Posts Tagged ‘The Edge’
May 16, 2013 | 
Author Firmly in the recommends newsletter groove, we hit on two of our fourteen Best Bites for the coming weekend, sharing a Short Shouts selection of the remainder taking place in both London & internationally, a clubbing choice of “Brilliant Brits vs. Exceptional European’s”
With the London scene, which was always seen as the most spectacular of all, seemingly struggling compared with a year or so ago, there is, however, a sparkling selection of exceptional events to engross yourselves into this coming weekend, our broad choice of places to be & be seen on the scene stretching from Vauxhall to Soho, to Shoreditch, while the capital’s continental counterparts are no slouches either. So, it only seemed fair to share our two best bites between the Brits & the European’s, while we also spread our Short Shout love across the two, no less than eight of our fourteen weekend picks included here, while we finish with a mini mention for an upcoming festival ahead of our full preview piece.
So to the Brits first and our Best Bites choice which goes Friday frolic Super Electro Party Machine (SEPM), promoter Larry Tee having created what has become one of the most popular parties at its home venue, East Bloc, rivalling Saturday soiree’s DISH & Gutterslut, such has become its fervent following. Yet Larry has had to plug away for a good year now, while with the likes of Tom Stephan (aka D Ramirez, Guy Williams, Jodie Harsh, & Princess Julia as special guests, he has attracted considerable attention to his club concept that, akin to a caterpillar & butterfly, has very much spread its wings. Indeed, in addition to Friday nights, the clubs calendar also includes a set of special Sunday soiree’s across Shoreditch at Xoyo, the next event in June, building on the success of last month’s meet here, while back to Friday’s and SEPM has really found its flight in 2013, building brilliantly on that hard graft of Larry’s, like it’s Saturday sisters, pulling party people across from Soho even Vauxhall, East Bloc owner Wayne Shires really pleased with the progress Mr Tee the club night have achieved. So, it was an easy choice in making this our Best Brit Bite, SEPM fighting off the likes of Beyond, Little Brother’s “Big Top”, Trannyshack & Yes, tomorrow night (Fri 1th May) seeing one half of the duo known as The 2 Bears, Raf Daddy heading a line-up that includes a live performance by Q Boy along with SEPM residents Larry & Attack Attack, Attack (just one D.J. in case you were asking) on the decks in the main room, while the second space East Bloc favourite Josh You Are is joined by Q Boy, fresh from the main room, also spinning sounds that extend to the hottest 90′s RnB and hip hop. And with this shaping up to be yet another splendid soiree & popular party, we recommend you get across to East Bloc early as free drinks tickets are up for grabs for the first 100 people in, doors opening at 11 p.m. and the club running till a planned 6 a.m. finish, event details out at https://facebook.com/events/541304032587229/.
So to our three London Short Shouts, firstly landing on The Edge who are going all Eurovision on us this Saturday (18th May), showing the whole event live on big screens across the venue as well as boasting Soho’s largest video wall, D.J. Niko keeping you entertained throughout & afterwards, https://facebook.com/groups/edgebarsoho sharing more details.
Onwards but back to Shoreditch (well Dalston to be exact) and The Dalston Superstore (DSS) who entertain club night Little Brother & their event “Big Top”, our super Swede, per Q.X. heading a two floored line-up that also includes amazing Aussie, the terrific Terry Vietheer, further info out via the DSS page at https://facebook.com/dalstonsuperstore.
And finally for the Brits, our third Short Shout goes to Beyond, a club that has dropped off our supporting radar recently, although with promising changes afoot, plus with this coming Sunday’s (19th May) party title “Best Of Brits” too much to resist, we thought we would give it a mention, the main room D.J. line-up hinting towards a tougher tech style sound show, while it’s the re-formed of old terrace format that gets a huge tick from us, Fat Tony back & Paul Martin too, more event details out at https://facebook.com/events/390756851038764/.
Now we head over the channel and to Brussels our second Best Bite, well more “bites” really as its quite a special weekend ahead in the Belgian capital, why?, well its Brussels Pride and with each of the three events we have ended up landed on being equally enticing, we simply couldn’t split them. And a bigger, more butch start you couldn’t wish for as global brand Hustlaball bares its wonderful wares here for the first time, taking up temporary Friday night residence at Fuse club (the home of La Demence), the US & UK promotions team once again joining forces to serve up the cream of the porn star crop, including Marco Sessions, Lucio Saints, Trenton Ducati, Mathew Rush & Tomas Brand in what looks set to be a set of steamy shows not to be missed. Add to that a D.J. dream team that includes Paris based Leomeo who is quite a catch for Hustlball (in more ways than one) given his non-stop global schedule, while London’s & Lovechild resident Tony English makes his Hustlball debut, as does Spain’s Ivan Gomez who brings his studio production partner Nacho Chapado with him, both sure to be a hit with the already confirmed capacity crowd. So, need we say more as this is a sell-out event, although if you haven’t grabbed a ticket, it’s still worth heading to Fuse tomorrow night (Fri 17th May) as we are sure you can squeeze in, more details out at http://vimeo.com/63933134 & https://facebook.com/groups/47578419534/. Then the following night (Sat 18th), it’s the turn of compact yet considerable club Hunkut to stand in the Pride spotlight and it will definitely be shining bright as the team have landed one of the biggest names on the worldwide clubbing circuit, Hector Fonseca amply able to pull a crowd that would fill the club six or seven times over, meaning if you want to see this true superstar in action, you need to head to Hunkut well in advance of the 10 p.m. start, the events page at https://facebook.com/events/231651163639557/ speaking volumes and leaving us & so you in no doubt that Mr Fonseca’s set will be one not to be missed. Then, to complete our trio and this Pride weekend, Brussels rolls out its own red carpet club, the internationally renowned La Demence, which takes Sunday centre stage in the familiar surroundings of Fuse (where else really), the party sure to attract a crowd not just from across Belgium, but from Amsterdam, London, Paris & even Spain, many of the Hustlaball heavies sticking around to see out Pride in style. And the superb sounds from D.J.’s including Steven Redant, Paul Heron, Dikky Vendetta Ben Manson sure to see to that, the events page providing the full line up, this a click away at https://facebook.com/events/582943995067829/, while more info on the club & this exceptional event can be found at http://lademence.com.
Now to our three Short Shout choice picks for here and whilst we have already devoted a post to Paris party Scream & its headlining D.J. this Saturday (18th May), Steven Redant, (well worth a read at http://discomatt.com/web/?p=7647), we could resist giving it a further mini mention, as this is one (if you’re not in Brussels) you won’t want to miss, a click on https://facebook.com/events/195478440600592/ extolling, if in French, exactly why.
Next up is The Farm, the Milan based club that is really gathered a fabulous following in its latest season, so much so that it has spread its monthly wings to Spain too, Madrid in fact, this Saturday (18th May) see the two city’s hold events simultaneously, Milan welcoming guest D.J. Rony, while the club’s regular resident, Davide Paoni jets out to Madrid & OHM club, more details on both up via https://facebook.com/groups/113621278781468/ &/or https://facebook.com/TheFarmMilano.
And finishing on a flourish, our final mini mention had to go to Matinee, this global clubbing giant very much back with a bang in 2013, it on the cusp of what looks like a huge summer season in Spain, while it’s Revolution tour is paving the way, this Saturday & Sunday seeing no less than three events, starting with a “Sunset” soiree, followed by the latest “Pervert” party, both on Saturday (19th May), then on Sunday, a special “VIP” event, further & more detailed info up at https://facebook.com/matineearoundtheworld, while watch this space for a special feature on the brand ahead of its Spanish summer season start.
Now, just before we sign off (for today at least), we did promise to touch on an upcoming festival, As One In The Park the subject matter and, having hit the headlines as long ago as January, is now just over a week away, this billed as the biggest event on the gay clubbing & partying calendar of the year so far. Yet while the news broke so early, further announcements trickling out, it seems to be have a little quiet on the front recently, hence our own big push of a preview, “Now That’s What I Call A Festival” coming up on Monday, a trip now to the dedicated info page at https://facebook.com/AsOneInThePark, leading you to the all important ticket links, as well as plenty of info & visuals.
Well, that really is it for this newsletter and while we continue with our treatment recovery, meaning we can’t come out to play, we hope there are plenty of choices of where to be & be seen that grab your fancy, we wishing you a wonderful weekend while wherever it finds you & whatever you get up to, you are sure to “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | 
Tags: As One In the Park, Beyond, Hunkut, Hustlaball, La Demence, Little Brother, Matinee, Matinee Revolution Tour, Screa, Super Electro Party Machine, The Edge, The Farm | 
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With most of the big brands missing, it seems that small is sweet this weekend, we speeding through a string of soirees both home & away that deserve our Short Shouts mini mentions, while we deliver some disco dance dates for your diaries, as well as a cataclysmic change to the capitals clubbing circuit announcement teaser
Despite a boost in the early part of this month with a brace of new brands, it seems the bigger players that used to be around but are no more, having left a gaping hole in the weekly clubbing circuit schedule, this last weekend in February, which should be a brimming with bash one, actually evidence of the lack big player choice. So, it seems it’s down to the “Small Is Sweet” soirees to shine in the spotlight, a string getting our Short Shouts mini mentions, while that very gap in the schedule also gets our teaser announcement attention.
