important detail and, not surprisingly, all the £13 early bird tickets sold out a while ago and we won’t even mention the “Hot Tickets” which were supported by sponsor, Manhunt, which were gone within hours of release. So, that kind of gives an indication of just how popular this party is likely to be, so best you get your skates on, or at least your browser burning and snap up an advance ticket at £15, which you can do via to direct link http://ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=413549&interface, or failing that, run into Soho & grab yours by hand at either Prowler on Brewer St, or The Edge on Soho Square, or if you are close to the venue (Cargo), The Store Rooms on Pitfield St also have some on sale. As for tickets on the door, well yes there will be some available, but if you are leaving it to chance, don’t leave it till late, as we are sure there will be huge converges on Cargo from Trade. And those doors will be open from 1 p.m., DTPM’s “Eastbender” event running through until a respectable 10.30 p.m. close, Cargo found at 83 Rivington Street in Shoreditch (directions on their website).

 So, with D.T.P.M. back where it belongs, looks like this Sunday afternoon affair is going to be a biggie, meaning that it’s time to ditch the Eastenders omnibus and rather head to Cargo for a full on “Eastbender” of an event, leaving us simply to say….Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)

Having not long returned from Berlin where we sampled a true clubbing legend in the form of Berghain, the byword for techno in this most dazzling of cities, it seems appropriate that we take a preview look at another clubbing legend, which may not have the purist techno base in its music like Berghain, but is definitely on the tougher side of the house music fence. And this coming Sunday marks a special celebration, as one very special clubbing brand turns 20 and looks like partying in true decadent style, like it did all those years ago when it launched itself on an unsuspecting public at Turnmills in Farringdon, going on to become one of the biggest phenomena’s of our time, transfixing everyone & anyone that graced its doors, meaning there is only one club we could be talking about here.

Trade certainly has made a huge impact on the global clubbing scene, yes global, this afterhours audacious event that started as an experiment in 1990 by Laurence Malice & his small team, soon grew into a brand that extended right across the world, regular tours of countries including Australia & South Africa and continents including Europe & Asia, meaning that there is hardly any corner of this wonderful world that this brilliant brand hasn’t touched in some form or other. Plus, Trade when mentioned to any ardent clubber, evokes everything that is exceptional about afterhours clubbing, the foundations of this legend in our lifetime, very much cemented in Sunday mornings, but often extending deep in Sunday afternoon, not quite the 18 hours of Berghain, but plenty long enough to make it one of the longest running afterhours, not just in time but in years.

Those years, 20 of them to be exact, have thrown up a veritable feast of D.J. talents & scene faces that have become inextricably linked with Trade, Laurence Malice without question being top of the pile, this larger than life character always the lynch pin in the success of the brand, both in London & overseas. In the halcyon days of the club at Turnmills, not a week would go by without Miss malice wafting around the club & even quite often diving onto the microphone come midday or 1 a.m., sometimes extending the party deep into Sunday afternoon, meaning that trade is never the same with Laurence in attendance. Other huge character’s in the clubs history include Trade Mark, the man responsible for all that iconic, Andy Warhol inspired art, that was very much the stamp on Trade as a club, the Trade baby probably THE most notable piece of his work, but scores of other creations making the walls of Turnmills at each event, the flyers for the club & the adverts in the press. But if you want to look to one man (apart from Laurence of course) to tell you everything you want to know about Trade, then Tom Fuller is your man, for many THE face of Trade, or at least the first face you would see on entering the club. To say that he has the most memories & the most memorabilia on the club is an understatement and our reflection pales in comparison to what this man could tell you about Trade.

Laurence, Trade Mark & Tom aside, the list of others is endless, but no look back or preview (as this is) of Trade would be complete without listing some of the legendary D.J. talents that were very much Trade in those amazing years from 1990 through 2000, those incredible first ten years, for us meaning names such as Malcolm Duffy, Alan Thompson, Steve (Janet) Thomas, Rachel Auburn, Ian M, Tall Paul, Pete Wardman, Gonzalo & not forgetting the truly legendary Tony De Vit. Yes, plenty of other names have been linked with Trade, both in the latter part of the first 10 years, some more predominate in the second half of the clubs 20 year history, we including The Sharp Boys, Guy Williams, Fat Tony, Nick Tcherniak, Gabriele Cutrano, Lady Bianca, Lisa German & Pagano, to mention a few, but it will always be that original line up in those simply superlative days at Turnmills that will always be Trade.

