Weekend Focus – “Amazing Afterhours Alterations” – A:M Re-Launch – Saturday 2nd October

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When it comes to a bit of afterhours clubbing action on the gAylist scene, one tends to think about Sunday mornings, Trade being the mother of them all throughout the nineties & early on in the nougties, the crown then having been wrestled away by the brilliance of Beyond, which has since gone on to dominate the market, especially in its latest incarnation at the awesome Area in Vauxhall. However, afterhours partying in this clubbing mecca south of the river also has its roots in Saturday’s and the club brand that has been cutting a quiet & unassuming stride for close on 10 years now, The Orange Group’s A:M. very much having made its mark on the scene, gaining a reputation for cutting edge, if but a little tough, house music. A.M., like any good afterhours event, very much pushes the boundaries of normality, offering the decadent party goer the opportunity party deep into Saturday morning when others would either be doing the grocery shop or tucking into breakfast in bed.

But, as much as A:M. has continued to survive & thrive while other brands have fallen by the wayside, as it approaches its tenth anniversary, the team behind this amazing afterhours have decided it was time to inject some new life, new vitality and new direction for this clubbing icon, or as A.M.’s organisers prefer to refer the changes to as “…a few careful tweaks & exciting new features…” which are planned to maintain its position as “…London’s biggest & best Saturday morning party…” However, in amongst these nip & tuck changes is the appointment of a new promoter, one Oliver M (of Matinee London fame), a big & bold move by the Orange group, that has been met mainly with warm hearted reception, although has raised some questions, both about the new found working relationship & Oliver’s plans to re-vitalise/ change the look of A.M. So, we took the opportunity to probe Mr Mohns on these issues and you can catch the full & unedited interview via our latest “Disco Matt-ers” report at http://discomattpreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/oliver-orange-disco-matt-ers.

As for A:M.’s re-launch, there is plenty in store and whilst Oliver has covered a fair bit in his interview, we thought we would run down exactly what you can expect from this spectacular splash of an event. First 7 foremost, the changes to Fire’s main room have to be seen to be believed, much of the planned works having been completed, which have included the re-positioning of the D.J. booth which has become more on an island, allowing unbroken vision of the stars in action, as well as a much improved stage area to accommodate the sparkling shows, not just at A:M., but for the host of events the venue supports. But probably the most impressive statement is the massive LED lighting wall behind the booth, which we saw in action at The Week event back on 18th September and will definitely be at full tilt for this massive A:M. re-launch party, no doubt complimenting the dynamic dancers & the superb P.A. performance from Lisa Millet, who may well treat us to some of her classic hits that include “Now You’re Gone”, “Bad Habit” and “Sleep Talk”.

In terms of the D.J.’s, Oliver is definitely shaking up the format somewhat, whilst also relying on some of the former & original residents in his efforts to make the music more accessible to the majority gay audience we wants to attract, Oliver confirming in his interview with us that “…The main floor music will be also giving a little make over and I will introduce more accessible sounds without being cheesy and still remain cool and forward thinking…”. So, the launch party will see the main room (for A.M. called “Turbocharged”) sporting the might of Gonzalo Rivas, the exuberance of Alan K and the import influence of Andrei Stan, who impressed us immensely at the launch of Matador back in March, then made a considerable impact at Beyond “SuperSize” on August Bank Holiday, so makes a welcome return to London and should prove a sure-fire hit in Fire. Then, in the A:M. NYC lounge (formerly known as the Vinyl Lounge), the legendary Fat Tony will be playing the best in disco & house classics, very much in the Trade lite lounge style, while a new third space, the A:M. Fresh room will sport fresh underground sounds from regular D’Johnny, who will be joined by Pier Morrocco & Joel Antunes, both who have played for Oliver at Matinee, but who will no doubt inject some of that new vitality & dynamism that we are expecting from the club under Mr Mohn’s direction. And of that fresh new injection, other D.J.’s planned in for future parties include Severino, Guy Williams, Alessandro Londra, Saki, Micky Galliano & Tasty Tim, who will all be part of the rotating residency team, as Oliver puts it “…but I will rotate them from week to week and take a bigger more diverse D.J. team on to play, plus I will introduce some new unknown D.J.’s to the scene…”, so expect plenty of international new talent to show their faces in forthcoming A:M. events.

So, that’s the re-launch pretty much signed, sealed & delivered, but for the all important detail. “A:M – The Dawn Of Excellence” kick off at Fire in Vauxhall this coming Saturday (2nd October) from 3 a.m., the event running through until a planned 11 a.m. (although subject to demand it may well run a little later). Advance tickets are still available at a number of sources, online through http://evolvedevents.co.uk or http://clubtickets.com, as well as across the usual Soho outlets, all priced at £10, although keep your eyes peeled for special discount flyers in both Fire & Area, as well as via Tom’s boys. Plus, if you fancy a frolic at Onyx “Army” beforehand, we know special joint £10 tickets are also up for grabs (direct link http://clubtickets.com/gb/2010-10/01/onyx). Plus, remember that, as part of the new look A:M. the team will be enforcing a strict majority gay policy. All, that’s left to add, is this is going to be one truly amazing & awesome A:M. that you simply won’t want to miss, so it’s time to set aside your Saturday morning & soak up the splendour of this afterhours audacity and  we will see you on the dancefloor just as long as you….Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)

About discomatt

The History........................................................Created in 2008 after a short period of blogging under his real name, the pseudonym, “Disco Matt”, was born on the back of a reputation for being London’s original party boy having partied and clubbed across the London gay scene since in mid 1990’s.........................................................Through his series of blogs via individual blogging pages which soon morphed into a full blown website (http://discomatt.com), Disco Matt established himself as an independent journalist come columnist who quickly gained a reputation for supporting & promoting one of the world’s most prolific clubbing scenes. He previewed, reviewed & recommended London gay clubs, as well as the diverse gay/metrosexual London club/bar culture, linking to & reviewing the scene top D.J.’s and generally covering the gay scene including international gay events....................................................Regularly reporting on the top events across the scene, Disco Matt’s reviews, over the years, developed a strong following, not just by clubbers, D.J’s, promoters, music producers & scene faces, but people far and wide that were looking for an insight to the incredible scene that was London. He also previewed upcoming events that signalled, either a major change or update of existing clubs, new ventures on the gAylist/metrosexual scene, or where he considered events that deserved more comprehensive coverage to that provided in other posts.............................................However, having pretty much reached the top of his game in his chosen specific field, due to a number of personal predicaments, challenges & changes in his life priorities, Disco Matt parked his writing and operation in February 2014. While the burning desire to continue remained, what this much needed period of inactivity did provide was the time & space to re-think & re-focus his activities on a broader spectrum of media and entertainment............................................................So, following this long two year lay-off, he built up the foundations for this diversification into the areas of film, theatre, radio & television where his reviewing, recommending & reporting was to be replicated & resurrected, also pointing his promotions through more visuals & video's linked to all these areas along with his core activities and passions ................................................................................The Present....................................After another (shorter) period of lay-off from mid 2016, a life changing event reignited his passion and early into 2017, Disco Matt has delivered on his promise for a new, more modern look to his website, shedding the old & tired skin in favour of something far more in keeping with the times and with his blogging roots. And he has waived a fond farewell to his clubbing days, this having also been ditched from his site & activity, rather now just focussing on the genres of film, theatre, radio, television, video and of course, music, in so doing, aiming to broaden his appeal to a much wider audience interested in the latest most cutting edge areas of media & entertainment.............................................................................His aim is to be highly regarded across the industry for his writing in these fields and ultimately become a full time critic in film &/or theatre.