So, let’s head into Soho first and to the Edge, which is always a good bet on Saturday’s, not least that our soon to be released from his Premier Protégé Player title, Zach Burns, sorts the superb sounds, the night kicking off from 10 p.m. with uplifting & chart tunes house, then heading into more dynamic disco & energetic house hits through till 3 a.m., while with three others floors to spread into, The Edge gets our vote every time, more info up at http://edgesoho.co.uk &/or https://facebook.com/groups/edgebarsoho/.
Just a hop, skip & jump away the compact yet charming Circa, a heavenly hangout that attracted one of the most stylish crowds in town, not least that it sports the pre-party for Room Service on Thursday’s, while Munroe Bergdorf’s “Discipline” night on Friday’s is a popular party. However, its Saturday’s that gets our attention here, as our resident Adam Turner’s sets are simply not to be missed, part of the reason why he will be ascending to our Premier Protégé Player position pretty soon, more details on Circa & its happenings out at http://circasoho.com &/or https://facebook.com/pages/Circa/183683868348892.
So one more Soho Short Shout, this going to Manbar, this new(ish) bar situated on the site of the infamous CXR79, while having gone a lot more upmarket with its offer, not least that its attracting some of the top D.J.’s on the London scene, including, Hifi Sean, Severiono, Pier Morrocco, Paul Heron, Brent Nicholls, & Phil Marriott among others, while with event brands “Beartrap”, “Hombre” & “Rednecks”, ex Rupert St manager Cathy Taylor & her team are making their mark, this definitely the up & coming place to be & be seen on the Soho scene, more info up at http://manbarsoho.com &/or https://facebook.com/manbarsoho.
Skirting Vauxhall for now, we head out east and firstly to The Joiners Arms, a venue very much in the ascendency, a string of nights including “Yes” on Friday’s & “SPQR” on Sunday’s, while “Pantastic” on Saturday’s draws in some big stars of the London & international scene, Pagano having played just last weekend, while Paul Heron is also a roving regular, this weekend seeing Julian De Apostate holding the reigns, while with much more going on, take a trip to Shoreditch to see, but have a peek at their page first, by clicking on https://facebook.com/joiners.arms.9.
Just round the corner on Kingsland Road, is a new night “Handsome” at Visions Video Bar, one definitely for officinal’s of deep soulful NYC style house & retro disco, a wonderful whirlwind trip down sound memory lane back to the 80’s, through the 90’s and then right up to date from two true D.J. & scene icons who happen to be best pals too, Guy Williams & Justin Ballard, this Saturday (23rd Feb) the day & 10 p.m. till 5 a.m. the time, entry a mere £5 before midnight, more detail up at http://visionsvideobar.com/.
Swinging further around the Shoreditch Dalston border, we come to The Dalston Superstore (DSS), very much a hip & happening hangout for the trendy east end set, a score of parties have played out there including Paradise 45, & Tramp, while the big news is that Jim Warboy’s SOS makes the switch from East Bloc to DSS from the beginning of next month. As for this weekend, Friday sees the return of “Banjee Boy Realness” , while the ever popular “Hot Boy Dancing Spot” shines on Saturday & “Tutti Frutti” is your Sunday serving, more detail on these & other offerings out at https://facebook.com/groups/dalstonsuperstore/.
So that’s east but before we head south to Vauxhall lets hop over onto the continent, head to Belgium, Antwerp in fact, as this Saturday (24th Feb), it’s quite a special Red & Blue, as our brilliant beatmaster, Elof de Neve, celebrates five years drawing capacity crowds to this amazing jewel in the Belgian clubbing crown, his popularity as strong today as it was when he started out, evidence of this that when Elof is missing, the place just isn’t the same, while it is a club you simply have to visit before your dancing days are over, more detail out at http://redandblue.eu &/or https://facebook.com/redandblue.eu.
Now to Vauxhall and with us struggling to find the positives with the schedule of a certain group that has dominated the scene for so long, we rather head to The Eagle first, home to the legendary “Horse Meat Disco” & manly meat “Tonker”, while this Saturday (23rd Feb) sees special guest D.J. Jack Chang make a welcome return for their night “Club R18”, very much one for the men rather than the boys, but well worth a trip, while for details of the whole Eagle eventing, check out http://eaglelondon.com &/or https://facebook.com/Eagle.London.
Swinging just up Kennington Lane, we find venerable institution venue The Royal Vauxhall Tavern (RVT), which always packs them in, this weekend sure to be no different as “Push The Button” does just that tomorrow night (Fri 22nd Feb), while on Saturday it’s the delightful “Duckie”, Sunday simply not being Sunday without a significant slice of “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out”, more detail on this and the whole seven days shenanigans out at http://thervt.org.uk &/or https://facebook.com/groups/thervt/.
To a former favourite now that may just be swinging back into our favour, Barcode Vauxhall having gone through the mill since the days of “Industri” when not a week would go by without us being there, although a dim & dark period that has seen, particularly on Friday’s, it head in a direction not to our liking, this Saturday (23rd Feb) has actually caught our eye, “Club Tin Tin” sporting terrific Latino talents Borja Pena & Eduardo Herrera in the front room, while Micky Galliano & Kris Di Angelis head up the back club space. So, while Friday’s still don’t sit with us, we reckon BCV is worth a peek, as is their website at http://bar-code.co.uk/.
So, as we get ever closer to that cataclysmic clubbing circuit wind of change announcement teaser, we give that is actually a worthy mention for Sunday daytime disco soiree Later, one now under the green promotional hands of D.J./producer Marco Gee who is clearly keen to follow in some of his peer’s footsteps, while the newsworthy mention is the return this Sunday (24th Feb) or original Later resident Terry Bryan, who, along with other changes Marco has made, is certainly shifting the music policy significantly, while with just two D.J.’s on duty (one of which is Mr Gee), the signs are that Later, like many of its sister brands, continues to struggle, although Terry’s return is some very much to shout about, more event detail out at https://facebook.com/events/523502471026098/.
Right that’s our Short Shouts done, so what of this clubbing change announcement?. Well, as we said at the top of this newsletter, it’s just a teaser for now, although with a venue right in the thick of the Vauxhall circuit driving the changes, its aims & ambitions to restore the London scene to the dynamically diverse yet intrinsically inclusive one that was the solid foundation for its reputation as being one of the best in the world, there are definitely exciting times ahead for capital wide club promoters, owners, venues, D.J.’s and, of course, YOU the clubber. But with competition crushing very much a ghost of clubbing past, the present & the future is looking very bright, the colour certainly not Orange, further detail to come in our next Seventh Day Sermon, “Winds Of Clubbing Change” and a subsequent special feature focus on that Vauxhall venue.
Well, with “Small Is Sweet” very much the way to go this weekend, we hope we have given you (along with our Best Bites) plenty to choose from, while for us, it’s a relatively quiet one, a birthday bash up in Ku Bar followed by a late night meeting of minds to talk turkey on these wind changes, but whatever you get up to and wherever it finds you, have an amazing one and remember, to “Be There!” you need to “Go There!”. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: Barcode, Circa, Later, Manbar, Red & Blue, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The Edge, The Joiners Arms, The RVT | No Comments »
With much happening on the scene this last weekend, the timing of the return of our “That Was The Weekend That Was” review & report couldn’t have been better, we looking at the good, the bad & the ugly new ventures to hit the capitals clubbing circuit, while reporting on other highlight happenings and forthcoming frolics
What a funny old year 2012 was for us, not least the spluttering start on a special weekly feature originally called “That Was the Week That Was”, the intention to report back on events of the day and look forward to ones coming up. But as we struggled to even keep our review head above water, we decided to peg this new features back to just the weekend gone rather than the whole week, although even this proved a tough old task, as did much of our writing if we are honest. However, with the distractions that thwarted our publication progress at least parked and with 2013 very much our year of positivity, we are back with the new look “That Was The Weekend That Was” a punchy post that will pick on highlight happenings, good bad or otherwise from past weekend just while also looking forward to the next.
Right, let’s get on and did right into the detail of what very much proved to be a weekend of new club launches, great news on the surface, but scratching beneath it proving that there was elements of god, bad and (in our view) downright ugly. So to the good first and Saturday (16th Feb) and This Is Prohibition, a new clubbing concept that combined brands Lovechild, Bear Necessity, Queer Nation & Butch, a collaboration of like minded promotional minds similar to the halcyon days of As One, & Famous Five, bringing together a wealth of D.J. talent from both London & internationally and stamping its mark on the scene from The Sidings in Southwark, a venue formerly known as The Arches but now under new management & ownership. And, while we were laid up with a nasty virus, the feedback we got on this “Love Resurrection” first party & launch was extremely positive, the numbers buoyant, well over 100o through the door, while the brands worked together brilliantly, Lovechild the main focus & drive, not least with a prolific performance from P.A. Abigail Bailey, while with a string of superb sets from Oliver M, Tony English & Alan K, as well as pulsating performances in the other rooms, promoters Alex Erfan, Patrick Lilley & Manu Cartagenero were pleased as punch with the result. And while there is still work to do both on the venue & the format, This Is Prohibition will be back, no specific date yet set, but the likelihood is a May or June return, we bringing you news as soon as we get it.