Plus, in terms of D.J.’s no one can deny that. Like Laurence being the face of Trade, the D.J. most recognisable with the club will always be the late great Tony de Vit, a talent & individual who, without doubt, had the biggest following of any and commanded the most respect from his peers. Tony’s talents were simply incredible and not a week would go by without his sets being the pinnacle of perfection & peaking the club at its brilliant best. Whilst the whole concept on the music was to be a gradual build in pace, from the relative sedate style of Malcolm Duffy through the more rousing & raucous beats of Alan Thompson & Steve Thomas, to the ultimate end of Pete Wardman or Tall Paul, Tony’s music was right in the middle of the jubilant journey of sound that always had the biggest following & the best reaction. So, his untimely death in 1998 was a huge loss to the brand, although the magic of the divine Mr De Vit survives in the myriad of mixes he recorded for both Trade & for his own individual releases, “Global Underground” our most favourite & among the six separate Trade CD compilations he is featured on, represents the greatest memories of this magnificent man’s music.

So, those are some of the clubs legendary people, but what about Trade itself over the years? Well, it has transcended both the gay & straight markets, has attracted mega stars & celebrities through its doors, notable musical figureheads including Grace Jones, Madonna, U2, Boy George, & George Michael, while it has also be featured in a number of T.V. programmes, even a special documentary have been recorded back in 1996, recording for posterity both Trade back in the U.K. and its tour of South Africa with our own legendary Trade team of D.J.’s Malcolm Duffy, Steve Thomas, Alan Thompson, Tony De Vit & Pete Wardman. Moreover the club has featured in all the top music magazines, has been listed in both the gay & straight media as THE afterhours clubbing choice and was always an intrinsic part of the yearly Pride park parties in London, also featuring large on radio stations including Kiss FM and (of course) Radio One. Beyond that, Trade has been featured on virtually every single piece of merchandising you can think of, we even have our very own “Trade” bomber jacket which we continue to wear with pride.

But of anything which connects with Trade the most is Turnmills, a venue has featured large in the clubs history and remains its ancestral home, although with its demise as a clubbing hotspot in 2002, Trade has since found occasional homes at Ministry of Sound, The Arches, Fire & Colosseum & Laurence’s own club The Egg, and whilst weekly parties have given away to more infrequent gatherings, dates such as Christmas Day, Easter &, naturally, their birthday, continue to keep the Trade phenomenon alive. Now nearly 20 years old, the passion for Trade, particularly with those that were around in the early, dare we again call them, halcyon days, these people aptly called “Trade Babies”, remains as strong as ever and whilst they would all say, Trade is never quite Trade unless it is in Turnmills, nevertheless will be making the homage to this awesome afterhours event come Sunday 31st October.

And, of all the parties in recent years, their 18th anniversary at The Arches is probably the most notable, hence the team deciding upon a return for this landmark big two zero turn, the myriad of rooms as close to Turnmills as you could get, recent updates to this Southwark base (now called Arcadia) heightening the appeal and closing the deal as being the place to celebrate Trade turning 20. With the D.J. line up finalised & all other details confirmed, our preview of this brilliant brand is complete, so keeps your eyes peeled for our weekend post coming up, honing in on that all important info on Trade’s 20th Birthday, but make sure 31/10/10 is a date & Trade is the place as if, like us, your clubbing history is steeped in Trade, you simply cannot miss this euphoric event. (DISCO MATT)

“BLIGHTY BASED BOYS”

DM DOES THE NEWS (PART ONE) –

SUNDAY 17TH OCTOBER

MUSIC IS THE ANSWER

With life over the last few weeks being topsy turvy to say the least, while we have been holding our own with both reviews & preview (weekend) posts, our much beloved Music Is The Answer reports have taken a back step. But with there being a relentless amount of new music out there, we thought we would get back into gear with not one, but two D.M. Does The News posts, this one concentrating on U.K. based talents and their latest compilations, tracks or simply just news on forthcoming gigs. So, sit back as we rifle through a veritable feast of D.J.’s & their work, giving the all important links to spectacular new sounds, as well as linking into other reports of ours.

