Disco Matt's - Weekend Recommendations & Extra Bites

"A New Look, A New Direction" - DiscoMatt.com "Go For Launch"

2010-12-07T19:45:00.001Z

“A NEW LOOK, A NEW DIRECTION”
DISCOMATT.COM “GO FOR LAUNCH”
REPORT – MONDAY 6TH DECEMBER

Well, it has been a long time coming, but the day has arrived when we can, excitingly, announce the launch of our new one-stop website, a momentous day in Disco Matt land and one which we are coining “go for launch”, perhaps not quite as spectacular as the first rocket in space, the first man on the moon or even that first space shuttle mission, but a significant launch & step in our relatively short yet eventful history.

And yes, it has been just under three years since we started putting pen to paper, Disco Matt having been born & developed following publication of his review of Matinee in February 2008, on tip top clubbing website SeenQueen, we having gone on to rack up exactly 200 reviews since then, although as we have broadened our services ,other posts & reports have pushed up that incredible figure to well over 400, adding previews, weekend recommendations, hot dates & music pages to our family of blogs.

But in an ever changing & fast moving world and with our reputation & name established, the time came for us to step out of our “blogging” label, by creating a full-on website to encompass the full range of our work, offering a “one-stop shop” for our regular readers & wider audiences. So, given this momentous change, we have decided to slowly phase out our posts via BlogSpot, with the plan to fully integrate into DiscoMatt.com from the beginning of 2011. However, till then, you will be able to find out posts both here & at the new site.

So, why not take a look at our new look now & our post “A New Look & New Direction” which gives you a complete rundown on the new features, pages & site navigation tools, by simply clicking on http://discomatt.com. We hope you like our new look and welcome your feedback, good, bad or indifferent. (DISCO MATT)

Extra Bites - "Beyond WE"

2010-12-04T14:32:00.003Z

Hey Folks,

Well, with less than 12 hours to go until WE Party’s launch in London, we thought we would give you a quick progress report on proceedings, before taking a brief look at the afterparty.

Now, as good as the music was at the pre-party at Lo-Profile last night, both Brent Nicholls & D’Johnny serving up stacks of scintillating sounds, some of you may have wondered where the Spanish hunks of WE party dancers were. Well, those naughty Spanish air traffic controllers have gone on strike & the crew were stuck in Madrid yesterday & last night, meaning they missed out on what was a packed out & pumped up party (big thanks to dancer “La Menor” for entertaining us on the podium). However, having spoken to WE London promoter Alex Erfan this morning, the good news is that the dancers have diverted to Lisbon & are on their way as we speak.

As for the cold weather here in the capital, well having dipped our toe out of our front door, it’s actually much warmer (well, above freezing now) but the team have deployed extra heating across The Coronet to ensure all inside areas are comfortably warm. Plus, the huge lighting installations are in situ, the guest Spanish D.J.’s have arrived, the three coatchecks & seventeen staff are sorted, plus the outside queue system is ready to swing into action. So it’s all systems go for WE party as we “Welcome Espania” with a “Wonderful Ensemble” meaning we are “Well Excited”.

Now, we promised we would bring you details of the afterparty at Beyond, which looks like being another corker, although seems it may have to go some to beat last week’s enormous event (mind you it was missing us in our spot!). But sure to go down a storm will be the special P.A. performance from Tara McDonald known best for her massive hits My My My, Shake It (Move A Little Closer), & Delirious, but before you say, what?, who?, check out these! (http://slack-time.com/music-video-2277-Armand-Van-Helden-My-My-My, http://youtube.com/watch?v=DFkIV1xe7Ww, http://youtube.com/watch?v=uKD0TDw0cWw) . So, got it now? Well, if you are still not connected with Tara’s world, yet have witnessed either a Mikey D set or his recent podcast, this should strike resonance and will be the headlining hit Tara will be performing tomorrow, Elevated very much in our top 20 records of the year (check out the video link at http://youtube.com/watch?v=ecLC9p8plCM).

P.A. apart, the music looks like being a-typical brilliant Beyond, with your favourite main room stars in action, the trio that is Mickey D, Steve Pitron & Alan K back in charge and right where they belong and we simply cannot help ourselves by yet again shouting for Steve’s latest WE inspired compilation, as with each & every listen more & more tracks hit our favourites list, last night being dominated by Carlos Gallardo’s “Get It Up” (oh the violins!) the radio edit at http://youtube.com/watch?v=7TDfTgpBfu0 giving you a idea why (Mr Marriot please not), although a whole string of records from Mr Pitron’s podcast made both Phil’s & Brent’s playlists last night, well it was a WE night wasn’t it!, so, yes here’s the link to his compilation (again!), http://stevepitronsessions.podomatic.com/, other hits that we couldn’t & can’t get out of our head being Chris Montana’s “Don’t Give Up” & that latest re-work of Kelly Rowland’s “Commander”. So, we will definitely be commanding our spot, especially with our complete view of Shaun Capewell & Elektra Paris’s gorge dancers. But, it’s not just about the main space at Beyond WE, as over in the Chapel, Paul Christian & special guest Daz Saud will be tripping the tech fantastic, with Fat Tony & Jamie Heard in command of the newly named “Sunrise” Terrace bar.

So, need we say more about our favourite afterhours, apart from doors, looked after by the amazing Tom Fuller, open at 6 a.m., with Beyond WE running through until 1 p.m. the party being hosted by the wonderful Chrissy Darling. Advance tickets at £12 are available either online at http://clubtickets.com/gb/2010-12/05/beyond or at Soho outlets Prowler & Clone Zone as well as over the bar at Rupert Street. Plus, if you are out & about, in town, or down at WE party, watch out for the Beyond flyer boys & Tom who will have a fist full of discounted tickets.

Now, very quickly & while we are on the subject of Beyond, it’s a very special one for us on the 19th, as we celebrate our birthday. A bunch of invitations are on their way and we are in discussion with promoter Jonny M as to what the D.J. line up will be etc, so will keep you posted, but make sure you put 19th December in your diary & make Beyond a birthday bash bonanza.

Well, the WEekend is definitely with us and WE Party looks like being THE place to be tonight for sure and with news coming in that the last few advance tickets are going fast both online at http://weparty.clubtickets.com/gb/2010-12/04/we-party-london & across those Soho outlets, best you go grab yours now. Of course, we will be at WE to report on it all, so if you see us, come say hi and that leaves us just to say...”Go There! Be There!”.

xDM

Weekend Best & Rest Bites - 3rd to 5th Dec

2010-12-03T15:26:00.004Z

"BACK BEST & REST BITE-ING”
DM RECOMMENDS...WEEKEND BEST & REST BITES
FRIDAY 3rd TO SUNDAY 5TH DECEMBER

It certainly feels a little bit strange (but good strange you understand) to be sitting here & transmitting our Weekend Recommendations again, plus, just ahead of our new website launch on Monday as well as lots of other exciting developments to come. And it is good to be back, not just filling our evenings with something slightly more productive than watching Grand Designs (we do love that prog though) & the like, but moreover re-connecting with the scene that we love so much and promoting events & venues that we feel deserve a big shout in our re-focussed Best Bites & Rest Bits. So, whilst we may still feel a little rusty around the gills, with a good dollop of cod liver oil & an injection of energy, we are now chomping at the bit and ready to get to it, selecting where to be & be seen this weekend in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere.

So, let’s crack on and to Soho first, top of the pile goes to Profile & Lo-Profile, who have so entertained us while we have been away, so much so, we broke our review silence a couple of weeks ago, to join the team in celebrating their third birthday bash. And, in some ways, tomorrow (Fri 3rd) will feel like a bit of a homecoming, as not only will Phil Marriot be in situ once again upstairs in Profile, entertaining an ever increasing Friday following to a storming selection of sounds, made up of killer new tunes & uplifting anthems that never fail to hit the Marriot magical mark, his amazing four & a half hour frolic (yes he starts at 7 p.m.) of a superb set going out live to Gaydar Radio’s clubnation listeners. But, if Phil wasn’t enough for us, downstairs in Lo-Profile, not only does Brent Nicholls make a welcome return to the decks, but the night will have a distinct WE feel to it, as the team entertain a pre-party extra-ordinarre, with D’Johnny taking centre music stage and serving up a truck load of terrific tunes to pump the place, the WE Party team deploying their drop dead gorgeous go-go dancers to delight, plus, with plenty of advance discounted ticket offers flying around, as well as the prospect of plenty of hot Latino’s flying around too, while it may be cold outside, it will be hot, hot hot, in Lo-Profile. Mind you, Saturday looks just as entertaining, with Jamie Head & Tony English on the decks downstairs, while Craig Daniels looks after the soothing sounds upstairs in Profile, the team even serving up mulled wine to warm you up from the freezing temperatures outside, plus their amazing food offering & the combo of Profile & Lo-Profile is definitely the place to be in Soho this weekend. Further details of both venues of Wardour Street can be found at http://profilesoho.com/ & http://loprofile.com/.

The Shadow Lounge get our other Best Bite look in this weekend, with the main focus being on Sunday (5th), when they do their bit for World AIDS day, as well as kicking off the Christmas season in style with an old school disco hosted by Les Johnson & his Distinctive Events crew. D.J.’s in detention will be scruffy little school boys Brent Nicholls, Lee Harris & Phil Hewson, blending plenty of brilliant beats to make sure your are not taking a sneaky smoke behind the bicycle sheds, this chrimbo charity event kicking off a 5 p.m., with a whacking big chunk of door proceedings going to the worthy cause that is The Terrence Higgins Trust. Besides that, the team are excited to announce that they have extended their opening hours on Saturday's until 5 a.m. & with their “Therapy” & “Inferno” sessions still pulling the punters on Friday & Saturday respectively, Shadow Lounge's weekend is well worth a look in, not least as they have frozen door prices throughout December at a mere £5 after 11 p.m. (you need to be a member of their Facebook group). Plus, with Paul Heron back on rotation with our foxy ladies Minx & Mis-White at “Therapy”, but with a full seven day calendar of events going on, Shadow Lounge is really coming back into its own, more details of all their happenings available by going to http://theshadowlounge.co.uk/ while for free guest list & membership details, drop a line to info@theshadowlounge.co.uk.

As for our rest bites, well Barcode are celebrating their 15th birthday on Saturday (4th Dec) with their fave D.J.’s Pagano & Steven Artis (we love em both) selecting the sounds downstairs, while new boy Dilmar Brito (yes he D.J's too) mastering the music upstairs, although we are somewhat scratching our heads as to the absence of an actual Barcode Soho Saturday resident from the venues 15 year history, but who are we to question?!?! Then there is always Rupert Street, who will be doing their WE bit on both Friday & Saturday with D.J’s Alessandro & Fat Tony respectively and will be tickets on sale for both WE’s main event & Beyond WE and continues to prove a popular hangout.

Onto Vauxhall and The Orange Group once again hits the high notes with a veritable feast of parties, thank heavens some of them actually marking World AIDS day (WAD) with some special events (certain Soho venues, hang your heads in shame!), with Gravity tonight (Thurs 2nd) Friday being highlighted by Onyx, who hold their “Red” event in aid of National AIDS trust, with a sizeable slice of takings going in support of this worthy cause, plus the team will have collection buckets out to encourage clubbers to show their generosity (and we know you will), along with a sparkling line-up of resident D.J.’s that include Phil Marriot, Lee Harris, Lisa German, Arial, Jason Prince, Tasty Tim & more, all joining special guest jock Lee Dagger of Bimbo Jones fame who will be performing a special 2 hour set featuring many of the bands biggest productions. Then keeping WAD in focus, the back of the group’s weekend gives way to Orange, promoter Steven Sharp & his crew selecting The Elton John AIDS Foundation as their benefactor, with £1 from every guest & £2 from each full paying customer going to direct to this amazing charity and laying on a sparkling line-up of nine performers across two rooms, including The Oli & Paul Martin, who back back-to-back in the main room, Fat Tony & Tonnic (no Orange would be the same without them), and RAW room residents David Jimenez, Hifi Sean & Gonzalo Rivas all on duty. But, the inexhaustible Orange group weekend is jam packed with other events, highlights including promoter Patrick Lilley’s Queer Nation on Saturday night, Later on Sunday afternoon, Booster Sunday night and, how could we leave it out (no not THAT afterhours, this!) Beyond, which has a distinct WE flavour to it. Now, rather than run down the details of ours & your favourite afterhours here, we will be issuing an Extra Bites post (due out on Sat), although in the meantime, any enquiries regarding Beyond, or any of the Orange Group events this weekend can be directed to michelle@allthingsorange.com.

Our other Best Bite in Vauxhall goes to Megawoof, promoters Daz, Diddy & co still dizzy from their packed to the rafters “Bearcity” special at host venue Hidden, they sure to pack in the most macho of crowds for what looks like being a marriage of magnificent muscle-bound & hairy minds, with Amsterdam’s Furball lands in London for one weekend only to go head to head with the capital’s favourite muscle & leather hirsute happening. And squaring up for this battle of the grizzly giants in Megawoof’s main room & in the Furball corner are D.J.’ Bramsterdam & Big General, two colossal talents in more ways than one, while in the Megawoof corner it’s just Tim McLoone, although to avoid it being a squash job, Daz Saund will be weighing in briefly for the home side meaning that, as the team have predicted “...sparks will fly as the dance divas duel it out...”. As for the dutch duo, both Bramtserdam & Big General have gained quite a following back in Holland, their usual back-to-back format being repeated for this Megawoof bash, and riding high on successful tours of their club brand Furball across the globe, not least in Sydney, where they featured in parties Bear Essentials, Indulgence & SonarWave, they also featuring large at this year’s gay games in Cologne, so will no doubt go down a treat at Megawoof. This main room meeting of minds aside, residents Rob & Massimo take grip of the blue (middle) room, while the new cruisy “Sensory” third space is now really finding it feet & gaining in popularity, especially for those that like a bit of extracurricular action (if you know what we mean!). Kicking off at Hidden this Sat (4th Dec) from 11 p.m., further details of this “full on, no holds barred” beefed up event can be found by going to http://megawoof.com/.

As for our rest bites, well, it looks as busy as ever in Vauxhall, both The Eagle & The RVT having a full weekend of action, the former playing host to Tonker on Friday, who are doing their WAD bit & raising funds for The Food Chain, Saturday seeing Carpet Burn return, while the gymkhana that is Horse meat Disco is back on Sunday. Meanwhile The RVT have the way out & whacky Speedwagon on Friday, while no weekend would ever be the same with a S.LA.G.S/Chill-out session on Sunday’s (need we say more), this institution still packing them in.

Moving on and indeed across the capital and top of our alternative heap is The Dalston Superstore (DSS), Matt Tucker & co packing them in with a non-stop party weekend of pure diverse delight. And, having done their bit of WAD on Wednesday, raising a tidy sum for their nominated charity, Positive East, the team press on tomorrow (Fri 3rd Dec), as they host Guy Williams’ profilc Paradise 45 goes all chrimbo on us with their “Christmas Cracker” gathering, Guy sharing the decks with Serge Santiago & Sophie Lloyd. Then on Saturday, it’s the turn of Hot Mess to titillate, with special guest Tasty Tim & Princess Julia on the decks, joined by resident D.J. & Hot Mess host, Holestar. Plus, as it is their Christmas party too, we have been asked to announce a mistletoe alert, as well as inform you that the “traffic light shag tags” are back by popular demand (the mind boggles), while on Sunday its D.J. Squeaky’s sounds shout as Tutti Fruitti seals the fate on the end of your weekend in wonderful style. Now, we thought we would give an early mention to a very special Christmas party, as next Friday (10th Dec) Trailer Trash & Gutterslut combine forces for what looks to be the smash hot of DSS’s year, meaning that you simply have to get there early, early, early to avoid the disappointment of not getting in, as it will be (in the inimitable words of the team) RAMMO. Now, we do keep pressing the DSS boys for news on their website, but they are constantly tweeting, so you can follow the latest action & news via http://twitter.com/dsuperstore, or failing that mail the men at hello@dalstonsuperstore.com.

As for our alternative Rest Bites, well The Supper Club definitely seems to be getting in on the act, this chic & sophisticated Notting Hill hangout having played host to Lovechild’s WAD event. And this Sunday (4th Dec), they are back with the special party, Toy, with a veritable feast of entertainment from artists & D.J’s that include Johanna, Mister J, Mzz Kimberly, Kris Di Angelis, Terry Vietheer, Le Gateau Chocolat, Jeyjon & Jonny Woo (who’s who, we are sure you know), while if you are brave enough to hit the snowy roads or rails, then a trip to Brighton is worth consideration, as Paul Kemp & his crew also do their bit for WAD, with their own “Red” party at the massive Oceania, with all (and we mean ALL) profits going to The Rainbow Fund & Sussex Community Foundation (good on you Mr Kemp) with mega headliner Norman Cook, yes Fat Boy Slim, joining the likes of Paul Heron & Tasty Tim, while entertainment includes PA performances from Katherine Ellis & Krysten Cummings (sounds like our Mr Marsh is involved we think).

Right, with links to websites &/or e-mail options for our Best Bites, as for our Rest Bites, you can either pick up a copy of the weekly rags (no offence) or hit the relevant event page buttons on Facebook for further & full details of our picks. But, having said that, the hottest events in town are always listed on tip top clubbing website SeenQueen, who filled our shoes superbly while we were away and their new look site is absolutely crammed with content that will keep you happy for hours. So don’t dilly dally and go check out London’s clubbing bible at http://seenqueen.com/.

Well, we have gone on enough, but just time to say that our weekend, or should we say WEekend starts with WE’s pre-party at Lo-Profile tomorrow night (Fri 3rd), with the main WE party grabbing our full attention on Sat. Plus, with our arm completely twisted by Messrs Pitron & Fuller (in a lovely way of course) it’s the Beyond WE on Sunday morning, following which we will more than likely collapse in a heap (well, we are out of practice). So, if you see us out, come say hi and as we always say....”Go There! Be There!”.

xDM

Weekend Focus - WE Party - Saturday 4th December

2010-12-01T11:06:00.002Z

“WELL EXCITED”
WE PARTY LONDON – SATURDAY 4TH DECEMBER
WEEKEND FOCUS SEPCIAL

Having given you an insight into the new sensation of a club brand that is WE party in our preview, “Welcoming Espania”, as well as delving into what you can expect from the music when WE lands in London on Saturday, our special post entitled “Wonderful Ensemble” tackling the myths surrounding the style of sounds that many had wrongly anticipated, now it’s the turn of the event itself and given the issues that faced clubbers in the capital last weekend, we thought we would hit the ground running on our return and get the best insight for you, the paying public, on what you can expect from WE Party London this Saturday. So, not only have we taken extra steps with our research, but have questioned both management & key players, probing into the organisation planned for this most important launch party, the overriding response from each & every person we have spoken to this week, very much conscious that a repeat of the issues many of you suffered at Debut needs to be avoided at all costs.

Now, whilst we don’t want to dwell on queues, queues, queues, naturally with The Coronet’s history, we wouldn’t blame you for being somewhat concerned, we can only look back for the inaugural SuperMartXe two years ago to realise just how chaotic the coat check queue was, ruining our experience & those of many around us. Two years on & its seems the nightmare issues of bad venue management continue to plague SuperMartXe and we know that scores of you gave up on Debut last weekend, not least due to the freezing conditions while queuing to get in. Plus, having digested comments on the aftermath, there was no doubt that the necessary scanning of each & every customer at Debut (it is a condition of their licence to do so) was major factor in why the queues were so long & slow, even the team admitting that one of the three machines were broken. Plus, with “...the agency who supplies our cloakroom staff had three employees phone in sick...” the resultant coatcheck delay issues were inevitable, although perhaps avoidable. Yet, whilst the fallout on SuperMartXe continues, the focus is now firmly on WE to perform & step up to the plate.

So if ever there needed to be extra focus on these important impression making issues this weekend, then the team behind WE definitely have their work cut out. However, we have been given complete assurances in exclusive interviews with the London promoter, Alex Erfan and door co-ordinator Tom Fuller, that they are both prepared & ready to efficiently manage your entry into The Coronet this weekend. Following an intensive meeting with The Coronet’s management, WE London’s promoters have agreed to deploy 12 of their own staff across both the queue entry system, seven outside & six inside to smooth out the whole process, this being in addition to Coronet’s team. Plus, the major bonus, is that the venue management & security are also ready & prepared, not just to be inviting & friendly, but to be as efficient as possible in managing you through the essential checking process, may we add, WITHOUT the need for I.D. Then, once into the venue, again, assurances have been given regarding the coatcheck facilities, which will have been beefed up in expectation of the extra volumes of bags, belongings &, of course, coats, that will result from the potentially freezing weather conditions we find ourselves in the grip of here in the capital. We are told that, rather than the usual four, there will be a staggering seventeen people on duty and if that wasn’t enough, extra heating has been sourced to ensure the Coronet’s entrance & other spaces are as comfortably warm as possible.

So, with those issues laid to rest (for now at least), it time to focus on the event itself and this WE Party London launch looks like being pretty spectacular, a huge amount of energy going into this inaugural event to ensure it meets the high standards set by events back in his home city of Madrid. And in the Coronet, which we don’t need to remind you, was the home of SuperMartXe, it feels a little bit like déjà vous for the WE organisation, as like La Riviera back home, they once again step into SuperMartXe’s (no more “SMX” word) shoes, although the look & feel of WE is expected to be far more impressive, with towering amounts of technology employed into the stunning stage lighting installations for which WE has become famous for. So, we are talking vast visuals from massive L.E.D. lighting panels, neon lights & lasers that will transform the huge theatre space that is The Coronet and impressive & jaw droppingly spectacular dance displays from the team for go-go’s, all creatively choreographed by WE brand promoter Victor Pallas. This in addition to one of Europe’s most renowned extrovert exponents of animation, Cristian Drak, who will no doubt amaze with his artistic impressions, and given the showings back in Madrid (check out one of many video clips at http://facebook.com/WEpartygroup?v=wall#!/video/video.php?v=386744584701), we are expecting to be well & truly dazzled by the displays which will be the focal of visual entertainment.

Turning to the music and whist we covered much of what you can expect in our special post “Wonderful Ensemble, it’s worth running down the D.J.’s on duty in what is a very strong line up indeed, balancing both the demands of the London scene with the Spanish roots of WE, the brands headlining resident, Carlos Gallardo, flying in direct to take the main room by storm for sure. Now, Mr Gallardo is no stranger to The Coronet, in fact we were supremely impressed with is set at Hype back on August Bank Holiday, we quoting “...Carlos’s stupendous set, rivalled any Spanish D.J. import guest we have seen...” and with his WE anthem (check http://youtube.com/watch?v=GOnM2-Y0qMU) plus much more armoury with him, expect lots of euro-style beats but with plenty of uplifting notes. Plus, with fellow WE Madrid resident D.J. Manuel De Diego also jetting in, joined in the main room by London’s best loved Spaniard, Gonzalo Rivas, there will be no shortage of espaniol & latin flavoured funk to keep the main room pumping. But, as if they were enough, the team have added not just one, but two of the capital scenes biggest hitters, as D’Johnny & Steve Pitron will also pulsate with their performances and serve up a more Spanish influenced sound especially for this WE party event, as Steve has been quoted as saying “...expect turbocharged bass heavy Spanish productions mixed up with some tougher beats...” reflected brilliantly in his new WE inspired podcast (dare we mention it again) which you can grab at http://stevepitronsessions.podomatic.com/.

Main room aside, the team will have a special VIP room upstairs, exclusively for (yes you guessed it) VIP’s, who will not only get fast track entry into the venue, but will also have their own dedicated coatcheck (complimentary) & bar facilities. And with both Fat Tony & Guy Williams selecting the sounds, the music is sure to be as amazing as the company up there, the WE team even treating each & every guest with flowing champagne (well it better be), tickets being priced at £35. And, taking of tickets, all early bird £15 priced ones sold out last week, although standard £18 advance tickets are still available both online at direct link http://weparty.clubtickets.com/gb/2010-12/04/we-party-london, as are the VIP ones, although it has to be said the £4 booking fee for VIP’s is a little excessive. So, you can also grab advance tickets at outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & DV8 in Soho, as well as bars Profile & Rupert Street, while, naturally, more will be available on the door, which open at 11 p.m., WE Party London running through until 7 a.m.

But if you need to whet your appetite for WE, then there are a trio of pre-parties to do just that, Room Service kicking off the WE weekend tonight (1st Dec) at DIU on Greek Street (see our post at http://discomattweekend.blogspot.com/2010/11/extra-bites-we-pre-party-wednesday-1st.html), while on Friday, Rupert Street warms you into the WE way of thinking, the bars resident D.J. Minx selecting the sounds, with the focus then switching to Wardour (well WEdour) street, as Lo-Profile play host to this Spanish splendour in London, D’Johnny centre staging among a host of WE drop dead gorgeous go-go dancers. Then, to really get you into gear, on Saturday, Rupert Street does it all again with their second leg, this time Fat Tony tickling your WE tastebuds with tons of terrific tunes (watch our Weekend Best Bites post for timings).

So, with all that, there is no surprise that we are “Well Excited” about the landing in London of WE Party, which should not only re-ignite plenty of pomp & circumstance, glory & gorgeousness, but moreover fabulous elements of fun that has been missing from the scene for some time. And if you don’t believe us check out their hilarious & outrageous video at http://youtube.com/watch?v=_viJh8sR6eU, leaving us to say, make sure you get down to The Coronet this Saturday (4th Dec), and see the WE revolution & its new clubbing formula for yourselves. (DISCO MATT)

World AIDS Day Special Charity Fundraisers - Extra Bites

2010-11-30T21:07:00.004Z

Hey Folks,

With our report “Fight The Good Fight” on World AIDS day due out in the morning to commemorate this very important day in our calendar, we also though we would give mention two special events that take place tomorrow night, both which will be raising funds for this very special of causes that is extremely close to our hearts.

First up is Alex Erfan’s Lovechild club brand, who have joined forces with Athena Contemporary Art to hold an extra special dinner dance evening at the Supperclub in Nottinghill, a nightclub come evening eatery that is contemporary both in design a delivery, the official blurb stating, “...this amazingly innovative & unique experience includes distinctive luxuriant couch dining, exhibition space & a club combined...” this two tiered space actually a sea of white comfort, exuding that word (well words – white & comfort) right across the whole venue. And for that reason alone, the place is well worth a visit, although the main reason will be to support the worthy cause that is N.A.T. (National AIDS Trust), the main beneficiary of this sumptuous social, although part of the proceedings will also be going towards charity event The Wig Party, quoted by Dannii Minogue no less as, “...the most heavenly charity party around...” itself having a corporate who’s who list of fundraisers (Gaydar, L’Oreal, Penguin Publishers, Selfridges & Swarovski to name a few), all underwriting their support & contributions to N.A.T.

With WAD very much in focus at this special fundraiser, what can you expect from this Lovechild/Athena charity dinner & dance? Well, there will be multiple levels of entertainment, from the OBSquare installation artists who will have decorated the club space with their eye catching works or art, through to dance music provided by two of Lovechild’s prolific resident D.J.’s Tony English & Alessandro Londra, then onto the live shows from the outrageously gorgeous Powder Puff Girls, further frolicking & interest coming from performers Ms Vicky Butterfly & Gateaux Au Chocolat (not to be missed), while Chris Chrisalys completes the line-up. As for the dinner, part of the evening, we are told to be pleasantly surprised by both the new Martini Soda aperitif, along with the distinctively different way of dining, all adding to the excitement of this special event. Plus, online scene site Mirror-Balls will be on hand to record the evening for posterity & no doubt trade reviewing duties with us (there’s a challenge).

So, to the all important detail and this Lovechild/Athena Charity Dinner Dance event kicks off at The Supperclub (12 Acklam Rd, Nottinghill – get a cab) with a cocktail drinks reception from 6.30 p.m., with dinner served from 8.30 p.m. & entertainment running throughout, carriages ready to escort you away at the 11 p.m. finish. Entry for drinkers & dancers is by donation, with diner table reservations available either by contacting Viola on 07968 138 531 or bt e-mail to alex@alexerfan.com. Further details of this event can be found via the events pages on Facebook, or by going to http://alexerfan.com/ and 5% of ALL proceeds from the night will go to N.A.T. as will 10% of ANY art sales from OBsquare’s installations which run in The Supperclub throughout December.

But the night is then still young, as back in central London, Profile & Lo-Profile host a special fundraising evening, also in aid of NAT, the event, called “Put It On” run by Gaydar Radio in association with diva songstress, Katherine Ellis, who promise “...a star studded party...”. And, judging by the line up, it is going to be just that as not only will Katherine be performing, but she will be joined by Sam Obernik, Shena & Amanda Wilson, while the music will be masterminded by Gaydar Radio’s Alex Baker & Phil Marriot, Phil no stranger to the venue (Well Profile upstairs) as he resides here each Friday, recording his set live onto the radio stations ClubNation show, plus this dynamic duo will be joined by none other than The Freemasons, who will perform a special set. Add to all that the new lighting installations & effects which have transformed this Soho venue sophisticate, and Lo-Profile should be well & truly pumping from the 9 p.m. start, especially as the whole evening will be hosted by the duo, Sink The Pink, better known as Glitter Sparkles (need we say more?!). Tickets are on sale now priced at £10, which you can get at http://eventelephant.com/putiton, or in person during the day tomorrow at Profile bar, although tickets will be on sale on the door at £12, plus, here’s the best bit, 100% of the door take will go direct to N.A.T.

So, two events well worth attending, not least for the worthy cause they are supporting, The National AIDS Trust, but if you cannot make it across to the Supperclub or down to Lo-Profile, you can still make your own difference in support of N.A.T. by going to their website at http://nat.org.uk/, leaving us to simply say (and more poignant than ever)....”Go There! Be There! "

xDM

Extra Bites "WE Pre-Party - Wednesday 1st December

2010-11-30T15:00:00.006Z

Hey Folks,

Well, it seems that WE certainly looks set to dominate proceedings on the capitals clubbing scene this weekend, so it will come as no surprise that we have got in on the act, not only issuing a special preview, entitled “Welcoming Espania” which is out at direct link http://discomattpreview.blogspot.com/2010/11/welcoming-espania-we-party-special.html, but also devoting a special music post to the event, our devotion called “Wonderful Ensemble” out at http://discomattmusic.blogspot.com/2010/11/wonderful-ensemble-music-is-answer-we.html. But it doesn’t stop there, as a special Weekend Focus on the event, called “Well Excited” will detail everything you need to know about this enormous outing which takes place this Saturday at The Coronet in Elephant & Castle.

However, in the meantime, the WE place to be will be at Room Service tomorrow night (Wed 1st December), when this weekly talk of the town hosts the pre-party for the talk of the weekend. Now, since starting back in October, Room Service has quickly established itself as the hottest place to be & be seen on a Thursday, very much eclipsing other offerings around town, it being especially popular for those with an eye on work the following day, due to its reasonably sociable start at 10 p.m. And in the DIU club on Greek Street, it has a perfect host venue, not just due to locale (it’s virtually next to Green Carnation) but in the whole feel of the place, as the team behind Room Service say, “...think a sexy downtown New York vibe of a spot combined with a London boutique nightclub feel bang in the middle of the original gay district...” and they have pretty much hit the nail on the head. Having popped in just last Thursday, to raise a glass to Fat Tony on his birthday, we immediately fell in love with the charm of DIU, its atmosphere & modern sophistication mixed in with traditional furnishings, all combining to create the perfect place for the bijou yet beautiful week night following Room Service has attracted.

But for one week only, the team will be swinging open Room Service’s doors tomorrow night (Wednesday 1st Dec) to warm you up for WE this coming weekend, welcoming Steve Pitron to the decks, who will join Kris Di Angelis to serve up sounds to match the sophisticated surroundings, also showcasing a band of delicious dancers who have already flown into London, direct from WE’s base in Madrid, in advance of the weekend, each one performing on the special go-go box, while advance will definitely be one of the by-words, as reduced priced WE Party tickets will also be on sale, to make sure you don’t miss out on the main event at the Coronet on Saturday. And we are sure Steve will be parading some of the more uplifting beats like Tune In Tokyo’s “Dreamer”, Miguel Picasso’s “Show Me Your Love” & Chris Montana’s “Don’t Give Up”, although we hope he plays Peter Rauhofer’s “Rule The World” & John Dahlback’s “Back To The Dancefloor”, all of which you can sample via his latest WE podcast, available at http://stevepitronsessions.podomatic.com/ (oops we fell into music review mode for a minute).