Now to the bad and the ugly and if you saw our preview “Dad’s Army Antics”, you will quickly guess that we are talking about Manic Panic! And District XXX, the latest Friday night frolic twosome to come out of the Orange Nation creative stable. But creative they are not, particularly the latter, a whole host of people both within & outside of these two clubs, feeding back and concurring with our views on these fault filled ventures. You only have to read some of the event detail, a line which never fails to leave us aghast being “…a team of the craziest, limit pushing, disco pumped club kids will be rolling around the club each Friday night to ensure no one leaves without returning hot sweat flashbacks of their time at MANIC. These will be named The Panics…”, it speaking volumes for a club concept which, in the eyes of many is just a complete laughing stock. Yet, with international heavyweight Pagano headlining the vent each week, there is a glimmer of hope within the Manic Panic part of proceedings, while we cannot help but look upon it as a bad bash that puts all the good work of Onyx to shame. And it seems that clubbers agreed, as reports came in that numbers for Friday’s (15th Feb) launch, were not as expected, a figure of 600 being bandied around, this across three rooms, that second space sporting our ugly element as, again in our view, District XXX is a rip-off of the truly terrific PLAY>TIME, which fell afoul of the sudden closure of Lo-Profile in January. However, with hardly a care or a blink of the eye, a number of team members & D.J.’s previously part of the PLAY>TIME package have simply jumped ships and are now imitating this brilliant brand, from what we can see, trying to build a club within a club which is flawed for all sorts of reasons. So, with these reported numbers not good, the Manic Panic concept bad & the District XXX imitating downright ugly, time will tell whether this already maligned meet while last.
To other happenings over the weekend and to Friday again first, out east proving the place to be, as Larry Tee’s Super Electro Party machine not only celebrated London fashion week, but welcoming special guest D.J./Producer, D Ramirez to the decks, they coming back for more on Sunday (17th Feb) with their “Fashion Disaster” party, Jodie Harsh the guest this time. And sticking with East Bloc, the superb SOS was back on Saturday, Jim Warboy and his terrific team proving, yet again, how popular this party is, while with new Thursday edition Butch on the weekly schedule and next Saturday seeing the return of Gutterslut, Wayne Shires’ Shoreditch spot is certainly cooking on gas at the moment. As for Soho, while it is still clearly missing Profile & Lo-Profile, The Edge, Circa, Ku-Bar and new(ish) macho hangout, Manbar are taking the strain and all reported good numbers & atmospheres across the weekend, while Suzie Kruger’s Hard On!, currently based out of Union in Vauxhall, recorded one of their biggest turnouts in well over twelve months on Saturday, giving rise to the fact that the diversity within the scene that has been sadly lacking of late, is beginning to turn around for the good, rather than the bad that a certain group have been driving & diving the capitals clubbing circuit into. That said, Beyond, thank heavens, returned to its age-old format of a Sunday morning start, although while labelled as a “Temptation” event, it didn’t quite tempt enough to make it a roadblock event, despite the flock of frolics feeding it, but, disrobing developments aside, there is no doubt it remains a clubbing & clubber favourite.
Well, that was the weekend just gone, but what about the one coming up? Well, we have already mentioned Gutterslut, which is back to East Bloc with a bang this Saturday (23rd Feb), special guest D.J.’s Femi B & Bryony Masters heading up the rave room, while Princess Julia & Thirsty Kirsty take charge of the tunes in the DiscoSlut space, while alternative antics out east included “Pantastic” at The Joiners Arms and “Handsome” at The Visions Video Bar, both also on Saturday, while another shindig of the same day worth a shout is “Club R18” at the Eagle in Vauxhall, special guest Jack Chang on deck duty. AS for other choices, Soho’s The Edge with Zach Burns and Circa with Adam Turner are always good bets, while if you want bad & ugly, then its Manic Panic & District XXX again this Friday (22nd Feb). And talking of bad, at least creative bad, Beyond goes “Midnight” on us again this week, that’s now a total of five out of the last eight, vindicating our view that the promoter is attempting or at least sending a message that this once brilliant brand is now no longer just an afterhours amazement, but is trying to be a club for all Saturday & Sunday seasons, something it really doesn’t need to or should be. On the Orange Nation positive, Later welcomes back original Terry Bryan, a set you should definitely not miss, while before all that, something you also shouldn’t miss is this Thursday’s (21st Feb) Room Service, Jodie Harsh & co welcoming both Hifi Sean & Pagano to the decks, details of all of these upcoming events (excepting Manic Panic & District XXX) available a banner click away right here at http://discomatt.com/web, while you can also head to the online versions of both Boyz & Q.X. at http://boyz.co.uk & http://qxmagazine.com respectively.
So, that’s our “That Was The Weekend That Was”, good, bad and ugly as it proved for us, while we hope, wherever you had been & seen, it was a good one for you and with a selection of superb soiree’s coming up, that this next weekend is packed with positively pumping parties And, while clubbing is not specifically on our weekend agenda, with a birthday bash & them a meeting of minds, we will have much to share about a more diverse yet inclusive scene that London always used to be famed for, so here’s to a wonderful weekend that will be . (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Reports, Reviews | Tags: Beyond, Circa, District XXX, Gutterslut, Hard On!, Later, Manbar, Manic Panic, SOS, Super Electro Party Machine, The Eagle, The Edge, This Is Prohibition | No Comments »
With the launch of his new club, Baked, just hours away and with a marvellous music policy that is as scrummy as a Victoria sponge, we have mixed up our own Mary Berry music bonanza, lining our tunes tin, opening the oven and serving up superb slices of the deck duty & studio sets that make up the rapturous recipe of baking beats cake chap, Chris Brogan, while also looking at the aims & achievements he has for this new club concept of his.
Earning a decent crust as a D.J. on the capitals clubbing circuit is so much tougher these days than when it was when we first landed in London in the 90’s, as then there were so many different venues with equally different styles, spaces and sounds, which meant there was so much more choice for the young, enthusiastic & energetic new blood that seemed to appear quite regularly. But oh have times changed, as not only have scores of clubs disappeared, but the clubbing scene has, in a way, shrunk, or at least concentrated itself to the degree that what we can only describe as clubbing cartels have taken hold, the days of D.J.’s being able to hop between brands & promoters without repercussion long gone. Moreover, what was considered an ample crust of pay back then, is now nothing short of pittance for the capitals scene D.J.’s in comparison to their European counterparts, mainly because the rates are virtually the same now as they were back in the 90’s, so no accounting for inflation there then!! So, it comes as no surprise that many D.J.’s in London have other jobs and their time behind the decks is much more of a vocation than a career, the charismatic & bubbly Chris Brogan one such individual who, like many of his compatriots, has seen opportunities here in the capital, at best wax & wane, while at worst simply shrink. Indeed, having dipped under our own radar in the past year or so, despite being on our affectionately termed “protégé list”, Chris has sped right back into the spotlight as a result of his new club concept, Baked, which launches tonight at Green Carnation, meaning that while we would have loved to be been there, we are doing the next best thing, by focussing on him, his D.J.’ing & his podcast productions.
Chris Brogan is a name that will be familiar to many that frequent both the manly & bear-tastic Tonker at The Eagle and the swish & substantial Soho bar The Edge, both resident spots for Chris these days, while we go right back to 2002 to find Mr Brogan first breaking out onto the D.J. decks, he jumping at the opportunity to play at Fabric, a venue that has housed the likes of DTPM & Matinee, while Mr Brogan’s break was for a straight party, Chris entirely comfortable (as many are) in playing it straight as well as gay. Indeed, this has been a winding path that Chris has followed with fervent footsteps over the years, not so much dropping his guard in the pursuit of a gig, but rather grasping great openings, offers and opportunities with both hands, appearances at The Ministry Of Sound & for brilliant international brand Salvation huge highlights, the latter both here in London & across on the continent , his involvement very timely, as while Salvation was riding high across the world, like so many other clubs of its generation, it was finding the capitals circuit a much more difficult proposition, in no part due to the dirty handed dominance that a certain clubbing group was adopting. These two massive names on the music industry & global clubbing playing field apart, Chris has played across the world, particularly in his early years, destinations including Brazil & Mexico, while closer to home, the likes of Belgium, Germany, Greece, Denmark and Sweden feature too, home an interesting point here as while Chris is based in London, his family & his background stems from France, he often paying visits and playing the occasional gig there too.