Right, so we kick off very much with a Beyond theme, especially given just how good last weekend’s Japanese inspired bash was, “Tokyo” probably our best this year yet in so many ways, although the music did much of the talking, not least from the main floor boys of Steve Pitron, Mikey D & Alan K. So before we dive into them, here’s the link to our review which you can catch at http://discomatt.blogspot.com/2010/10/blog-post.

Turning to the D.J’s and first Steve Pitron, his set was full of amazing Beyond anthems as well as tunes from his “Summer 2010” which we still cannot put down, so simply can’t resist mentioning it again as it will certainly be vying for top spot in our year end compilation round up. So, go check it out at http://stevepitronsessions.podomatic.com & for those of you that were at Beyond “Tokyo”, relive some of those magic moments. While we are waiting for a follow up from Steve, he remains busy in the studio with production partner Max Sanna, their latest a pure gem of a remix of Robyn’s single “Indestructible”, which also made his set on Sunday & is well worth grabbing at http://soundcloud.com/maxsanna/sets/robyn-indestructible-max-sanna-steve-pitron-remix. Plus, with Steve’s birthday round the corner, what better way to wish him many happy returns with the first mention here.

Right onto Mikey D, who has also recently released a smashing compilation, “Lose Control” right up there in our rankings & filling our ears virtually every day. Seeing & hearing him performance at Beyond “Tokyo” was like sitting right in this magnificent mix, which has 14 truly amazing tracks on it, virtually all making his set on Sunday, fan-flaming-tastic. So, you just have to grab this compilation which (yes we know) we have mentioned a few times already. So, go to http://mikeyd.podomatic.com, immerse yourself into “Lose Control” & come out well & truly elevated. Plus, while you’re at it, go check out the official video for opening track “Seek Bromance” at http://youtube.com/watch?v=eWUC5Q0RCAA.

Onto Alan K and never have we seen a D.J. with so much effervescent energy behind the decks, he especially coming into his own at Beyond. Having flown the flag for the club in Greece, Holland & France over the summer, we were so pleased to see him last Sunday and savour the majority of his set (we tried to leave twice but couldn’t tear ourselves away), so are as pleased as punch that he has laid down a compilation marking his prolific performance at “Tokyo” on Sunday morning. This amazing mix truly transfixed us from start to finish, as did his set, so we cannot recommend it enough, which you can play & download at http://djalank.podomatic.com.

Now, before we leave the Beyond subject, Hifi Sean gets his own look in, his pulsating performance in the Terrace room truly magical, especially given he had literally landed straight into “Tokyo” from Athens. We referred to his showing as “Sushi Sounds Sean Style”, although he preferred the phrase “teriyaki tech”, the word tech very much the vogue come R.A.W.’s 4th birthday at Orange in a few short hours, Sean having laid down a special mix to mark the occasion, he being very much in the thick of the action. Plus, hot off the press is his latest monthly “hifi-cast” as well as the second in his “Chill” series, all three marvellous mixes available at http://hifiseandj.podomatic.com.

Onward and linking into Nick Tcherniak, who has been a very busy boy indeed, having had a spell out in Spain, in the recording studio with production partner Steve Thomas, the duo still riding high on the back of both “My People” & “Deep Water”, the latter’s remix package still at number one in a host of download charts, Hifi Sean’s mix a particular favourite of ours. Add to that his new EP, “The Answer” featuring vocal from Lizzie France, which has started promo just this week and there is no question Nick is riding high at the moment, he even having had time to lay down two podcasts following his appearances at Matinee & SuperMartXe, both including “The Answer” & the Matinee mix also featuring “Deep Water” & Alan X’s stunning remix of “My People. So these are essentials for your collection which you can get now at http://nicktcherniak.podomatic.com.