Add to all that, hosts (or is that hostesses) Najib & La Peque N.A. of Disco Fag Bar fame, along with promotress extra-ordinaire Jody Harsh & there will be plenty of glamour to match the sophistication of this soiree in Soho, the very present & gorge David Hart ready to shoot you up with his photographic tool (check out his wonderful work at http://shootmeup.co.uk) under the low ceilings & laser lighting and this is one pre-party you won’t want to miss. So, forecast permitting the snow should have melted into thin air by the time Room Service starts tomorrow night at 10 p.m., the music also melting all thoughts of the inclement weather until the 3 p.m. finish, DUI being situated at 12-13 Greek Street in Soho. Further information can be found by visiting their group on Facebook, by emailing the team at roomserviceroomservice@gmail.com or you can follow their activity on Twitter, at http://twitter.com/clubroomservice. and as we always say, “Go There! Be There! "

xDM

Extra Bites Special - Trade 20th Birthday

2010-10-29T16:19:00.002+01:00

“THE BIG TWO ZERO – TAKE TWO”
TRADE 20TH BIRTHDAY – SUNDAY 31ST OCTOBER
EXTRA BITES SPECIAL

Having taken a few moments to reflect on the might of Trade as a clubbing brand, capturing just a few snippets of the now 20 year history of the legendary Sunday morning afterhours institution, also capturing just a few of the catalogue of names that have touched Trade & our time party deep & hard, particularly at Turnmills, which for us was a weekly homage at its height, it’s now time to focus on the party itself & give you that all important detail on their massive 29th birthday bash. But before we do, why not have a look at our special preview, which is out now at direct link http://discomattpreview.blogspot.com/2010/10/big-two-zero-trade-20th-birthday.html and get just a tiny feel of how massive this club brand is & how brilliant it has been.

Right turning to Sunday and this huge happening, which has less of Halloween about it, more of colossal celebration, as Laurence malice’s creation that hit the clubbing scene by storm back in 1990, marks its 20th birthday with a euphoric event at Arcadia in Southwark, formerly known as The Arches, the host venue that held sway to the infamous 18th birthday bash & is, for us, probably the closest venue to Turnmills in terms of feel & appeal. So, the Trade collective (so called) that now includes the might of Logan Presents will not just be taking over Arcadia on Sunday morning, but adding that Trade magic to the place, with classic production that will re-capture some of the memories from across the years, as well as installing extra lighting, extra sound & extra dance spaces to accommodate one of the biggest ever D.J. line up’s at a Trade event. Plus, to cater for the expected crush of customers, there will be extra chill-out areas & two huge outside garden areas to accommodate any expected overspill & allow for that all important breather from the octane fuelled action inside.

As for the D.J.’s, well it’s a who’s who of Trade’s history across the whole 20 year span as the some of the stars from back in 1990 will be joined by a veritable feast of others that have graced Trade’s decks at some point or other. Picking out individuals from this list is going to be pretty difficult, so it’s probably easier for us to simply list them, although let’s look at the guest first, who include Andy Farley, Dave Randall, Elliot J Brown, Per Q.X. Nic Fisher, John Byrne, Kris Di Angelis, La Gosse, Nik Denton & Neverdogs, we expecting specific rooms set aside to see these talents. In terms of original “Fierce Rulin Trade D.J’s, the list is certainly impressive & includes Turnmills talents (some originals) Malcolm Duffy, Pete Wardman & Rosco, Smokin Jo, Guy Williams, Fat Tony, Nick Tcherniak, Steve Thomas, as well as more recent rulers Lady Bianca, Gabriele Cutrano, Pagano, many of whom will assume their rightful positions in the main room.

Indeed on talking about that main room, whilst we cannot confirm what the full line up will be, you can surely expect Malcolm Duffy to kick start proceedings as he always did in the Turnmills days, with both Pagano & Pete Wardman also surely to feature, probably later on in the line up, while we are hoping that both Guy Williams & Fat Tony will feature large in the expected “Lite Lounge” where they always ruled supreme back in those halcyon days at Turnmills. However, what we can definitely confirm, is that both Nick Tcherniak & Steve Thomas will be playing next to, if not back-to-back, in the main room roster, and having been with and spoken to Mr Tcherniak while out in Berlin with him last weekend, not just their latest hits “My People” & “Deep Water” are expected to get an airplay, but there will be a special P.A. from vocal artist Lizzie France, who will perform the latest Tcherniak & Thomas production “The Answer”, which gets a full release on Monday, and whilst we can’t link in with this latest release, we can point to a new instrumental version of “My People, which also has a superb video trailer chronicling some of Trade’s best flyers/images which is well worth a watch & listen at http://youtube.com/watch?v=E9RjOMXuG2o. So, in terms of music expect the crème de la crème of Trade across the years, meaning that picking & choosing between the rooms is going to be a tough cookie indeed.

Right, so what about the detail?, well Trade the 20th Birthday, is this coming Sunday (31st October) at Arcadia (formerly The Arches) at 51-53 Southwark Street, SE1 (nearest tube London Bridge), doors opening at % a.m. and the event running through until a planned 4 p.m. In terms of tickets, naturally all the early bird & advance Q-jump tickets went a while ago, although the standard advance £17 ones are still available to book online (we have just down ours in case!) at http://clubtickets.com/gb/2010-10/31/trade-20th-birthday while just a limited amount remain at Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & DV8. Now, we know that an even more limited amount will be available on the door, although this will be strictly subject to availability & capacity of the club, so we cannot recommend enough that you buy yours in advance, or be there early.

So, if ever there was a birthday bash you had to attend, it’s got to be this one, celebrating with the Trade collective their big “Two Zero” in superb style. We will be there to report on it all, so if you see us, come say hi, leaving us simply to say, as we always do...Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Best Bites Special - "Hectic Halloween"

2010-10-29T15:52:00.004+01:00

“HECTIC HALLOWEEN”
WEEKEND BEST BITES SPECIAL –
FRI 29TH/SUN 31ST OCTOBER

Having literally recovered from one hectic weekend, a very special one as it turned out, we absorbing everything that the breathtaking Berlin had to throw up on us, we find ourselves hurtling straight into another, this time back in blighty & London to be precise. And being Halloween, it seems that the world & his wife in the capital are getting in on the act, with a myriad of parties on offer in all corners of the city. So, to try & do some justice to the choices out there, we pick out our Best Bites giving some extra detail of what you can expect in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere this weekend, these being our picks of where to be & be seen.

So, without further ado let’s get on & look what Soho is serving up, Profile & Lo-Profile heading our list with their “Final Destination” weekend, Friday (tonight) seeing Jamie Head & Tony English serve up the sounds downstairs, while Phil Marriot belts out the club nation beats upstairs in profile, kicking off your evening from 7 p.m. & broadcasting his set live on Gaydar Radio. Then Saturday (30th Oct) see’s Lo-Profile entertain Latino’s Gonzalo Rivas & Alessandro Londra on the decks, adding their own spooky sounds to speed you into the day itself, while Craig Daniel’s hints to Halloween with plenty of house hits to get you in the mood. More info on both venues can be found at http://profilesoho.com/ & http://loprofile.com/.

Turning to The Shadow Lounge, and without doubt it’s feature party is on Halloween itself, when they present the fabulous “Nightmare On Brewer Street” party, with a line-up on the decks that includes Pier Morrocco, Mis-White, Lee Harris & Phil Hewson, very much repeating the dream team that made promoter Les Johnson’s Cowboy private party so special last month. Whilst we are told there is no real dresscode, you are welcome to come dressed to impress, although the team have “...sexy & well as scary is the order of the day...”, Shadow Lounge suitably decked out for the occasion, support coming from sponsors Rio beach & Aware. Tickets are on sale at http://clubtickets.com/ as well as at outlets Prowler, Clone Zone, DV8 & (of Course) Rio Beach in Covent Garden, with special £10 entry discounts to Shadow Lounge members. Further info on other events at Shadow Lounge across the weekend, plus details of VIP table bookings can be found at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk/.

Now, just before we head to Vauxhall, a quick mention to Ku Bar, who have a full-on Halloween weekend of fun at both the Frith St & Lisle St, with the talents of Lady Lloyd, Tasty Tim & Dusty O on display, with plenty of wicked yet wonderful offers across all three days, further details available at http://ku-bar.com/, while Rupert Street throw everything into 31st October with their Halloween special “The Haunted Night”, the place suitably decked out to dazzle & resident D.J. Alessandro Londra serving up the spine chilling tunes. More info on the venue can be found at http://rupertstreet.com/.

O.K., to Vauxhall we go and what a weekend The Orange Group have lined up, it having stared already with Gravity’s “Ghostbusters’s” party, with tonight (Fri 29th) seeing the turn of Onyx, who hold their “Apocalypse” party, with special PA guest Abigail Bailey & D.J. residents including Phil Marriot, JC Christopher, lee Harris, Tasty Tim, Lisa German, Ariel & more, then giving way to A:M “Asylum” with a three mausoleums of music including D.J.’s Pier Morrocco, D’Johnny, Fat Tony, Gonzalo Rivas, Alessandro Londra & special guest Andrei Stan. On Saturday, it’s their headline event “Vauxhall Chainsaw Massacre” which has already got our full focus at http://discomattweekend.blogspot.com/2010/10/penn-pumpkin-party-vauxhall-chainsaw, which is followed by Beyond “Hell” with the dream team of main room residents, Steve Pitron, Mikey D & Alan K, joined by the likes of Hifi Sean, D’Johnny & David Jimenez, plus special guest Lisa German & the return of resident Gonzalo Rivas, Plus with a P.A. from Eliotte Williams (of “Touch Me” & “Get Busy” fame) the brilliant Beyond party will easily glide into then Later’s “Horrorfair” which will feature a giant haunted house & a murder motel (we love it), the spooky sounds coming from residents The Oli, Paul Martin & terry Bryan, joined by guests Gonzalo Rivas & D’Johnny. But the Halloween happenings are far from over, as Booster will be back with a special “Demon’s Ball”, D.J’s included being Miss Crazy D, La Gosse & Dan K, this followed at Area with a special Orange “Omen” party, featuring three rooms of red hot action, D.J.’; s including special guest Paul Heron who will join the 6-6-6 strong resident team of jocks. Now, each party has a specific event page on social networking site Facebook, plus further info can be found via the following sites, http://evolvedevents.co.uk/ & http://gayguestlists.com/, plus via the respective pages at http://clubtickets.com/ where you can get tickets for all Orange group events.

Orange Group aside, The Eagle are pulling out the Halloween stops, with three absolute hooters, tonight (Fri 29th) seeing Tonker hold their “OKtoBear Fest”, welcoming special guest D.J. and ex Erasure member, Andy Bell, to the decks, while centre stage goes to Carpet Burn on Saturday, with their “Halloween Scream” event welcoming Dave Kendrick & Paul Burston to the decks, plus the team have their “Carpet Madness Sale” with entry at just £2.99 until midnight & a whole load of drinks offers too. Then, on Sunday Jim Stanton, James Hillard & co roll out another gymkana-tastic Horse Meat Disco, seeing you right into Monday morning in style, with full details of all the Halloween happenings at the Eagle, plus plenty more, available at their website http://eaglelondon.com/, which includes HMD's special outing to Brighton on Sunday.

Two quick Vauxhall mentions also go to Suzi Krueger’s (what a perfect name for Halloween) Hard On! which is back for its monthly fetish frolic at Hidden this Sat (30th Oct), with a special guest appearance by hunky American porn star, Samuel Colt, plus drinks offers to boot (no pun intended) and also 100 free Beyond tickets up for grabs. More details on this members meet can be found at http://hardonclub.co.uk/. Then, on Sunday, all pumpkins point to The RVT who are holding their own homage to Halloween, with plenty of witches & warlocks promised (and that’s just Simon le Vans & The D.E. Experience!) more details of this & other RVT events, including the fabulous “Queer Question Time”, which takes place tonight & his hosted by Stewart Whoo, can be found at http://rvt.org.uk/.

Right, moving on swiftly and our alternative antics are down to two main protagonists, first & foremost the great Gutterslut, which is back with a bang for a special Halloween party on Saturday (30th Oct), choosing the fabulous East Bloc (host to Disco Fag Bar) as the venue and this looks like being a hum dinger of a happening, as the team are flying in super sexy guest D.J. Miss Dilemma straight from Sweden, who will join residents Per QX, Elliot J Brown & Nic Fischer, while the “Discoslut” second room will have the usual reprobates in charge of the tunes. Plus with Miss MC Crystal doing her stuff & all the Halloween hosting coming from Ingenue St John & A Man To Pet, this whacky & wonderful event is likely to be yet another sell-out, especially after the huge success of last month’s “Gutterball” event, more details available by mailing gutterslutuk@yahoo.co.uk. But it doesn’t stop there, as the team are hosting room 2 at Trade’s 20th Birthday, special guest Mikki Most (of Trailer Trash) joining Per, Nic & Elliot who will be keeping the Gutterslutery going deep into Sunday daytime, yippee.

But if all that is a bit too much, then you can always head for The Dalston Superstore, who have a whole weekend of wonderment, kicking off tonight (Fri 29th) with “Techno In My Fridge – Fright Night!”, featuring the talents of Hannah Holland, Mikki Most, Alexander parade & inbound Gutterslut guest, Sweden’s Miss Dilemma, with upstairs action from Eka & Scott Webster. Then, on Saturday, “Hot Boy Dancing Spot” returns for their own Halloween Ball, starring The Lovely Jonjo, Matthew Stone, Hello Mozart & Dean Mayo’s gang, while on Halloween itself, “Tootie Frutti” is back after the venue hosts Jonny Woo’s Gay Bingo, Jeffrey Hinton joining resident D.J. Squeaky for a fun filled yet freaky end to your weekend. Now, the boys, Matt Tucker, Dan Beaumont & Rook Deejay do most of their promotions through Facebook, so it’s worth joining the Dalston Superstore group there, although you can always follow the boys on twitter at http://twitter.com/dsuperstore, or get further information by mailing hello@dalstonsuperstore.com.

Right, we are nearly there, save for three shouts to Black Rabbit Circus & New, two that have the Guy Williams stamp all over them & the third looking like an extra special event not to be missed. First up is Black Rabbit, who celebrate their 4th birthday with their “Halloween Thang” bash out at The Masons Arms, featuring special guest D.J. Matthew Bushwacka, joining Guy, Bones, Severino & Sophie Lloyd on the decks, more details available via the ticket link https://ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=412004, while on Sunday new club, New, have their own hint to Halloween, featuring live band the Little Nigh Terrors & a special D.J. set from guest Rachael Starr. But Sunday is looking special back in central London, as Jodie Harsh’s Circus rolls back into town on the 31st floor of Paramount, with special guest D.J. Tom Stephan & other special attendees to this “Nightmare In New York” themed event, being Amanda Lepore & Ruby Goe.

So, that’s our picks for this special Halloween weekend but if there is nothing that quite tickles your fancy here, you could always wade through the pages of the popular press or the events listings on social networking site Facebook. Then, there is clubbing website SeenQueen, which has their own homage to Halloween, which you can find (dare we quote the link) at http://seenqueen.com/.

As for our weekend, well having fought off a 24 hour bug, we are heading into town for a Profile rendezvous with Phil Marriot, then will take a short respite before A;M’s “Asylum”. On Saturday, we start the birthday celebrations with Guy Williams’ Black Rabbit, then it’s the big two zero, as we head to Arcadia for Trade. Sunday sees us continue the partying at Lee Freeman’s DTPM “Eastbenders” event & energy permitting we hope to 666 it at Orange’s “Omen” outing. So, if you see you out come say hi, but whatever you do, have a fantastic Halloween weekend that is full of treats not treats, don’t forget that the clocks go back an hour on Sunday morning & finally, as we always say....Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Focus - Vauxhall Chainsaw Massacre

2010-10-29T11:26:00.003+01:00

“PENN PUMPKIN PARTY”
VAUXHALL CHAINSAW MASSACRE – SATURDAY 30TH OCTOBER
WEEKEND FOCUS

With the Halloween weekend virtually on us, it seems that everyone seems to be pulling out the stops for what looks like being one of the most hectic since Easter, a veritable feast of parties going on around the capital from tonight (Friday 29th) right through until Monday morning. Naturally, we will be giving you a last minute rundown of choices, although such is the magnitude of this particular offering, we simply had to give it some extra special attention. So, through the wave of events, The Orange Group’s (appropriate colour) “Vauxhall Chainsaw Massacre” party headlines their weekend of non-stop activity, which started last night (and is probably just winding up) at Gravity’s “Ghostbusters’s” party & finishes with Orange’s “Omen” Halloween Special, taking you deep into Monday.

But, with Colosseum the host venue for the groups headline event, the big news on “Massacre” is that the team have a big headlining D.J. to match the might of the party itself, although more on that in a minute. As for the party itself, well the team, which is headed up by Evolved Events’ own Oliver M & pulls in the B2B crew, promise plenty of spook-tastic surprises, Colosseum being completely transformed into a Halloween haven, mixing in the theme of chainsaw massacre with plenty of other chilling & scary scenes, the sexed up go-go dancers dressed in appropriate costumes to dazzle & wow, under the spectacular lighting installations for which Colosseum has become renowned. Plus, having invested a considerable amount into the venue of late, not only are the facilities much improved on the old, but the main room set-up is now something special, very much re-capturing those amazing days when Beyond ruled supreme there, so if anything, this is a great reason to make it down to Colosseum this Saturday, tomorrow night in fact.

But we guess the best reason to do so, is for that headline D.J. act, the team proud to present the world renowned music producer & D.J., David Penn, who has been at the top of his game for a good 15 or so years now, have started out back in 1992 in the techno & house production game from his base in Spain. However, having signed with the Arcadia Music Group, it wasn’t long before David broke into the mainstream, his release of “The Nighttrain” proving to be a worldwide hit, this record issued under the first of many alias’s, “Kadoc”, further Penn incarnations including “Montilla” (taken from his full name, Jose David Penin Montilla), which David produced the equally massive “From The Stars”, as well as “Deux” recording the huge hit “Sun Rising Up” with Rebeka Brown on vocals. Collaborations with DJ Chus litter Mr Penn’s career and, as a remixer, he has worked with artists that include Junior Jack, Michael Gray, The Shapeshifters, Milk & Sugar & The Scissor Sisters to name just a few. His discography is impressive with well over 30 single releases & plenty more albums besides and his appeal is truly global, not a single continent in the world that has either heard one of his records or seen him perform.

So, landing David Penn is a bit of a coup for the “Massacre” team and naturally he will take his headline place in Colosseum’s main room, so is surely an act not to be missed, especially as London performances are rare indeed, especially in a predominantly gay event. Supporting Mr Penn will be a truck load of talent including two other international guest D.J.’s Andrei Stan from Brussels, who plays regularly for the massive La Demence party and Berlin based Eduardo de La Torre who featured large at last weekend’s Salvation party which we were lucky to be present at & review, Edu having been very busy in the studio of late (too busy to host us it seems) having just announced news that his co-produced single “I Will Stand” has been put forward to represent Switzerland in next year’s Eurovision song contest. So, a considerable trio of international artists to join London based D.J.’s Gonzalo Rivas, Brent Nicholls, Alessandro Londra & Lee Harris, spread across two rooms of magical music that this superb set of stars are sure to deliver.

With the “Massacre” music & production pretty much signed sealed & delivered, it’s just down to that all important detail now, as this exceptional Halloween happening takes place this coming Saturday (30th October) at super club Colosseum in Vauxhall, the “Massacre” night kicking off at an early(ish) 10 p.m. but running through until 7 a.m. Naturally, due to David Penn’s appeal, all early bird tickets sold out a while ago, although the standard advance £12 ones are still available either in person at the usual Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & DV8 or online at http://clubtickets.com/gb/2010-10/30/the-vauxhall-chainsaw-massacre where you can also grab joint £20 tickets for the “official” afterparty, Beyond “Hell”. Plus, keep your eyes peeled for Tom & his Beyond street team, who will be out in force across the weekend, offering up plenty of promotions for this & other Orange group events.

Sadly, we have already committed to another party across town, but this “Vauxhall Chainsaw Massacre” event gets our full recommendation, not least as in David Penn, it won’t be a case of “trick”, rather much more of a “treat” this Halloween. (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Focus - D.T.P.M. "Eastbender"

2010-10-28T21:36:00.001+01:00

“CAPTIVATING CARGO”
D.T.P.M “EASTBENDER” – SUNDAY 31ST OCTOBER
WEEKEND FOCUS

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

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

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

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

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

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

Weekend Best Bites - 15th to 17th Oct

2010-10-14T23:21:00.003+01:00

Hey Folks,

Having missed out on two parties, weren’t we just glad we made the third last weekend, as Beyond “Tokyo” as a truly amazing event, probably one of the best this year so far, so it goes without saying that we gave it our full review treatment, which you can check out now at direct link http://discomatt.blogspot.com/2010/10/blog-post & don’t forget to check the postscript link to three fabulous podcasts.

Right, moving on and the week seems to have flow by, meaning that another weekend is on our doorsteps, so it’s time once again, to weed through the offerings & pick our Best Bites for the weekend across Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere. But before we do, this post is due to take on a new look & we will also be including a Rest Bites post too, so if you want your event, club or bar mentioned, then get your details across to discomatt@hotmail.com.

Now to Soho and what can you expect this weekend in the capital’s premier gay hotspot? Well, Rupert Street comes top of our choices this week as the team are expanding their D.J. offer to all three nights, last Friday having seen a spectacular showing from D.J. Minx, who went down an absolute storm, even the unusually warm October weather that night not tearing them away from inside for out. This Friday (15th Oct) should see a repeat, as the team welcome Terry Vietheer to the D.J. decks, this amiable Aussie sure to serve up plenty of cool house cuts to satisfy Rupert Street discerning crowd that like their weekends warmed up with accessible house & pop. Then, Saturday sees new A:M promoter Oliver M play, he very much familiar with this slot at Soho’s premier bar & will no doubt have the place pumping all night, while resident Alessandro Londra makes it back from Istanbul just in time for a Sunday session from 8 p.m. As for Friday’s & Saturday’s, the D.J.’s get down to it from 9 p.m. & don’t forget the bar closes at midnight, further information available either via the Rupert Street Facebook page or at http://rupertstreet.com/.

Our other best bite goes to Profile & Lo-Profile, although those naughty boys & girls on Wardour Street very much led us & many astray with their advert last week, we expecting the dynamic duo of Mikey D & Steve Pitron on Friday, although, with SuperMartXe holding their pre-party at this ever increasingly popular Soho destination, a last minute change to the D.J. line up was made, Leandro Kloppel & Tony English doing their bit for Logan Schmitz & his team. So to avoid a repeat this week, we have checked out direct with the venue & can confirm Lo-Profile’s line up as Jamie Head & Paul Heron on Friday & Gonzalo Rivas & Brent Nicholls on Sat (16th Oct), the former duo also being joined by ace percussionist David H. Up in Profile & things are much more orderly, Gaydar radio’s Phil Marriot in regular situ, fizzing up your Friday’s with some heavenly house hits & latest sounds, his set being transmitted live on radio music show clubnation, while on Saturday & after a scorching show at the annual wig party, Rob Sykes selects the sounds in this funky bar, not forgetting that Profile is now open until 11.30 p.m. Plus, the team are pleased to introduce some tasty new dishes to their fabulous Autumn two for £10 food menu, which is well worth a look, especially if you need a fill after or even before a West End shopping spree. Further details of this great menu & much more can be found at http://profilesoho.com/.

Other shouts go to Shadow Lounge who on Friday have a special performance from one of New York’s greatest drag queens, Peppermint, joining “Therapy” foxy female D.J.’s Miswhite & Minx, while favourite Andrew Elmore returns on Saturday for a hot “Inferno” session. But Barcode also have their say as it’s the manly “Cave” night on Friday, guest D.J. Daz Saund joining the team of residents, while the busy Brent Nicholls looks after Saturday down in the club bar.

Onto Vauxhall and The Orange Group once again hit the high notes in our Best Bites, their unstoppable juggernaut of jaunts leaving us breathless even now. “Onyx” starts your weekend as it should mean to go on with another ostentatious outing at Area, resident D.J’s Phil Marriot, Lee Harris, Lisa German, Ariel & Jason Prince mixing it up across three rooms of frolicking, new boy DouG’uim also getting in on the act with some superb sounds, this leading onto A:M at Fire on Saturday morning, new(ish) D.J. talent Norbert M celebrating his big break on the main floor, the shakeup in resident jocks seemingly going down well in some quarters, not in others, although undoubtedly the fresh new approach has been received positively. Saturday night means only one thing and that is “Hot Muscle”, this latest Lovechild outing getting out full focus at http://discomattweekend.blogspot.com/2010/10/weekend-focus-lovechild-hot-muscle, while after a truly awesome Beyond “Tokyo” last Sunday (check our review at http://discomatt.blogspot.com/2010/10/blog-post) it simply has to be on the cards again, especially having gotten all hot with those gorgeous body builders at Fire beforehand. “Later” & “Booster” do their usual thing on Sunday early, but the rest of the weekend has to go to Orange, who have a very special celebration, as it’s “RAW’s” fourth birthday, meaning the whole night will be given away to the tougher side of citric splendour. We will be honing in on the event in full, so watch this space for our upcoming Weekend Focus, although in the meantime, further info & guest list offers can be found via the following sites, http://tinyurl.com/onyxguestlists, http://evolvedevents.co.uk/ (A;M), http://alexerfan.com/ (Lovechild) http://tinyurl.com/laterguestlist & http://romainlopez.com/ (Booster).

With so much domination south of the river, you would be forgiven that Vauxhall isn’t offering up much more, although there you would be wrong as The Eagle makes a fantastic alternative, Friday being sewn up with another testosterone trip with “Tonker", special guest D.J. Mr Jones, joining the other Jones, Tim that is, for some tough muscular tunes, while on Saturday (16th Oct) “Carpet Burn” roll up for more, this week entertaining guest D.J. Prince Nelly alongside regular Martyn Fitzgerald, with Sunday never being Sunday without the horsin around antics of Horse Meat Disco, Jim Stanton & co making sure Monday remains as distant a thought as possible. More info on The Eagle & its events throughout the week can be found at http://eaglelondon.com/.

So, it’s now down to the alternatives to extend the options and The Dalston Superstore once again rises to the top like the cream in the milk, kicking off the weekend with the fabulous “Snap Crackle & Pop” on Friday (15th Oct) with a superb blend of beats, eclectic music, banging bands & delectable D.J’s, guests for this monthly outing being bands, Stop Making Me & O Children, while Harry Jones does his bit on the decks alongside some DSS regulars. Then on Saturday, resident D.J. Dan Beaumont steps into promoter boots with his new outing “Soundstage”, which showcases some of the best alternative D.J.’s on the London scene, this first outing including talents Dave Kendrick, Charlie Trevor & extra special attendee Luke Howard, all taking charge of the basement, while upstairs Jonny Woo & John Sizzle re-enact a mini Gutterball gathering, this looking like being one splendid affair indeed & was it not for our planned trip to Lovechild, we know where we would be for sure with Sunday seeing another “Tutti Frutti” session with W/Squeaky & friends sliding into the following week with consummate ease. Now, whilst there is no official website, the boys are always posting up stuff on Twitter, so why not follow them at http://twitter.com/dsuperstore plus watch this space for an Extra Bites post on upcoming birthday bash for “Body Talk” which takes place next Saturday (23rd Oct).

Our other alternative Best Bite goes to East Bloc, who entertain yet again with “Disco Fag Bar” this Friday, the club gaining an increasing following week on week and no surprise, as not only is the name chic & cool, but the setting at East Bloc is superb, matched by the D.J’s, this week Laurent C, John Sizzle & Borja Pena sharing the plaudits, while the door is masterminded by the delights that are Kristoffer & Diego. Then, on Saturday, this Shoreditch hangout entertains night “Nancy” which tempts in the fashion end of fetishism & fancy dress who want to flirt & flaunt their wares across the three rooms of fun, the sounds served up by David TG of Torture Garden fame, Hot Mess’s Holestar & Scally DanDan in the main space, while the wild & whacky Scottee sorts out the second space with special guests & vintage pop & skool disco is the name of the game in the third room with Princess Julia in charge, Felicity Hayward adding her own vintage colour to the whole affair.

So that’s our Best Bites picks across Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere, further details available either via the direct web links in our post, on the events pages on social networking site Facebook, or failing that in the popular weekly press rags.

Now, just a quick mention, as always, to tip top clubbing website SeenQueen, which has further complemented its new look with a new “What’s Hot” section detailing the hot happenings across the gAylist world, RAW’s 4th birthday & Lovechild “Hot Muscle” getting focus, plus much more. And with plenty more features besides, go check out the new look site & all its fab features at http://seenqueen.com/.

Right, that’s about it for this week and as always we wish each & every one of you a splendid weekend, whatever you are up to & wherever you are. As for us, it’s a relatively pedestrian one as we still have much to mull over away from the scene, but all being well, we will make Lovechild, Beyond & Orange, although day by day is our maxim at the moment. But if we make it out, come say hi and as we always say......Go There! Be There!

xDM

Weekend Focus - Lovechild "Hot Muscle"

2010-10-14T04:23:00.002+01:00

“LOVING THE MUSCLE MANFEST”
LOVECHILD “HOT MUSCLE” – SATURDAY 16TH OCTOER
WEEKEND FOCUS

Since moving to new host venue Fire just over a year ago, Lovechild has very much moved up a gear or two, the flexibility & space this Vauxhall hotspot provides, the perfect setting for the various parties promoter Alex Erfan has held there. In fact, over the last few months we have seen a rich variety of themes for this, his first & main club brand since breaking away from Salvation, this lovable clubbing event having really established itself as a firm favourite, not just in London, but down in Brighton too, having held sway at the recent Gay Dance Weekend & August Bank Holiday, but has also made it big internationally, a series of gigs in Europe extending much further beyond with a recent event out in Sydney & this coming weekend, will be represented out in Istanbul, Turnkey.

But back in London and having seen so many incarnations, from “Wet” to “Makin Hay”, from Hot Tropicana” to “Meets Delice” and much in between, it’s time for another instalment in this history of Lovechild at Fire, as Alex Erfan & his team present “Hot Muscle”, a party dedicated to the male body form in the hottest way possible, which takes place this coming Saturday (16th Oct) at Fire in Vauxhall. As the party title suggests, the emphasis will be on muscle, the team having drafted in the services of Anthony Chia-Bradley, who will providing a spectacular art installation, yes art in Fire, encompassing a whole collection of huge original canvases, sculptural displays & other art forms, all based of the male physique. Not only will these pieces of art (sorry we can’t help saying it) be visually stunning, but through a wide variety of colours in the various compositions, they are all sure to attract plenty of eye & other attention and we for one, cannot wait to see how Fire looks with this injection of culture. But, if you can’t wait to feast your eyes on all this art on Saturday, you can get a sneak preview of Anthony’s work now, by going to http://muscleboydesigns.com/.

The art aside, further “muscle” intended extra’s will be on offer, not least from sponsor, Jubilee Hall Gym, who will have their own set up, we believe in the Contact (Mirrorarch) room, where a team of experts will be providing a special protein counter to guide you through elements of diet when it comes to building muscle, as well as offering samples of protein shakes & various other supplements that aid individuals training regimes. But, adding to that will be the presence of British Body Building champion, Lucas Alexander, who will be showcasing his new brand of nutritional & (that word again) protein supplements, details of which you can find at his website, http://lucasalexander.net/. In addition, Lucas will be bringing along six young body builders (steady), all fresh from the latest British Body Building championship, who will perform a pose down to really get those muscles flexed & heartbeats pumping. So, it looks like dance choreographer & co-ordinator Thiagio Drewery will have his hands full competing with these young boys, but he will surely turn out some extra special & sexy go-go dancers to compete on all levels, the famed strip shows for which Lovechild customers always look for, back, and if you want to do a little stripping of yourselves, then there is always the play area at the back on the contact room (strictly men only of course).