However, Chris’s real passion for music, as he explains, “…is to work on my own productions that showcase my creativity both in the compositions I produce in the studio and in my live sets…”, this very much exemplified in the variety of podcast he has released as well as the titles he chooses, two of our favourites being “Baby Cakes” & “Off With Their Heads”, while others have been directly devoted to parties he has played, “Hola” at The Shadow Lounge one. Plus, it’s worth mentioning other places he has played that have influenced his podcasts, Rupert St & Barcode (both in the good days of course), Hed Kandi in Clapham and even Soho Gyms. All inspirational to the Brogan beats production machine, while we also should mention recent appearances in Cologne for clubs Recon & Panic Room, while without doubt the biggest influence has been Chris’s own & first track production, “Temper”, which, with a helping hand from our super Swede Per Q.X., he worked on during the summer of last year, its release in October following being assigned to Sorry Shoes Records, seeing it reach number one in the highly respected & renowned download site, Juno. And Chris remains keen to release more tracks, “Green Means Go” his latest project, while you can keep pace with his track by following http://junodownload.com/artists/Chris+Brogan/tracks/. As for his podcasts, please don’t ask us to hang our favourite hat on any one production, as we dig pretty much all them, no surprise when our musical tastes both in terms of genres & sound styles are quite similar to Chris’s, while Mr Brogan’s choice of artists for inclusions on his podcasts also align with ours, the likes of Stefano Noferini, John Dahlback, Michael Gray, Bob Sinclair, The Hoxton Whores, and Syke & Sugarstarr just a small handful among heaps of others that do it for us & Chris. That said, his “Baby Cakes” compilations are right up there, while that “Off With Their Heads” production always makes us dream of summer and is the perfect antidote to this latest cold snap we are being subjected to, but with plenty more to choose from, we are sure your collection will grow considerable when you click on http://djchrisbrogan.podomatic.com/.
However, the world of Chris Brogan doesn’t stop there as this genial gent is also dipping his toe into club promoting, his “Baby Cakes” podcast series the inspiration for the name of Chris’s new night, “Baked” which, as we said, launches at Green Carnation in Soho tonight (Sat 2nd Feb), the plan then to run it as a monthly meet on in the first Saturday each month. And we find the name of the club quite catchy, another example of Chris’s creativity, while the music policy also seems to have the Brogan beats banner of brilliance on it too, how did he put it “…200 gram(s) classic house, 300 gram(s) anthems, 1 pinch of disco & 1 extra large dollop of fun…” that plan to include classic hits & anthems, along with fabulous floor fillers & splashes of chart pop a refreshing breath of air in a clubbing environment which is all too often driven by tech and even tribal, vocals hardly every part of the picture. So, given this, coupled with a shift away from Vauxhall of late, along with that recent venue closure in Soho, we reckon that the timing of Baked couldn’t be better, the element of fun very much something Mr Brogan is keen to emphasise. And while he acknowledges that Baked will not compete with the bigger brands, the fact of the matter is that he doesn’t want it to, that the words variety & room carry weight in this particular equation, as it is about time we benefitted from more variety in our clubbing schedule and there is definitely room for more club nights, Baked, along with a host of other new clubs & events launching this month, we hope, signalling a tide change in the capitals clubbing circuit, the current definitely looking like its pulling away from that south of the river superb. So, with the Baked stall set, we wish Chris & everyone involved all the success they truly deserve and may this delightful dough of a dance devotion rise & rise like the best Mary Berry bake. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Music | Tags: Baked, Barcode, Chris Brogan, Green Carnation, Hed Kandi, Ministry Of Sound, Rupert St, Salvation, The Edge, Tonker | No Comments »
With Soho sustaining a significant shock this week, the sudden closure of Profile & Lo-Profile leaving any simply stunned, the effects have been far reaching, even hitting our recommendations schedule. So, as we pick up the pieces of our “Best Bites” format, we forge ahead with our Short Shouts of where to be & be seen on the scene in Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch this weekend.
Well, what a shocking surprise of a week it has been, starting with the stunning & out of the blue announcement of the immediate closure of Profile & Lo-Profile, the blame laid with tenancy agreement issues, while we all know it was down to that word beginning with M and what we all seem to need to survive. So, having played a prominent part in our weekly Best Bites newsletters, where we chose our top of the tree picks, one from Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch, these Wardour St wonders, apart from leaving a gaping hole on the scene, has resorted us to a Best Bites re-think. But while we re-configure that part of our weekend newsletters, our Short Shouts continue unabated and with plenty going, despite the sad Soho news, there is much to cheer the cockles of clubbers across the expected chilly weekend weather.
So let’s crack on and yes to Soho first, The Shadow Lounge very much in pole position once more, although sticking to its Friday “Therapy” formula but with a range of new roving residents, Adam Turner making a superb sound splash from midnight, while Saturday’s have become known for nothing else but “Inferno” and Andrew Elmore, details of these & other nights such as “Balearic”, out at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk
Onwards to Circa and that marvellous music man Adam Turner pitches up again, tonight (Thurs 10th Jan) seeing him warm you up for Room Service alongside Munroe Bergdorf, who returns on Friday night with her own style soiree, “Discipline”, very much keeping you in line, while its Adam again on Saturday (we can’t get enough of him), a little birdie telling us the 4 a.m. licence is still in place, more info up at http://circasoho.com & via Facebook at http://facebook.com/pages/Circa/183683868348892
Moving just round the square, that Soho Sq, and The Edge certainly packs a powerful punch on both Friday & Saturday, tomorrow night (11th Jan) welcoming Brazilian boy beatmaster Doug Silva to the decks, while our premier protégé player has a heavenly handle on Saturday’s with his “I Love Saturday House Sessions”, mixing the best current chart house remixes with uplifted funky & vocal house jams, hostess Felicia Van Cartier & her gorge go-go’s added into the mix, more details up at http://edgesoho.co.uk/ & on Facebook at http://facebook.com/groups/edgebarsoho/.
To Ku Bar and tomorrow sees DMS & Alvaro spin the sounds at “Klub”, the Friday frolic that combines popular picks, floor fillers & vocal house, while their new night on Saturday (12th Jan), “La Mix”, an Ibiza themed party takes over both the bar & the club, D.J.’s Doug Silva & Athanas Sak spinning the sounds, the bar & the club showing off some of the best looking serving studs in town who go bare topped each night, including Sunday which sees Lady Lloyd go all pop (that’s the music style), further info out at http://ku-bar.co.uk & http://facebook.com/kubarlondon.
To Rupert Street now and while this long running & popular watering hole has gone through the mill recently, a tumbling in both popularity and business seeing the new manager, Karl Nixon, scratch his head a little, Orange Nation have come to its rescue with a planned programme of pre-parties, Saturday (12th Jan) seeing Beyond take centre stage, Jamie Head on deck duty, so one not to be missed, http://facebook.com/events/393534407404054/ telling you more.
And finally, we couldn’t let the moment pass without a mention for the Profile & Lo-Profile farewell drinks event, which takes place at the Yard from 7 p.m. this Saturday (12th Jan), the upstairs space set aside for this glorious send off gathering and is expected to be a packed out affair, especially as many will have been caught out by the sudden closure. So, if you want to say your au-revoir’s but surely not goodbyes to the team, then this is the place to do it, more info up at http://facebook.com/events/244194319045789/246340292164525/.
To Vauxhall now and Orange Nation are in the driving seat, their “Free January Clubbing” encompassing parties from Gravity to Orange & everything in between, while, if we are brutally honest (and a tad controversial), we cannot quite believe that Beyond goes all “Midnight” on us again this weekend, the club having used this format for three of the last four weeks & looks like doing so for the rest of the month. But apparently it was packed with punters last Saturday night into Sunday morning & will surely be again, details of D.J.’s on duty, etc, etc, up at http://www.facebook.com/events/116714235167756/
But the big news on the Orange Nation front is that Fat Tony has taken over promoting Orange, adding this amazing afterhours institution of a Monday morning meet to Gravity & Deelooded, both shinning under his steership, Orange in need of a fresh citric squeeze, Tony the man to do it, not least as he was at the centre of the clubs launch some fourteen years ago, so is sure to bring the good times & the fun back, while also introducing new guest D.J.’s to the main room, this one to watch, Sunday’s event info up at http://otangenation.co.uk & via the events page at http://facebook.com/events/516510358381533/
Just before we leave Orange Nation, it’s worth re-mentioning that “Free January Clubbing” offer which covers clubs Gravity, A:M, Beyond, Later & Orange, we having attempted to confound the theory that nothing in life is for free in our special focus feature “Some Things In Life Are For Free”, we having dug deep into the promotional PR, digesting the detail & producing our own view on what is, on face value, a fabulous free filler for your jaded post festive January, so well worth a look at http://discomatt.com/web/?p=6614 as well as checking out http://oramgenation.co.uk/membership
To the Eagle now who’s winning weekend is three faceted, “Tonker” doing its beefy & brawny bloke thing on Friday (11th Jan), promoter Tim Jones joined on the decks by another Jones, Ross making music for the men, while on the following night sees “Eagle Saturday’s” take centre stage, a genre blend of 70’s/80’s/90’s hits combined with more modern funky, electro & tech tainted house, Prince Nelly providing the former, while Severino sorts the latter. And with the mere words “Horse Meat Disco” speaking enough Sunday volumes, head to http://eaglelondon.com & http://www.facebook.com/Eagle.London for more.