Talking of SuperMartXe, Tony English is certainly getting in on the act recently, having starred at the last two parties, as well as playing at Logan Schmitz’s home-grown brand, Hype, back on August Bank Holiday. That apart & he plays for both Lovechild & Puscha in London, as well as connecting with a host of European D.J.’s through his weekly Saturday radio show  on Push.FM, which he compresses into monthly podcasts in a series of “Social” releases, that latest featuring WE & Cafe Ole resident Danny Leblack. Tony always manages to dig deep & find a whole host of hits making it big on the continent, so these podcasts are certainly worth a listen, which you can do so at http://tonyenglish.podomatic.com, the man also about to release his SuperMartXe “Porno Star” mix, due out tomorrow.

Now, while we are in Logan mode, lets fire through some mixes you should go grab, the Logan presents podcast page worth a look at http://loganpresentspodcast.podomatic.com, the latest edition put together by Tony English, while Matinee’s Michel Mizrahi has also been busy in the studio, his latest “Autumn Beats” mix a fabulous 114 minutes of mixes well worth tapping into at http://soundcloud.com/michel-mizrahi. And before we leave the subject our own Italian stallion, Pagano, will be featuring large at the forthcoming Logan Presents Matinee outing at MOS, but you can catch a slice of his last prolific performance at http://facebook.com/video.php?v=486674111270, while his studio work continues unabated, his latest “Rave Monkey” remix of  the track “I Try” by Made By Monkeys, available to listen via http://youtube.com/watch?v=nz_BTVc7_wg, apple tart anyone?! (hilarious!!), plus we will keep you posted on that much anticipated “Digital Generation” compilation release.

Right, switching alliances a little, we head in the direction of Lovechild & a band of residents that have been busy recording, the terrific Terry Vietheer having popped up here there & everywhere recently, his Lovechild mix now fourth in-line with more later releases that include compilations for B2B & Barcode, while he has a new track out too, “East Village” having been released just two days ago & is a corker. Catch all these compilations & this new track at http://soundcloud.com/terryvietheer, while another Lovechild youngster, Jc Christopher, has added Friday night club Onyx to his D.J. roster, as well as laying down a vocal edition in his “House Mix Tapes” series, which has 14 brilliant tracks on it & is a worthy addition to your collection which you can grab at http://jcchristopher.podomatic.com. But Lovechild also have their own podcast site, various D.J.’s taking turns to add their own stamp to the growing series, the latest coming from Gabriele Cutrano who performed perfectly at “Lovechild Meets Delice” at the end of September, this mix very much evoking his superb set, which is well worth checking out at http://lovechildclub.podomatic.com.

But the Lovechild story continues, as resident Alessandro Londra has very much been flying the flag for the brand overseas recently, a tour of Australia a couple of weeks ago, immediately followed by Amsterdam last Saturday and our hard working bello is literally on his way back from Istanbul, where he was representing & promoting Alex Erfan’s outfit at The Otherside club. Yet, having clocked up well over 20,000 air miles in three weeks, he has still managed to lay down a compilation, which was handed out on CD at the party last night, but is also available at http://lovechildclub.podomatic.com.

Now, another Lovechild resident has been feverishly busy in the studio of late, not to mention lauding it around London at a vast array of clubs, from TTD to Hotwired, Hard-On to Sweat, Lo-Profile to Barcode, even making a stunning show at The Week back in September when we were glued to the Latin Lounge for close on three hours. Add to that his web work for SeenQueen & the launch of new social networking site MyGayFace (MGF) and Brent Nicholls just doesn’t know how or when to stop. And he doesn’t stand still in music terms either, three mixes having been released in just over a month, dedications to Hard On’s! 7th birthday & new club T.T.D. two great mixes, although for us, can’t quite match the magic of his “Get On MyGayFace” compilation, which is knocking on the door for top spot in our 2010 chart. Now, we will be going in-depth on MGF in a forthcoming Disco Matt-ers report, but in the meantime, go sample Brent’s latest works at http://djbrentnicholls.com/web/music and watch this space for a new 3 hour mix of re-hashed, re-mixed & re-made classic pop tunes along with some latest hits rolled in for good measure, which we have been privy to for just over a week now (it’s amazing).