Turning to the music and, given the line –up, we certainly expect it to be hot & pumped up if not necessarily muscular (muscular music...a new genre?!?!), with regulars Paul Heron, Gabriele Cutrano, Leroy Tayler & Lee Harris being joined by some special guests. First & foremost, Alex is proud to welcome Justin Ryan to London, an internationally renowned D.J. that made his debut behind the decks in New York, but soon spread his wings across America, playing an intrinsic part in Miami’s “Winter Party” & the city’s “Out In The Parks” summer tour, also playing out to packed audiences in Washington DC, Philadelphia, Dallas, Atlanta & Fire Island, as well as up in Montreal, Canada. However, spreading wings comes naturally to Justin and he has formed serious foundation in Australia, establishing a residency with one of the top events teams there, which has seen him play at the huge Sydney Mardi Gras, as well as for club brands Love Muscle, MarXe, Big Q Rising, and latterly, Live, the club that co-hosted the Lovechild party we mentioned earlier, Justin playing alongside Sydney based Johan Khoury (also a Lovechild guest D.J.) and London resident Alessandra Londra. Mr Ryan’s characteristic uplifting vocals & melodic house hits, intermixed with progressive, latin & euro style beats are sure to go down a treat on the Lovechild London main floor and his energy & enthusiasm for his art will definitely come through, he remarking that “...I always try to deliver the highest energy through my performances, I like to feel part of the crowd and lead them through the party...” And, in celebration of his recent Sydney appearance & that for London this Saturday, Alex has laid down a special compilation, simply entitled “Lovechild” which is well worth a listen at http://justinryan.podomatic.com/ & judging by some of the tracks on here, gosh are we in for a treat at Fire (also check out his photo...he & Johan Khoury have to be related, what do you think?!).

Alex Ryan aside, Mr Erfan is also pleased to present the combined forces of Alan X & Hugh Stevenson, both who have played individually at Lovechild before, but never together. Alan & Hugh will be performing an extra-special back-to-back set, no doubt taking us back to those halcyon days when they used to rule supreme on Beyond’s main floor (at Colosseum), yet will surely have plenty of new beats & rhythms to add to their extensive playlists and we know that they have been piling in the hours, collaborating on exactly which records to chose & how to pitch their performance, so this is one back-to-back set you won’t want to miss. But, if that wasn’t enough, the crafty Alex Erfan will be, once again, showcasing the talents of new D.J. name Isavin from Romania, this London based boy having made a splash at the last Lovechild outing, certainly rousing the main floor with his pumping progressive sounds, not to mention smouldering looks, so keep your eyes peeled for him.

Now to the all important detail and this latest Lovechild meet, “Hot Muscle” take place this Saturday (16th Oct) at Fire in Vauxhall, doors opening at 11 p.m. & the club running through to a planned 7 a.m. £10 advance tickets are available online at http://clubtickets.com/ and at Soho outlets Prowler Clone Zone & DV8, with more on sale on the door, which will be hosted as usual by the fabulous Chrissy “Lovechild” Darling. Plus, don’t forget that the official afterparty is Beyond over at Area & the first 100 customers through Lovechild’s doors will receive a free entry wristband to this Sunday morning phenomenon More info on Lovechild can be found by going to http://alexerfan.com/ where you can also sign up for their e-list.

So come Saturday at Fire, “Hot Muscle” is the name & hot muscular action will be the game, which means you would be mad to miss out on this latest Lovechild love-in, leaving us to say just one more thing....Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Focus - Hotwired

2010-10-08T09:51:00.003+01:00

“RAUNCHY ROMP UNDERTHE RAILS”
HOTWIRED – SATURDAY/SUNDAY 9TH/10TH OCTOBER
WEEKEND FOCUS EXTRA

For all those well into the Fetish side of clubbing, the one event that has been very much on the lips is Hotwired, an extra special leather & rubber themed gathering on a large scale, think Hard On! but double the size (at least). However, whilst we have known about the event for well over 3 months now, the location has been kept top secret, meaning the anticipation has been killing us, but at long last & with literally two days to go, news has finally hit our desks on the location of this uber sexy & rauchy fetish event, which takes place this Saturday (9th October). Promoter Suzi Krueger has been keeping the details very close to her chest, but we can now reveal that the location of the venue is at Eve Street Car Park in Suffolk.

A car park we hear you say?!?! well it’s not an outdoor event if that’s what you were thinking (would be a bit horny though don’t you think!?), as, for those of you familiar with the area will realise, Eve Street Car Park is right next to the arches underneath the railway line that leads to London Bridge & both Charing Cross & Blackfriars (don’t worry, the trains won’t disturb your horny activities) so it is these arches, not the car park, that will be hosting Hotwired and judging from the height of some of them & the general look of the place, the atmosphere is going to be spot on.

Now, the full address details of this amazing venue are as follows; Eve Street Car Park, 29 Great Suffolk Street, London, SE1 0NS, and the entrance, we are informed is directly off Great Suffolk Street. For those of you not familiar with the area, it is not far at all from the venue Arcadia, which hosts XXL, & will also be sporting Trade’s 20th birthday at the end of the month (more details of that in a special preview coming up) but if you need precise instructions, then check out the following link. http://dontstayin.com/uk/london/29-great-suffolk-street. Now, we have literally swung past the location & can’t wait to look inside, although having spoken with Suzi in person when we were at Sweat last month, when she showed us some shots, it looks amazing in there, the whole ambience & setting reminding us of some of the best European leather parties we have been too and has memories of Imperial Gardens (Fist’s last home) flooding back. Plus, our friends at http://fetishpig.co.uk/ have actually been into the place (the lucky swine’s) and have seen the amazing spaces, as well as all the new high tech lighting & equipment installed and tell us that you will simply be blown away.

Honing down on a little more detail, Hotwired looks like being THE fetish gathering of the year in the capital, as we are expecting a whole mixture of leather & rubber officinal’s to turn out, some travelling into London from overseas for the event proper, which kicks off this Saturday evening from 10 p.m., running through until 5 a.m. As for the venue layout, well we know that there are a myriad of arches, some designated for playing (you know what we mean) and others for dancing. But don’t expect a polished clean look, oh no, much more of a brick & industrial feel, graffiti on the walls etc, so all adding up to a truly sexy feel & ideal for this sort of fetish fling.

For those that want to dance as well as play, the music should be equally as horny, especially given the line-up across the two rooms of sound. For those of you that are regular’s to monthly night, Hard On!, the line up will look reasonably familiar as Brent Nicholls, Hugo’s-land & D-Mak will be in the, surprise, surprise, Hard On! room, plying a range of electro, tech fuelled & hard house sounds, while over in the RUT space, Dick Rok & John Delano will be joined by Joe & Willask. So, expect plenty of action on both dancefloors to match the fevered activity in the various play areas.

Then, if all that isn’t enough, the organisers have laid on an afterparty at Fire, where D.J’s Steven Black & Saki will be supplying the sounds, the venue being transformed especially for this one-off Sunday morning event, to include a special play area come darkroom, the party kicking off at 5 a.m. & running through until 11 a.m. But it doesn’t stop there, as Suzi then moves the action across to Soho for a special edition of sports fetish club, Sweat, which will probably be more of a naked romp (the official dresscode is jockstrap or towel!) around the sauna & steam rooms as well as the myriad of cabin spaces, plus with Brent Nicholls in action in the chill-out zone, the music should be just as sultry as the surroundings, he being joined by Simon Simple on the decks. Plus, there is a pre-party on Friday (tomorrow) at The Eagle in Vauxhall, when Tonker hosts (see our Best Bites post).

So, to the all important detail & recap, Hotwired taking place this Saturday (9th Oct) at Ewer Street Car Park, from 10 .m. until 5 a.m., the afterparty at Fire then commencing at 5 a.m. & running through till 11 a.m. Sunday morning (10th) Oct, while Sweat starts at 1 p.m. & runs through until 6 p.m. Advance £20 tickets for Hotwired are available online at http://clubtickets.com/ & at participating stores, DV8, RoB & Regulation (check the add for more). However, you can get joint tickets for £25, which will get you into Fire after as well, although Sweat entrance charges are separate at £15, but remember, that entitles you to stay as long as you want (the place is open 24 7 apparently). As for the dress code at the main Hotwired event, we are told it is strict leather & rubber and nothing else, but in terms of uniform, military & skinhead gear, watch this space as we have asked the question and await an answer.

Right, well Hotwired certainly looks like making an impact this weekend, for us especially, as according to a close friend who will remain nameless (no its not you Toby), a certain piece of equipment has been reserved for our use on Saturday night, meaning that our long lost cousin, Crisco Matt, will be making his fetish clubbing debut, in fact, he has written most of this post, so we will let him sign off by saying, “get that leather & rubber out, if you see us in our revealing chaps, come say hi and as Disco Matt always say’s.....Go There! Be There! (CRISCO MATT)

Weekend Best Bites - 8th to 10th Oct

2010-10-07T22:49:00.002+01:00

Hey Folks,

Well, what a weekend we had, having succumbed to something nasty following our trip to Paris, what looked like a hectic one, ended up being rather sedate, although our trip to TTD certainly made up for missing out on A:M’s re-launch, Reactivate & B2B. We will, of course, be reporting on our experiences at Sound, so keep your eyes peeled for our review, "Tremendous Time Dancing” coming up in due course.

In the meantime we look forward to a weekend with improved fortunes, with some splendid parties lined up, making this yet another hectic one for many, us included (fingers crossed), focuses already having gone out on SuperMartXe’s “Porno Star” event & the whacky yet wonderful Gutterball. But those two besides, there are plenty more offerings on the cards to tempt you out and with the weather looking to be very summer-like, there will be no excuse to be a couch potato.

So, as usual we serve up our best bites look at the weekend, kicking off as we do in Soho, and Profile & Lo-Profile heading the list of attractions, starting as they mean to go on with hosting SuperMartXe’s “Porn Pre-Party” which kick starts in profile tomorrow (Fri 8th Oct), Mauricio making sure everything is looking spic & SMX spam & Logan ensuring the gorgeous X rated go-go’s show just about enough in the bar’s windows for onlookers & expectant customers. As of going to press, Phil Marriot will be on duty behind the decks up in Profile, also broadcasting live on Gaydar’s clubnation radio show, the SuperMartXe team then moving downstairs where the brilliant Beyond duo of Steve Pitron & Mikey D will be playing it large.. But the pace doesn’t really change on Saturday, as its Craig Daniels who will get the party going in profile, while Nathan 6, then Nick Evans will steer the charismatic Lo-Profile crowd deep into Sunday with plenty of scintillating sounds. Further details of both venues on Wardour Street, including the latest food & drinks offers can be found by going to http://profilesoho.com/ & http://lo-profile.com/.

Over on Brewer Street and The Shadow Lounge have just about recovered from their “Winter Warmer” weekend, that included the launch of the venues new look & that retro disco lighted new dancefloor. However, there is no rest for the wicked as they say and those naughty boys & girls at your favourite swanky sophisticate have a weekend full of fun & frivolity, Friday seeing the delightful duo of D.J. Minx & Mis-White conduct another “Therapy” music session, although the theme will be much more on the man & women hunt, as cruising site Grindr host the evenings other entertainment. Saturday (9th Oct) sees favourite Andrew Elmore return to the decks for another immense “Inferno” night of uplifting & heavenly house and don’t forget that if you want to grab a place on the free guest list, which is open until midnight both nights, then email info@theshadowlounge.co.uk to be received no later than 7 p.m.

As for the best of the best, well Rupert Street is right up there, extending their D.J. entertainment back to include Friday’s, the lady herself, D.J. Minx, securing to slot, starting from tomorrow, while on Saturday, it’s the turn of , well your guess is as good as ours actually, maybe its Alessandro to select some superb sounds. However, recent news worth noting is that the grand master of ceremonies at that famous old boozer, Compton’s, is back in charge & knocking the place back into shape. So with Neil back where he belongs, it won’t be long before things are back to the way they were & this veteran venue on the scene makes t into our listings more often, welcome back Neil.

Down in Vauxhall and The Orange Group have yet another exhausting schedule (when don’t they have), starting tonight (Thurs 7th) with Gravity at Fire, and ending with The Wig Afterparty at Area on Sunday, which, unbeknownst to the popular press, will be extending deep into Monday morning, as Steven Sharp’s citric splendour, Orange moves over to join in the wigtastic fun. So, whilst this looks like being the highlight of many, the likes of Rob Sykes, Paul Heron & Alan X D.J.’ing, followed by the Orange residents that include The Oli & Paul Martin, other big events over the weekend include the much awaited Beyond “Tokyo” at Area on Sunday morning, both Steve Pitron & Mikey D back in the driving seat (phew), while Queer Nation also plays it large at Area on Sat night, co hosts Fierce Angels taking a slot in the main room & Katherine Ellis performing some classic heavenly house tunes while ex Hed Kandi poncho Mark Doyle spins the sounds. Plus, with a second P.A. in the form of Sam Oberniek & the Queer Nation resident faves including Micky Galliano, Supadon, Pierre Nedd & Fredi Dimanche, this should be a corker of a party. Other parties completing the full-on line up include Onyx, Later & Booster, further details available through the plethora of Facebook group pages or via http://fireclub.co.uk/. Oh, and how could we forget A:M, which takes a further step in it new direction, welcoming faces Paul Heron, Zach Burns Leonardo Glovibes & Micky Galliano to the ranks, long standing resident D’Johnny squeezing in an appearance.

Other big shot south of the river this weekend is The Eagle who have a threesome to reckon with, Friday (8th Oct) seeing tough macho night, Tonker, go even harder with a special “Hotwired” party night, dedicated to the new club of the same name, which takes place the following night in Southwark (more on that in a bit), promoter Tim Jones being joined on the decks by Italian guest D.J. Roberto Varano. On Saturday, its Carpet Burn’s 2nd birthday, so should be a special night with lots of surprises in store, not least from PA for the night, the outrageous Pete Burns, while the magnificent Mark Moore keeps the 80’s, 80’s glam & hi-nrg pop sounds in synch. The, of course, Sunday would not be Sunday without a gymkhana end to the weekend, as Lim Stanton, James Hillard & co take you through another hip-tastic Horse meat Disco, counting more than twenty hands high with plenty of hypnotic house music. More info on these, other events & going’s on at the Eagle can be found by going to http://eaglelondon.com/.

As for our best of the rest, well, The RVT gets our Vauxhall vote, but more for Friday than Sunday, even though the S.LA.G.S./Chill-out session has become an institution. No, Friday sees another 2nd birthday, this time the audacious & outrageous Kimino Krush, when Al Dente, The Sugarlow Boys & The Duchess Of Pork spin plenty of 80’s & 90’s favourites, plus will no doubt throw in a handful of noughties smash hits for good measure, plus with entertainment from the wild & whacky Jonny Woo, warming up for the Gutterball, & from the larger than life drag artist, le Gateau Chocolat, plenty of fun will be had at this venerable boozer.

Turning to our alternative choices, with Gutterball getting our full focus, it’s down to The Dalston Superstore to lead the way and what another busy weekend have the boys got for you. Friday gets off in superb style as the Do It crew return after a summer break to present their fabulous night “Idiot Proof” with the electro synth & nu-disco style tunes courtesy of D.J’s We’re Not Cool, Not Shy &, of course, Idiot Proof, while upstairs both Liz Bisoux & Cathal with plenty of “Lick My Bass” beats. Then on Saturday, it a scorcher, as “Severino & Friends” returns for another scintillating Saturday of Italio nu-disco, electro funk & cutting edge beats, although in guest, Terry Farley, expect plenty of NYC & American house, the man one of the first UK exponents of this unique sound and through his own record label to boot. Severino is also welcoming Dave Kendrick, Borja Pena & Seb Patene, the three holding the fort upstairs with some top notch electro & twisted tech and a packed out DSS for sure, so make sure you get there nice & early. Then on Sunday, the boys ease the thought that it’s the end of the weekend, with another “Tutti Frutti” session of smooth & soothing sounds from resident jock Squeaky plus friends. Now, further information on events at the DSS can be found on their FB page, which gets updated at least weekly (well done guys) or by mailing the team at hello@dalstonsuperstore.com, plus you can follow them on twitter at http://twitter.com/dsuperstore.

Other quick alternative mentions go to “Caligula” at Basing House on Friday, as always full of cute boys, glammed up girls & plenty of electrifying sounds, while a hop, skip & jump across Shoreditch will find you at Wayne Sires’ amazing “Disco Fag Bar” at East Bloc on City Road, which is well worth the short trip, as the super sounds will come from residents Laurent C, Jeffrey Hinton, Gibson & Ganio. As for Saturday, The Green up in Islington looks like a good choice as both Munroe Burgdorf & the fabulous Rosella host for new(ish) night “Runway”, so expect plenty of uplifting eats & plenty of fun. Finally, Sunday is all about wigs for sure as the annual Wig Party returns to Cafe De Paris, although as the event is already sold out, we won’t ponder on it here, but will bring you an extra bites post with all the last minute info for excited attendees.

Now, just a very quick mention goes to SeenQueen, who not only have a brand spanking new look, but have been ultra busy with updating their club diary, which now stretches deep into November. So, to catch this & many more features, posts, blogs, interviews, etc, go now to http://seenqueen.com/.

Right, that’s it for another week folks, but keep your eyes peeled for a Weekend Focus special on Hotwired, which should be out shortly, as well as our review of TTD from last Sunday & lots more posts (hopefully). As for our coming weekend, well we have SuperMartXe’s pre & main party(ies) on the agenda, as well as Hotwired & Beyond. However, with lots on our plate away from the scene, we are going to be taking everything over the next few days, step by step & day by day. However, whatever you are up to, have a brilliant one and as we always say....Go There! Be There!

xDM

Weekend Focus - Gutterball

2010-10-06T18:24:00.004+01:00

“WAY OUT WACKINESS WITH THE WOO”
GUTTERBALL – SATURDAY 9TH OCTOBER
WEEKEND FOCUS

Now, it kind of goes without saying that we all too often fall into the trap of normality (some would say mundaness) on any given weekend, the trappings of Soho & Vauxhall plus the likes of Matinee, SuperMartXe et all, very much precluding us from venturing forth to pastures more prolific. But if we boldly went where we rarely go, our journeys would take us to the alternative antics that many fill their weekends full in hip hop hangouts that Shoreditch, Hoxton & Dalston and even (yes, we know) Hackney, club nights like Paradise 45, Caligula, Pooldisco & Disco Fag Bar (we love that name) very much up there in the cutting edge stakes. And yet, while a host of venues that have sprung up in the area, supporting this diversity, hang out’s such as The Dalston Superstore, Shoreditch House, East Bloc & Basing House, it is one club that we look to when it comes to way out wackiness at its best, very much standing head & shoulders above all the recent movers & shakers.

Since its launch back in 2007, Gutterslut has been cutting it with the best of the alternative offerings, for a while very much ruling the roost out east, its success bringing on the likes of Trailer Trash & many more, the whole essence of Gutterslut being based on an eclectic mix of gays, transsexuals & metrosexuals, all up for a wonderful time in colourful yet charismatic company, with the underpin of energetic blends electro & disco tech house by D.J.’s known for their explorative sounds & cutting edge beats. Having sampled more than a slice of Gutterslut, we can be witness to just what a fun event & experience it is, the likes of Per Q.X, Elliot J Brown, Nic Fisher & co treating us to some magnificent music, while MC Crystal & the larger than life Jonny Woo entertaining us from start to finish. And all this has very much been the success of Gutterslut as an event, which would inevitably spurn some sort of annual celebration of whacky wonderment, where likeminded people would go that extra mile to dress up in pure slutty fashion, a bit like the east end equivalent of a Mayfair dinner dance, hence, the concept to call this gathering Gutterball became a reality.

So, after a hugely successful first event last year, comes Gutterball “The Second Edition”, in what looks like being a bigger & better affair than before, the team turning out a veritable feast of musical & other entertainment to thrill. Returning to the ever popular Rhythm Factory this coming Saturday (9th October), while all the latin boys may be playing down in Elephant & Castle, anyone with a slight alternative penchant will surely be joining the scores of Hoxton & Shoreditch-ites, who will be stepping put in style in Whitechapel, ready for, as the team most appropriately put it, “...another gang-bang extravaganza of whores in heels & boys on wheels...”, sounds fun before we even start. And making sure that plenty of fun will be had, comes courtesy of the wild & wonderful Jonny Woo, who may still be in recovery mode from a said recent birthday, but will surely be on top form for the troops and if there is a dancing pole anywhere near, treating us to a truck load of twists & turns for good measure. Plus, to add to the merriment, Jonny will be overseeing the annual best, or should we say, trashiest dressed up person in the house, those beady Woo eyes presiding over the judging right through the night, which means it’s time to pull out your craziest, sluttiest & most outrageous outfit to lift that coveted Dalston gay Mafia Gutterball crown.

In terms of the music, it will be equally impressive as the cavorting crowd, with all your favourite Gutterslut residents on duty for this special annual shindig, Per Q.X. no doubt blowing a trumpet or two, Elliot J Brown trading a bit of teaching for plenty of turntable trouncing, both sure to electrify with electro, tantalise with tech & delight with some cutting edge nu-disco. But Nic Fisher will be there too, along with MC Crystal on the mic to make all your Gutterslutters at home, a sample of the style of music Nic will be serving up, available at http://samurai.fm/nic-fisher/nic-does-techno-vol-1, while they will be joined in the “Rave Ballroom” by Trailer Trash’s We’re Not Cool & D.J. Mag credited Joe Roberts, completing a superb line up that will have the superb sounds sorted, signed, sealed & delivered. But, for the slightly lighter hearted in you, there is always the opportunity to check out the “Disco Ballroom” guest D.J. from Carpet Burn, Paul Burston, will join the Discoslut D.J.’s & final Gutterslut resident (amongst many others), Jon Sizzle, both this and the “rave” room awash with live visuals from Prickstrap-On, who certainly wowed the crowd last time round and are sure to repeat their success. However, the team are pleased to announce the addition of a further act to compliment the already incredibly strong line up, the amazing, A Man To Pet, creating plenty of havoc in the “Disco” Ballroom, where we expect large glittery rather that gutterly ones will be on the ball-tastic menu.

Well, all in all, this looks like being one hell of a way-out & whacky event not to be missed for those with an eye & ear for the alternative, the slightly outrageous & the downright flamboyant. So, if this is you, making a date with Gutterball “The Second Edition” should be a given and making it down to The Rhythm Factory on Whitechapel this Saturday (9th October) a done deal. But, if you haven’t secured your advance £8 ticket (bargain) yet, then you better e quick, as the news on the ground is that sales have rocketed this week and not that many are left, meaning a visit to http://ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=410257 should be made sooner rather than later, or failing which & if you find yourselves Dalston way, pop into The Dalston Superstore, where a limited amount will be on sale, a wise move considering the door charge will be £15, such is the demand for this event, especially given the huge turnout last year.

So, forget the black tie & the cocktail dress, as Jonny is expecting much more exuberant & extravagant attire and just to get you in the mood, why not check out the special showreel video laid down by Per Q.X. following Gutterslut’s 2nd birthday at The Rhythm Factory earlier this year (link http://youtube.com/watch?v=BWCryiQUBIY) and get a cop load of the expected action for yourselves, surely tipping the scales that this will be THE place to be for you this Saturday. (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Focus - SuperMartXe "Porno Star"

2010-10-06T17:21:00.004+01:00

“SUPERCHARGED SPANISH SMASH GOES SUPERSEXY”
SUPERMARTXE “PORNO STAR” – SATURDAY 9TH OCTOBER
WEEKEND FOCUS

We can hardly believe that it has been just over three months since we saw the infamous beach ball bouncing around The Coronet, our last visit having been devoted to home-grown brand Hype, although as good as that party was, there is no question that the Spanish import that took London by storm just under two years ago (November 2008 to be exact) has a particular attraction & popularity. Indeed, promoter Logan Schmitz very much hit the ground running, making a huge impact on the gAylist capital clubbing scene from day one, a whole succession of hugely successful parties (as well as off shoots) culminating in the last showing on 3rd July when host venue The Cornet was transformed into the wonderful world of The Wizard Of Oz, Logan & his terrific team pulling off one of the most spectacular stage settings we have seen.

Yes, we can only be talking of SuperMartXe, which, this Saturday (9th October) makes a triumphant return to take centre stage on the gAylist clubbing calendar, with a super sexy “Porno Star” theme that what looks like being one of the hottest tickets in town, not to mention one of the hottest & x-rated shows The Cornet has seen. Now, for those of you familiar with the history of the Spanish superclub in London will remember, the Logan presents team have visited this theme once before, “Peep Show” back in May last year, although in this outing, we experienced more of a sexy red light district boudoir, rather than the full on flesh that “Porno Star” promises to deliver.

And deliver this latest SuperMartXe porn themed party is sure to do, as centre staging the team of drop dead gorgeous dancers displaying more than a pec, cheek or private part, will be two true hunks of men in the form of Francesco D’Macho & Damien Crosse, both well known faces in the world of porn and who have teamed up to form their own enterprise outfit, Staghomme (say no more!) and both who epitomise the hot & horny look that Staghomme is becoming notorious for, just check out these video images if you don’t believe us, http://youtube.com/watch?v=2iifBwJYDAo & http://youtube.com/watch?v=d7kycENpy4o and then tell us you melted with lustful desire too. So, before we even think of the stunning show they & all the performers are likely to turn out, Francesco & Damien are just two of many reasons why “Porno Star” is such a hot date.

So, what else will be on offer? Well, SuperMartXe resident D.J. Vitti, himself a bit of a looker and who will always be inextricably linked to the massive “Sundays At Heaven” who fellow studio production artist J Velarde looked to for input on the massive dancefloor smash of three years ago, but a record that still rouses incredible response when played to this day, the record even still featuring large on his web page at http://myspace.com/djvitti. However, he is also inextricably linked with SuperMartXe and will no doubt have his record bag full of huge euro-style beats of tunes, just grab a load of these four part videos of him in action at http://youtube.com/watch?v=Dl2M6LFrHYs&p=1D7FE914915723E3&index=1&feature=BF, these testament to the man’s popularity over in Spain and, surely an indication that he will get a similar reaction here. Joining him on the decks will be London resident’s Tony English, fresh from the closing parties in Ibiza, so is sure to have all the latest sounds in his mitts to pour out across The Coronet, while Nick Tcherniak makes a welcome return, he two not long back from Spain, having completed some hugely productive work in the studio with fellow D.J. & producer, Steve Thomas, so expect some brand new tunes & no doubt an airing of both “My People” & “Deep Water”, which have really hit the big time across Europe & The USA.

So, not only will the fine forms of Francesco D’Macho & Damien Crosse make a huge super sexy splash on this “Porno Star” event, but the music looks like being equally sexy & supercharged too, as we are sure will be Logan’s troupe of gorgeous dancers who never fail to hit the eye candy mark, packing a pulsating punch on the various podiums around the stage & dancefloor. Plus, with the usual outstanding production that the team employ across host venue The Coronet, not to mention the prolific lighting, which, if it is anything like it was at Hype, will certainly wow the huge crowds that are expected to attend on Saturday. But if all that wasn’t enough, then singing sensation, Nalaya Brown, returns to the capital for another spectacular show of songs at SuperMartXe, renditions of “Don’t Stop Till I Get Enough” & (surprise, surprise) “SuperMartXe” sandwiching her new smash hit “Over You”, which gets coverage at http://youtube.com/watch?v=gpczIe0dFDw, the video featuring inbound SuperMartXe resident D.J. Vitti.

Right, now to the all important detail & SuperMartXe “Porno Star” takes place this Saturday (9th October) at the Cornet in Elephant & Castle, doors opening at 10.30 p.m. and the club running through till 7 a.m. Advance tickets are still available, although we highly recommend you grab yours quickly, as they will be seriously hot & hard to find come Saturday, so either go now to http://clubtickets.com/gb/2010-10/09/supermartx-london-porno-star, or get yourselves down to Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone, DV8 & Solarstion, failing which try Barcode in Soho who will probably have a small stock handy. If you fancy going a bit posh and want to see the spectacle from the VIP balcony, then check out the £50 tickets at the above online link or go to http://loganpresents.com/, enquiries for tables & reserved balconies needing to be directed to vip@loganpresents.com. And, if all else fails on the advance ticket front, why not pop down to Profile &/or Lo-Profile this Friday (8th Oct) when Logan, Mauricio & co will be throwing a “Porno Pre-Party” with plenty of pounding & pumping of sounds from (wait for it) Steve Pitron & Mikey D (let’s see if Mr S will make it), who themselves will be fresh (or not so possibly) from the Ibiza closing party weekend.

Well, all that’s left to say is that Saturday should be all about SuperMartXe which will very much be a Staghomme supercharged & supersexy smash for sure, you know where to be. (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Focus Extra - "Reactivate Rave"

2010-10-01T14:27:00.004+01:00

"REMEMBER THE RAVE”
REACTIVATE – SATURDAY 2ND OCTOBER
WEEKEND FOCUS EXTRA

The late 80’s & early nineties (yes we are talking about last century, but it wasn’t that long ago), was dominated by the rave culture, the desire by the youth to take over some warehouse somewhere & party to pumping hard house come techno music that saw a whole generation of clubbers immerse themselves in the trend that was taking over both the straight & gay scene, indeed, the launch of legendary club Trade was very much an exponent of this phase in clubbing history. However, without question, the music was the key to the success of both these warehouse raves & of more conformist club nights like Trade, FF & the like, the recordings label brand that was very much at the forefront of this musical direction, React, very much leading the way & cementing the careers of D.J.’s a plenty, this spurning a club night dedicated to this style of sound.

Without doubt Reactivate, not just through its club nights, but more so through the series of album releases, 18 no less, very much captured & captivated a market for this hard edged house music, catapulting stars like Rachel Auburn, & Blu Peter into the limelight, its famed nights at heaven on a Friday, who can forget Garage, very much setting the trend in trance, hard house & hedonist partying that has hardly been rivalled since. Whilst the 21st century has marked a distinct change in house music sounds, there is no doubt that there remains a penchant for this hard edged style of music that has prompted an individual involved in the informative days of Reactivate to plan & organise a party devoted to this iconic record label & clubbing concept. And that person is none other than Steven React Sharp, a man that was in the thick of it all (it’s even his middle name for heaven’s sake) during the heady days of this clubbing & recording brand and who, along with a long list of others, thought it was time remember the rave culture & all things rapturous about Reactivate.

So, tomorrow (Sat 2nd Oct) the amazing Area venue in Vauxhall will take a step back in time to when rave was all the rave & Reactivate was the word in trance, techno & hard house, as Steven & his promotions team bring you a one-off mash up of party, “Reactivate Rave”, very much in the Garage style, but spread across three rooms of distinct sounds, showcasing the different strands in music that Reactivate became famous for and if you were not around at the time or doubt the success of this brand, then grab a load of this. It was one of the most Internationally successful dance album compilations series of its time, very much pioneering European techno, trance & hard house for more than a decade, its sound being huge on the underground scene, rave scene, club scene and gay scene where, old skool, bangin’ & bouncin’ music was the trend, but euphoric and uplifting beats were the desire of the day.

Right, with the scene very much set, what can you expect from this special one-of Reactivate rave of a party? Well, these D.J. stars for a start, all iconic names across Reactivate’s history, BK, Blu Peter, Rachel Auburn, Simon Eve, Daz Saund, Trevor Rockcliffe, & Princess Julia. And before you ask, yes Steven React Sharp, together with the other one, George Sharp, will be there too, each of the nine D.J.’s serving up a barnstorming blend of old school techno, trance, hard dance and New York house music that will have Reactivate written all over it. The main “Reactivate” room will be set aside for BK, who was resident for Garage at Heaven, Blu Peter, who will be known to many for his stints both at this Friday nighter & occasional guest slots at Trade, he making a rare re-appearance and very much a coup for the promotions team, while Rachel Auburn & Simon Eve will complete the line up, both who were intrinsic players in Reactivate recordings, so should certainly draw in the faithful fans. This incredible line up will be polished off by a very special live P.A. from React’s very own diva performer S.J., who will be banging out her huge hits of the time, “I Feel Divine” & “Fever”, which will definitely bring the memories flooding back & plenty of hands in the air raving for sure.