And we couldn’t let Vauxhall pass go without a mention for venerable institution, The Royal Vauxhall Tavern, which hit the headlines recently when welcoming back Paul O’Grady to what was his hallowed turf as Lilly Savage, while its fringe events continue to reign supreme in the week & this Friday as it goes, as “Wotever World” is what it’s about, Saturday, Amy Lame & The Readers Wives meaning only one thing, “Duckie”, while Sunday is synonymous with “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out”, more info up at http://thervt.org.uk or via the venue’s Facebook group, http://facebook.com/groups/thervt/.
To Shoreditch now and to East Bloc which has two terrific turns this weekend, the first mention having to go to DISH, which celebrates its first birthday on Saturday (12th Jan) and has been subject to our own Weekend Focus feature, “Tasty Turn Turns One”, which tells all about the club & about Saturday’s shindig at http://discomatt.com/web/?p=6624, while we are sure it will scoop our Saturday “Pick Of The Day” too, so very much the place to be & be seen, more info out at http://facebook.com/DISHLONDON.
As for that second soiree, well its Friday and “Super Electro Party Machine”, Larry Tee’s off the wall wonder that sees a superb selection of stars spin the sounds, this week seeing Mr Tee welcome Guy Williams & his Paradise 45 crew, the “Electro” being substituted for “Paradise” on the event info, while the hot off the press news is that Princess Julia will be making her majestic musical mark too, she another product from the Wayne Shires Crash camp that have moved out east, details up at http://facebook.com/events/520317934655157/.
Up the road we now go to The Dalston Superstore in fact, which has a full weekend of wonders, we running through them in reverse, Sunday being “Tutti Frutti” day, while on Saturday its gender bender time with the return of Shoreditch son Kris Di Angelis’s club, “Tramp”, this time going hot, Munroe Bergdorf joined by Jonny Woo upstairs, while Kris serves up a four hour set downstairs (check http://facebook.com/events/427982320607845/ for more info). And with Friday asking to just “Say Yes”, The DSS has all this & much more to offer, info out at http://facebook.com/groups/dalstonsuperstore/.
For our final Short Shout, we head back into Shoreditch proper and to the Joiners Arms which has certainly seen a resurgence in popularity recently, due in no part to the fact that they sport some of the bigger D.J. names from the capitals clubbing circuit, This Saturday (12th Jan) seeing newish night “Pantastic” welcome Ariel to the decks, while it has been Sunday soiree “SPQR” (standing for Sexy Parties Queer Revels) that has really put The Joiners back on the circuit map, we having to head down soon, while you can head to http://joinersshoreditch.com for more detail on these, Friday’s “Yes” and the other four days delights too.
Well that’s it for our singular recommends newsletter, we hoping to be back with our revised Best Bites part next week, on top of more Short Shout includees such as Clapham’s Bridge Bar & Soho’s Room Service, although with over twenty events & parties covered here there is much to mull over & lay your hat on this weekend. As for us, it’s a DISH weekend after a quick Saturday Soho sortie to Rupert St & the Edge, so with plenty of places to be & be seen on the scene, if you see us out come say hi, naturally in doing so, making sure you “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: Beyond, Circa, Dish, Duckie, East Bloc, Horse Meat Disco, Inferno, Ku Bar, Orange, Orange Nation, Pantastic, Rupert Street, S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out, SPQR, Super Electro Party Machine, The Dalston Superstore, The Eagle, The Edge, The Joiners Arms, The RVT, The Shadow Lounge, Therapy, Tonker, Tramp, Wotever World | No Comments »
Back in the best biting newsletter driving seat, our short shouts sister follows suit, a host of happenings across Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere that are worth more than a look in this weekend, getting a mini mention, all this with a focus on the fundraising events marking World AIDS day this Saturday.
Well we are back and having broadcasted our best bites of where to be & be seen on the scene, the added addition of a handful of hot shots complimenting our Weekend Focus features, it’s now time to turn to the host of other happenings that warrant a mini mention, or as we prefer to say, a short shout. But with a cause & concern close to our heart falling right in the middle of the weekend, we will be highlighting those clubs, bars & events that are fundraising for World AIDS Day (WAD), while watch this space for our special feature “Acquired African Affectant”, looking at the virus, its effects, the treatments & the charities that have touched & are touching so many lives around the world, but particularly across our home continent & country, Africa & South Africa.
All that said, lets crack on with our Short Shouts, heading to Soho first at The Shadow Lounge who stay true to form with their nights “Therapy” on Fri (30th Nov) & “Inferno” on Saturday, D.J.’s on duty including Tristan Temple, Peter Perovic & Andrew Elmore, while this classy club now opens until 6 a.m. on both nights (wow!). Plus, with the team showing their support for The Elton John AIDS Foundation, they are certainly doing their WAD bit, more info on goings on down Brewer St way out at http://theshadowlounge.com.
Round the corner and Rupert Street are ringing the changes with a re-formed affiliation with Orange Nation (Formerly The Orange Group) who will be support this brilliant bar in its revitalisation with a series of special pre-parties across December & beyond (no pun intended), the first being tomorrow night (Sat 1st Dec) when it will all about WE, this the prelude to the massive “Formula 2” event, The Oli revving up the rhythms, while from next Friday, A:M will be holding pre-parties, more info on tomorrow’s event out at http://facebook.com/events/492976230747619/
Ku-bar is our next Soho stop and having kicked off their WAD weekend last night with the now infamous “Staff Auction” (they are yum!) in aid of The Food Chain, tonight sees Ku-Klub take to spotlight with D.J.’s DMS, Doug Silva & Alvaro on rotation, while Saturday sees Doug returns with his brilliant Brazilian beats, he accompanied by the tasty topless bar boys boasting bags of brawn. While those Food Chain buckets will be out craving for your donations, so did deep, more detail on both bars & the club out at http://ku-bar.co.uk.
Circa is our next Short Shout and a compact yet classy place to be & be seen on the scene, especially on Saturday when terrific talent Adam Turner spins the sounds, his uplifting, euphoric & Steve Pitron-esqe style sure to please, while tonight (Fri 30th Nov), it’s all about “Discipline”, the Munroe Bergdorf way, cool pop & R&B the rapturous rhythms that will beat you into submission, while on Sunday its “Studio Dusty” with the incomparable The Very Miss Dusty O delving into her box of magical pop music beat, also not forgetting that Thursday is a Room Service pre-party down on Frith St, a click on http://circa-soho.com telling you more, while extended opening hours till 4 am run throughout December.
Our final Soho Short Shout goes to The Edge who have not one, two or three, but four floors of space for you to relax, dance, drink & be merry, a roving D.J. team on Friday’s complimented by live vocals from the one the only Tonnic, while on Saturday our “premier protégé player” Zach Burns takes to the decks, sliding into Sunday with a mixture of music that touts his towering talents and, had it not been for WE, we would have been by his side as this is a Saturday showing that ranks as the best in Soho in our books, while more on The Edge can be found at http://theedgesoho.co.uk
Right, down to Vauxhall we go and having already given Beyond a big mention in our feature focus, it does however warrant another, as it is THE event of the weekend south of the river for a number of reasons, that “all roads lead to” reputation sure to play out prolifically on Sunday (2nd Dec), while with our WAD hat on, we are pleased as punch that our favourite club & brand are raising funds for our preferred charity, The Terrence Higgins Trust (THT) http://tht.org.uk/) the emphasis very much on fundraising, although with a wonderful WE influence & a special guest D.J., go check out our feature “Brett’s Magnificent Bag Of Masterbeats” at http://discomatt.com/web/?p=6136.
But The Orange Nation picture is prominent with plenty more this weekend, A:M “Ultra” filling out Friday, although is on the move this weekend, a short stay at Covert on the cards, while Later is going stratospheric on Sunday’s, this week entertaining Italian impresser Marco Gee, playing alongside Jamie Head & Paul Heron, no Monday morning quite the same without Orange which welcomes Elliot J Brown back this week. Plus, with a quick mention for Gravity which turns 8 on Thurs (6th Dec), a click on http://orangenation.co.uk will spill the beans on the ON family of brilliant brands & magnificent meets.
Turning to the Royal Vauxhall Tavern (The RVT) and the focus in WAD terms is Sunday when the incredible institution that is S.L.A.G.S/Chill-out hold their “Red Ribbon Ball” raising funds in aid of GMFA, THT & The Food Chain, the winning format continuing with Simon le vans on early deck duty, The D.E. Experience stealing all the spotlight with another must see show from 5 p.m. & then Andy Almighty & Sean Sirrs keeping a packed to the rafters RVT going until v late, detail on this & other RVT happenings across the weekend out at http://rvt.org.uk &/or http://facebook.com/groups/thervt/.