Right, we are nearly there, but before we finish up, coming back full circle (ish), quick mentions go to Norbert M who made his A:M debut yesterday morning, having triumphed in a recent D.J. competition at Heaven’s club night Popcorn, his latest podcast very much a reflection of his performance which you can grab at http://norbertmik.podomatic.com, while Popcorn resident Jamie Hammond has just issued his own latest mix “Live Set 08/10” which we think is his best yet, so well worth a listen at http://d-jamie.podomatic.com. Now, sadly, we missed out on The Wig Party last Sunday, but heard it was amazing, Rob Sykes certainly making an impact at both the main event at Cafe de Paris & the afterparty in Area, although it was the after afterparty where he laid down his latest mix in front of friends & family, so is rather special & worth checking out at http://djrobsykes.podomatic.com.

So what was this full circle we were referring to? Well, we started with Beyond & we finish with a Beyond resident, but someone who will be an intrinsic ingredient at R.A.W.’s 4th birthday later tonight, being the lynch pin in the duo that started it all in 2006. Now, he may have proclaimed that Tony De Vit is his greatest D.J. of all time, but Gonzalo Rivas has to be right up there for so many people too. To say his career is littered with plaudits is an understatement and he has featured in some of the biggest parties & club brands around. With yet another birthday (the big one) just around the corner, Gonzalo is definitely in the mood to celebrate, so has, along with Hifi Sean, laid down a new compilation especially for R.A.W’s anniversary which is truly awesome, although we know the Trade one (currently in the making) will be just as good, if not better. Plus, his A;M blast from the past mix is classic Gonzalo too, so while he may be last in our post he is far from least in our estimation, meaning that both mixes are in our collection and should be in yours too, so don’t delay, get downloading at http://gonzalorivas.podomatic.com.

Well, we are out of time & space, but just want to give quick shouts to Per Q.X. who has some fab new tracks out, to Elliot J Brown how has been mixing in the studio, to new talent Zach Burns that amazed at A:M last week, to Nathan 6 who has put out some new music and finally to Glasgow based Michael Dow, all who will be part of forthcoming posts in the next couple of weeks.

In the meantime, keep your eyes peeled for our “Energetic Euro’s” news post which will be out shortly, but we hope you find favour with the choices here, leaving us to simply say “sit back, turn up the volume, select those sounds & let them play, as music is the answer”. (DISCO MATT)

 

Postscript

 

We started this post with a flavour of Beyond and we simply had to share yet another amazing experience, courtesy of two incredible individuals that went that extra mile with us this morning in Area.

Not only have we known him for close on 14 years now, but the musical journey Steve Pitron has taken us on is immense, a whole variety of clubs & events touching our lives where Steve has been involved. But, we were simply blown away by his comradeship this morning in Beyond, so much so we once again witnessed 2 hours of Pitron perfection in a set that included every anthem you could wish for. 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.

Then, as if our morning wasn’t special enough, were in for a treat or what when Alan K invited us behind the D.J. booth where we witnessed this multi mixing maestro in full flow. His euphoric interpretations of records like “Release Me” (lyrics extracts above) & “Underground” are amazing from the dancefloor, but when you witness him waving his magical wand over them first hand, it is a glorious sight to behold. The energy he develops & what comes back from the crowd is truly remarkable and grovel in gratification of his, another genius in our eyes.

What more is there to say, apart from Beyond should always include an S, a P, an A & a K. You guys are awesome and we are so lucky to know you.

 

This Is Disco Matt
Who Is Disco Matt?
Disco Matt is London’s original party boy and independent journalist who previews, reviews & recommends London's best gay clubs, events & businesses, links to & reviews the scene top D.J.’s and generally covers the gay scene including international gay clubs & events.
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