Over in the Terrace room, aptly named the “React Technodrome” for the night, D.J.’s Daz Saund & Trevor Rockcliffe will take charge, both these artists famed as the original London jocks whose support for the then pioneering Belgian techno led to the creation of the Reactivate series, along with the following the music gathered in London at the time and who are still cutting it on the techno circuit today. And completing the “Reactive Rave” line-up in the third “New York House Tunnel” space will be the boys, Steven & George, along with the goddess of NYC house, Princess Julia, she herself digging deep into her archives for some of those legendary sounds to create an uplifting set that can’t be missed, while Messrs React & Mtichell will also be flying the Kinky Trax flag, revisiting some of their classic tracks and remixes such as Sara Parker’s “My Love Is Deep” and plenty more besides.

Right that’s the line up, music & entertainment sorted, now to the important detail & “Reactivate Rave” takes place tomorrow night (Sat 2nd Oct) at Area in Vauxhall, doors opening at 11 p.m. and the club running through until 5.30 a.m. Advance tickets are still available on line at http://clubtickets.com/, although if you prefer to grab one in your hands, a little birdie tells us that there is a limited stock available at Clone Zone in Soho. Otherwise get yourselves down to the door before 1 a.m. & its £12 too, otherwise its £15. Further information can be found by either going to the event page, Reactivate Rave, on networking site Facebook, or checking out the official website at http://reactivateparty.com/.

So, all in all this looks like being an absolute corker of a party for those into hard house, trance, techno, with a bit of old skool NYC house thrown in for good measure and news on the ground is that reaction to this Reactivate one-off rave has been incredible. All this means that it will certainly be a hot ticket & well worth a Vauxhall visit and, health permitting, we will be in the tick of the action too remembering the rave Reactivate style. (DISCO MATT)

Extra Bites - East Bloc's "Disco Fag Bar" & "Paris Is Burning"

2010-10-01T12:25:00.005+01:00

Hey Folks,

Well, looking outside, autumn is definitely with us here in London, which means only one thing, time to head indoors & into a good club night/event and whilst we have given you a number of choices in our Best Bites post (direct link http://discomattweekend.blogspot.com/2010/09/weekend-best-bites-1st-to-3rd-oct), a couple of alternative actions have hit our radar, both worth more than a look in.

First up is new(ish) Friday nighter “Disco Fag Bar”, the brainchild of uber cool club promoter Wayne Shires, who is certainly making waves out east in the hip hop & trendy Shoreditch & Hoxton area, where a hot bed of west end chic meets east end earthiness, this event landing itself slap bang on the gateway to this upcoming part of town, at venue East Bloc on City Road (just shy of Old Street tube station), which opens its doors from Friday through Sunday, attracting a diverse yet up for it crowd into cutting edge new sounds in an industrial style & NYC underground feel of a place that is gaining popularity week on week. And, it comes as no surprise, as resident D.J.’s on rotation include Luke Howard, Jeffrey Hinton, Laurent C & John Sizzle (to name just a few), all playing out a glorious blend of electro disco, synth pop & hi-nrg house that seems to really be making strides in this part of town.

And tonight (Friday 1st Oct) looks like being a corker down at “Disco Fag Bar” as Wayne & his team welcome special guest D.J. Tatu, who flies in direct from Finland especially for the gig, this talent resident at Helsinki’s alternative club “Drag Attack”, probably giving you a clue as to what to expect in terms of, as Wayne puts it perfectly “...a look...”, the music surely matching Tatu’s extravert style and his extended solo set well worth checking out. Add to that, the inclusion of residents John Sizzle, Borja Pena & Laurent C and the music should be up to the high cutting edge standard of this flamboyant club night down Shoreditch way, plus for a hint towards the kind of sounds to expect, why not check out Borja’s latest mix at http://soundcloud.com/borja-32/despertando, with selections of Tatu’s music available at http://soundcloud.com/tatuv. As for “Disco Fag Bar”, well doors open at 10 p.m., with the club night running through till 4 a.m. entrance a mere £5 on the door.

The other event to catch our eye and prove worthy for an extra mention is new night “Paris Is Burning” which takes place tomorrow (Sat 2nd Oct) at, yes you guessed it, East Bloc and is a concept & club night based on the infamous documentary of the same name, evoking those bygone years of New York, when the fashion alternatives sought a spot to strike a pose, express their extravert identity in amongst a wave of disco queens, party boys & girls & men with a mind for admiring catwalk chic & couture with clout. So, central to the night will be a catwalk show, where those daring enough to be both dressed to impress & willing to walk the walk & talk the talk, can show off their skills in front of a panel of judges that vote on the best high fashion male & female, most outrageous & best walk/dance categories, all with the chance of winning the ultimate title of ball bitch!

Brought to you by the Alter Ego Team of James Doyle, Riedwaan Bowers, Coco Creme & co, “Paris Is Burning” also offers a superb soundtrack of vogueing music form some of the hottest D.J.’s on this alternative circuit, including Georgio Oniani & Matteo Manzini, who, together with the walk off, planned for 1 a.m., should add to, as the Alter Ego team aptly put “...a night you will never forget or try to remember...”, this giving you a clue as to the audacious antics & action to expect and for those in the know, this will leave memories of studio 54 out in the cold, well that’s what the team tell us and we can well, believe them. Doors to “Paris Is Burning” at East Bloc, open tomorrow (Sat 2nd Oct) at 10.30 p.m., the club running through until 4.30 p.m. Entrance is a mere £5 for the night and further info can be found by mailing 7thflorrbiiiiteches@gmail.com.

So, it seems East Bloc is definitely beginning to cut a swath across Shoreditch & will definitely be part of our clubbing calendar very soon, as it should be yours.

xDM

Weekend Best Bites - 1st to 3rd Oct

2010-09-30T17:39:00.002+01:00

Hey Folks,

Well, having been whisked away to Paris on our first European excursion as Disco Matt last weekend, it seems we missed out on a superb Lovechild party, when a touch of France came to London in the form of the Delice boys, while we got our own sample of some stunners at The Supersized Pool party, our full review coming up a little later.

In the meantime, we take a look at our best bites for the weekend and kick off with our picks from Soho, top of the list being Profile & Lo-Profile, which have a host of great D.J. talent lined up for this weekend, it all kicking off upstairs in Profile tomorrow (Fri 1st Oct) in the hands of Gaydar Radio’s own Phil Marriot, spinning a trunk load of terrific tunes, his set also going out live on the ClubNation, while downstairs in Lo Profile, which fills a much needed gap in the clubbing market in Central London, the team welcomes international jetsetter D.J. Paul Heron to the decks, fresh from his exploits in Brazil for The Week’s anniversary, who will definitely have plenty of uplifting & funky beats to warm up your Friday. Paul is by followed Lovechild & SuperMartXe resident Tony English, shooting you deep into Saturday with his full on euro-style tracks plus hints of the latest sounds coming out of Spain & Ibiza that will surely hit the mark, his latest podcast giving you an idea of what to expect (check it out at http://tonyenglish.podomatic.com/). On Saturday, Profile once again proves the place to be & be seen early on, with Rob Sykes selecting the sounds, while downstairs in Lo-Profile it’s the turn of Nick Evans to start proceedings with plenty of heavenly house to hone you in on the action followed by D’Johnny, who will definitely be pointing you towards beyond with plenty of barnstorming beats. Full details on both venues can be found at http://profilesoho.com/ & http://loprofile.com/.

Our other top pick for Soho goes to the Shadow Lounge who are celebrating yet another nip & tuck, although this time an eye catching one, as considerably enhancements & changes to the infamous sunken dancefloor have taken place. The team have a whole weekend’s worth of “Decadent” celebrating going on, part one of three being tonight (Thurs 30th Sept) with their own homage to the legendary Studio 54 club , while Friday sees the second leg devoted to their Winter Season launch, while Saturday sees a full on Winter Wonderland party, each of these three decadent parties sporting plenty of Shadow Lounge resident D.J.’s including Andrew Elmore, Mis-White, Minx & more. With a brand new entrance & decor, new drinks menu’s fresh new cocktails and an altogether fresh & exciting new look, this should be a definite port of call. Check out their website http://theshadowlounge.co.uk/ for further details & mail info@theshadowlounge.co.uk for guestlist & other requests

Other Soho (well nearly) shouts go to two new clubs, firstly “Lucky Bitches” at No5 club on Cavendish Square, which is a new romantic slanted 80’s classic tune filled frolic with the iconic Tasty Tim behind the decks, while across the other side of the Soho borders, new kid on the block “TTD” launches (see our Weekend Focus report), both events being on Sunday & well worth a look in. For more info on TTD go to http://ttdlondon.com/ & here’s another chance to grab Brent Nicholls’ specially commissioned mix which you can download via http://speedyshare.com/files/24364407/1009_TTD_Pre_Launch_Warm_Up-_Welcome_To_The_Club_128.mp3.

Down in Vauxhall and the heat is definitely on in The Orange Group, with a jam packed weekend starting tonight with Gravity at Fire, Gonzalo Rivas & Alan K creating plenty of sound storms while regular The Oli will keep the hedonistic house in reasonable check. Friday then sees the Onyx success story continue, with the team asking for recruits to their “Army” themed party, with special PA for the night, the X Factor’s Rowetta, who will surely command your attention, all this military precision then neatly leading into the re-launch party that has been on everyone’s lips for a while now, A:M taking centre stage (see our Weekend Focus report) and should prove a very popular choice indeed. But the weekend hardly draws for breath when Saturday (2nd Oct) sees not just Area in action with “Reactivate” but Beyond goes all big on us with the third “B2B”. Now, with time pressing on, we will be bringing you full Extra Bites reports on both events as soon as final details hit our desks (hopefully tonight) so keep your eyes peeled for those. Sunday would not be Sunday with Later at Fire, resident D.J.’s including Paul Martin, Terry Bryan & The Oli & then Booster back at Area, favourites Ferno & Sharon O Love headlining two rooms of terrific tunes and if you are not dizzy from the back & forth between these two mega venues, then why not go the whole hog and indulge in some citric splendour as the club that started it all for the group, Orange, manipulates you into Monday morning, the RAW room getting a big thumbs up with Gonzalo Rivas & Hifi Sean making sure the 10 a.m. finish is a reality rather than a hope. Useful sites include http://tinyurl.com/onyxguestlists (change Onyx for Gravity & Later) & http://fireclub.co.uk/.

Our other vote in Vauxhall goes to “Megawoof” which returns to Hidden on Saturday (2nd Oct) for what seems to be the start of a series of porn parties, Daz & his team taking up the mantle with the help of Alphamale Media’s superstar Trojan Rock who will definitely be fighting off a host of admirers to his pumped up performance & pecs, while resident jocks Leonardo Glovibes, Tim McCloone, Diddy, Rob, Massimo & Daz himself will pump up the volume with plenty of funky & hunky sounds to match the macho male crowd that the club never fails to attract. With the addition of the new “Sensory Room” (sounds interesting) & plenty of testosterone, this will definitely be the place to be for some full on man action. Go to http://megawoof.com/ for more details including membership.

Quick mentions also go to The R.V.T. which sandwiches your weekend with a very special “Speedwagon” on Friday with guest & honorary member Richard O’Brien making an appearance, while no weekend would be the same with a Sunday session of “S.L.A.G.S/Chill-out”, the regular team of Simon le Vans, Andy Almighty & Sean Sirrs soon to be joined by Phil Marriot, while The D.E. Experience still packs them in for the best show this side of Sydney (has to be seen to be believed). But The Eagle also gets its say with “Tonker” on Friday welcoming guest D.J. & super Swede Per Q.X., Saturday rolling out another “Carpet Burn” session with Luke Howard on the decks, while Sunday is all about horsin around with the funtastic “Horse Meat Disco”, Jim Stanton & crew delivering electro & funky beats to the brimful. More info on The R.V.T. can be found at http://rvt.org.uk/.

As for the alternative action, it will come as no surprise that The Dalston Superstore (DSS) once again hits our high notes, starting off as it does tomorrow (Fri 1st Oct) with another “Paradise 45” session in the basement, this time round promoter & D.J. Guy Williams hogging the decks & limelight with an extra special extended set. Now, if you haven’t made it down yet, we cannot recommend this night enough but if you want some convincing, go check out our review at http://discomatt.blogspot.com/2010/09/paradise-45-club-review and make sure a date with Paradise is on the cards, if not tomorrow, then very soon. Saturday at the DSS sees the return of “Computer Blue” which has the finest Italo disco, hi-nrg & electro synth on the cards, D.J.’s spinning the sounds including Ali Renault, Arno De Beaufort, Jamie D Winter & Spiro De Niro (shall we become Disco De Matt!?), the night being full euro wave glamour, or so we are reliably informed, so best you tart up those tassels ready for a good old shimmy & shant. Then, Sunday sees the ever popular “Tutti Frutti” take hold, with resident D.J. Squeaky leading the way with plenty of soulful sounds, while the gyrating grooves come from guest John Sizzle & David George, plenty of bubbly disco also on offer and for the likeminded, glassfuls of the bubbly golden nectar too, as we love to say, chaaampaaaagne darling! Whilst the boys don’t have an official website for DSS, both Matt & Dan tweet a lot, so why not follow them at http://twitter.com/dsuperstore to keep up with the doings in Dalston.

Our other alternative actions tipping the scales are “Caligula” on Friday, which returns for another session where the hot & high fashion up West meets the cool as a cucumber East End lot, all at Basing House in Shoreditch, special D.J. deck guests this week being the Hot Boy Dancing Spot guys that include The Lovely Jonjo, Hello Mozart! & Warboy, the whole night hosted splendidly by Andre J. Saturday is very much all about the iconic club “Escape” in Kingston, which bows out after close on 25 years of service to the clubbing community, which had its roots in Putney & the fabulous “Reflex”, although with owner Martin Church needing to call it a day, due to health reasons, this is a final fling for an institution that will be sorely missed. This last party in the clubs colourful history is expected to be a complete roadblock, so the team recommend you arrive early to help them drink the joint dry & party till dawn and give Martin the fond farewell well deserves. Then rounding off our choices is a Sunday afternoon affair full of song & dance, courtesy of Miss Kimberley & friends as south London “Upstairs At The Cambria” will serve up plenty of socialising splendour at this south London boozer, with Sunday roasts thrown in for good measure, this the third of three other options to go alternative this weekend. More info on “Caligula” can be found by going to http://caligulauk.com/.

Now, as always, further details (if not found via the websites) of all these Soho, Vauxhall & alternative happenings can be found by flicking through the pages of the popular weekly rags or by going to the events pages on social networking site Facebook, while if you are looking for the hottest dates in gAylist London then a visit to http://seenqueen.com/clubs is a must, the team having their diary complete deep into November, which includes details of the clubs to be & be seen in. Plus, remember to keep your eyes peeled here for our Extra Bites posts on “Reactivate” & “B2B” coming up and if you are reading this & your club or event has not been included & you would like a shout, then mail your details to discomatt@hotmail.com.

As for our weekend, well we are currently fending off a nasty stomach bug, so plans for a trip up to Shadow Lounge tonight for the “Decadent” launch party have been put on hold and we may need to take stock on our schedule for Friday through Sunday that currently includes “Paradise 45”, “A:M’s” re-launch, “Reactivate”, “B2B” & “TTD”, but hope the stiff medication will take effect & we will be out on the dancefloors as planned. So if we are and you spot us out, come say hi, but we wish you a fun filled & fabulous weekend and as we always say ......Go There! Be There!

xDM

Weekend Focus - TTD

2010-09-29T22:54:00.002+01:00

"SOPHISTICATION & STYLE AT SOUND”
T.T.D. LAUNCH – SUNDAY 3RD OCTOBER
WEEKEND FOCUS

There is no doubt that there seems to be a resurgence in Sunday afternoon clubbing, or at least the penchant to party on the seventh day of the week, but very much with the desire for something a little different to the norm. In some ways, this desire is a return to the days when DTPM was founded, the first informative months & years planting it firmly in the PM market, starting a 3 p.m. no less, this timing slowly slipping due to a change in trend. But even clubs like Factor 25 very much built their successes on Sunday’s and no look back in this way could be complete without including Salvation, the epitome of Sunday clubbing and in sophistication & style at Cafe De Paris that has rarely been matched since. But with much water under the bridge since those days, one would question the appeal of a similar style club, although the footfall & popularity of Matinee at MOS, which has found new favour through its Sunday slot seems a good barometer in this respect.

So, with all this in mind the launch of a new clubbing concept couldn’t come too soon and in TTD we have a new Sunday sophisticate that aims to re-kindle some of the style of those Salvation-esque days, attracting the smart crowd and more than a touch of sexy lookers in amongst sumptuous surroundings, but most importantly for this the new clubbing kid on the block, in a central location, at Sound on Leicester Square no less. Now, it would be fair to say that the concept of TTD is not new, in fact promoter Billy Richard would be the first to admit that the club is born out of the days of “...Villa Stefanos & The Limelight...” he further remarking that “...since the demise of the original ‘Tea Dance’ concept, Sunday’s have experienced a void that has (in his words) unsatisfyingly been left empty for far too long...”. However, we guess for those followers of Later, Sunday afternoons have long been lively, although in saying that, there is little doubt that the style & sophistication that the Cafe De Paris days of Salvation offered have definitely been missed by many.

In TTD, this is what the team want to resurrect, offering a club event in recognition of a segment of the scene where “...gay men are smart, sophisticated and love to party, drinking champagne & cocktails in luxurious surroundings...” the short & sweet definition for us being truly gAylist and whilst we can acknowledge a few recent parties/events to have met this standard (think SuperMartXe, Matinee, UP & Rome), we have to concur with Billy in saying that it is very much the time to bring back some of this cream of the crop style classy clubbing to the London scene. And in host venue Sound, the team are certainly hoping it will do just that, this unassuming frontage of a club, wedged between tourist shops on Leicester Square, opening out inside onto three floors crammed with the latest technology, sumptuous furniture & decor and with some spectacular panoramic views of London’s west end & beyond. And in the main room, which will host this TTD party, the whole New York industrial feel will certainly give Billy Richard’s event an edge, combining state of the art lighting, sumptuous leather banquette seating and even large sofas inspired by the famous designs of Hoffman.

With much expected of the venue which is sure to deliver, what can we expect from the music? Well the team will be “...showcasing the most talented internationally renowned D.J.’s, while also giving new & upcoming talent a platform to show what they can offer...” the latter part of this statement being the long term aim of TTD, while the launch party will definitely deliver on both the talented & international aspects of their aims, the trio of Brent Nicholls, Nick Tcherniak & Pagano very much fitting the bill and will be combining to produce a superb journey of sound throughout the night, from the more funky latino yet tough twists of Brent, onto the distinctly progressive sounds that Pagano is famous for, ending up with the tech fuelled & hard edged beats for which Nick is renowned. Now, whilst Francesco is still busy in the studio producing his new compilation, “Digital Generation”, his set will surely be crammed with classics like “Loca”, “Back To the Future”, “Drama On The Dancefloor”, “My Religion”, plus (we have been promised by the man himself) previews of some brand new remix works. As for Mr Tcherniak, well he is still riding high from the huge success of both “My People” & latest smash “Deep Water” which just this week topped the Juno download chart (accolade indeed) and Nick will be landing direct at TTD from recording partner, Steve Thomas’s studios in Spain and will no doubt full of new tunes & sounds to sample. As for Brent, well it goes without saying that he has pulled out the stops with a dedicated compilation which is available for download via http://speedyshare.com/files/24364407/1009_TTD_Pre_Launch_Warm_Up-_Welcome_To_The_Club_128.mp3 and to quote him, “...no one wants to be assaulted with pots and pans on a Sunday afternoon, so my set will be funky, chunky and aimed at the hips. Expect a lot of new grooves mixed up with current floor fillers...” and the mix certainly is that, especially with the hip-tastic & funky “Party People” by Audio Jackers in amongst the 64 minutes of gems that gives you more than a hint to this scene favourites opening set at TTD.

Right, well that kind of seals the deal on making TTD a date for us , this looking like being a party you simply cannot miss, although you have, without question, missed out on all the early bird tickets which sold out an age ago, at the beginning of September to be precise. However, we are reliably informed that a very limited amount of advance tickets are still available at the usual Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & DV8 as well as online by going to http://clubtickets.com/gb/2010-10/03/t-t-d-london-launch-party, all priced at £12 (plus booking fee). TTD kicks off this coming Sunday (3rd October) at 4 p.m., the club running through until 2 a.m. Monday morning and if you need any further persuasion that this is the place to be, why not check out their promo video at http://facebook.com/video/video.php?v=499149958451&ref=mf which should also seal the deal for you.

What is left to say? well nothing apart from, it definitely looks like all those elements of Sunday sophistication & style should be back with a bang, courtesy of the event that sets out to “...shake up your Sunday’s...” So, make TTD at Sound on Leicester Square this Sunday a date and join us for a boogie five floors up as we will be there to review it all. (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Focus - A.M. Massive Re-Launch

2010-09-29T14:06:00.002+01:00

“AMAZING AFTERHOURS ALTERATIONS”
A:M. – MASSIVE RE-LAUNCH – SATURDAY 2ND OCTOBER
WEEKEND FOCUS

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)

Weekend Focus - Hard On!'s 7th Birthday

2010-09-24T11:49:00.002+01:00

“HOW MANY DEADLY SINS?”
HARD ON!’S 7TH BIRTHDAY – SATURDAY 25TH SEPTEMBER
WEEKEND FOCUS

When it comes to laying on a fabulous fetish fun filled event, there is no better in the business than Suzie Krueger, the mistress of the night that has reigned supreme over this side of the gAylist scene for as long as we can remember, our first foray into all things a little leather (and we mean a little!) being in the Fist tent a gay pride in 1990 something (we know the date, but we aren’t telling) at Kennington park (oh we may have given it away), when a young & innocent Disco Matt got very much into the swing of the action (did we say swing or sling?!), the rest of our Fist action very much speaking for itself, hardly a month going by without a visit to Substation South, the Imperial Gardens. But as truly amazing Fist was and so much into that scene we were for quite a few years, even heading to Amsterdam when we could, when Fist was no more, we fell out of love with our fetish side, trading in our Crisco in favour of the Disco.

However, with the emergence of the replacement for Fist, the now infamous Hard On!, things were a little tamer, especially as first venue, Crash, was a little too close for home for some, the underground Saturday night phenomenon of the time still running strong, but the cross over between the two clubs a little too close for comfort. But, whist 66 Goding Street did prove a worthy & lengthy home for Hard On!, it really needed to strike new identity & find its fetish feet in a more flexible & fulsome venue, the choice of Hidden, seeing this monthly fetish frolic really find its feet. And like our days at Fist, as we say, the rest is history, Hard On! continuing to attract a healthy crowd of totally up for it leather, rubber, uniform & booted crowd who certainly know how to play on the rough & wild side of clubbing, Suzie & her team providing all the tolls to do so, whether it be the horny music across the two dancefloors or the horny happenings in the myriad of Hidden’s corridors or the extensive play area.

Now, we have indulged in a bit of Hard On! action a few times ourselves, indeed on Boxing Day we did very much wear off a fair bit of turkey and got some stuffing of a different kind to that found on our Christmas Day dinner plate (check out our review at http://discomatt.blogspot.com/2009/12/hard-on-xxxmas-boxing-day-party-club), but with Disco still dominating Crisco for us, visits are not as often as we would like, this weekend being another one we will be missing out on, with duties in Paris in our diary, although we wish we hadn’t made our date with some anglo French activity, as Saturday (25th Sept) marks Hard On!’s 7th Birthday, in what looks like being truly outstanding event for sure. Now, we can hear the masses already polishing up their boots, choosing that extra special horny outfit to wear & honing in on Hidden & heaps of humping, hot & horny action to celebrate this fantastic fetish night in the best way possible.

So, with such a momentous occasion on the doorstep, what can you expect from this special 7th Birthday celebration? Well, all the usual ingredients will be there, 2 dance floors open for plenty of masterful music, the fully equipped playroom with some extra special cinema shows to get those juices flowing, the private outdoor smoking deck & snack-bar (just in case all that horny action gets you feeling a bit peckish), plenty of chill-out zones with comfy leather sofas to rest those tender parts, a full-on cock-shop with all your sexxxsentials and the team even have a cash machine so you can stock up on readies if need be. Add to that plenty of freebies too, free Hard On cum towels (a birthday souvenir for sure), free butt toys from Crackstuffers (these are fun!) plus plenty of free giveaways from sponsor DV8X, plus there will be a limited amount of free 7th Birthday celebration CD compilations from resident jocks, Brent Nicholls & Hugo’sland (more on those in a min). Plus to get you well lubricated (a good reason to arrive early too!) will be a special 7th birthday happy hour from 10 p.m. through till midnight, with 2 for 1 offers on cans of Fosters & vodka/mixer drinks.

As for the entertainment, well it will be absolutely top draw & a-typical Hard On!, the resident band of D.J.’s serving up plenty of sexy & hot horny house across two rooms of dancing fun. Taking control of the blue room (that’s the cruise bar in old language) will be the threesome of Hugos’land, Dmak & Halo-is, performing their musical version of a spit roast with plenty of tough & tech fuelled tunes to get in the mood for a romp next door in the play area, while in the red room (the main space the dynamic duo of Steven Black & Brent Nicholls will be tickling your fancies with what has been described as “arse funky” we couldn’t have said it better ourselves) electro tribal beats, while the usual hunky & horny go-go dancers will be complimented by a special birthday pervy performance from other main sponsor for the night, Raging Stallion, who will be pushing their porn star Ricky Sinz! into the limelight, this muscled & tattooed hunk of flesh (and that’s just his torso!), definitely showing plenty of those seven deadly ones we were deluding to with our title (seven being the number here boys & girls).

Now, what of those two music CD giveaways? Well as we mentioned, both Hugo’sland & Brent Nicholls have been busy in the studio especially for Hard On!’s birthday and whilst the formers mix has not hit our desks yet, Mr Nicholls storming compilation did, we getting an exclusive airing literally the day it was made (aren’t we the lucky ones!) and have to say, it is up to his exceptionally high standards, the 64 minute mix kicking off with a brilliant new interpretation of a Hard On! favourite “Masters & Servants”, then whizzing through a dream blend of electro, funky & tech house tunes, including “Downpipe”, “Arumba”, “Deep In My Sax” (or is that sex?!) and probably our favourite on the compilation, the ever so funky hunky & horny “Conscindo”, but in truth, there is something for everyone on here and will be one Cd you will want to get your hands on come Saturday night. However, we know that those already members of Hard On!’s facebook group have been given details of the download option, as well as those in Brent’s Dropbox group, but we are sure it will hit his website (http://djbrentnicholls.com/) after the event and the mix will feature in our next “DM Does The News” music post, so keep your eyes peeled for that.

Right, to the all important detail and Hard On!’s 7th birthday kicks off at Hidden in Vauxhall this Saturday (25th Sept) from 10 p.m., this special party running through until 5 a.m. But remember that this is a members only club, membership details available at http://hardonclub.co.uk/, as well as being a strict dresscode event, that’s leather rubber, uniform, skinhead gear, boots and if you dare, bare (but remember footwear is always required in the club), so no jeans or trainers and definitely no disco dancewear ( you know what we mean!). Entrance for members is £15 and for guests (members can bring up to two) £20.

So, is definitely birthday time down at Hidden this Saturday, so get those boots out, squeeze into your tightest leather/rubber and get down to Hard On! to celebrate seven glorious hunky, funky, horny sexy years with Suzie & her boys at London’s dirtiest dance club, you know where to be! (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Best Bites 17th to 19th Sept

2010-09-16T02:09:00.002+01:00

Hey Folks,

Well, after a last weekend full of interesting & diverse action with Suzie Krueger’s “Sweat” on Saturday, sandwiched by all things Matinee, the accent this coming weekend will be much more on Brazil rather than Spain, as massive club brand, The Week, lands in London for a spectacular party at Fire in Vauxhall. You can catch all the details via our Weekend Focus post, direct at http://discomattweekend.blogspot.com/2010/09/weekend-focus-week.html, while our preview goes into further detail, the report entitled “Sourced In Sao Paulo, Landing In London” out at http://discomattpreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-event-preview.html. But as always, there are plenty of other events on to tempt you out and we take you through our best bites look at Soho, Vauxhall & alternative offerings.

So, looking at Soho first, Profile & Lo-Profile remain top dog in our picks, Friday (17th Sept) looking every bit as good as Saturday with the return of Nick Evans, whose uplifting & funky sounds never fail to hit the mark, he kicking things off downstairs in Lo-Profile on Friday, while favourite Jamie Head steers you into Saturday with some seriously stirring sounds, while Phil (where are our track details) Marriot starts it all upstairs in profile Bar from 7 p.m., hopefully this week transmitting live onto Gaydar Radio’s clubnation show. Saturday sees more of a euro beat & Spanish influence in Lo-Profile as the mighty Gonzalo Rivas gets the atmosphere going, while SuperMartXe & Lovechild resident Tony English selects some of the latest beats to hit the dancefloor to take you into Sunday in style, with the fab Nick Evans back for more, although this time will be upstairs in Profile bar to compliment the buzzy feel of the bar with loads of brilliant beats. Over at Shadow Lounge, there are further enhancements a-foot as the team have yet more nip & tuck improvements on the way, so why not compare old with new and get yourselves down there on Friday when they roll out another “Therapy” session, with D.J’s Minx & Miswhite sharing the plaudits, while the institution that is “Inferno” takes of Shadow’s Saturday, the dishy Andrew Elmore spinning the uplifting sounds, plus keep your eyes peeled on news of the new look party at the end of the month, as well as our review on Shadow Lounge’s monthly Thursday nighter, “Hola”. Our other Soho big shout goes to Rupert Street who have scooped international megastar D.J. Paul Heron for Saturday, the man making a rare weekend appearance in the capital before jetting off to Brazil, plus news in is that our favourite Soho spot will be selling Beyond tickets from this weekend on, so watch out for the video virals, the posters & check behind the bar to grab your advance tickets for some afterhours action at Area.

This neatly moves us on to Vauxhall and clearly The Week takes centre stage on Saturday (18th Sept) at Fire, although there is plenty of activity from The Orange Group as usual, stretching from Gravity on Thursday, through till Orange on Monday morning, talking of which, this citric splendour just seems to be going from strength to strength again at the mo and is very much the jewel in the Fire crown, so is definitely worth a look in this weekend. Mind you, Beyond looks like being a sure-fire winner this weekend too, as all those hot Brazilians will be hot footing it across to Area for more doses of Steve Pitron & Mikey D, not to mention slices of Jamie Head, Paul Christian, D’Johnny & more. Other tip top choices in the Orange Group armoury are guest D.J. Paul, Heron at Onyx with their “Anthems III” party at Area on Friday night, A.M. over at Fire on Saturday morning (probably one of the last chances you will get to see it in its current state) and Booster back at Area on Sunday evening, all which look like being pretty popular. Away from All Things Orange and The RVT seems to be the place to be this weekend too, as Friday sees the return of the popular “Anthem”, an Old Skool Reunion style party with plenty of heavenly, hi-nrg house & pumping pop in the hands of D.J.’s Marc Andrews, Sean Sirrs & Andy Almighty, while on Saturday, it just wouldn’t be the same without “Duckie” & the combo of host Amy Lame & sounds from the Readers Wifes. Sunday sees the return of the institution that is S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out and if you haven’t been to one of these outrageous outings, where have you been in our life?!?!, entertainment from The D.E. Experience, warm up hot house music from Gaydar’s own Simon Le Vans & for those that can’t resist another serving from Sean Sirrs & Andy Almighty, you get them too, plus with special drinks offers early on, including Pints & Spirits +Mixer at £2 and with the nights drawing in, what better way to see off your Sunday than a dosing of Dame Edna, we love it!! Our best bite goes to “Carpet Burn” at the Eagle on Saturday, which has a gay bingo special (we love a bit of number calling) with the extravert Jonny Woo with sidekicks Ma Butcher & John Sizzle all ready to serve up plenty of ball busting bingo action & plenty of fun & frolicking thrown in.