Third of our Vauxhall Short Shout three (or was that four?!) is The Eagle which has two brilliant brand nights sandwiching its WAD headline event, Tonker the turn for bears cubs & their admirers, the chunky tunes match the meaty men, promoter Tim Jones welcoming Micky Galliano to the decks, while the second piece of bread in the sandwich is Sunday star Horse Meat Disco, we saying no more of this magnificent meet than it has to be experienced to be believed. But the filling comes in the form of Carpet Burn this Saturday (1st Dec) which holds a “Tastiest Tranny Ball” & welcomes Tasty Tim to the decks, joined by Johnny Kalifornia, donations going to GMFA, more on all this up at http://eaglelondon.com
So let’s head elsewhere and a mixed bag that first comes from Tramp, the Kris Di Angelis promoted party that returns for a special WAD event this Saturday (1st Dec) at The Dalston Superstore. Aptly named “Super Tramp” Kris welcoming guest D.J.’s JonBent Blonde & Jamie Ritchie who play downstairs with Mr Di Angelis, while Munroe Bergdorf takes charge upstairs, WAD fundraising going towards charity Positive East (http://positiveeast.org.uk), Friday at The DSS is all about Hectic with Kris’s old studio recording pal Tom Stephan stretching his own promotional legs in what is a busy old evening for him, more info on DSS stuff at http://facebook.com/dalstonsuperstore, while event details on Tramp are up at http://www.facebook.com/events/178613928945253/.
Down the road at East Bloc and we already gave a Best Bite big up for TheMenWhoFell2Earth who celebrate their second birthday this Saturday, although tonight (Fri 30th Nov) sees Larry Tee’s terrific turn, Super Electro Party Machine take centre stage welcoming Room Service’s very own Jodie Harsh to the decks, joining Larry in what is always a brilliant curtain raiser to the East Bloc weekend, other parties in Dec to watch out for including DISH, SOS & Gutterslut, while a visit to http://eastbloc.co.uk &/or http://facebook.com/groups/255553057341/ will reveal all.
Then we head further south but still out east to new night Mister UK, which launches in London tonight (Fri 30th Nov) at Studio Space, 110 Pennington St, coinciding with the launch of mobile dating/networking app http://misterapp.com in this country, the event entertaining D.J.’s that include Pagano, Tom Stephan, Borja Pena & Dave Kendrick, while extra special guest Boris Of Berghain (aka Boris Dolinski) jets in from Berlin to headline along with our Italian stallion Pagano, meaning the music will be top draw, as will be the men, Mister UK a men only event, details of which are out at http://facebook.com/events/459859484065344/
Back into Shoreditch for our final fourth and we head to the Joiners Arms which is an east end institution and marks WAD with their party “Pantastic” this Saturday (1st Dec) with 50% of the door take going to charity Positive East, the donation sure to be substantial as Paul Heron is on the decks, while the ever popular SPQR spotlights on Sunday, DJ Julian De Apostate sorting the sounds, while tonight, all you have to say is YES, as this weekly outing wets your appetite for more until 4 a.m., that appetite sure to be hungry for more by paying a visit to http://joinershoreditch.com/ where info on all three nights & much more can be found.
Now, with an eye of plenty of other clubs, bars & events marking WAD, here is some tiny touting for those making a fundraising effort this Saturday (1st Dec), Soho’s The Duke Of Welling & The Admiral Duncan two, while north its Central Station in Kings Cross The The Black Cap in Camden that rattle that WAD donator box with special cabaret shows, all raising funds for GMFA (http://gmfa.org.uk) as is The Two Brewers in Clapham who entertain with Angie Brown, more on these & others a click away at http://boyz.co.uk where you can get your hands on a comprehensive listing of events across the scene throughout the whole seven day week from Thursday to Wednesday.
So, having eased our way back in with no less than fourteen Short Shouts, the plan will be to further extend our coverage curtain as the weeks progress, so if you are a club promoter, a venue manager or an event organiser and fancy being included, just drop us a line at matt@discomatt.com or plaster our Facebook group (http://facebook.com/groups/discomatt) & page (http://facebook.com/pages/Disco-Matt/112730602119746) walls at with your event links & other details and we will do our best to include you. As for this WAD weekend, wherever you are & whatever you are up to, have a terrific time, while we hope our choices give you some inspirational ideas of where to be & be seen on the scene, remembering that to do so, you need to “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, Beyond, Carpet Burn, Circa, East Bloc, Hectic, Horse Meat Disco, Ku Bar, Later, Orange, Rupert St, S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out, Super Electro Party Machine, The Dalston Superstore, The Edge, The Joiners Arms, The RVT The Eagle, The Shadow Lounge, TheMen, Tonker, Tramp | No Comments »
With 2012 ravaged with disturbing distractions, the steady activity decline from a height of over fifty posts a month to just five in October has signaled a pretty serious writing wake-up call, our determination to be back where we belong now matched with renewed enthusiasm for supporting & promoting one of the world’s most prolific clubbing scenes. And with the only way is up our new & latest motto, we reflect on what was & look forward to what will be for these last two months of a so far disastrous DM year.
It would be fair to say that we have been disproportionately distracted during 2012, virtually every single part of our reporting suffering a significant slump while we have been consumed with matters away from the scene we have supported, with weekly regularity. Indeed, with our scene step outs sliding sharply & the subsequent reviews remarkably reticent, we have clearly not been ourselves, those distractions continuing to throw plans to re-propel our postings right off the rails. However, with a comment (perhaps a throw away one) regarding our reviews, along with a number of people remarking on the absence of our reporting’s, we thought it high time to dispel those distractions, find the focus & be decisive with our delivery, all in an effort to restore our reputation & standing for supporting the scene that we love & adore. with all those clubs, events, promoters, D.J.’s, music producers & other scene faces come figureheads, not least to justify the support many of these individuals have given us in our many moments of need & escape from some of the horrible realities of other aspects of our lives.
Therefore, with just two months left of what has been our worst year since setting out on the Disco Matt road, we are pretty determined to get back into the groove, continuing to accentuate the positives, those like our “Picks” section on the website as well as our now infamous nibble size tweets on Twitter, while getting our much missed, reviews, previews, recommends & features flowing freely & fully. And that controversial yet constructive approach that established our reputation in those early days four years ago, will also be back, we never afraid to tackling the sometime slippery situations across the scene, the hot water it has landed us in before, no doubt dousing us again, although falling on much broader & more seasoned shoulders. Plus, we have a real sense that you, our reading public, have missed our reviews, recommendations & reports, so as part of our re-building process, we are setting ourselves a goal of one post a day, whether it be a review, a pick of the day, a recommends, a music feature, a newsletter or even a preview.
So what’s on the cards for November?, Well first & foremost we have three reviews from October to post, Room Service’s “Brilliant Boy Girl Grooves” from Thursday 11th, a special review, Fabulously Phenomenal Fortieth”, devoted to Steve Pitron & his birthday on 20th, and “Yesterday Meets Today & Tomorrow”, recapping on Beyond/Trade which took place on Sunday 25th. But that’s it for October & before, much of what we missed reporting & reviewing to be gathered up at the end of the year, rather we now need to look forward and in doing so herald the return of our weekly recommendations, through “Weekend Focus” features, our “Best Bites” & “Short Shouts” newsletters, the “Extra Bites” posts that pick up on eleventh hour/last minute news, all coming fully back on stream by next week, while if time permits we will slip in our two newsletters and/or “Extra Bites” posts in time for this weekend, . Moreover, we will be devoting renewed energy to our music writing too, those “D.J. Focuses” & “Music Newsletters” back and once we have our full stride back, the special music features will surely return too. However, we will continue to throw our full support behind clubs, events, business, music producers & publications through the promotional banners on our website, while we will be re-invigorating our “Pick Of The Day” & “Podcast Of The Week” choices, starting fresh from this Saturday (3rd Nov), promoting these via our social network pages, Facebook, Tumblr & Twitter, while the goal for propelling both our “Previews” & “Disco Matters” posts will hopefully be back on stream by the beginning of December.
As far as activity out on the scene, definite dates include the new look A:M “Ultra tomorrow night (Fri 2nd) Deelooded’s “Fake Realness” on Saturday, then PLAY>TIME & Beyond vs. Matinee next Friday & Saturday, while WE’s 2nd Anniversary party “Formula 2” is on the cards at the beginning of December, with events sure to fill the gap between, brands attracting our attention including “WAR”, “Gigolo” & “Later”, while we will be taking a look at the new Manbar & profiling other watering holes including Circa, The Edge & Profile. All this means there is much to do, although we have been here before, a couple of false starts during the year seeing us slump scarily, so our actions will surely need to speak louder than our words, but as we said right at the top of this post, “…the only way is up…” and we hope that these final two months of our own annus horribilis will see us back on the up & up, re-building the blocks of our reviews, reports, recommends, music & other posts on the solid foundations that, despite all these distractions, remain intact. So here’s to a no nonsense November, a decisive December and then a new year full of lucky for some 2013 activity promise (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Reports | Tags: A:M, Beyond, Circa, Deeloooded, Gigolo, Later, Manbar, Matinee, Playtime, Profile, Room Service, Steve Pitron, The Edge, War | No Comments »
Shooting from the hip, we are back shouting from the roof tops, mini size selections of a host of clubs & events to take in across Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch this weekend, the briefest of detail with links to websites making this a nifty newsletter, our shouts syncing superbly below
Having gotten back into the recommendations mode & mood after an altogether atrociously lengthy break, we are raring to go in short shouting for a spree of shindigs across Soho Vauxhall & Shoreditch that have caught our eye this weekend, brevity the name & links to websites & event pages the game, the aim to give you a wider choice of places to lay your clubbing hat to those topping our Best Bites tree, it’s as simple as that.