However, if its genuine alternative you are looking for then the mother of them all returns this weekend, as Gutterslut hits ya this Saturday over at Vogue Fabrics in Stoke Newington, bringing out the Dalston Gay Mafia in force, Messrs Per Q.X., Elliot J Brown, Nic Fisher & Miss Crystal MC doing it like no others can at this hip hop hangout. Now this party has established a reputation for cutting edge electro & tech tunes, with one of the most diverse & mixed crowds we have seen anyway, some dressed to impress, others simply ready for a mash-up bohemian style in cool cloths to cut a stride, so it goes without saying this night gets our complete thumbs up and with entry at just £5 all night, is definite bargain city. However, our beloved Dalston Superstore has plenty up its sleeve this weekend, although we do the rundown backwards as Sunday (19th Sept) sees “Tutti Frutti” return, with special guest Ninejob of NYC Downlow fame, who will not only be bringing some sumptuous sounds for your Sunday, but will be celebrating his birthday too, so this should be a right old party for sure, especially if his recent performances at Lovebox & Horse Meat Disco are anything to go by. As for Saturday, it’s all about “Sink The Pink” at the DSS, with their team of residents captivating the Kingsland High St crowd with all their post Bestival cabaret antics, including Dale Winton –esque “Happy Shopper” shows & plenty of party tunes to pump the atmosphere, although the star of the weekend has to go to the special Fashion Week opening party on Friday, as “Revive” sports a plethora of new & upcoming D.J. talent including the Rollerboys, Who Knows, Hercules, Gilliam Smyth, Paul Sethi & Will Best, the whole night full of fashion & fulsome music, especially as the night is supported by F**K My Fashion Box TV who will be covering “best in show” as part of proceedings. Other hot tips out East include the fantastic “Disco Fag Bar” at East Bloc on City Road on Friday, not to mention “Caligula” at new home Basing House, gets in on Fashion week too, with their own electro pop fuelled version. But alternative queen “Circus” has to be a hit this coming Sunday as Jodie & co prepare for Fashion week with their “Catwalk” event, hosts Alexis Knox, Kingsley & Johanna and none other than Ms Dynamite as PA for this sweetie darling delight of a gathering that should see plenty of fashion statements (and that’s just some of the attire). With Miss Harsh joining Kris Di Angelis on the decks, Paramount will once again rock with a special live photo shoot at midnight to boot, so is without doubt, THE best way to finish your weekend.

Further & full details of all these, our best bites offerings, can be found in the popular weekly press mags or on the events pages of social networking site Facebook.

Now, just time to squeeze in a mention for tip top clubbing website SeenQueen, who have just updated their listings to stretch tight up the end of October, the team also giving you details of their gAylist clubs & bars listings within their “clubs” section, which is well worth a look at http://seenqueen.com/clubs. Plus they have their own take of The Week at Fire this coming Saturday, with their recent blog post, plus plenty more besides, not least a nifty video capturing some of the highlights of the coming autumn in gAylist capital clubland, all played out with a superlative soundtrack, recognise it??

Right folks, that’s it for another weekend and while The Week at Fire on Saturday is a major part of our schedule, we will try & fit in a trip to Beyond afterwards, although with bags of writing commitments, not least five reviews & three previews, it will be a relatively quiet one out on the scene for us. However, whatever you do, have a brilliant time, if you see us out somewhere do come say hi and as we always say.....Go There! Be There!

xDM

Weekend Focus - The Week

2010-09-15T00:23:00.002+01:00

“UNDER A WEEK TO THE WEEK”
THE WEEK AT FIRE – SATURDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER
WEEKEND FOCUS

It may have been made in Brazil, but come this Saturday, The Week will be storming London’s weekend and bringing more than a slice of Sao Paulo, Rio & Florianopolis to Vauxhall & Fire in particular, as the man behind Lovechild, As One & plenty more besides, Alex Erfan, imports this institution of a club that not only rules supreme in its home country, but is making an ever increasing splash across the globe. Now, we covered not just the clubs history & placing within Brazil, but also delved deep into The Week’s first visit to London in our preview “Sourced In Sao Paulo, Landing In London”, which you can view via direct link to http://discomattpreview.blogspot.com/2010/09/week-event-preview.html and whilst we were simply going to bring you some final details in an “Extra Bites” post, such is the magnitude of the event and the further developments, that we though a full focus was required.

So, what are these developments we are deluding to? Well, first of all, news has come our way of incredible developments with the main room at host venue Fire, the venue ownership & management already having employed considerable upgrading to both the space & equipment, short of transforming the look & feel of the room. From what we have been told, the changes simply have to be seen to be believed, which includes a new “fully open” D.J. booth, repositioned towards the back of the newly extended space to give both clubbers & the D.J.’s a much better view & perspective on each other, and a new video wall installation which will make a considerable splash. However, exclusively for The Week, Alex & his team have employed the services of OBsqaure, who will be flying in direct from New York to add to this dramatic change to Fire’s main room, with yet more laser & lighting installations for which this expert in the art has become famous for, clients in London including The Gallery club event & also The Super Club. Plus, in an exclusive discussion just today, it is confirmed that OBsquare will be installing over 70 separate pieces of equipment, not just in the main room, but right across the club, very much evoking the feel that The Week has in its primary home back in Sao Paulo.

But more is to come as this all things Brazilian & carnival event will have production & decor oozing out of it, as the team have not only been using resources close to home, but The Week team themselves will be importing effects from Brazil and we have even been informed that huge feathers ala carnival style have been sourced from South Africa, all hinting that this will be a no holds barred effort to dazzle & wow you from the minute you step foot into Fire on Saturday. Yet, if all that wasn’t enough, inbound Australian choreographer Ashley Swift, the man behind many of the stunning shows at Sydney Mardi Gras, will be heading up the creation of a whole string of shows across the event, not just ensuring that the costume design the myriad of gorgeous dancers will be incredible, but the shows themselves will be highly visible and, as he has been quoted as saying, “...will have elements of OTT carnival and Bate Cabelo, combined with very modern dazzling pieces...”. Expect the hottest Brazilian dancers ever seen in the capital, plus with special input & collaboration with Michael Mau of Paris’s Supersized Pool Party (who host The Week at their own event on Sat 25th Sept) there will definitely be the feeling that you are in the thick of Rio at the height of carnival.

Now, we covered the music & the D.J. line up in great detail in our preview, although there is some fresh news to bring you as we can re-confirm that special guest D.J., Per Q.X., will not only be playing in the mirrorarch room, but will, within his set, be presenting a live performance of his smash hit “Blow My Trumpet”, the latest news being that top saxophonist Sandra Grant, will be on stage blowing he sax to the track. Joining Per in the mirrorarch will be Paul Heron, who is no stranger to the Week, having played for them in Sao Paulo on a number of occasions and in yet another exclusive discussion, he has confirmed that his set will be littered with new & vibrant sounds, very much in The Week style and may include a re-work of “Happiness”, which we featured in our last report. More news on the D.J. front is that this event will boast a back-to-back set by Steve Pitron & Mikey D, Mr Dower truly excited about his inclusion, especially on the back of his new compilation release, “Lose Control” which is out now at http://mikeyd.podomatic.com/, which is his much awaited solo release follow up to “Get Lifted” and, for us, is even better & very much worth the wait. The mix is well worth a listen and gives a distinct nod to the kind of music to expect from Mikey on the night, which will no doubt also steer Steve in the uplifting direction. Add to all this the inclusion of scene favourite Brent Nicholls in the line-up, as well as inbound The Week resident, the gorge Leandro Bekker, superstar Spaniard Gonzalo Rivas & London based Brazilian Doug’ Uim and the music will be absolute top draw for sure.

Right, now to the important detail and The Week takes place this coming Saturday (18th September) at Fire in Vauxhall, doors opening at 11 p.m. and the event running through until 7 a.m. Advance tickets have been selling well & with plenty of promotional activity around, there is a real buzz about this one. So, we suggest you go grab your tickets as soon as you can, either by going online direct to http://clubtickets.com/gb/2010-09/18/the-week, or get yours at outlets Prowler, Clone Zone or DV8, all priced at £10 (plus booking fee where applicable, although more will be available on the door. Add to that, free entry to Beyond for the first 100 through the doors at Fire and this is one Saturday/Sunday that you won’t want to miss. More details on this special The Week event, should you need them, can be found at http://alexerfan.com/. Plus, why not check out the official trailer for The Week tour, covering London & Paris (but mainly London!) at http://youtube.com/watch?v=IkMhrk5_a6M.

So, it goes without saying that this coming Saturday will be all things Brazil & Brazilian down at Fire, with The Week looking set to dominate the weekend in gAylist/land London. As the promoter sums up, “...we are getting ready for one massive party...” so recommend you book your place in this carnival of an event and join us for what looks like being THE place to be & be seen on the scene. Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)

Extra Bites - "Matinee Music at MOS"

2010-09-12T12:14:00.001+01:00

Hey Folks,

Well, for once its seems the BBC were actually quite accurate with the weather forecast for a change and the sun is shining this morning, as promised, although we never wish to take them on their word, so have popped out to check for ourselves & the sun hitting the face is very pleasant indeed, meaning we will be braving this September Sunday with shorts, Addidas high risers &, of course, our latest t-shirt.

So, by now you have probably guessed that it is their “Open Air Summer Party II” at MOS where we will be heading today and with the weather pretty much sorted and all the other details covered off in our post “Simmer Smash Second Coming”, we thought it appropriate to share with you some tasters of what to expect on the music front, the line-up of Leandro Kloppel, Paul Heron, J Louis, Alessandro Londra, Nick Tcherniak & Pagano, which not only promises much but is sure to deliver.

And kicking off our mini look at Matinee’s music, first up is the Logan Presents September podcast, which very much has this Spanish super clubbing brand in mind, this 111 minute collection of music compiled by Tony English, kick starting as it means to go on with Rebekka Brown’s brand new track “Get It On”, a storming euro beat blast that very much sets the tone, Tony then diving straight into the mix for 25 minutes, before handing over to J Louis, who will take the helm on the Terrace straight after PA Vanessa Klein’s performance (more in that in a sec). So, go grab this latest in the series of Logan Presents podcasts at http://loganpresentspodcast.podomatic.com and get warmed up for J Louis’s set in the best possible way.

Right, onto Vanessa and she will be treating the packed out terrace at MOS with her two smash hits (both Matinee anthems over in Spain & Ibiza), “Pray” & “Keep Hanging On”, both tracks evoking everything that is magnificent about Matinee. Now, if you haven’t heard the tracks, where have you been? But we are sure you have, especially when you check them out via these links, “Pray” at http://youtube.com/watch?v=MeaFf4VH1eo and “Keep Hanging On” at http://youtube.com/watch?v=hGrIO4Zye9s, this one very much having the J Louis stamp on it, which should very much set the scene for his set.

But inside and guest D.J. Nick Tcherniak makes a welcome return to the Matinee decks and has plenty of musical tricks up his sleeve, including his new track “Deep Water”, a collaboration with studio partner & pal, Steve Thomas, Nick remarking “...check out Matt Smallwood’s excellent remix of Steve & my “Deep Water” track feat Wilmien, the remix package is out today on Sorry Shoes recordings I'll definitely be spinning it at Ministry of Sound, London this Sunday afternoon for Matinee, can't wait!...” and nor can we, so will definitely be trading out for in during Mr Tcherniak’s set for sure. Now, are keeping you in suspense about “Deep Water” as will leave it to Nick to treat you to that, but just had to share with you a fab mix of their previous smash “My People”, re-worked by Alan X, which is an absolute corker and is sure to be in Nick’s set. Check it out both on Nick’s compilation mix “Trade, DTPM, Red & Blue In Reverse” at http://nicktcherniak.podomatic.com, a snippet also available at http://youtube.com/watch?v=2lc8fZBZVm4, recorded following Nick & Steve’s back-to-back set at Casanova during this year’s Circuit Festival in Barcelona.

As the for others, well we know that Alessandro, Pagano & Paul have been busy in the studio working on new tracks & compilations, so watch out for some special new material, plus Leandro is very much in the zone following the Matinee pre-party at the Box on Friday, all meaning that the music is sure to mesmeric at MOS from start to finish. So, if you haven’t booked your place yet, what are you waiting for, het online, go to http://loganpresents.com and book your ticket to Matinee magnificence, which gets underway in less than two hours.

As for us, our passage is safe, our journey planned & our arrival timed for about 4 p.m, so if you see us out at this “Open Air Summer Party II”, then come say hi, but in a change to our usual finale, we say “forget the pink and head for the red, you know where to be”.

xDM

Extra Bites - "Matinee at MOS"

2010-09-11T18:56:00.002+01:00

“SUMMER SMASH SECOND COMING”
MATINEE LONDON “OPEN AIR SUMMER PARTY II” –
SUNDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER
WEEKEND EXTRA BITES

To be blatantly honest, what we have said about Matinee in the past still rings true, this is by far our favourite overseas clubbing brand of all the recent protagonists to infiltrate the capital in recent times, as not only does it continue to compete with Beyond for our affections, but it retains an air of quality that others simply aspire to rather than achieve. Yes, Matinee has been through the mill a little, its fortunes waxing & waning, moves here & there never really giving it a firm foundation, thereby confusing & bewildering some of its most ardent of followers, even disenfranchising & alienating its audiences, allegiances splitting and mix messages meaning this massive worldwide clubbing brand’s reputation & survival in the fierce clubbing climate in the capital was at stake.

However, in its current incarnation & home at Ministry Of Sound (MOS) and following the highly successful first party back in July, Matinee seems to have found new favour & steam, especially given its new timing on a Sunday afternoon which went down an absolute storm with all that attended, the party being very much our highlight of the year so far, you only have to read our review at http://discomatt.blogspot.com/2010/07/splendid-sunday-sunshine-soiree-matinee.html to realise just how. But, don’t just take our word for just how good the party was, the feedback the team behind the new look Matinee, Logan Presents, received was nothing short of euphoric, even the fiercest of protagonists admitting that Mr Schmitz & his team pulled of something very special that Sunday back on 11th July, even the scores of people we spoke to following the event agreed, Matinee definitely struck new ground & injected new life into a scene desperate for something a little different.

So, the reaction & response to the second party, which takes place tomorrow (Sunday 12th Sept) has been incredible, even given the fact that there is a realisation that the weather will have its hand in the success of the “Ibiza Terrace” theme, although looking at the forecast, all seems set fair for Sunday, dry weather & temperate conditions on the cards, so with the sun shining as it is expected to do, it will be down to the team of D.J.’s t turn up the heat on proceedings, which definitely looks like happening given the impeccable line-up. So what is this superb selection of delectable D.J.’s? Well, out on the Terrace, Brazilian wonder Leandro Kloppel will be kicking off proceedings at 2 p.m., and what a brilliant start it will be, especially if his storming set at the pre-party last night is anything to go by, his magnificent music matching his stunning looks. Then, international megastar Paul Heron hits the decks running, taking the middle slot this time, which is sure to be a very popular move and he will have MOS absolutely pulsating by the time Matinee Spain resident J Louis arrives for duty, accompanied by superb P.A. for the event, Vanessa Klein, who should set the place well & truly on Fire, Vanessa armed with her hot new hits “Pray” & “Keep Hanging On” and Mr Louis suitably equipped with all the latest euro beats, Ibiza anthems & plenty besides to delight.

Inside and it is just as good, with Matinee London longstanding resident Alessandro Londra getting you right into the groove from the off and having been with him just this last Wednesday, we know he has be delved through 100’s of new tunes & racks to make up his set at MOS, so we know you will be in for a treat. Then, fresh from a Barcelona trip, Nick Tcherniak will take charge, he himself armed with loads of new beats, not least tracks “My People” & “Deep Water”, both produced in collaboration with studio partner Steve Thomas, the latter having held sway at a special launch in Barcode Vauxhall last Saturday. Rounding off the line-up inside is Italian stallion Pagano, who also has plenty of new tricks up his sleeve, he on the cusp of launching his first compilation “Digital Generation”, so will be chomping at the bit to share some of the tracks with us.

Now the shrewd Mr Schmitz informed us in an exclusive chat that “...contingencies for the weather have been made and we are prepared to switch outside for in dependant on conditions...” adding that “...should we need to move the music & partying indoors, then the MOS main room (known as The Box) will be ready to take the place of the Terrace...”. And we know that, following the issues with the outside setup at M.O.S.T. and with the MOS venue management having wiped the egg off their faces, all the stops will be pulled out to ensure Logan & his team have the logistical support they need for a quick transition if it is necessary.

Right for that all important last minute detail and if you are one of very few that have not yet decided to add Matinee to your weekend of activity, you can still grab advance tickets either online at http://loganpresents.com/ or at usual outlets Prowler, Clone Zone, DV8 & Solar Station in Soho and The Box & Santos & Mowen in Covent Garden. However, more will be on the door, this second Matinee “Open Air Experience” getting underway at 2 p.m., with the new extended midnight ending looking like being a very popular move indeed. Again, having spoken to Logan, he has advised that “...door entry will run till necessary, probably 8 or 9 p.m....”, but we know anyone & everyone will be there much earlier, as the action not to be missed will be outdoors during sunlight, although the superb Terrace lighting means the place will be swinging all night & that’s just outside!!

So, it goes without saying that this latest Matinee party looks like being THE hot ticket of the weekend, many saving themselves, others adding it to a hectic weekend of partying (us included in that) and all that remains to say, is that whilst there maybe be something happening up in Soho, we suggest you forget pink and head for red, as Matinee will once again paint MOS with picture perfect music & entertainment that no other club brand can, you know where to be!! (DISCO MATT)

Extra Bites - "Soho Pink Sunday"

2010-09-11T11:23:00.006+01:00

“PRIDE IN PERSEPTION? – REGULARITY IN REALITY?”
SOHO PINK WEEKEND – SUNDAY 12TH SEPTEMBER
WEEKEND EXTRA BITES

Now, everyone that was around in the capital this time last year, will remember Soho Live, the replacement for Soho Pride which fell by the wayside for a number of reasons, some “official”, others revealing the actual position with regards to lack of funding and the reticence for many of the businesses that benefit from such an event, not being prepared to put their hands in their pockets & cough up the necessary pink pounds to ensure this most popular pride event would go ahead for the seventh year. However, with former success put to sleep, in stepped massive multifaceted & multinational company, Gaydar, who did what others were not prepared to do and put their money where their mouth was, the fanfare which followed being Soho Live, a concept that was intended to deliver exactly what Soho Pride had done so successfully, but with one subtle difference, the event would be in September rather than August. And in reality, that was set to be its misfortune, as the a-typical British weather failed to deliver, a cloudy & cold day seeing little or no activity until 5 or 6 p.m., there also being claims that lack of advertising & awareness was its downfall, but whatever the excuses, Soho Live failed to deliver, leaving many disappointed & disenfranchised.

So, a year on and where are we? Well, despite continued pushes & enquiries from the late spring, all our efforts to see if a new Soho Live would emerge or indeed whether the full-on Pride would return, fell on deaf ears and so we, like many, threw our energies into the more traditional yearly events like London, Brighton, Madrid & Cologne and averted our minds away from what had always been our most favourite event, Soho Pride. So why was Soho pride so good? Well, it was the combination of all business coming together for one day, the streets being converted into one huge party piece, with stalls, shows & spectacles a plenty, but especially, it was the music from the various stages on Rupert St, Soho Square & Frith Street that really hit the mark & made the day, a Sunday event, very special indeed. So, given all of this and, in the knowledge of what the winning formula is, what will Soho Pink Sunday be delivering, as our title suggest, is it “Pride in perception?” or is it in fact “regularity in reality?” and have some of the lessons from Soho Live been learnt?

Well, the first thing we have to make clear is that, there are NO plans for any sort of outdoor stalls or stages as, we understand, the necessary approval and licences have not been sought or granted. Instead, what Soho Pink Sunday is delivering is some extra pomp & circumstance (quite apt given the last night of the proms!) within the confines of your favourite bar hangouts across the gay village & slightly beyond.

The second is that the advertising has been somewhat muted, or at least lost in translation, meaning many may be unaware of the event of what it stands for. The perception by many, some D.J.’s included, is that they will be involved in a similar festival to Soho pride, but not at all, as the entertainment will be confined to the indoors, the bars & the clubs and NOT on the streets.

Yes, Soho is definitely going to be looking pink, as all the bars will be making extra effort & splash with decor & production to tempt you into their doors. In addition and what comes naturally with such a special event, is that all the businesses involved will be raising money for worthy & related causes, The Albert Kennedy trust being the main benefactor, but others include The Elton John AIDS Foundation & THT, so there is an underlying opinion that there is value & meaning in what Soho Pink Weekend sets out to do, apart from the scores of claims that it will, like events of the past, bring the Soho community together, as a well known gay weekly put it in their own perception, “...the community spirit of Soho well & truly comes alive with a celebration of all thinks pink, gay & Central London...” it further claiming that “...Soho Pink Weekend involves various bars, clubs, restaurants & shops, pulling together to create one memorable day...”.

However, reading between the lines, what will actually be happening is that bars & clubs will be making the most of the day to boost money in the till, although we really do hope some of that extra cash will go to the charity(s) that are supposedly benefitting from the Soho wide event. Yes, there will be music entertainment & a bit more, but nowhere near on the scale of Soho pride and, in our view, not really standing for the “community spirit” which some care to paint it.

So what is this memorable day going to deliver? Well, looking through the various offerings, it seems pretty clear that the emphasis is on entertainment within the bars & clubs of Soho & slightly further a-field, those that stand out in the list of 18 involved venues being Barcode, Profile/Lo-Profile, Rupert Street & Shadow Lounge, although efforts are being made by others, such as CXR79 & Comptons, to offer something a little more to the regularity of a spot of Sunday socialising. Therefore, given this and in typical style, we pick out our best bits across Soho Pink Sunday, first taking a look at Barcode, with three D.J.’s mixing up the magical music, the pop/electro-tastic Tasty Tim headlining the offer up on the ground floor, who will be joined by Jo Publik, while Barcode favourite & cheeky monkey Steven Artis spins the sounds down in the basement. In addition, the team will serve up drinks offers at £2.50 for anyone wearing pink and in addition, should they be brave enough to be photographed, names will go into a draw to win the new i-pod touch, wow! Over on Wardour Street, Profile will be transformed from yellow to pink for the day, resident D.J.’s Rob Sykes & Jamie Head ensuring you keep entertained, while downstairs in Lo-Profile, the doors are opened at the usual time of 10 p.m. for this special day, Rob Sykes & Alessandro delving into their D.J. bags for the dance hits. Having the inside track on Rupert Street as we do, we know the team have something very spectacular to dazzle you, both the specially commissioned pink decoration and the music hitting the high notes just as much as the “Hot Pink” theme of the day, with resident Alessandro Londra being joined by a team of jocks that includes scene favourite Brent Nicholls, while Shadow Lounge also have their say, with Tuesday night “OMFG” taking over proceedings, Kris Di Angelis & Munroe Bergdof heading up an cast including Lady Lloyd & Mikey Kardashian.

Other highlights of the day can be found at Village with the pink-tastic Heidi Liscious & her gorgeous go-go boys entertaining, Comptons, who have D.J.’s Littlejohn, Grant Wilkins, Zach Hadley & Paul Short making sure the music is top draw & on-stop all day, Ku Bar on Frith Street throwing on a special “Pink Priscilla Day” which includes a spectacular performance from some of the cast of the West End stage adaptation of the film, between 5 & 7 p.m., while CXR79 have a camp comedy & drag cabaret from 3 p.m., including Mandy Gap, Rose Garden & Bette Rinse. Slightly further a-field & The Box in Covent Garden have the hunky & gorge D.J. Dimitry K on the decks and having caught up with him last night, he tells us that he has some exciting new sounds in his bag, so should be a set not to miss, while Kudos have a pink filled day with their team of go-go’s spinning around the dance poles in tiny pink shorts showing off their assets, while free pink shots & all that eye candy should get things pretty red hot down on Adelaide St.

Further details of these & other offerings across Soho Pink Sunday can be found in the popular press & in the events pages of social networking site, Facebook, but suffice to say there will be plenty of action inside your favourite hangouts to keep you satisfied. However, undeniably, people will be spilling out onto the streets and looking at the forecast, the sun will be shining, so people will naturally gravitate outdoors, although, like London Pride, do not expect any form of alfresco entertainment, well apart from loads of people in pink having a superb social schmoose and with no plans to close off any of the streets, restrictions will be in force in exactly where you can booze & schmoose. As for us, well, our diary is pretty much full with other things, although we may be able to squeeze in a quick early visit to Rupert St, but take the opportunity to wish everyone involved, especially those raising money for good causes, a hugely successful Soho Pink Sunday, which many bars & clubs will hope is the business success they want it to be. (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Best Bites - 10th to 12th Sept

2010-09-10T07:39:00.003+01:00

Hey Folks,

Well, where has the week gone, a blink and we find ourselves on the cusp of another weekend & what a great one it looks like being, so we just had to share as much as we could, although with time running out, some “focuses” may have to become “extra bites”, so watch out for slots on “Matinee”, “Soho Pink Sunday”, & “Sweat”, although we will be getting a full focus out on “Bear Necessity”.

In the meantime, it’s time to take our “best bites” looks at what’s on offer across the weekend, in what looks like e quite an active one, although a couple of events very much down to the weather, while other tried & tested offerings should prove popular on this second weekend of September.

So, looking at Soho first and naturally Sunday dominates the schedule, as its “Soho Pink Sunday” in our favourite gay village in the capital and we will bring you full details of the places to be & be seen in this latest incarnation purporting to be a replacement for oho Pride. However, Looking at Friday (10th Sept) & Saturday, top of our pile once again goes to Lo-Profile, who are serving up the Beyond resident mixing maestro’s Mikey D & Steve Pitron, Mr Dower have literally just released his new compilation mix “Lose Control”, so we expect that the control tethers on his performance will we & truly be off, no doubt aided & abetted by Mr Pitron who is sure to treat us to some superb sounds in response, maybe even the new funky version of “Release Me” we heard just last night at Industri. Saturday at Lo-Profile sees another Beyond resident hit the decks, joined by a recent Beyond guest, as tech house champ D’Johnny takes up the late slot, while Rupert t regular Alessandro Londra gets things going in sparkling style, while Profile upstairs is always a good warm up run for clubbing exploits with bigger sister, Phil Marriot returning for another “clubnation” session on Friday, while Saturday has Rob Sykes warming up proceedings as he knows best. Shadow Lounge keeps things on the straight & narrow with their regular slots “Therapy” on Friday & “Inferno on Saturday (you know the score by now), while our other two highlights go to The Box on Friday, who are gripped with Matinee fever as the Spanish giant of a club brand prepares for its “Summer Closing Party” on Sunday with a pre-party extraordinaire, the magnificent Mauricio masterminding proceedings and Leandro Kloppel supplying the sounds. Saturday is very much all about Barcode, as scene favourite Brent Nicholls returns and, given his bag of trucks at Industri last night, including that fabulous “Release me” mix, this should be an uplifting session & a half. Don’t forget folks, that “Soho Pink Sunday” will get our full treatment tomorrow.

Right, turning our attention to Vauxhall and with new night “Bear Necessity” getting our full focus, this Amsterdam import taking over Fire on Saturday (11th Sept) The Orange Group family of events looks like be sure-fire winners once again, as “Onyx” kicks off the weekend tonight, the highlight being a special b2b set by promoter Johnny M and regular resident Lee Harris, whom we included in our DM Does the News music m=newsletter earlier this week, so if both his dedicated compilation & live performance at “As One” a couple of weeks ago are anything to go by, Mr Harris, together with Mr Marsh, should be a set to savour. “A.M.” follows, with the team very much gearing up for the re-launch at the beginning of October, although current resident regulars D’Johnny, Gonzalo Rivas & Alan K will be joined by Beyond blackbox boy Paul Christian, while the vinyl lounge has The Oli & Jamie Head this week. Jumping to Sunday and “Beyond” gets its belief extension treatment with all our favourites behind the decks & more, while “Later” then rolls into a special “Booster”, when promoter Romain Lopez shakes it up with two new D.J.’s in the form of Dan K & Jo’z, joining regulars Ferno, Heidi Liscious, Jason Prince & James St James, also replacing the fog like smoke with fulsome foam which should be fun. Having said that, Barcode will certainly be giving the competition a run for their money this weekend, as Friday sees another monthly “Funkarama”, the D.J. line up including Megawoof’s Leonardo Glovibes & Daz Saund as well as star of Queer Nation last week at Area, Micky Galliano who has also been on the compilation release trail with his new one entitled “Feel The Rush”, which we will be featuring in the next couple of weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Saturday is also quite special as the Italian stallion, Pagano, takes to the decks for a five hour special set, following up on his “Digital” performance at Onyx a couple of weeks ago, this set in the re-structured dance bar at BCV likely to be full of Francesco classics, with some newer tracks hinting towards the final line-up on his compilation “Digital Generation” which is due for launch on 2nd October. Of our other “best bites”, well Friday goes to “Kimono Krush” at The RVT, with plenty of alternative retro pop & electro, while on Saturday “Carpet Burn” at The Eagle have Prince Nelly also taking it a tad retro & electro with the accent on 80’s inferno, then no Sunday would be the same without a “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out” session with the incomparable DE Experience & her chill-out D.J.’s boys to steer you into the new week.

As for our alternatives, well The Dalston Superstore is right up there again, especially now that we know exactly where it is, struggling as we did last Friday to find it, but eventually thrilled to have done so, as it is a real hip hop of a hangout & well worth the journey (more on those all important directions in a mo). Now, things get going on Friday, with new(ish) night “Charity Shoppe” returning with plenty of flea market pound shop pop & junkyard house, D.J’s Nasty Mcqauid and John & On joining Trailertrash's Ian Robinson & Jonjo on the decks, while on Saturday, the ever & very popular “Hot Mess” makes its mark, when Fil Ok & Holestar very much mix it up messy style with anything from electro to heavymetal downstairs, while oldskool is the name of the game upstairs and very much in the “NagNagNag” way with JoJo De Freq rekindling this legendary electroclash bash. Sunday (12th Sept), sees the return of a Dalston Superstore institution as “Tutti Frutti” takes centre-stage with resident D.J. Squeaky setting the scene with sweet soulful sounds to soothe you into Monday, also throwing in handfuls of disco diva dance tunes for good measure to keep your toes tapping & your hips hopping and as for those directional details, just make sure you don’t make the mistake we did & look for this Superstore splendour on Kingsland Road, as it is on Kingsland High St, a subtle difference that actually makes all the difference (in our case about 2 miles), so head for Dalston Junction & you can’t go wrong. As for our other best bites offerings, well “Disco Fag Bar” has to be in our choices, not least after a spectacular re-launch last Friday, when special guests Princess Julia & Tasty Tim pulled out all the stops to make it the huge success it was, this week seeing Gibson & Ganio return, with Laurent C getting his say and a possible appearance by none other than Luke Howard to serve up loads of electro disco, synt pop & even some hi-nrg house in this East Bloc NYC style venue on Old Street. As for Saturday, well Amy Lame’s “Duckie” celebrates a special birthday, while on Sunday, it is all about retro-tastic tea dancing at The White Swan on Commercial Road, as they roll out another “Strictly Sunday’s” session.

Further details of all these, our best bites for the weekend, can be found in the pages of the popular press & vuia the events on social networking site Facebook.

Now, as always we get a squeeze in for tip top clubbing site SeenQueen, who have just updated their club diary with events stretching into October (they are always well ahead of the game this lot!) and have plenty of news in the new(ish) style blog page, as well as a special feature on the changes happening to the building fabric of Fire & Area in an interview with Craig Elder. Now, not that we are bitter or anything, but they got in before us, again, although keep a watch out for our own take on all this in a special “Disco Matters” out in the second week of October. In the meantime, get your arses onto http://seenqueen.com/ and see what the team have to offer, it’s hot & it’s happening in SeenQueen towers for sure.

Right, that’s it for another best bites look and on a weekend that looks like being another hectic one for us, it already having starting in a divine Disco Matt dancing dervish at Industri last night (hope no-one took any photo’s), but carries on tonight (Fri 10th Sept) at Matinee’s pre-party, which will also include celebrations for hot go-go dancer Luke’s birthday, then we get all hot under the collar with a trip to Suzi Krueger’s “Sweat” on Saturday, preceded by a drop in on Brent Nicholls at Barcode Soho. Sunday morning starts early for us with a call at beyond, before quickly refreshing ourselves for the main event that will be Matinee, so if you see us out come say hi, if you don’t then enjoy what your weekend has to offer, but as we always say....Go There! Be There!

xDM

Weekend Focus - Leather Megawoof

2010-09-03T13:04:00.002+01:00

“BEEFCAKE BEATS”
LEATHER MEGAWOOF (“LEATHAWOOF”) – SATURDAY 4TH SEPT
WEEKEND FOCUS

If there is a club that quietly goes about its business continuing to attract a healthy crowd month after month, bridging the gap between the outright gAylist events that are the likes of Lovechild, Matinee & SuperMartXe with the more bear-tastic XXL, then it is Meagwoof, the inspiration of promoter Daz Saund, Diddy & co, At the time of its conception back in the days of Crash, the team behind this popular monthly outing saw the need to mix the muscle mary alley element with the bear & cub crowd to produce a unique blend of horny up for it hairy hedonists that were very much into the full on underground house sounds that the more mainstream gAylist clubs were serving up at the time, yet also pandering to needs the macho bear types penchant for the more commercially intended disco house that is very much the byword of capital beat brand leader XXL.

So Megawoof was born and has continued to bridge that all important gap in the market through times at Crash, then Colosseum, before finding its latest legs & home in Hidden across the other side of Vauxhall, the place that also sports fetish frolic Hard On!, as well as having graced a welcome to hard house outfit Hook’d, the Megawoof muscle-bound brawn mixing perfectly with the hairy beefy boys & plenty in between to superb effect, creating, as the team love to describe them, a following of “Hunks Who Funk” . Having dived in with both feet at events in Colosseum & Hidden, we can certainly vouch for the mix in the crowd, which for us works like a dream, as does the delightful blend of disco, tech, progressive & electro beats that the team of resident D.J.’s regularly turn out to exemplary effect, meaning the popularity of the club, despite the difficult times we are faced with, is as strong as ever.

And perhaps one of the team’s most popular party themes for Megawoof is the leather element introduction, this month seeing another instalment of this much loved macho cum fetish side to the brand. So, Leather Megawoof, or as we prefer to term it “Leathawoof” (do we get a prize Mr Daz?!?) hits Hidden running this Saturday (4th Sept), combining the tight black trouser crowd, with the chaps & jeans brigade, as well as plenty of harnesses, collars & cuffs for good measure, with those not quite so disposed who prefer the more regular garb (no strict dress code is enforced folks), with the regular fix of “beefcake beats” served up by the team of jocks that this time round include the crowd favourite & Italian stallion, Pagano, whom we are reliably informed will not be playing a five hour set, although will definitely be treating us to some “Digital Generation” tracks of his, not least we hope hits like “Drama On The Dancefloor”, “Loca” & “Back To The Future” (no Francesco set would be the same without!) and maybe even an airing of his latest studio work “Don’t Want Another Man” (no pressure Mr Pags). After his stunning showing at Onyx last weekend, this will very much be the highlight of the evening we think, so our top tip will be to hunt him down in the Black Room.

As the for rest, well Daz Saund, Tim Mcloone & Leonardo Glovibes will be playing it a bit more uplifting & commercial (their word not ours!) in the Red room, while the cooler cuts from Rob & Massimo in the Blue room, will mean that the booze & cruise atmosphere of this centre space will continue to be as popular as ever. However, with the full on tech & progressive beats of Pagano added to by Diddy over in the Black room, next door will be a brand new porn & cruise room set up, which we are told, will present a few extra special surprises & treats (whatever could they be?!?!), not to mention Hidden’s myriad of cruisy corridors to delight, on top of the extensive outside area where you can grab a breather from the macho & muscular music & hairy horny action inside. And if that wasn’t enough, keep your eyes peeled for the gorgeous hunks behind the bar, deployed especially for the night by the Megawoof team, not to mention a bunch of beefcake brawn looking after your podium bound eye candy attention.

As for the all important detail, a reminder that Leather Megawoof comes at you this Saturday (4th Sept) at Hidden in Vauxhall, doors opening on “Leathawoof” at 11 p.m, with the club running through until 6 a.m. Advanced ticket sales are available in a few ways, either in person at Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & DV8, or online via direct link http://ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=406687&interface although these are all priced at £14. However, if you are a Megawoof member, then go to the official site, http://megawoof.com, to buy your £10 entrance, or failing all that, turn up on the door where a flyer will get you reduced entry at £13 before midnight. Plus make sure you check out with the door crew the special discount priced tickets to beyond afterwards, which makes for the perfect Megawoof after-party, especially as one Simon Patrick will be continuing his Hidden birthday celebrations on at Area.

So, if you are hot under the collar & craving for your own slice of Megawoof’s “Beefcake Beats” now, make sure Saturday at Hidden is a date, don your leathers or other hunky gear, get down to “Leathawoof” to fulfil your fantasy’s. (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Focus - Queer Nation

2010-09-03T11:33:00.001+01:00

“A SLICE OF NYC IN THE HOUSE”
QUEER NATION – SATURDAY 4TH SEPT
WEEKEND FOCUS

When it comes to well known & long lasting clubbing brands, Queer Nation is right up there with the best of them, promoter Patrick Lilley’s iconic club having starting life at The Gardening Club before moving to what, for us, were the heyday’s of its existence at the fabulous Substation South and whist the underground mother of them all, Crash, used to take up much of our devotion at the time, Queer Nation always provided a neat alternative for the mixed race & audience that it attracted in huge numbers. So, it was a sad day when Mr Lilley called time on the brand, like many suffering from the “Vauxhall strangling effect” and, as a result, we thought that it would be consigned to the history books, like so many other brilliant brands.

However, such was the love of the club, the music & the people it attracted, Patrick was determined to spring Queer Nation into a second life, Barcode Vauxhall coming to his aid, although due to the venue’s ridiculously stupid miss-placed loyalties, the breakdown a short lived relationship and what was proving to be the perfect home for Mr Lilley’s outstanding outing, risked pushing Queer Nation back into obscurity. But to the rescue came The Orange group and Queer Nation has re-established itself in Vauxhall, slotting into the hectic monthly schedule, as well as playing its part on major weekends from time to time, the clubs new home, Fire, giving Patrick & his team the flexibility they need to offer two, sometimes three separate spaces, catering for the varied styles of music the brand has become renowned for, New York house, funky electro beats, plenty of pop disco & a healthy dose of RNB for good measure.

So, with its now regular slot of the first Saturday in the month secure, Queer Nation returns this coming one (Saturday 4th Sept), although this time for a special outing, not at its regular home Fire, but at the amazing Area, the venue that hosts Friday nighter Onyx & the afterhours crowning glory of the decade, Beyond, this Vauxhall hangout very much the jewel of a in The Orange Group’s crown, having as recently as last week having been given a serious nip & tuck with extensions/changes to both the main & second rooms and with planned further improvements to come. With its 33 lasers, incredible lighting rig, exceptional effects & prolific production, Area provides, without doubt, the most striking & spectacular clubbing experience we know and the Queer Nation faithful should expect to be blown away by what it will achieve with this special one-off hosting of this multi faceted frolic of an event, a tempting taster of what to expect from this latest outing available at http://youtube.com/watch?v=tfnFarroUTo

As this short video viral hints towards, the main attraction (apart from the music of course) will be a superb 20 man male underwear fashion show produced by “Pants To Poverty”, Patrick Lilley donating a portion of the door take towards this worthy cause, the team making the most of Area’s two new main room stage areas to show off these sexy models & their sporty underwear. But naturally, the music will play an integral part in proceedings, the main room very much dedicated to NYC style house as well as elements of electro funk & a splash of euro beats too, the D.J. threesome of Micky Galliano, Pierre Nedd & Freddie Dimanche serving up the stupendous sounds, the space being hosted by the “Pants To Poverty” crew, who (we are reliably informed) will be circling throughout the night with fun giveaways while the sexy male model studs will also be mingling to turn up the heat & passion for this pants proliferation. Over in room two (on this occasion the terrace room), its more about disco house with the thrilling combination of Jeffrey Hinton, Alan X & Thomas Bauer on the decks, while host Clington will be keeping the drinks & the juices flowing for sure, while in room three (the new extended Blackbox) the emphasis will be on outright pop & RNB, host Najib making sure D.J.’s Big John Freeman & Munroe Bergdorf deliver in all departments.

Right that’s the music & entertainment, so what about the all important admission & other detail? Well, Queer Nation at Area kicks off this Saturday (4th Sept) from 11 p.m., the club running through to a planned 5 a.m. finish, although word on the ground (we have tapped our sources) indicates that it will most likely merge straight into Beyond which is scheduled to start at around 5 a.m. too. As for admission, well tickets priced at £10 are on sale in advance, which you can grab online at http://clubtickets.com or via the usual Soho outlets, but if you decide to pay on the door it will be £12, this including free entry to Beyond afterwards, just as long as you are inside Queer Nation’s doors before 3 a.m., bargain!.

So, if “A Slice Of NYC In The House” as well as plenty of disco, pop & RNB is your thang, not to mention if model men in inviting underwear floats your boat, then Queer Nation at Area in Vauxhall this Saturday is definitely for you, so as we always say....”Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Best Bites - 3rd to 5th Sept

2010-09-02T14:36:00.001+01:00

Hey Folks,

Well, with the Bank Holiday mayhem for one year now over, it’s time to settle back into the routine of a regular weekend, well at least for a week or two that is and in doing so we also relax back into our usual format, looking at our best bites choices across Soho Vauxhall & elsewhere, to help you decide where to be & be seen.

So, let’s crack on & first take a look at Soho, with The Shadow Lounge taking top slot for us this weekend, as the team kick start theirs early with an extra special “Hola” tonight (Thurs 2nd Sept) with guest D.J. Alex Taylor from Australia, who joins fellow Oz Terry Vietheer on the decks. We devoted an “Extra Bites” post to this which you can check out via direct link http://discomattweekend.blogspot.com/2010/09/extra-bites-hola-thursday-2nd-spetember.html but this very much looks like our hot ticket for the weekend & so should be yours too. Friday in Shadow Lounge territory sees the return of our “foxy ladies”, Minx & Miswhite, both mixing up the music naginficently at “Therapy” with plenty of uplifting, funky & chunky house, while on Saturday, resident jock Andrew Elmore gets us hot under the collar with another “Inferno” session of delectable dance tunes. Over on Wardour Street & favourites Profile & Lo-Profile also muscle in on the first weekend of September with Profile Friday boy Phil Marriot back from his Manchester Pride exploits to ease you into a full on frolic downstairs in Lo-Profile when Nathan 6 & Tony English will be serving up plenty of invigorating house hits to get you bopping into Saturday, while the flowing night, it’s the turn of Craig Daniels to get your dancing feet going in profile, before Hugh Stevenson & then Brent Nicholls see you through to Sunday with their barnstorming beats. Our other best bites go to Barcode on Friday with another hairy beary “Cave” gathering, Hifi Sean joining Leonardo Glovibes on the decks, Rupert Street on Saturday with Alessandro Londra supplying the sounds while on Sunday The Edge hold another “Blah, Blah, Blah” bash, with the latest poptastic chart toppers filling your ears.

Down in Vauxhall & it seems like recovery is the word for some, while others forge ahead with pulsating parties. We will be throwing our focuses open to both "Megawoof" & "Queer Nation" this weekend, so keep your eyes peeled for those, both parties scheduled for Saturday (4th Sept) & full details out in a while. As for our other best bites, well no Friday would be quite the same without “Onyx” and no post bank Holiday the same without a “recovery” party, with regular main room residents Jamie Hammond & Phil Marriot back with a bang, while usual favourites Lisa German, Ariel, Lee Harris & Tuomo Fox mix it up across the other two spaces. Leaping forward to Sunday & “Beyond” is in recovery mode too, but with Steven Sharp’s dream team of D.J.’s in place to storm your Sunday morning, although expect a slightly more sedate affair compared with last weekends’ packed & pulsating mayhem magic. However with Dower, Pitron & Adams in charge of the main room, Christian & Rivas doing it in the newly extended Blackbox and Cermann & Dickson topping you up with tech in the Terrace, the collision of "Queer Nation", "Megawoof "& Barcode, not to mention visitors from further a-field, should ensure an energetic event. And if "Orange" is your way, then a citric end to your weekend should be on the cards, preceded of course by the non-stop partying that is "Later" at Fire & "Booster" at Area. Our other best bites go to “Tonker” at The Eagle on Friday, when promoter & resident jock Tim Jones will be in birthday celebration mode, Saturday seeing Barcode head our picks, with Gonzalo Rivas, Hifi Sean & Nick Tcherniak stirring up plenty of musical trouble & a semi-post "Orange/Trade" reunion, fab!, while on Sunday a trip to the grassy knoll & then indoors to The RVT for another “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out” should be on the cards, The DE Experience an essential ingredient to sinking your Sundays into debaucherous chill with Sean Sirrs & Andy Almighty rocking this venerable institution through till midnight.

As for our alternatives, well top of the list is “Paradise 45” over at The Dalston Superstore (DSS) on Kingsland Road, as Guy Williams & Serge Santiago return to fill out your Friday with fulsome nu-disco house, but be warned this one gets absolutely packed, so make sure you are there in plenty of time. The DSS also have another hot date in Saturday when “Hot Mess” takes over the venue, D.J.’s Fil Ok & Holestar mashing up a mix of electro & heavy metal down in the basement, while it’s all about Old Skool upstairs with JoJo De Freq, then on Sunday (5th Sept), after a Bank Holiday break, “Rhythm Boy” returns, although watch this space for details of the guest D.J. rounding off your week with soothing sounds. Our other best bite alternative shouts go first to “Disco Fag Bar” which re-launches on Friday with a real fanfare, promoter Wayne Shires pulling out all the stops with resident D.J’s Luke Howard, John Sizzle, Jeffrey Hinton, Laurent C, & Borja Pena all making an appearance, this very much being the place out east to drink dance & homo-socialise. Then, on Saturday its Hackney’s turn to be out & proud, as they host their own Pride March, very much setting out to be a statement against the recent rise in homophobic attacks in the borough, so show your support by getting across in time for the 2 p.m. start at Hackney Town Hall, the march taking you through to Shoreditch Church. Striking a different note, well plenty of notes probably, is our pick for an alternative Sunday in the hands of the drag duo Crystal de-Canter & Kelly Mild, as they host another “CK Sunday’s” at Halfway To Heaven just off Trafalgar Square and inject plenty of bawdy humour & fun to the end of your weekend & there ain’t nothing like a good old laugh see you into Monday with a smile.

Further details of all these, our best bites for the weekend, can be found in the popular press and/or via the events pages of social networking site, Facebook.

Now, as always we fit in a mention for favourite clubbing website SeenQueen who have their own diary of what’s hot in the capital & beyond during September, which you can check out at http://seenqueen.com/clubs, plus they have a special feature on the upcoming “Supersize” Paris Pool Party at the end on the month which is well worth a read at http://seenqueen.com/features.

Right, that’s it for another Best Bites post and our weekend, which, for us, kicks off tonight with a trip to “Hola” to catch up with Aussie’s Alex Taylor & Terry Vietheer, then tomorrow (Fri) we definitely jet across to Dalston for “Paradise 45”. On Saturday, we will be looking to make up for missing out on "Orange/Trade" by popping to Barcode Vauxhall for a musical three-way with Nick, Sean & Gonzalo and will no doubt then have to make personal apologies to Steven Sharp in “Beyond” next door , this afterhours audacity finishing off our frolicking. So, if you see us out come say hi, but whatever you do & wherever you are, have a brilliant time and as we always say.....”Go There! Be There!”

xDM

Extra Bites - Hola - Thursday 2nd Spetember

2010-09-01T21:01:00.004+01:00

Hey Folks,

Having hauled ourselves out of the gloom that put paid to the last three legs of our mammoth Bank Holiday weekend, it’s time to get the Disco Matt juices flowing again, pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get in the mood for a new weekend full of fun. And what better way to kick it off than with a trip to monthly outing Hola at the Shadow Lounge.

Since launching last year, Hola has seen mixed fortunes, but in the hands of new promoter Laurent Chaumet, has benefitted from renewed focus & support from The Shadow Lounge, the re-launch party in May proving a hit, as was the July event, when Hola was the “official” pre-party for London Pride. So what makes this latest Hola an equalling appealing draw? Well, if you are a fan of anything Antipodean, you simply can’t go wrong as not only will resident Aussie now based in London, Terry Vietheer, be spinning the sounds, but the team will welcome none other than Alex Taylor to the decks, this charming man from down under completing a brief tour of the UK that has included a gig at Gravity last Thursday, as well as down in Brighton for Wild Fruit meets Lovechild on Sunday just gone and we are sure his trademark soulful, deep, melodic & funky house will go down an absolute treat at Hola, as it has at every gig he has made in the U.K., including the massive SW4.

Now what can we say in a short paragraph about this legendary Australian D.J.? Well, trying to cram in all his achievements would take much more, but suffice to say Alex has been at the forefront of the of dance music scene for well over a decade and starring at some of the biggest clubs on the scene there, including Arc, Hugos Lounge, Trademark, Tank & Home but doesn’t restrict his career to his homeland, as he often makes a whole host of guest appearances across in world including, regular trips over into Asia at Singapore, Kula Lumpar, Shanghai, Seoul, Macau, Bali & Bangkok, a particular favourite of his, while London is a rare stop for him, so even more a reason to catch this man in action.

But we can’t resist sharing with more on this star of the D.J. decks, Alex having played at some of the biggest dance festivals in Australia, including Fuzzy Parklife, Red Raw, Mobile Home and the more familiar Sleaze Ball & of course Sydney Mardi Gras, adding to his impeccable C.V. & achievements, the A-list of D.J’s he has played alongside, which include the likes of Armand Van Helden, Roger Sanchez, Paul Oakenfold, Miguel Migs, Frankie Knuckles & Sandy Rivera, meaning Alex is no stranger to the odd celebrity or two, having graced the decks at private parties in his native land, two real highlights being Madonna’s during her “Girlie Show” tour of Oz. So, while Hola may seem a minnow in the oceanic size of appearances Alex has made in his career, the celebrity style of Shadow Lounge very much suits his persona and the team are thrilled to have him on board for this, their latest instalment in the “...night of dedication to classic house...”.

So, what’s the detail? Well simply that Hola kicks off at The Shadow Lounge tomorrow (Thursday 2nd September) from 10 p.m., with entry on the door free until 11 p.m. and then £5 thereafter, with the night running through until 3 a.m. Further enquires can be made via email at info@theshadowlounge.co.uk , although it goes without saying that to see one of the major D.J. stars of the world in action, £5 has to be the bargain of the century.

We will be there to sample a slice of Alex spinning those soulful sounds alongside resident Terry Vietheer and recommend you should make the trip too, so as we always say,......"Go There! Be There!"

xDM

"Saving The Best Till Last" - August Bank Holday Weekend Best Bites Pt 2

2010-08-27T19:17:00.002+01:00

“SAVING THE BEST TILL LAST”
WEEKEND RECOMMENDATIONS – BEST BITES – PART TWO
SUNDAY 29TH – MONDAY 30TH AUGUST

Having been distracted as we have been for the last few days we are now firmly back on track with our writing in advance of the last Bank Holiday weekend of the year, which looks like being an incredibly busy affair. We have already looked at Friday & Saturday, pointing you to relevant reports & links and now it’s time to look at the “fat” end of the weekend, when much of the activity will be taking place. As with part one of these special “best bites” we have needed to be a little ruthless in picking out our tip top choices, although such is the extent of choice that there will be a couple of specific “Weekend Focus” reports as well as some “Extra Bites” post coming up over the next 24 hours or so.

In the meantime lets crack on with looking at Sunday first and unlike Friday & Saturday our best bite focussing looks very much away from Soho, as much of the activity centres around Vauxhall, although central London certainly gets it’s say with our first reported collaboration, as Jodie Harsh’s “Circus” join forces with Friday night East Ender “Caligula”, combining to present “Paradise” at Cafe De Paris no less. Not only will they be making the most of this amazing venue, but the joint team will be welcoming the legendary Rosin Murphy to the decks, who will be combining spinning discs with live vocals, which should prove both an aural & visual feast. The 2nd special guest D.J. will be Kim Ann Foxman of “Hercules” & “Love Affair” fame, who will be joining the team of Jodie, Warboy, Kris Di Angelis, Robert Outch & Erol Sabodash on the decks. With the party theme based on the concept of iconic New York disco’s & Chicago house clubs but with elements of “... balmy summer evenings on an exotic beach, imaginary worlds..” which should create an enticing concoction with the ornate style theatre that is Cafe de Paris. Now, doors to his amazing party open at 10 p.m. with “Paradise” running through till 4 a.m. Advance tickets at £15 are still available online at http://ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=404327 but with more available on the door. Further details can be found by going to http://thisiscircus.com/ or http://caligulauk.com/.

Now, before we move south of the river, just time to quickly mention D.T.P.M. which returns to the lofty venue, Paramount, for its “Summer Shindig” from 10.30 p.m. until 6 p.m. Such is the attraction of this event, we have devoted a “Weekend Focus” slot to it, which will be out a little later, but in the meantime wanted to bring you the online link to ticket purchases which is http://ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=402222, the team having advised us that the last remaining earlybird tickets have been released at just £15 and are available only online. But, if like us, you prefer to grab yours in your hand, pop into either The Edge on Soho Square or to The Store Rooms on Old Street where general release tickets are available now.

O.K., now still focussing on Sunday (29th Aug), we move south of the river and our first big choice goes to As One’s “Massive Funfair Garden Party”, which has already received our full focus in a special preview. This looks like being THE choice of many for the weekend, as it sits perfectly in the middle of Bank Holiday proceedings & boasts an incredible D.J. Line up. So, for full details of this “amazing amalgamation” check out our report at direct link http://discomattpreview.blogspot.com/2010/08/amazing-amalgamation-as-one-sunday-29th.html. Preceding As One in Vauxhall will, of course, be Beyond and we have already issued a “Hot Dates” report on their “Super Size” party although we will be bringing you some exclusive news & interviews with Beyond’s promoter Steven Sharp & room two host Oliver Mohns in our new style post “Disco Matters”, which will be out a little later. Following that, we will be recapping on the party in full which already looks like being a roadblock event as tickets sales have literally gone through the roof, so we recommend grabbing one now at http://clubtickets.com/ as we are not sure how the allocation to the Soho outlets is being managed. What we will also say is that, if this is your choice and you haven’t got a ticket, make sure you get there super early to avoid the disappointment of not getting in.

However, our Sunday morning choice here goes to M.O.S.T., the new afterhours concept brought to you by the Logan Presents team, which he explains as “...an opportunity to shed more light on London daytime clubbing...” but will also crucially “...offer a unique carry on experience, a non-stop party fusion with Hype which, as The Cornet lets out, MOS will draw in...”, “Hype” being the teams Saturday night offering. Now, we have been asked the question, why two new brands on a Bank Holiday weekend? But having reflected on it all, we have concluded WHY NOT!, as M.O.S.T. will most definitely be serving up some choice in the much dominated afterhours market and will surely attract a SuperMartXe & Matinee like crowd, a much more gAylist affair akin to private party “UP”, so should represent a refreshing change to the Sunday morning norm. Now full details of M.O.S.T. can be found both in our special preview at http://discomattpreview.blogspot.com/2010/08/home-grown-hybrids-la-schmitz-style.html as well as in part one of this post series, although to recap M.O.S.T. tickets available online at http://clubtickets.com/ at £15 each, as well as at outlets Prowler, Clone Zone, DV8, Solarstation, The Box, with more available on the doors which open at 6 a.m. with M.O.S.T. running through until 2 p.m. Further info on both events can be found at http://loganpresents.com/.

Our final couple (well three actually) of Sunday mentions goes first to Onyx, which returns to Area for the second time this weekend, “Neon” sandwiching the gap between As One & the third collaboration in our choices, Orange Trade, which takes place at superclub Colosseum. Now, we will be bringing you a full “Weekend Focus” on Orange Trade, so keep your eyes peeled for that, while we can run down some of the details of Onyx’s outing right here right now, and what a party it looks like being, with Seamus Haji headlining a sparkling D.J. line up that includes other special guests Oliver M, Terry Vietheer and Gaydar Radio’s Alex Baker, joining residents Lee Harris, Ariel, Lisa German & more, Onyx “Neon” kicking off at 7 p.m. running through until 5 a.m. But for a superb alternative choice out east, “Pooldisco” gets our vote, this final party in their 2010 calendar looking very special indeed, as not only will promoter Kris D Angelis be spinning the sounds, his set featuring live performances from Karen David & Sunday Girl, but the superb Severino will be strutting his stuff too. Add to that a trio of Secret garden D.J.’s as well as fab Pooldisco giveaways and this will be THE place to be for your fashion conscious, artistic & downright debaucherous lot (us included) from the 6 p.m. start through till the midnight finish. Watch this space for an “Extra Bites” post out on this one.

Turning to Monday (30th Aug) and, naturally, Orange Trade will be featuring large in the early part of the day, this special “You Know What We Did Last Summer” kicking off at 4.30 a.m. & running through until 2 p.m., wow! However, when you spill out of Colosseum, why not continue the partying at Later in Fire with regulars Paul Martin The Oli & Terry Bryan which kicks off at midday & runs through to its usual finish time of 8 p.m., but remember it’s a Monday not a Sunday! Then, as if you may be partied out enough, Booster rounds off The Orange group weekend with a Bank Holiday “Battle Of The D.J’s”, when Sharon O Love goes up against Miswhite, while Miss Crazy D squares up with Alan K, but with much much more & a superlate finish of 4 a.m. However, if that’s all a little too much for you, then why not choose the “grassy knoll” and take in “The RVT Sports Day”, which is followed by a special “S.LA.G.S./Chill Out” session with The DE Experience & the regular D.J. line up taking you up till a midnight finish, just in time for a snooze before work the following day.

Further details of all these best picks for Sunday & Monday can be found in the popular press or by going to the events pages on social networking site Facebook.

Now, just a reminder that you should also be checking out favourite clubbing website SeenQueen, which has a comprehensive August Bank Holiday guide to the hottest tickets in town, listings, directories & information available at http://seenqueen.com/clubs/index.htm with a special hot list section that includes free ticket offers available on their home page, not to mention dates stretching right through till the end of September.

Right, well that’s kind of it for now, although remember to watch out for our special “Weekend Focus” reports on DTPM & Orange/Trade, our “Extra Bites” shout on Pooldisco, not to mention our first “Disco Matters” report, covering Beyond followed by a special update on the “Super Size” party. As for our Sunday & Monday, well it starts with M.O.S.T. at MOS, followed by As One, then a jaunt across town to Pooldisco. We then head back through town, stopping off for DTPM and hopefully make it to Orange/Trade before collapsing in a heap. So, if you see us out, come say hi, but whatever you are up to this weekend, have a brilliant one and as we always say....”Go There! Be There!”.

xDM

"Saving The Best Till Last" - August Bank Holday Weekend Best Bites Pt 1

2010-08-27T16:52:00.004+01:00

“SAVING THE BEST TILL LAST”
WEEKEND RECOMMENDATIONS – BEST BITES – PART ONE
FRIDAY 27TH – SATURDAY 28TH AUGUST

Having been ravaged by technology challenges & other issues, our minds have be diverted from our duties somewhat over the last 10 days or so, but as the title suggests, in bringing you this special recommendations post looking at the range offerings across London over the last bank Holiday of the year, we have very much saved the best till last. So, in a one-off change to our usual format we will be running down our “best bites” of the weekend, pointing you to various other reports already issued &/or in the making, in an effort to serve up the broadest spectrum of choices you will find within this most diverse scene of ours. But such is the scale of offerings out there that we have had to be a little harsh in our picks, which are very much our best choices & have split our post and the weekend in two, looking here at Friday & Saturday first.

So without further ado lets crack on and to Friday (27th Aug – tonight) first, which sees the action start early in Soho with Lo-Profile headlining proceedings with Jamie Head & Nathan Six spinning the sounds from 10 p.m. through till 4 p.m., which should prove a great way to start your weekend in style, Phil Marriot easing you into proceedings with an upbeat collection of tunes upstairs in profile from 7 p.m. Our other Soho highlight is Barcode, which will be the place to be as Logan & his team present their Hype & MOST pre-party on the ground floor from 8 p.m., with all the razzmatazz that goes with their infamous warm up shindigs, while its another “Cave” outing downstairs, guest D.J. Hifi Sean returning to the decks for another full on session from 10 p.m.. Down in Vauxhall and “Tonker” continues the bear theme with a Bank Holiday special, welcoming Micky Galliano to the guest slot, he having returned fresh faced & ice creamed out from a restful holiday in his homeland Italy, with Tim Jones joining him to stir up the sounds, this Friday frolic at The Eagle kicking off at 10 p.m. But if you are into your ladz, why not check out “Rudeboiz” at Fire which have all the joys of the Eurocrème boys showing their wares & bare essentials with equally rauchy music to match, the club running through until 4.30 a.m. Over in Shoreditch, The Dalston Superstore gets our alternative vote, with the return of the brilliant “Techno In My Fridge”, D.J’s downstairs including Matt Walsh & Mikki Most, while upstairs “Carpet Burn” host with prince Nelly & guests. As always with The DSS, get there early to avoid disappointment as its gets jam rammed and will surely be packed not long after the 10 p.m. start

However our Friday best pick goes to Onyx which has its first of two outings this August Bank Holiday, this party, “Digital” , heralding a special five hour (yes you heard us right) set from Pagano, who will be celebrating the launch of his first ever compilation mix entitled “Digital generation”, which is due for full release on 2nd September. But for you luck first 250 through the door, you will receive a special limited edition sampler of his mix on CD. But it doesn’t stop there as not only will there be a special surprise P.A., but you will get the chance to see the new look main room as well as the much talked about LED installation. But while the main room will be all about Pagano, don’t forget that the supporting cast of Lisa German, Ariel, Tuomo Fox, James St James & special guest Tasty Tim will be on hand in the other rooms to delight, while special dance performances choreographed by Thiagio Drewery will compliment the main room activity. Area’s doors open on this Digital extravaganza at 10 p.m, with the club running through until 5 p.m. with tickets available still in advance at http://clubticket.com/ at just £5, although keep your eyes peeled for the Onyx flyer boys with special discount passes

Onto Saturday (28th Aug) and Lo-Profile is top of our Soho list again and for good reason, as the team now welcome a regular feature that will be Beyond pre-parties, this special evening kicking off upstairs in Profile bar at 8 p.m. with Rob Sykes on the decks and then downstairs Beyond resident Gonzalo starts the pre “Super Size” bash, suitably tanned & fresh from his trip home to Seville, while Rupert St resident Alessandro flies the beyond flag for the third time from 1 a.m. Expect this to be a “Super Size” party with Elektra’s boys up on the podiums plus Tom’s team dishing out the remaining hot ticket offers for the main event down in Vauxhall. Talking of which our shout down in the capitals second gay village goes to The Eagle again and an extra special “Carpet Burn” as none other than hi-nrg diva, Hazel Dean guests, adding to the sounds from Jim Stanton & Luke Howard and the floor shows from Simon Kilner, this expected to be a packed out affair, so get there early as doors open at 9 p.m. But for the leather, rubber & uniform inspired, then “Hard On!” at Hidden gets our vote, Suzi Krueger & her team serve up another sleazy session with D.J.’s Hugo'sland Halo-is & Brent Nicholls serving up the sounds with doors opening at 10 p.m., although remember it’s a members only club & has a strict dress code. But if its alternative you want, then alternative you will get, as The Dalston Superstore do it again with East End institution “Say Yes” hosting plenty of punk disco & italo house with Rory Phillips & Nadia Ksabia churning out the tunes, the club running through until 4 a.m.