So to Soho & our first short shout, Saturday (6th Oct) seeing ClubNation roll out another exceptional event at L-Profile with Mikey D & Paul Coals on the decks, doors to this Wardour St wonder opening at 10 p.m. & the club running through till 4 a.m., further details on this outing available at http://facebook.com/pages/Lo-Profile/163759593639440, info on the venue out at http://loprofile.com.
Next Soho shout goes to the Shadow Lounge who roll out another “Therapy” session tomorrow night (Fri 6th Oct) and Paul Heron & MisWhite on the decks, while the ever popular Andre Elmore spins upfront & uplifting house ala “Inferno” style on Saturday, not forgetting “Baleric on Thursday’s weekly, more info on all three out at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk or via their Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/groups/theshadowlounge/
To the Edge now and another fun filled Friday beckoning with the dynamic duo of Andrew Elmore & D.J. Alabastor, while the added draw of vocals from Tonnic is a tasty treat for sure, Saturday seeing another tasty treat in the form of Zach Burns on the decks, hat “Come Play With Me” poster too provocative for words, but it works!! And with plenty more on offer plus late licensing, go check out their group at http://facebook.com/groups/edgebarsoho/ for more info.
Then, just a hop & skip around the corner is the compact & bijou yet superbly stylish Circa, tomorrow night seeing the marvellous Munroe Bergdorf both host & D.J. for the night they call “Discipline”, while another of our protégé players (Zach Burns is one) Adam Turner, spins the superb sounds on Saturday (6th Oct), Sunday seeing “Studio Dusty” of the Miss O variety take hold, all three nights offering free entry & running till 1 a.m. more detail on this brilliant bar out at http://circasoho.com.
So to our fabulous fifth & it goes this week to Rupert St, even though we are shocked by the news that while we have been off air, manager Cathy has moved (or was she pushed!!) onto pastures new, replacement Karl Nixon supposedly ringing the changes although with Alessandro on the decks both Friday (5th) & Sunday (7th) & Brent Nicholls the music meat in the sound sandwich on Saturday, this once packed out place looking to bounce back, more info out at http://facebook.com/groups/130804876996933/.
To Vauxhall now and we hone in on The Orange Group first, splitting four events out from each other, the first being Onyx, which plays proud host to the “Toolbox House 9th Birthday Tour” tomorrow night (Fri 5th Oct), welcoming special guest D.J. Nik Denton to the Covert main room decks, alongside Jonny M & Matt Bogard, while room two sees Munroe Bergdorf, Lady Lloyd & tasty Tim go to play, more info including opening times, entrance fees & drinks offers out via http://facebook.com/onyxlondon.
Following neatly on is A:M, which celebrated its anniversary last weekend, but keeps the house music heavenly heat turned to full on Saturday morning (6th Oct) from 3 a.m., with special guest D.J. Paul Harris, while a star cast extends to residents Fat Tony, Guy Williams, D’Johnny, Paul Heron & Fat Tony, along with a b2b set from Alan K & Paulo Moreno, the usual Fire venue hosting giving away to a joint protocol & Lightbox effort, more info in Mr Harris & the whole event out at http://www.facebook.com/events/428454637202317/
Jumping to Sunday and the later which, now under the capable & safe hands steership of Steven React Sharp is heading in a “Nu Direction”, this his second week at the helm & one that has a birthday feel to it, special guest D.J. Marco gee’s partner celebrating, while after Marco, Jamie Head & then The Oli spin the sounds, this sure to be a packed out affair as post WE party heads will bounce on from Beyond not wishing to stop, this daytime disco delight sure to go from strength to strength now Steven is in charge, more info on this particular outing up at http://facebook.com/events/428454637202317/ .
Then to number four in the Orange stable & to Orange itself, the Monday morning madcap melay that actually starts on Sunday night but takes you deep into the start of the working week, this week being quite special as RAW is back, albeit that original resident Gonzalo Rivas is not, while co-originator David Jimenez is, he taking charge on RAW on its 6th anniversary this Sunday/Monday (7th/8th Oct), while main room men include The Sharp Boys, Fat Tony & The Oli, more detail available by scouting the ON Facebook group page at http://facebook.com/groups/2412805063/ which also links into David’s special devoted RAW podcast.
Elsewhere in Vauxhall there is much happening, not least as Popstarz re-locates to south of the river & Hidden, the legacy left behind by the much missed Simon Hobart continuing in style, the extra space this venue offers, allowing the promoter & his team to deliver the biggest R&B room in Popstarz history, resident D.J.’s Tommy Turntables, Dennis The Menace & Lady Lloyd among those at this launch tomorrow night (Fri 5th Oct) more info up at http://popstarz.org.
Our significant & final sixth south of the river goes to Horse Meat Disco, the Sunday night meet that continues to pull in a considerable crowd week in week out, the relaxed atmosphere of host venue The Eagle contributing to that factor, while promoters James Hillard & Jim Stanton also re cognise the maxim that, “…if it isn’t broke don’t fix it…”, the winning formula hardly changed, that going for the resplendent return on Severino to the HMD decks this weekend (Sun 7th Oct), further detail out at http://facebook.com/groups/horsemeatdisco &/or http://eaglelondon.com.
Moving across town to Shoreditch and while having best bitten on the venue, we can’t but give a shout for East Bloc, this time for their Friday frolic, Super Electro Party Machine, promoter & D.J. Larry Tee welcoming three special guests to the decks, such has become the popularity of this prolific party, he joined by Jim Warboy, NYC’s Velissa Yeo & our own protégé player, Adam Turner in what looks like a corker & one we would be at tomorrow night (Fri 5th Oct) for sure if we hadn’t committed to PLAY>TIME, while you may not have that conundrum, more detail up at http://facebook.com/groups/255553057341/.
Then we move just up the road to Dalston & The DSS (Dalston Superstore) which entertains Borja Pena & his B(e)ast crew this Saturday (6th Oct), the Tel Aviv gay party PAG going head to head with the former, no doubt attracting sexy swarms of Israeli men, while the feast of D.J. talent both upstairs & downstairs will be just as much of a draw, Borja naturally flying the B(e)ast flag, he joined by Simon Rigg, founder of Phonica records upstairs, while downstairs, Avihai Partok is the PAG influence, he joined by Berliner come London based D.J. Tom Peters, more info out at http://facebook.com/events/431805860188409/.
Final in our foray East threesome goes to The Joiners Arms which has found a real niche for itself on a Sunday, not only drawing in the Hoxton locals, but with D.J.’s like Paul Heron, Alessandro Londra & Kris Di Angelis having graced the SPRQ (that’s the club night name) decks, this Sunday night shindig is drawing in a much wider audience & is very much becoming the place to be & be seen, particularly if you are after some old that old time decadence & debauchery that was so common place on the scene in times gone by. And amidst the spit & sawdust style of The Joiners (we are told it has had a lick of paint recently though) this Sunday (7th Oct) the extrovert Julian De Apostate spins the sounds, locale details & more available at http://facebook.com/joiners.arms.9.
Right , that’s just about it from us for this edition of Short Shouts save for a reminder that if you fancy your club or event being given a mention, then drop us a line at matt@discomatt.com or failing that then plaster either our Facebook group wall at http://facebook.com/groups/discomatt/ or our page at http://facebook.com/pages/Disco-Matt/112730602119746, while, failing a mention here, we will be happy to include you the the promotional banners on our website, so artwork can be forwarded to our e-mail address as above.
So, all that’s left is to wish you all a very happy weekend of clubbing, or whatever else you have planned, while as for us it looks like Lo-Prfile on Friday, WE Party on Saturday & possibly Later on Sunday, so if you see us out please come up & say hi, you may even get a nibble size tweet mention at http://twitter.com/discomatt, although if not simply remember that to be & be seen on the scene you need to “Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Recommends | Tags: A:M, B(e)ast, Circa, ClubNation, DSS, East Bloc, Hidden, Horse Meat Disco, Later, Lo-Profile, Onyx, Orange, Popstarz, Rupert Street, SPQR, Super Electro Party Machine, The Eagle, The Edge, The Joiners Arms, The Shadow Lounge | No Comments »
Departing a little from his usual monthly mixes, Zach Burns’ residency at Popcorn’s Departure Lounge being this inspiration of this latest compilation in his “House Sessions” series, our premier protégé player proves his position with his most prolific production yet, DM delivering a dinky devotion on the dance-tastic delight that has made his “Podcast Of The Week” choice.