That said, Saturday will be very much all about the hype, as Logan Schmitz & his team bring you their home-grown brand “Hype” to the Coronet in Elephant & Castle from 10.30 p.m. until 7 a.m. Now, regardless of all you lot that keep saying “...why no SuperMartXe?...”, we have little doubt that this party will pack just as big a pinch & attract SMX’ers in their droves, as plenty is on offer, not least from the D.J. line up that includes London based Tony English & Paul Heron, both who play for either SuperMartXe or Matinee for Logan, the duo being joined by guest D.J. Carlos Gallardo. Add to that the PA performance planned from The Free Radicals, this looks like being a stunner of a spectacle. Then, as if you thought it was just about the “Hype”, Logan follows it up with his new afterhours affair, “M.O.S.T.” at Ministry of Sound, where Carlos Gallardo will be doing it all again, although will have the most amazing supporting cast, mega stars in their own right, Italian’s Francesco Pagano & Danny Verde (yeah Mr Danny is here!), all three playing out on the MOS terrace, while inside Leandro Koppel & Michel Mizrahi spin the euro beat sounds. We featured both parties in a special preview which you can check out via our preview pages or by going to direct link http://discomattpreview.blogspot.com/2010/08/home-grown-hybrids-la-schmitz-style.html but here’s the deal in the much needed info, both Hype & M.O.S.T. tickets available online at http://clubtickets.com/ at £15 each, although it would make sense to grab a joint affair for just £22 which you can also grab in person at Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone, DV8 & Solarstation, as well as at The Box in Covent Garden. Now, we have already mentioned Hype’s opening hours, M.O.S.T. swinging into action at 6 a.m. & running through until 2 p.m. Further info on both events can be found at http://loganpresents.com/.

Further details of all our best picks for Friday & Saturday can be found in the popular press or by going to the events pages on social networking site Facebook.

Now don’t forget to have a look at favourite clubbing website SeenQueen, which has a comprensive August Bank Holiday guide to the hottest tickets in town, listings, directories & information available at http://seenqueen.com/clubs/index.htm with a special hot list section that includes free ticket offers available on their home page.

As for our Friday & Saturday, well it’s the start of a long leg of engagements, as we swing by the Hype & M.O.S.T. pre-party at Barcode Soho tonight, followed by Onyx “Digital” (how could we miss Mr Pagano?!), and then on Saturday its very much all about the Hype for us which can only be followed by M.O.S.T., as we cannot wait to hook up with pal Danny Verde again. So, if you see us out come say hi and as we always say....”Go There! Be There!”

xDM

Weekend - 13th to 16th August

2010-08-13T07:47:00.002+01:00

Hey Folks,

It’s been all go in Disco Matt land this week following our full-on Gay Brighton Dance Weekend and then with floods of news hitting our desk of some massive events coming up over the Bank Holiday weekend. So it’s a relief to focus our minds on this coming weekend for a while as we give you our rundown of where to be & be seen in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere which we are now calling our “Best Bites”.

But before we do, here’s just a reminder that our “Weekend Focus” posts are where we detail the big events on your doorstep, while our “Extra Bites” editions bring you that all important last minute info on our pick of parties & hot happenings.

Right onward and first to Soho with Lo-Profile once again in the limelight, which should be a much busier one this weekend after the exodus to the south coast last, the team pulling out the big guns on Friday (13th Aug) as Beyond residents & Lo-Profile favourites Jamie Head & Steve Pitron come out to play, Jamie taking the honours first, followed by Steve, both surely a massive pull & well worth the fiver entry charge. Then on Saturday it’s the turn of Nick Evans & Alessandro Londra to strut their stuff & pack the place with their pumping & uplifting house heaven, while Profile upstairs will be warming you up in usual style, Friday favourite Phil Marriot back in the driving seat following his foray down to Brighton last week, while the rotational arrangements on Saturday sees Rob Sykes swapping places with Craig Daniels for another smooth session to glide you into the club shenanigans downstairs. Over at The Shadow Lounge, the team are well into their stride with their “Feel Like A Member” August promotion (more details via Shadow Lounge’s Facebook group) which means if you get into gear & mail your details across to the lovely Filipe Bourne, you plus one other get complimentary entry all night, faaabulous. So get mailing as tonight sees another “Therapy” session with our very own foxy ladies Minx & Miswhite in charge of the tunes, while the team have a special night planned on behalf of the London Pride Run, although “Inferno’s” Andrew Elmore will be spinning his usual dance cocktail of tunes throughout the night This is a guest only event, so even more of a reason to mail Mr Filipe. Our other big shout goes to Barcode this week, as The Cave returns there on Friday for another hairy beary session with special guest Hifi Sean on the decks, this massive talent smarting from an amazing weekend down Brighton way when he took DTPM then Wild Fruit’s “Kings & Queen’s” party by storm & will surely be warming the Barcode boys up for his RAW session at Orange on Monday. Then Saturday, which has been struggling of late, sees scene favourite & the man with all the “nu-funk” answers hit the decks & really inject some punch into proceedings with a disco & funk combination knockout, Brent Nicholls taking the helm to headlong you happily into Sunday morning.

Down in Vauxhall and Craig Elder’s Orange Group are once again steeling much of the headlines with their flagship club brand celebrating its 12th birthday (see our Weekend Focus post for full details) although it’s, what we love to call, another “BOOB” weekend, as Beyond, Orange, Onyx & Booster dominate their schedule once again. Onyx played its party in the gay Brighton Dance Festival last Friday beautifully, so returns to its usual format at Area this, Messrs Hammond & Marriot mashing up the main room while residents Lisa German & Ariel sort out the tech from the trash in The Terrace, the poptastic tunes in the Blackbox coming from the usual gang as well as superb guest, the iconic Tasty Tim, yum yum. Beyond should prove another hit this weekend even after their huge “Midnight” affair last when the place was pumping, even though it seemed the world & his wife were in The Honeyclub for Beyond Fruit. But with both Steve Pitron & Alan K back in pole position this week & in their usual slots of 9 a.m. & 11 a.m. respectively, we can’t think of a better way to spend your Sunday morning. Then, we are sure Booster will provide the ideal warm up to Orange’s birthday bash, master of ceremonies Romain Lopez smiling from ear to ear following the launch of Queer Cyber (gay networking site) this week, this Sunday evening club gaining popularity week on week & crushing the competition next door. Talking of which, those naughty boys & girls at Barcode seem to have dried up their info on their weekly D.J. rosters & gigs, so we sadly can’t bring you any info on that. So instead The Eagle gets our other big shout, Tim Jones’ “Tonker” taking you into the weekend with a truck load of tough house for tough boys on Friday, while the more fun-filled & frivolous “Carpet Burn” sparkles your Saturday (12th Aug) with legendary dance D.J. Mark Moore taking his turn on the decks, joined by Time Out’s very own Paul Burston, while no Sunday is ever the same without some horsing around, with Jim Stanton & James Hillier’s “Horse Meat Disco”. Now jus a quick mention to Jay Harp Vokins’ “Gravity”, which moves to Area for a special on-off party next Thursday called, Hookers Hangout, which says it all really, the place being transformed into a house of ill repute (no change there then!) with the sexed up sounds coming from residents Alan K, The Oli & Terry Bryan, but with Area doing it much more for many than Fire, it should prove a big hit.

Right what alternatives are out there this weekend? Well it seems that The Dalston Superstore (DSS) are once again paving the way to alternative excellence, although the now accustomed Friday slot for “Eurotrash” has been given up to a “Do It - Midsummer Work Out” and while we are moving towards the end of summer (yes those night are beginning to draw in folks), the feel will be similar to Per QX’s usual mash-up, with turbo bass in the basement to add to the electro & tech servings from D.J.’s We’re Not Cool & Not Shy (where do they get these names?!) while Eurotrash regular Allesandro Asencio will headline the more classic & nu-disco house upstairs. Saturday sees another special session as “Bodytalk” matches up to “Hot Mess”, both being DSS regulars and big draws, so this will be a packed out affair, especially as another house legend makes a London appearance this weekend, Jon Pleased Wimmin joining the likes of D.J.’s Rokk, Fil OK, Holestarr & Marky Mark on the decks across the two floors, while on Sunday (14th Aug) new(ish) night “Rhythm Boy” slides you into the new week with two guests this time round, both Caracara & Andy Thomson sharing the plaudits behind the decks. Our other big shout goes to Friday nighter “Caligula” which, as you know had its residential home at The Bathhouse in Bishopsgate, although has now found a new one much closer to all the alternative action further up on Kingsland Road, Basing House the host from now on. And this should be quite a special night, as the team have flown in much respected Brazilian D.J. & producer, Renato Cohen, who is known best for his 2002 smash “Pontape”, although is carving a real niche back home with a unique blend of techno & disco which should go down a treat with Caligula’s discerning party heads. Joining Mr Cohen will be Paradise 45’s, Black Rabbit’s etc, etc, etc, Guy Williams along with Caligula resident & Pooldisco queen Kris Di Angelis, all making for one very special “burning down the house” session. Plus, keep your eyes peeled for a very special Bank Holiday combo bash at Cafe De Paris, when Caligula will join forces with Circus for a spectacular Saturday soiree cum jim jam session.

Okey dokey, just time to fit in a mention for our favourite clubbing website Seen Queen, which yet again featured some of our work this week, a blog entry of theirs given away to our new post “Disco Matt Does The News”, although it’s their club diary that gets our attention here, as they have just added lots more dates for the Bank Holiday, although their dates stretch right till the end of September, including some very special parties. So go take a look at http://seenqueen.com/clubs and why not have a butchers at their blog while you’re at it.

Right, that’s it for another weekend and our Best Bites edition, so whatever you are up to have a great one. As for us, it’s a relatively quiet affair as we gear up for the coming Bank Holiday, but a trip to Barcode Soho on Saturday is on the cards, as long as those horrid door staff give us a smile, then on Sunday (well Monday morning actually) we go all Orange for their 12th birthday bash. So, if you see us out come say hi, but as we always say.....”Go There!, Be There!”.

xDM

Weekend Focus - Orange's 12th Birthday

2010-08-12T13:22:00.003+01:00

"BURNING THE MIDNIGHT ORANGE”
ORANGE 12TH BIRTHDAY – MONDAY 16TH AUGUST
WEEKEND FOCUS

When we talk about afterhours clubbing, we all too often cast our eye on Sunday mornings and sometimes forget that there are six other mornings in any given one week, so six other opportunities for after hours’ events to shine. Whilst, at the very mention of that word beginning with A, names like Beyond & Trade immediately spring to mind, there is another club which has been cutting its own afterhours stride for some time now, twelve years in fact and when it launched back in 1998 was nothing short of a revolutionary tide in Monday, rather than Sunday morning clubbing. Yes, Orange has been in existence for all that time, the club night (or is that morning) which is more than just the cornerstone of Craig Elder’s empire of brands, but is the name of his organisation, the Orange Group, as it was this citric styled event that launched the awesome animal that is Fire, not just Vauxhall’s most well known club, but also its most controversial.

Love it or hate it, Fire has transformed the clubbing landscape in Vauxhall & beyond, developing its own brands like Gravity, A.M., Later, Open & Horizon, while also supporting a wealth of others, Juicy, Lovechild & As One, being notable feathers in the longstanding Fire cap. Whist some have fallen by the wayside and others struggle to hold their own, Orange seems to have not just re-captured the imagination of clubbers, but is going from strength to strength under the steer-ship of promoter Steven Sharp, one half of The Sharp Boys, Steven’s commitment to the promotions game evident in the enthusiasm & exuberance he displays whenever on duty at either his beloved citric splendour. And for us, Orange couldn’t be in better hands, as not only does Mr Sharp continue to evolve the club to meet the changing trends in the scene, musically & otherwise, but he is the epitomy of what Orange means to us, the never-ending energy that, like a Duracell battery, goes on & on.

So, this weekend marks a momentous occasion in Orange’s history, as it is the last year before it reaches its teens, which in the human male form generally signals puberty, voice breaking, acne and the urge to indulge in the vices of life, although in Orange, we have been sharing plenty of the latter since its launch back in 1998 at its first home in Rotherhithe. Yes, here is the history lesson, Orange started life over in SE16 rather than SW8 and in those days the night was named Chiller, whereas the club was called Orange. However it was in 2001 that Orange, as an event, stepped out of the shadow of the club and a move across to a disused arch in Vauxhall was the beginning of something quite special. We remember our first visit to that infamous arch, with little or no seating, a make-shift bar & D.J. booth and just three screens separating the front door from the dancefloor. But Fire as a venue & institution was soon to materialise and whilst nine years on the place is entirely unrecognisable from its original self, Orange has retained much of that characterful decadence that made it so popular back then.

But that was then and this is now and Monday morning will signal a very special celebratory Orange event, which the team having called it “Midnight Orange”. Why?, well because it starts at midnight of course and boy have they got a prolific party planned or what! With 9 D.J.’s on duty and the club running till 10 a.m., you can be home just in time for your 11’s, while for 12 minutes after midnight, £12 bottles of champagne will be on sale at the main bar, although you better get in quick as Steven tells us that “...last year there was a queue round the block...”. But fear not, as entry to the club will be nothing near £12 if you get there early enough, as the special birthday price will be just £5 (accompanied with an advert or flyer - that’s easy) or £10 without, although after 1 a.m. the price will be, yes you guessed it, £12. Both the citric fruity feme that is Glendora & Steven himself will be on hand to grace your welcome to this special birthday bash and will then party with the best of us way past dawn & deep into Monday morning, Steven possibly diving behind the decks too.

So, who else will be selecting those superb citric sounds? Well the D.J. compliment will be a colossal citric cocktail of old & new, main room residents The Oli, Fat Tony Paul Martin & Sharp Boy George, being joined by Brighton’s best Jon Byrne, who travels up to the capital to grace Orange’s decks once again. Having been a recent addition to the outrageous Orange Bank Holiday parties, Jon’s injection of energetic, funky & uplifting house should go down a storm on the main floor. Over in the Mirrorarch room it’s going to be very much an Orange segment squeeze, the result being RAW and the juice being longstanding residents & Orange’s own Spanish mafia, Gonzalo Rivas & David Jimenez, being joined by new boy Hifi Sean who has been really enjoying his new found residency at this Monday morning madness of a mash-up. But expect the unexpected as we are told that the trio will mixing it up together, so with new decor, visuals and plenty of futuristic beats but with some classic thrown in for good measure, this space should be simply sensational.

Now, we will be bringing you a special Music Is The Answer post this weekend, in celebration of Orange’s 12th, giving you a taster of the sounds on offer at this birthday bash, also focussing on The Sharp Boys & original resident Fat Tony, then shouting for latest works from new citric boys Hifi Sean & Nick Tcherniak and with a couple of other surprises, watch out for that. However, with all the detail on the this crammed full citric celebration done here, we conclude by concurring with Steven’s words when he say’s “...we have our D.J.’s, we have our disco & we have our decor, so all we need is YOU!...” and that means us too as we will, along with a plethora of press, be reporting on this extra special event. So, “Midnight Orange” will be the place to be, therefore, make sure you book Monday off and then come "burn the midnight orange" and party in prolific citrus style. (DISCO MATT)

Extra Bites - "Brighton Pride"

2010-08-07T09:36:00.003+01:00

Hey Folks,

Well, despite scaremongering from certain quarters in the capital, the weather looks set fair for London by the sea as Brighton Pride swings into full-on action a little later this morning, although as usual much of the activity will centre on the park festivities which will get under way from around 2 p.m.

Now, it is clear that the financial & other issues that have plagued what has, in recent years, been considered as the UK’s most popular Pride parties, has left deep scares & divisions within the LGBT community in Brighton, so the feel & thrust of this year’s celebrations may well be a little different, although what we can say with authority is, you will not be getting the soaking you did last year and the sun will be making an appearance later this afternoon as the park gets into full swing. To check the forecast for yourselves go direct to the Met offices link http://metoffice.gov.uk/weather/uk/se/brighton_forecast_weather.html and, for the brave, it will be shorts & t-shirts, while others may wish to cover up a bit more.

Kicking the day off will be Brighton Pride’s parade, which starts in less than 3 hours at 11 a.m. from Marine Parade, taking its slow snake around the city, first moving along the seafront to West Street, turning past the clock tower into North Street and then takes a direct route north past the famous Pavilion and aims for Preston Park, advancing up London Road, arriving at the park around 3 p.m. The theme of this year’s parade celebration is “Pride & (No) Prejudice, very much with the aim of shouting out proud for the LGBT community within the city, so expect all the usual whistles (we hope no vuvuzela’s!) bright colours, drag queens, muscled men & everything in between, but moreover, if you are lining the route, make sure you dig deep into your pockets to support the various charities including, of course, the Brighton Pride Charity Trust, who need your help & support to keep Pride free in the city.

Without doubt Preston Park will be the main attraction for many, although as we made clear in our Weekend Focus post “The Wild Fruit Way”, the usual promoters & supporters of the massive dance tent will be absent, although Brighton’s Revenge club have stepped into the breach & will be, with the support of Gaydar, hosting both the pop tent/bar and the dance, D.J.’s on duty at the former including Boogaloo Stu & Alex Baker, while over in the dance tent, The Freemasons headline along with none other than Steve Pitron, whom we are told hits the decks around 5 p.m. The cabaret tent has also had its fair share of controversy in amongst the issues that have faced the Pride committee this year, although it will be going ahead, with a host of local stars performing from the 2 p.m. start, right through to the finale around 7.20 p.m. Highlights will no doubt be Miss Jason & Maisie Trollette (due around 4 p.m.), the Hampstead whore Sandra (6 p.m.) and Dave Lynn (7 p.m.) with other artists include Rose Garden, Jamie Watson & Drag With No Name. Other park highlights include The Women’s tent, The Camelford Arms & Star Inn Bears tent, the extensive market areas and, of course, the fairground. Further details of park festivities can be found at http://brightonpride.org/mainparkevent.php.

Then, as the park dies down, all focus will point towards the gay village around St James’s street and plenty of pubs & bars will be throwing their own parties to tempt you in, although alfresco terrace style celebrations will be the way to go for many, although without doubt THE place to be will be Audio for Wild Fruit’s very special celebration (check our “The Wild Fruit Way” post for full details), the best of the rest being “Sundance” at The Terraces on Marine Parade, Legend’s own offering and Dirty Sunset Disco’s outing at Ohso Social. Further details of these parties and indeed plenty of other “officially” linked parties to Brighton Pride, both on Saturday & Sunday, go to http://brightonpride.org/calendar.php with plenty of other information available, including information on visiting Brighton & latest news, via http://brightonpride.org/.
xDM

Weekend - 6th to 8th August

2010-08-06T15:44:00.003+01:00

Hey Folks,

Well, it’s go go go this weekend, although much of the action seems to be away from the capital as not only is it pride in Amsterdam and the gay games in Cologne, but the massive Circuit Festival in Barcelona is reaching its climax and whilst we continue to agonise over our absence from this Spanish smash, we hear that the temperatures are hot in this Catalonian city & the men are even hotter, so we wish all you boys & girls in Barca a brilliant time.

Closer to home and is celebration time for London by the sea as Brighton Pride is upon us again, although after all the controversy that this has attracted in recent months, the emergence of the Gay Brighton Dance Weekend is grabbing much of the attention, including ours, we having devoted a special focus post to this 29 event strong dance gathering, entitled “The Wild Fruit Way”, highlighting our best picks. Naturally however, Brighton pride itself will attract its own following and we will be issuing an Extra bites post covering the park proceedings and associated happenings, see keep your eyes peeled for that.

But with one eye on London by the sea, we take you through what’s happening this weekend up here in the capital, especially for those who will be avoiding the madcap dash to the coast & the crammed trains. So, as usual, we cover off offerings across Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere, before running down our best of the Brighton best.

Right, to Soho and the pick of our more slimline selection is Profile & Lo-Profile on Wardour Street, who look like showing the rest just how it is done, with another superb line up of D.J.’s playing out across the weekend. Lo-Profile funk up your Friday (6th Aug) with SperMartXe & Lovechild resident Tony English taking to the decks who will no doubt treat you to a veritable feast of the latest hot tracks hitting the dancefloors of Europe at the moment and judging by his performance at Lovechild last week, you will be in for a real treat. Then, Nick Evans takes charge, trouncing the turntables with his signature dish of delightful dance tunes that will surely have this sumptuous space full of sophisticates singing his praises. Saturday sees jetsetter D’Johnny land in on Lo-Profile and line up some terrific tech inspired tracks to thrill, while nu-funk exponent & scene favourite Brent Nicholls shows his worth & packs a punch with funky, chunky tunes. Upstairs in Profile, regular Friday man Phil Marriot is hired out by Onyx for on the coast duty at Wild Fruit’s weekend opener at Audio, so Nick Evans fills his boots, before fulfilling his slot downstairs, while Saturday sees Jamie Head jam pack the place with a stylish soundtrack to match the surroundings. Our other best pick goes to Rupert Street who have favourite resident Alessandro Londra back behind the decks on Saturday and this Sicilian smoulderer has been busy making plans for something really special coming up in Soho during September, so watch this space for news on that.

Down in Vauxhall and its certainly the Beyond & Megawoof show this weekend, as not only does our favourite afterhours extend itself to offer over 12 hours of audacious action in what promoter Steven Sharp (welcome back by the way) calls “Beyond Midnight”, but Megawoof has another muscle-bound workout over at Hidden on Saturday before joining forces with Beyond, hosting its very own new “Den” area with Daz Saund & his boys running riot for sure. As for Megawoof, well they will still be full of Circuit Festival fever following their showing in Barcelona, so their theme of “BBQ & Beach” will fit in nicely with the mood and tempt plenty of those testosterone toned hairy hunks out onto Hidden’s terrace to savour a bit of saucy sausage this Saturday (7th Aug), while inside the sounds will be just as hot of the BBQ coals, with residents in action that will include Leonardo Glovibes, Diddy, David Eph & Louis Lennon, all making sure that the three dancefloors are drenched with beefy beats. But Beyond will be creating its own heat further down Vauxhall at Area with the likes of Terry Bryan, The Sharp Boys (or at least singular boy, George) as well as The Oli in the main room, Mr Oli having hot footed it back from his showing at “Beyond Fruit” in Brighton just in time to take over the reins from, wait for it, Steve Pitron, who is back, back, back, for his well deserved three week holiday that felt like at least six, although his mere presence should see the best Beyond believers flock to Vauxhall to soak up his scintillating sounds. With Steven Sharp establishing the permanent fixture of the RAW room, Messrs Paul Christian & David Jimenez will take charge, while the Terrace will have the trio of D’Johnny, Jamie Head & Fat Tony to tantalise & tease and don’t forget that Megawoof Den to add some extra bulk to proceedings. Expect both parties to be sure-fire winners, especially if the forecast rain drives people back from Brighton, while other highlights of the Vauxhall weekend include Matador at Barcode on Friday, Booster at Area on Sunday evening, all polished off with another citric stormer at Fire, as Orange goes from strength to strength & sees you well into Monday morning.

Away from the two capital gay villages, out east is the place to be and The Dalston Superstore to be exact, as they have yet another fun-filled weekend to tickle your taste buds. Friday night sees the return of The Stores’ most popular event by far, as the Guy Williams promotions machine rolls back into town with “Paradise 45”, on the back of yet another successful stint in Ibiza. Joining Guy on the decks this time will be guest Dave Kendrick who is standing in for the advertised Serge Santiago who has had a little mishap this week (ask no questions!), Dave adding his own flavour to the nu disco & light hearted tech sounds that have becomes Paradise’s trademark. But a warning folks, this party gets packed, so make sure you arrive early to avoid disappointment. Then on Saturday the team warm up for this year’s “Offset” festival with a teaser of a taster of the big event in September, with Ali Love and the Trailer Trash team of D.J.’s who will be taking over the dance tent at this East End music festival next month, all serving up what they prefer to call modern disco but with the added insatiable Trailer Trash element of dirty electro house. Then on Sunday (8th Aug), new night “Rhythm Box” launches for a barnstorming basement session introducing special guest D.J’s to round off your weekend in fine fettle, this launch week seeing Nathan G Wilkins steal the show and provide the much needed fill to the gap in Sunday night partying this side of town. Our other alternative top tip this weekend goes to Disco Bloodbath which has another monthly session on Saturday up at Bar A Bar on Stoke Newington Road, with residents Dan Beaumont & Ben Pistor being joined by special guests Tom & Benjamin who make up breakthrough dance label Permanent Vacation and should be another brilliant bash.

So, in forgiving us for our slimline choices, this has allowed us to fit in the best of our rest options down in Brighton for their special Pride weekend and just a reminder that we have already served up “The Wild Fruit” way with our special focus post. However, there are a host of other happenings both for Pride itself and for the Gay Brighton Dance Weekend of events and first off is our alfresco activity tip that will be the two day party in St James’s Street, right in the heart of Brighton’s own gay village. With all the local bars & pubs that spill onto this thoroughfare getting involved, if the weather holds, it should prove just as popular as ever and a magnet for those spilling off from proceedings in Preston Park on the Saturday and then continuing the revelry on Sunday. As for the Dance Weekend, if you are not lucky enough to get entry into the exclusive Wild Fruit “Terrace Party” at Audio on Saturday afternoon/evening, you can always turn to “Sundance”, which is brought to you by Brighton’s Revenge & London’s Salvation club brands, serving up an open-air sunset party at The Terraces on Marine Parade (in front of Legends) Salvation resident jocks Oliver M, Mis-White & Paul Coals spinning the sounds, while Raul Gonzalez provides the sexy go-go’s & the Terrace team the BBQ & cocktails. Then if either Dance Nation or DTPM are not on your choice list, “Cirque Du Salvation” surely must be, as the party that packed a punch at Lovebox, gives the south coast a taste of this Salvation spectacle, which takes place at Concorde 2, with those Salvation jocks fresh from their Sundance soiree ready to hit you with some heavenly house, the trio of Oliver, Emma & Paul being joined on the decks by The Dirty Sunset Disco Crew or Jon Byrne, Smithy, King K & Mister Baker, with plenty of stilt walkers, fire eaters, clowns & campery to cut any comparison with other parties within Brighton’s borders this weekend.

Details of all these Soho, Vauxhall, alternative & Brighton choices can be found in the popular weekly press and via the events pages on social networking site, Facebook.

Right, that’s it for this weekend, although do watch this space for our extra bites post on Brighton pride itself, as well as any last minute news we have on happenings across the capital, as info hits our desks.

In terms of our weekend, well it’s a Brighton trip for us, although we will be giving the park a wide berth, rather heading for Wild Fruit’s “Terrace Party”, followed by a right royal rumpus at Dance Nation, followed by a fruity south coast styled Beyond at Honeyclub. So, if you’re down on the coast & see us out, come say hi, but whatever you do and wherever you are this weekend, have a good one, but as we always say.....”Go There! Be There!”

xDM

Weekend Focus Special - Gay Brighton Dance Weekend - "The Wild Fruit Way"

2010-08-05T19:40:00.007+01:00

WEEKEND FOCUS SPECIAL
GAY BRIGHTON DANCE WEEKEND
THRUSDAY 5TH TO MONDAY 9TH AUGUST
“THE WILD FRUIT WAY”

The last few months in the life of Brighton Pride has certainly been interesting to say the least and whislt they are a few camps in this relatively tight knit scene that have conflicting views over what was right or wrong about the way certain key decisions, both financially & otherwise, have been handled, the fact remains that one of the city’s biggest players was forced to step back from being involved in the park proceedings this year. As if the loss of such an organisation was bad enough, when you consider that this business had been one of the most longstanding supporters of what has become the UK’s most popular pride weekends, such a loss was shocking to say the least Their eventual withdrawal back in May certainly had the domino effect, a handful of other key players/individuals also pulling out of pride, although the rumblings of financial instability of this essentially free event in its old form stretch back much further, to August 2009 to be precise, meaning that the catalogue of failings and precarious decision making by the Brighton Pride committee have left considerable scares across the LGBT community that still run deep in certain quarters.

However, like many things in life, through adversity comes opportunity and the organisation that had fallen foul to the muddled financial makings of Brighton Pride and had lost its prestigeous postion within pride park proceedings, rather than lying down dead, picked itself up, dusted itself off and came up with a solution that immediately looked like not only stealing much of the thunder of the park celebrations, but was hailed a new dawn in clubbing collaboration in Brighton. So what organisation are we talking about andwhat is this new dawn we are deluding to? Well, the organisation is Aeon Events, the business behind probably the biggest gay club brands in Brighton, but also a company that held and was responsible for the bar contract for Brighton Pride in Preston Park, also staging the incredibly popular dance tent that has always been an intrinsic part or proceedings, their club brand being Wild Fruit, two words that for many Londoners at least are synonymous with Brighton Pride and the dance tent. But you can probably guess by now that Wild Fruit will not be represented in the park this year, although the proverbial phoenix from the ashes is Gay Brighton Dance Weekend, very much the new dawn dream turned reality, which both Wild Fruit and its trading company are spearheading.

In creating Gay Brighton Dance Weekend, the team behind Wild Fruit have not only pulled together 15 of the city’s best known dance bars & clubs, but have attracted brands both from within Brighton and back here in the capital, greats such as Beyond, DTPM, Lovechild, Onyx, Queer Nation & Salvation, all travelling to the south coast for this amazing clubbing celebration of a weekend. Indeed this incredible gathering of brands & minds from both Brighton & London has resulted in 29 events stretching from tomorrow (Thursday 5th August) through till Monday (9th August) and drawing in the a veritable who’s who list of D.J.’s from both cities, names such as Guy Williams, Fat Tony, Steve Pitron, Paul Heron, Alan X, Oliver M, Mis-White, Mikey D, The Oli, Tasty Tim, Dusty O, Jon Byrne Kate Wildblood, Verity Mayes & many more, all combining with those 15 venues & 25 club brands to produce “...a massive, diverse, colourful and proud clubbing weekend featuring the cream clubland parties & events..”. So what’s the deal? Well, picking through those 29 events, we have taken “The Wild Fruit Way” here which spans from Friday through Monday.

So, what does this, “The Wild Fruit Way” consist of? Well, it all kicks off on Friday (6th Aug) at Audio on Marine Parade with Brighton’s biggest club “Pride Welcome Party”, although this will be no ordinary gathering, as Wild Fruit joins forces with London’s largest Friday nighter, Onyx, spreading this opulent opener to the weekend over Audio’s two floors, which not only offer incredible views of the seafront outside but serve up ultra smart & sophisticated surroundings inside. The party kicks off at 6 p.m. on Audio’s first floor, where Kate Wildblood & Hollie will spin a combo of club anthems & dance pop classics then giving way to a London by the sea session from Onyx downstairs, where resident & Gaydar’s Clubnation star Phil Marriot will be joined by the south coast’s Mike Mikalis, both serving up a superb selection of upfront funky & sexy house, this Dance Weekend opener running through until 3 a.m and entry free till 11 p.m.

Saturday (7th Aug) sees the Wild Fruit machine kick start the day with their “Terrace Party” back above Audio and will be swinging the doors open nice & early at 3 p.m., and this is going to be a really special party that we are sure will eclipse Preston Park in the D.J. stakes at least. Why? well not only have they scooped local boys turned international superstars Prok & Fitch, but the one & only Seamus Haji will be gracing the Audio decks too, joining regular D.J’s Jonny M, Kate Wildblood & Neil Duffy, for what will prove to be THE place to be both during the afternoon & as the sun sets over Brighton, with party goers in pole position for a magnificent view of the Pride fireworks display. This extra special pride party is the official warm up for both “Dance Nation” & DTPM and runs through until 10 p.m. with entry free until 6 p.m., although as this the numbers are strictly limited & priority will be given to Dance Nation & DTPM ticket holders, make sure you get there early to avoid disappointment.

Then as that clock strikes 10, the Audio’s terrace & the space below gives way to inbound London brand DTPM, who will run riot from across both floors till 5 a.m., with longstanding DT’ers Guy Williams & Fat Tony spearheading the terrific tunes, while newbie’s The House Husbands & Hifi Sean will complete the fantastic foursome (or is that fivesome) landing from London, with Brighton based Mike Mikalis adding the local touch. This credible combo is sure to pack a pulsating punch and give a whole new meaning to Brighton rock, not only rocking Audio but leaving its mark across the weekend, so if DTPM is your bag, this is a must with a limited amount of advance tickets still available £15.