It is no secret that, despite showing our support for scores of D.J.’s & music producers, both here in London & across the globe, there are, nevertheless, a handful that get extra attention, Zach Burns being one such individual, and having closely followed & supported his progression behind the decks for over 12 months now, we have seen this talented young man’s D.J.’ing career grow in both strength & stature, very much manifested in the roll-call of residencies he has buckled under his belt. And with that list extending to brands such as CasaLatina, Gigolo & Matinee (the later a lifelong dream already achieved), 2012 has proven a yardstick year for Zach already, with international appearances in both Berlin & Paris to add to his rising repertoire, while bread & butter gigs for Profile, Lo-Profile & The Edge back here in London have cemented his standing on the scene as a new force to be reckoned with, Zach standing tall amongst the other poppy players that scatter the scene.
So, supporting Mr Burns comes quite easily to us and with his equally prolific podcast production matching his activity out on the scene, not a month has gone by this year without one compilation or another of his making it into our collection, whether it be the specialist mixes from residencies or guest slots, such as Scream, GMF or that momentous Matinee meet, or from his now considerable “House Sessions” series. Yet while his productions certainly hit the heavenly mark, certain track selections fervently floating our boat, it has been rare for any one mix to make it into our daily playlist, one which fills our ears while exercising our other occupation, zooming around London’s roads, an elite selection only extending to the likes of Brent Nicholls, The Oli & Jamie Head, while the domination of a Steve Pitron podcast pretty much speaks for itself, the peddle power his productions produce in us, unrivalled by any other, not least his “Jan 2012 Session”.
However, in Zach’s latest, Vol. 24 in his monthly “House Sessions” series, we have one such podcast that not only pitches perfectly against Mr Pitron’s, but did, for a couple of days, topple that superb Steve set of sounds, hence why it has made it to our “Podcast of The Week” choice. But the reasons extend further than that, as in this latest Burns beats bonanza, we have a collection of tunes that both inspire & energise us, his decision to depart from the norm this month & devote this delightful dance-tastic delectation to his weekly residency within Popcorn’s Departure Lounge, bearing brilliant fruit with lashings of vocals intermixed with his trademark funky beats, while within this magnificent 75 minute mix, we have crowned both our new Burns/DM anthem of the year in Upjeet’s remix of Etienne Ozborne’s “Been A Long Time” but have also found the new 2012 replacement for the truly towering Rony Seilkaly track “Take Me Higher” in the emotionally enthralling “Another Day” from the captivating composition camp that is James Talk & Ridney.
But with Zach having chosen plenty more vocal crowd pleasures within this production, familiar names that he continues to bank on including our Italian stallion Pagano, the resplendence of Ralphi Rosario & the superb Stefano Noferini, as well as notable names & artists such as Ian Carey, Lisa Millett, Abigail Bailey & David Penn, this composition is crammed with pedigree from spectacular start to fabulous finish. Indeed, we have found it immensely difficult to dislike any track on what is undoubtedly Zach most outstandingly brilliant & best to date, pretty much sealing the deal on our recommendation that it is an essential must to your collection, downloading mere minutes away at direct link http://djburns.podomatic.com/entry/2012-07-04T11_32_41-07_00, while Mr Burns has shared a selection of the total tack listing via his Beatport chart at http://www.beatport.com/chart/house-sessions-24-july-2012/92806, where, should you so wish, you can grab the track that floats your own boat & at the same time support the artists & music producers that have helped propel this podcast into our number two slot of 2012.
So, with the awesome accomplishment, not only has Zach provided further proof that his a every measure for the material that is our premier protégé player position, but he proves that, through the captivating compilation creation, music most definitely is the answer. (DISCO MATT)
Posted in Music | Tags: Casalatina, Gigolo, Lo-Profile, Matinee, Popcorn, Profile, The Edge, Zach Burns | No Comments »
Having played a prolific part in his Easter Weekend clubbing escapades, not least with a scintillating set at “Play>Time” on Friday, Disco Matt chooses Zach Burns’ House Sessions Vol. 21 as his podcast of the week, download/stream links a banner selection away opposite, or an image click away below, while Zach gives us his take on this latest pumping production of his & also shares the all important link beneath.
Zach say’s about his new podcast & plans……
Hey Guys,
Here’s my April edition for 2012, an hour & 14 minutes of tunes currently on my playlists. Expect it to be uplifting/vocal and chunky, a little more deep near the end, so a real mixture I hope you all enjoy. Lots happening this month, Europe nearer the end of the month with a guest set with a guest set at the all new “London Burning” (specially themed party) at Scream Club, Paris, then the following week for Gigolo vs. GMF at GMF in Berlin, two nights I’m really looking forward to.
Disco Matt adds…..
Don’t forget Zach’s London residencies, which include Gigolo at The Shadow Lounge, Profile & Lo-Profile, the latter for brands “Society” & “Play>Time”, The Edge, Popcorn at Heaven and Casa Latina, with some new prospects on the near horizon, Mr Burns definitely a name to watch, hence his status as our Premier Protégé Player.
To download &/or steam Zach’s latest podcast go to the following direct link, http://djburns.podomatic.com/entry/2012-04-07T12_44_14-07_00
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: Gigolo, GMF, Lo-Profile, Playtime, Popcorn, Profile, Scream, Society, The Edge, Zach Burns | No Comments »
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16 May 2013 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Brilliant Brits vs. Exceptional European’s” – Best Bits & Short Shouts – Friday 17th to Sunday 19th May – Weekend Newsletter
Firmly in the recommends newsletter groove, we hit on two of our fourteen Best Bites for the coming weekend, sharing a Short Shouts selection of the remainder taking place in both London & internationally, a clubbing choice of “Brilliant Brits vs. Exceptional European’s” With the London scene, which was ...
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21 Feb 2013 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Small Is Sweet” – Weekend Short Shouts – Friday 22nd to Sunday 24th February – Newsletter Part Two
With most of the big brands missing, it seems that small is sweet this weekend, we speeding through a string of soirees both home & away that deserve our Short Shouts mini mentions, while we deliver some disco dance dates for your diaries, as well as a cataclysmic change to ...
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18 Feb 2013 | 0 Comments
Reviews/Reports – “The Good, The Bad & The Ugly” – That Was The Weekend That Was” – Friday 15th to Sunday 17th February
With much happening on the scene this last weekend, the timing of the return of our “That Was The Weekend That Was” review & report couldn’t have been better, we looking at the good, the bad & the ugly new ventures to hit the capitals clubbing circuit, while reporting on ...
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2 Feb 2013 | 0 Comments
D.J.’s/Music – “Baking Beats Cake Chap” – D.J. Focus – Chris Brogan – Saturday 2nd February
With the launch of his new club, Baked, just hours away and with a marvellous music policy that is as scrummy as a Victoria sponge, we have mixed up our own Mary Berry music bonanza, lining our tunes tin, opening the oven and serving up superb slices of the deck ...
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10 Jan 2013 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Soho Stunner Shifts Shouts” – Weekend Short Shouts Newsletter – Thursday 10th to Sunday 13th January
With Soho sustaining a significant shock this week, the sudden closure of Profile & Lo-Profile leaving any simply stunned, the effects have been far reaching, even hitting our recommendations schedule. So, as we pick up the pieces of our “Best Bites” format, we forge ahead with our Short Shouts of ...
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30 Nov 2012 | 0 Comments
Recommends “Back Where We Belong Again” – Weekend Short Shouts Newsletter – Friday 30th Nov to Sunday 2nd Dec
Back in the best biting newsletter driving seat, our short shouts sister follows suit, a host of happenings across Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere that are worth more than a look in this weekend, getting a mini mention, all this with a focus on the fundraising events marking World AIDS day ...
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1 Nov 2012 | 0 Comments
Reports – “The Only Way Is Up” – DM Back On Track – Thursday 1st November
With 2012 ravaged with disturbing distractions, the steady activity decline from a height of over fifty posts a month to just five in October has signaled a pretty serious writing wake-up call, our determination to be back where we belong now matched with renewed enthusiasm for supporting & promoting one ...
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4 Oct 2012 | 0 Comments
Recommends – “Shouting Selections” – Weekend Short Shouts Newsletter – Friday 5th to Sunday 7th October
Shooting from the hip, we are back shouting from the roof tops, mini size selections of a host of clubs & events to take in across Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch this weekend, the briefest of detail with links to websites making this a nifty newsletter, our shouts syncing superbly below ...
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10 Jul 2012 | 0 Comments
Music/Picks – “Burns Beats Best” – Zach Burns’ “House Sessions Vol. 24″ – Tuesday 10th July – Podcast Of The Week
Departing a little from his usual monthly mixes, Zach Burns’ residency at Popcorn’s Departure Lounge being this inspiration of this latest compilation in his “House Sessions” series, our premier protégé player proves his position with his most prolific production yet, DM delivering a dinky devotion on the dance-tastic delight that ...
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10 Apr 2012 | 0 Comments
Picks – “Premier Protege Player Picked” – Zach Burns House Sessions Vol. 14 (April 2012) – Podcast Of The Week – Tuesday 10th April
Having played a prolific part in his Easter Weekend clubbing escapades, not least with a scintillating set at “Play>Time” on Friday, Disco Matt chooses Zach Burns’ House Sessions Vol. 21 as his podcast of the week, download/stream links a banner selection away opposite, or an image click away below, while ...
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