But the biggie on Saturday will be the massive “Dance Nation” which will take place at huge venue Tru, this Gaydar sponsored event bringing together club brands Wild Fruit (of course), Alex Erfan's London smash Lovechild, Tim Jones's Tonker & Macho City, this huge dance party spread across three rooms of action and sporting D.J’s Steve Pitron, Tony English, The Hoxton Whores, Neil Duffie & Leroy Tayler in the main “Wild Fruit loves Lovechild” room, while space no2 will be handed over to Tonker, where Alan X & Tim Jones will rule the beartastic roost. The third room is given away to London east end based Chicago house club night Macho City, with residents Dave Kendrick & Charlie Porter taking charge & joined by Chris Barker. Add to that a superb PA show from Krysten Cummings in the main room and ostentatious hosts Chrissy Darling & Twiggy steering thi superb ship of a shindig and this looks like being an absolute riot. Tru’s doors open at 10 p.m., this “Dance Nation” smash running through until 5 a.m., with advance tickets available at £15.

Sunday (7th Aug) hardly dawns before the afterhours club extraordinaire, Beyond, trips south to Brighton to take over the fantastic Honeyclub, sending revellers deep into the morning and possibly the afternoon, this outstanding London brand combining with Wild Fruit to offer event “Beyond Fruit”, importing the might of Mikey D & The Oli from the capital, who will fly this brilliant afterhours' flag in the "Beyond" room with local boy Jonny M, while the “Funky Fruit” room will sport Jeffrey Hinton Kate Wildblood, Devilish & Riano. Honeyclub fires up this Beyond special outing on the sea at 4 a.m., running through till an advertised late (you know what that means!) with advance tickets selling like hot cakes at £15.

Then, just as you have drawn breath, it’s time for a return to Audio’s terrace, this time for favourite, Sunday Sundae, who will be holding a “Mirror Ball Double Floor” special, D.J.’s Kate Wildblood, Jeffrey Hinton, Chris Barker, Mike Mikalis, Monsieur Dimanche & Dave Kendrick, playing out to the extended hours of 3 p.m. till 11 p.m., a soundtrack of chilled our beach vibes through plenty of disco tinged classic house & dance with a touch of funk & uplifting tunes for good measure. This summer smash has attracted a very loyal following and this pride special Sunday undae serving will no doubt be plu-populaire, so make sure you get there nice & early.

But this will be somewhat of a curtain raiser to Sunday’s & probably the Dance Weekend’s biggest event, Wild Fruit’s “Kings & Queen’s” barnstorming bash, this huge affair spread over seven rooms at the incredible 3000 capacity super club Oceana, with an equally impressive line up of D.J.’s to delight. From the main “Ice” room where The Freemasons, Pete Hayward & Jon Byrne will hold court, through to the “Studio 54” space with Trannyshack’s Tasty Tim & Dusty O gender bending behind the decks, the choice continues with the “Bears Log Cabin”, where Hifi Sean & Dave Kendrick will be beefing up the beats, through to the “Drag Queen Boudoir” with queen of the drag D.J. crown Lady Lloyd spinning the sounds, while the girls on girls action spreads across both the “Deep” & “Tahiti” bars with Kate Wildblood, Hollie & Queen Jo choosing the tunes. The final space is “The Monte Carlo Bar” which is set aside for everyone, who in the organisors words "...can be their own VIP for the night..."., Oceania & Wild Fruit's "Kings & Queens" spectacular opens its doors at 10 p.m. with the extrovert event running through until 3.am. and with £10 in advance being the more than reasonable charge, this proves as the bargain deal of the weekend for sure.

But if you thought that was it, this incredible Gay Dance Weekend takes you into Monday morning with Brighton’s version of our own Orange, as “Rebel Afterhours” rounds off the four days of Wild Fruit inspired action at cool venue Digital, with international mega star D.J. Paul Heron taking to the decks and joined by Onyx’s Jonny M & Lee Harris, the trio no doubt treating you to a tremendous tech inspired, funky & chunky set of tunes to take you from the 3 a.m. start to the 8 a.m. finish, the £8 advance ticket charge worth every penny in our book.

Now, the best way to check out further full details of the amazing outings that make up this our choice of “The Wild Fruit Way” from the huge selection of events that make up the Gay Dance Weekend down in Brighton, is to go direct to http://aeonevents.co.uk, which not only has special sections for each of the parties we have picked out, but give links to those all important advance tickets for each event, which you can also purchase either online via http://clubtickets.com or at participating venues in Brighton , as well as on the doors of the events proper.

So, if you are heading to Brighton Pride, we cannot recommend enough that you savour some if not all of what looks like being an awesome Gay Dance Weekend in the hands of the city’s premier club brand Wild Fruit and its associates, both from London & London by the sea. And words of Paul Kemp, the man behind this immense festival of dance, sum up the aims of this incredible gathering of minds, when he says “...the city’s best loved venues & LGBT businesses, along with those big names from London, are pulling together this year to make sure that the genuine essence of Brighton Pride is showcased in the best possible way...”. Now, if you were in any doubt about Aeon Events & Wild Fruit’s intentions with this mega dance weekend, their comments should seal the deal and make for one of the biggest clubbing celebrations we have seen in years. (DISCO MATT)

Weekend - 23rd to 25th July

2010-07-23T09:07:00.003+01:00

Hey Folks,

With July moving on at a pace, eyes are beginning to look towards the next big date in the European clubbing calendar as The Circuit Festival will be attracting huge crowds, converging on Barcelona for the week long party. To mark the occasion, we will be bringing you a special preview on what you can expect from this week of clubbing extravagance.

In the meantime and looking at our own backyard, what is on offer across the gAylist capital to tempt you out? Well, with our Weekend Focus reports already out on Impact & Beyond B2B, we run down our best of the rest choices in Soho, Vauxhall & elsewhere here.

First to the original gay village in London and, on paper at least, it looks like being a pretty low key weekend, although generally that means a few surprises end up being in store. As usual Lo-Profile/Profile Bar heads our list of choices and whilst he may have been advertised in the popular press as playing tonight, communicating with Paul Heron on the Heathrow tarmac confirmed that he will be in Brazil this weekend, so we can definitely say that he won’t be playing at Lo-Profile tonight (Friday 23rd July). However, Mikey D will and he is most likely to be joined by Nick Evans, who will be expected to fill Paul’s boots. However, we are waiting on a call from the venue’s Manager, so will share the news with you as soon as we get it. What we can confirm with convocation is Saturday, as Brent Nicholls opens proceedings in this Wardour Street sophisticate of a club before jetting off to Beyond, while Hugh Stevenson takes you into Sunday morning with his bombastic beats. Upstairs in Profile & the team are still in party mood after their birthday bash, Phil Marriot also full of exciting news of his inclusion in the S.L.A.G.S. teams & much more, so should be in fine fettle on Friday, while the Saturday sounds will be steered by Rob Sykes, who like Brent then heads down to Beyond (where’s the staff taxi!?!). The Shadow Lounge is another venue smarting from its birthday celebrations & the mood should be at its brilliant best on Friday with foxy ladies Mis-White & Minx, for another “Therapy” session, while the gorge Andrew Elmore turns up the heat on Saturday, with his pop house infused “Inferno” night. Other shouts go to Barcode’s “The Cave” on Friday, which sees the welcome return of Hifi Sean, following his travels around Europe, so he will have plenty to tell & new sounds to share, while Sicilian wonder Alessandro Londra masterminds the music at Rupert Street on Saturday.

Down in Vauxhall and its seems that Beyond with its B2B event will be taking the plaudits this weekend, although new pretender “Impact” muscles in on the action at Union. Both events have been given our full focus as we mentioned, so check out those reports. Elsewhere and Barcode looks like being ideally placed to offer alternatives to the two big hitters, as Friday sees a one-off special night called “Off The Hook – For The Love Of House”, a night based on the music of US soul soaked & funky fuelled house, brought to you by Bootylicious’s Thomas in conjunction with this South London bar/club outfit. D.J’s Sugarbear, Biggy C, Tyron & Steven Gellar turning out the tunes and should prove a popular draw for Booty fans & their admirers, while on Saturday (24th July), D.J. stars spinning the sounds include Pagano and Hifi Sean. Next door in Area and “Onyx” kind of gears up for their big party next weekend with an extra special back-to-back (or should we say B2B?) performance of their own, Jonny M & Lee Harris holding court together in the main room, while Jamie Hammond hopes the mixers will stand up to his breathtaking beats in the Blackbox room and Lisa German & Ariel play it tough in the Terrace, all paving way for another A.M. session across in Fire, taking you deep into Saturday morning. Two other Area/Fire highlights of the weekend are “Booster” at the former on Sunday evening, with Ferno, Sharon O Love Miss Crazy D & La Gosse monstering the main room, while the new pop-tastic Terrace room has gained huge momentum in the last few weeks , Jason’s Jukebox hitting the mark with guest Heidi Liscious & James St James, while over at Fire, Orange continues its ever increasing popularity runs into Monday morning, with special guest Nick Tcherniak joining Hifi Sean , both going RAW, while main room maestro’s include Paul Martin & The Oli. Other Vauxhall shouts go to “Tonker” at the Eagle on Friday, which sees the return of Tim Jones, following his tour of the US, while The RVT will be on the cusp of its “Hot August Fringe” month of comedy, cabaret, live art & performances, with another “S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out” Sunday with the incomparable Dame Edna on stage and is an institutional must.

Alternative offerings across the capital are spearheaded by Shoreditch once again, The Dalston Superstore starting a whacky weekend with their “Snap Crackle & Pop” monthly Friday nighter, it looking like an East London D.J. battle, with the supremacy on the decks spotlight being contested by the Lovely Jonjo, Isa GT, Mikki Most, Harry James, We’re Not Cool, Ian Robinson, Med Lacoste, Spieltrieb, Carlosi & Jus Fab, wow!, so expect loads of barnstorming beats & frenetic Friday activity. On Saturday it’s the turn of “Optimo” to steal the show, with special guests JD Twitch & JG Wilkes landing of Shoreditch from Glasgow and judging by the last party, this is going to be an absolute corker & is expected to be a complete roadblock of an event. However, Wayne Shires is certainly looking to make his mark on the East End this weekend, with two superb parties at East Bloc on City Road, “Disco Fag Bar” on Friday setting the trend for “Reproduction” on Saturday, which sports D.J’s Jonny Slut, Fil OK & Skinflint, with MC Loud also playing and a live performance from Mikkokoo, the night promising plenty of new wave pop, electro & disco beats. But if you thought it was all about Shoreditch you would be mistaken, as South London gets more than a look in this weekend, with Brixton’s Dex nightclub & terrace serving up new Friday night offering “Disco Motel”, with the musical theme being very much disco house but with a twist, D.J.’s Guy Williams, Matt Sharp, Strawberry K & Ali B the line-up to articulate the anthems, while the venue’s terrace will have (weather permitting) a barbeque and brave party goers can even take a dip in the hot tub. With lots of exciting guest D.J.’s to come over the next few weeks, joining the very strong residency line-up, “Disco Motel” will be getting our full Weekend Focus next time, so keep an eye out for that. However, Dex is also the host venue for the party being talked about right across gAylist London, as Logan’s “UP” takes place on Sunday (25th July) If you haven’t yet received your invite yet, then you may miss out, although it’s worth taking a look at the events page on social networking site, Facebook, to see if you can sneak in on the action.

Talking of Facebook, further details of all these Soho, Vauxhall & alternative happenings can be found on their events pages, but you can also get snippets of info via the popular press pages.

Now, no weekend report of ours would be complete without a mention for tip top clubbing website Seen Queen, considered by most as the number one gAylist clubbing website in the capital and certainly needs no sneaky advertising stunt by an online magazine, that will remain nameless, to promote its services & good word. In terms of club listings, video’s, music links and pics, the site is unrivalled by any other, their blog page having gotten a shiny new look too. Add to that plenty of features and competition offers and the site is very much a must visit at http://seenqueen.com/, even a small segment of our work appearing there.

Right that’s it for another report and we hope there is something within our choices or focuses that will tempt you out. As for us, well what looked like being a quiet one got underway with Industri last night and gathers momentum on Saturday with Impact, then both bits of Beyond, followed by Logan’s “Up” event on Sunday and possibly a drop in on Nick Tcherniak at Orange early Monday morning. So, if you see us out, come say hi, but as we always say.....Go There! Be There!

xDM

Weekend Focus - Beyond B2B

2010-07-22T13:55:00.002+01:00

WEEKEND FOCUS
BEYOND B2B AT COLOSSEUM & AREA
SATURDAY 24TH/SUNDAY 25TH JULY

It goes without saying that the club which continues to steal the lion’s share of the clubbing headlines, the largest amount of limelight and un-paralleled devotion, is the Sunday morning afterhours phenomena that is Beyond, a club that needs no introduction and has pretty much cornered the market, wedging itself neatly between the volatile Saturday night scene & the re-emerging Sunday slot of clubbing, that critics would say means that by simply opening its doors guarantees success. However, while there may be an element of that last statement that is true, you cannot accuse Beyond of simply resting on its laurels, oh no, as new promoter of this afterhours audacity at Area in Vauxhall, James Brewer, is injecting new blood into the winning formula, guest D.J.’s, the new Chapel lounge and the lovely Ben Kaye on the door, three great examples of his efforts. But Beyond as a brand in the capital has just gained a new feather to its bow, as the extended “Belief” event concept has been joined by another which was road tested as a “Classic” format back in June, but now finds fresh legs this coming Saturday, 24th July.

Beyond “Back-To-Back” (B2B) now stands as a running mate to the “Belief” parties, offering the clubber the opportunity to savour the delights of this 10 hour extended extravaganza, by providing an even bigger opportunity to make the most of one of THE most popular clubbing brands around right now. B2B was conceived as far back as March this year, at the time planned as a nostalgic visit back to the old days of Beyond at Colosseum, although in truth, unless it was held on a Sunday morning it would never be able to re-emulate those magical days. The event that took place on 5th June confirmed that, while it was great to see Beyond back on original territory, it was never going to have the feel of the old events back in 2001 through 2006, even if Brent Nicholls managed to hit the mark with some brilliant re-works of VIP room classic moments. So, the B2B concept is now firmly a modern one and serves to extend the Beyond experience, encompassing Saturday night as well as Sunday morning, yet offering the clubber two different styles of venues, effectively for the price of one.

So with that now crystal clear, what does B2B hold in store? Well the Colosseum element of the event is masterminded by promoter Alex Erfan; the man responsible for such greats as Lovechild, Hustlaball, Pervert, Gay City Rollers, Lookbetternaked, LGDF, well the list goes on, and is a seasoned pro (he won’t mind us saying that) in the game, so the first leg of B2B couldn’t be in better hands. In acknowledgement of that, Alex has already introduced a brand new element on the Colosseum party in the form of a live D.J. performance in the Riverbank Bar, to the uninitiated, the first bar you hit when ascending the stairs, where Brighton’s Phil Discolove will be spinning what Mr Erfan explains as “...easy on the ear social disco-house...”, which sounds like a perfect entrance in on proceedings to us. Apart from that, we know a sneaky Alex has plenty more up his sleeve which we will be doing our level best to wangle out of him later on today.

However, what we can confirm is that the D.J. line-up gets a new look in the Colosseum main room, which we have to say looked incredibly impressive on our last visit in June, the refurbishments making a striking new difference. Onyx resident and wonder kid of the scene, Jamie Hammond kicks, things off, with we are sure, a rousing & uplifting set, followed by the welcome return to the capitals clubbing decks of Rob Sykes, who will definitely find favour with the masses. Indeed the man’s appearance at B2B has prompted a full on focus of ours in this coming weekend’s Music Is The Answer post, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Adding to the sparkling line up in the main room will be The Sharp Boys, and then polishing off a brilliant B2B leg at Colossem will be the legendary Fat Tony, now it doesn’t get better than that. Or does it? because across in the VIP room both Alan X & then Brent Nicholls return to shake rattle & roll this special space and if Mr Nicholls’ last performance here is anything to go by, the VIP lounge is not to be missed. Now, as we love to bring you a bit of music to prelude the event, check out Rob’s compilation at http://djrobsykes.podomatic.com/, which is an ideal warmer to this event & his set.

Now what can we say about the second half of B2B, which takes place at Area, that hasn’t already been said? Well, we know that Beyond god Steve Pitron is away on holiday (how very dare him!) along with confirmation on our sneaking suspicion that the multi mixing genius that is Alan K is away, although don’t panic folks, as the main room line up is absolutely stellar. Why? well only because the star of Lovechild last weekend, The Oli, returns to kick off proceedings and believe us, if it is anything like last week’s set at Fire, let alone his Gay Pride showing in the same Beyond slot (7 till 9), it simply must not be missed. Follow that Mikey, but we are sure Mr Dower will, as he did on George Sharp last weekend, then Terry Bryan steps into Alan’s shoes to round off the main room in pumping & pulsating style. Paul Christian in The Blackbox and D’Johnny plus the mischievous Jamie Head complete the B2B Area line-up, the whole package looking absolutely irresistible (we feel another trip of audaciousness on the cards!!).

Right, what’s the overall deal? Well Beyond B2B kicks off at Colosseum from 11 p.m. on Saturday 24th July, running through till 7 a.m., while the Area B2B leg starts at 6 a.m., running through until 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon, that’s an amazing combined 14 hours of clubbing. Now in terms of tickets, individual £10 advance ones for Colosseum & £12 ones for Area are available online at http://clubtickets.com/, or at Soho outlets Prowler & Clone Zone, as well as at The Box in Covent Garden. However, we recommend you grab yourselves one of the many entry passes available & watch out for Tom’s boys running around Soho & Vauxhall this weekend. But if you do but a ticket for Colosseum that will entitle you to FREE entry to Area, bargain!!

So what’s more to say apart from that, the word of the weekend once again looks like being Beyond, Beyond, Beyond (oops that’s three!) and with B2B added for good measure, while the Pitron cat is away, the mice will definitely play at both Colosseum & Area, so as we love to say, Go There! Be There! (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Focus - Impact

2010-07-22T09:06:00.002+01:00

WEEKEND RECOMMENDATIONS FOCUS
IMPACT AT UNION
SATURDAY 24TH JULY

It has to be said that the real revolution in gAylist clubbing in the capital took a tremendous turn in Vauxhall, courtesy of Crash, an underground club at the time of its launch by Wayne Shires, really captured the imagination and laid down the foundations for a vibrant scene south of the river that pretty much remains intact to this day. Whilst Crash has sadly passed into the memories of the mind, there is a new kid on the block that is seeking to re-emulate the feel of Crash, combining the raunchy underground element and the mind-blowing music that made Wayne’s flagship trendsetter of a club the success that it was. Impact launches at Union (formerly Crash) in Vauxhall this Saturday (24th July) and aims itself “...at muscle men, sexy studs, beefy bears and everything in between...” promising a return to that Crash magic of yesteryear.

So what is this Impact branding based upon? Well, promoters Oliver Mohns & Steve Elliot have both been pretty active across Europe recently and have built associations with nightclub event Naughty in Brussels, Impact being modelled on this and other European styled dance & cruise parties. And with this launch party, the Impact brand will welcome Naughty who will centre-stage the theme of the night and, as the name suggests, should serve up plenty of disobedient & indecent activity, all in a good way. The night will fuse all the elements of this notorious Brussels based party, bringing to the capital plenty of sexual intrigue combined with masterful music that, in terms of a concept, should prove to be an absolute winner. And to get a feel of the event, why not check out the trailer video via http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=127982143900886#!/video/video.php?v=10150221474240198&oid=127982143900886 which definitely sets the scene in superb style.

In terms of the music, the promotions team are flying in one of Naughty’s resident D.J.’s, Francesco Bellais, who will land in on London direct from his base in Italy and will be set fair to deliver a definitive hardcore underground tech & tribal set that will certainly heighten the sexual mood within Union’s main room. Francesco’s D.J.’ing pedigree is considerable, having been famously head hunted by Madonna to remix one of her tracks and is credited with residencies at some of Italy’s biggest gay happenings, including Billy in Milan, Gay Village in Rome, Skylight in Verona & Pegaso in Catania, although appearances across Europe litter his C.V., Queen in Paris, Space in Madrid, GMF in Berlin & Propaganda in Moscow major highlights. So, his trademark tribal and tech sounds with plenty of electro & energetic influences should prove a real hit with the London crowd and the market Impact is aiming for.

The other big headlining act will be porn star Logan McCree, the man with more tattoos than we have had breakfast’s (well not quite!) and was part of the team of stars that made it to Hustlaball back in May, so returns to the capital sexual stomping ground to perform solo on this occasion, although will no doubt draw in a merry band of admirers to his stunning looks, incredible body paintwork that is his trademark. So the backdrop of the night will definitely be erotic & sexual interest & intrigue, especially with the special cruising area in the middle of the club, allowing Impacter’s to satisfy their desires and devotions away from the main room musical madness. And talking of the music, Mr Bellais will be joined by Oliver M, who will be exchanging his promotion duties for disc deck delivery, fresh from a magnificent performance at Cirque Du Salvation at Lovebox last weekend & also on the back of appearances at La Demence & Cologne’s Gay pride event earlier in the month and will no doubt treat the Impact audience to some prolific progressive, tech & electro beats as beefy as the blokes in situ. Others D.J.’s on rotation include the sexy & saucy Steven Artis who has laid down a special compilation mix especially for this Impact launch and is well worth a listen at http://stevenartis.podomatic.com/.

Now to the all important detail and Impact launches this Saturday, 24th July at Union in Vauxhall, with entry to the club on Goding Street (the old Crash entrance), doors opening at 11 p.m. and the club running through until 7 a.m. Advance tickets are on sale online at direct link http://evolved-events.clubtickets.com/gb/2010-07/24/impact-london or in Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & DV8 as well as at both Barcode’s, priced at £10, but with availability on the door too. Further information on this event can be found at http://evolvedevents.co.uk, while to get the lowdown on club night Naughty and the influence it is likely to make on Impact, go to http://naughty-party.com/.

As we get final details on the D.J. line up for this Impact launch we will share it with you, but all that’s left to say is, Impact, it’s time to make one!! (DISCO MATT)

Weekend - 16th to 18th July

2010-07-15T10:54:00.002+01:00

Hey Folks,

Well, what a splendid Spanish Sunday we had in the hands of Logan & his brilliant “Presents” team at the event of the year so far, Matinee’s “Open Air Summer” party and whilst the sheen of our million dollar moment may have been rubbed off, nothing can erase our memories of this magnificent Matinee party. To see why it was so good, why not check out our review at http://discomatt.blogspot.com/2010/07/splendid-sunday-sunshine-soiree-matinee and watch this space for news on the next event.

In the meantime, we point to what looks like being another weekend dominated by that word Love, as two events scream out the word, thus getting our fuller focus, while we run down our best of the rest picks of places & parties to be and be seen this Friday through Sunday.

But before we do, we have to mention two Soho sophisticates that are celebrating their birthdays today. First up is Profile Bar, which re-launched at their uber chic Wardour St venue (right above sister Lo-Profile) exactly a year ago to the date (17th July), so rings a whole year cutting its smart new stride, tonight (Thurs) from 6 p.m. Special guest D.J. Tony English will be providing the birthday soundtrack along with percussionist David H, while the champagne will be flowing and if the sun decides to come & out play, plenty of pimms too. Plus for early arrivals, the limited number of goodie bags could be coming your way, gifts from Space NK, Kiehls & Nickel inside (fab!) and if that saucy barmen in his shorts is on show, plenty of eyes will be popping to match the champagne corks. So, it’s definitely party time at Profile, while The Shadow Lounge also celebrate, their ninth birthday bash getting our Extra Bites attention, so check out our report on that.

Right, lets crack on into the weekend and run down the best of our choices, covering off Soho first and it seems the momentum of the above birthday bashes will see both Profile/Lo-Profile & The Shadow Lounge being the places to be & be seen this weekend, Lo-Profile certainly packing a punch with their line up both on Friday & Saturday, Luke Hope & D’Johnny filling you up with a fulsome frenzy of funky & chunky tunes, while on Saturday it’s the turn of Alessandro start your Saturday in sophisticated Sicilian style, followed by Brent Nicholls, who will surely be rolling out his latest “Nu funk” to shimmer & shake your souls. Upstairs in Profile Bar, Phil Marriot beams out his club nation soundtrack to warm you into the weekend on Friday, while Craig Daniels dishes up some delightful dance music on Saturday. Over at Shadow Lounge and our “foxy ladies” are back again, doing it like sisters at another “Therapy” session on Friday, while the dishy Andrew Elmore ignites your Saturday with another pop & house packed music infusion at “Inferno”. Our other big shout in Soho goes to Rupert Street, who welcome back Brent Nicholls on Saturday, his soothing soundtrack of uplifting & vocal house intermixed with some of that hip swaying & toe tingling funk going down a treat with the tottie, so should prove to be a enriching evening of musical entertainment.

Down in Vauxhall and the headline act is Alex Erfan’s Lovechild, which hits Fire this Saturday (17th July) and gets our new style focus which you can catch via direct link http://discomattweekend.blogspot.com/2010/07/weekend-focus-lovechild-makin-hay. As for the rest, well as usual, you can’t go wrong with the Fire threesome of A.M., Later & of course Orange, which we were pleased to report, was a citric squeeze of a smash last Sunday, the dream team of Raw room Spaniards Gonzalo Rivas & David Jimenez back together, brilliant! Over at Area and another frolicking threesome this weekend will be Onyx, Beyond & Booster, Jonny Marsh’s Friday fantastic warm up for their own birthday bash at the end of the month with a usual immense ingredient mix of mesmeric music from residents that include Phil Marriot, Jamie Hammond, Lee Harris, Lisa German & Ariel, while Beyond are still smarting after their Syke n Sugarstarr smash event last weekend, so go back to basics, although Steve Pitron’s petrol fuelled music pace will be on extra octane following his much awaited podcast release (more on that in our next Music post). Booster fits neatly into the weekend roster, Sunday evenings at Area getting ever more popular and a brilliant curtain raiser for some citric splendour afterwards. Our other two big shouts go first to “Carpet Burn” at The Eagle on Saturday, which will be a way out & whacky Woo wonder, as the fab three that is Ma Butcher, John Sizzle & (who else) Jonny Woo roll out another of their Gay Bingo bonanza’s, with HMD’s Jim Stanton spinning the sounds, while the temperature scales will be tipping in favour of S.L.A.G.S./Chill-out on Sunday, the institution that is The Dame Edna Experience going from strength to strength & is an absolute must see if you haven’t already, both the grassy knoll, then inside the RVT worthy contenders to the Lovebox gathering out east.

As for our alternatives, well as we hinted, Lovebox this Sunday (18th July) looks like being a gigantic gathering with over 20,000 tickets sold already for Sunday and in amongst the audacity in Victoria Park will be Steve Elliot’s “Cirque Du Salvation, this getting our second special weekend focus at http://discomattweekend.blogspot.com/2010/07/weekend-focus-cirque-du-salvation. As for our best of the rest bits, The Dalton Superstore stokes up another hefty head of steam this weekend with “Body Talk” on Friday with a fulsome line up of oldskool underground house courtesy of D.J’s Rokk, Jeffrey Hinton, Jim Warboy & Kusi Kubi, while its anther friendly fusion on Saturday, when superstar Italian Severino serves up splashes of synth pop & Italo disco house along with 2 Bears & Dirtbox D.J.’s. Mind you Wayne Shires has his own momentum of motion, with new(ish) night “Disco Fag Bar” which fits into your Friday at East Bloc on City Road, EC1, with demon D.J. Luke Howard heading up a fine list of fanatical’s that could see you partying deep into Saturday afternoon if last week’s party was anything to go by. And no mention of steam would be complete without our final alternative shout for this weekend, as “Caligula” returns to Bishopsgate’s Bathhouse and welcomes Kris Di Angelis who will be slipping in plenty of souped up electro twisted sounds on Friday night.

As always more details of all these Soho, Vauxhall & alternative best weekend picks of ours can be found in the popular (we hope accurate!) press and/or via the events & group pages on social networking site Facbeook.

Now, before we round off another recommendation report, we just time to give our friends Seen Queen a supercharged shout as not only do they have a complete gAylist directory of the hottest happenings, but they have, just this week, uploading heaps of new house music links, load of lovely pictures and a video full of prodding projections, their lament of Lovechild’s recent party an eye opener as well as a popper. Catch all these features & lots more (including links to you know who’s work) at http://seenqueen.com/.

As for our weekend, well, its starts in earnest with those birthday bashes in Soho, bouncing between Profile & Shadow Lounge tonight (Thurs 15th), then will be rocking it in Rupert St with Brent Nicholls on Saturday, before making hay at Lovechild. As for the rest, well plans of on hold following some disappointing news, but with things likely to change like the wind, you may well spot us on Sunday. So, whatever you do, have a great weekend, if you see us out come say hi and as we always say....”Go There! Be There!”

xDM

Weekend Focus - Cirque Du Salvation @ Lovebox

2010-07-15T09:57:00.004+01:00

WEEKEND RECOMMENDATION FOCUS
CIRCUE DU SALVATION AT LOVEBOX
SUNDAY 18TH JULY

From the minute we heard about Lovebox this year, we were extremely excited, not just because we were determined to ensure it didn’t miss our radar, but the gAylist influence in 2010 was considerably boosted by the inclusion of international mega clubbing brand Salvation in the Sunday proceedings, thus making the whole event so much more appealing. Mind you, with a headlining act like Grace Jones, this ostensively straight three day dance festival couldn’t have someone more gay friendly involved, Grace holding near iconic status our side of the fence, so yet another reason to hold this event in high regard.

So with full details of this massive Lovebox festival available at http://lovebox.net/, what part will Salvation be playing in proceedings? Well, with details now finally ironed out, we can confirm that Salvation will be hosting their own arena within the full-on festival, this Sunday (18th July), known for this Lovebox festival as “Cirque Du Salvation”, kicking off from 12 midday & running their considerable dance space through till 5 p.m., while, of course the festival itself carries on until 10.30 p.m. Now, in terms of exactly where Salvation’s arena will be within the park, we are not sure, although as details of this, along with any other tit bits of last minute info come through, we will share it with you in an Extra Bites post.

However, what we can confirm is the D.J. line up and it is very much a Salvation drenched terrific team who firstly welcome back to the fold Oliver M, who played such a big part in their London parties a few years ago. However, with club promotion commitments in recent years & months, Oliver’s appearances for Salvation were sometimes difficult to match with the demands of his other duties, although this engaging & effervescent German is very much concentrating on his D.J.’ing that the moment, his international career behind the decks having blossomed again in recent months, appearances across Europe including La Demence, Rapido, Cologne Pride, a three day tour of Moscow & a Salvation gig out in Tel Aviv. However, we don’t want to say too much on him here, as he is getting full focus in our upcoming Music Is The Answer post, although we couldn’t escape plugging his Lovebox inspired latest compilation now, which you can grab now at http://djoliverm.podomatic.com/.

Also making plenty of Salvation waves at Lovebox will be Pier Morrocco, a man who is definitely one of life’s jet setters, he hardly ever keeping still & in one place, so his inclusion in the line up is a bit of a land. Pier has been part of Salvation for as long as we can remember and we absolutely delight in his funky electro yet tough tech inspired tones which have lots of uplifting beats to them. Plus we are pleased as punch to include a link to a very rare compilation of his which is available at http://events.piermorrocco.podomatic.com/, & is one you should grab while you can, meaning we simply couldn’t resist slipping in here although we think you should re-name it Lovebox , what do you think Pier? Other D.J. inclusions have been last minute Salvation resident additions of Paul Coals & Mis-White, who will replace Danny Verde who will not be able to make “Cirque Du Salvation” at Lovebox due to some complicated technical difficulties. Now whilst we are extremely disappointed with this news, Steve Elliot is at strains to express that “...there will be NO sadness, but smiles all day...” and we know that Mis-White at the very least will prove a real treat for us and indeed everyone, along with Steve’s stellar line up of jocks to gyrate.

Now, music aside, what will be on offer within the “Cirque Du Salvation” arena? Well Steve promises us a surreal & twisted affair with all the fun of the circus, which will include gorgeous go-go dancers dressed to dare as wild animals (we only begin to imagine just how wild they are going to look) and with head dancer Raul Gonzalez masterminding the stunning stage shows which should be a real wow. Then there will be trapeze artists & an amazing aerial strongman, loads of stilt walkers, clowns & other characters to really boost that circus feel, all supplied by Twisted Dreams & Andromeda productions teams. Plus with the deployment of a special LED lighting wall as well as some special show lasers, will make the whole arena look stunning. However, on top of “Cirque Du Salvation” flying the gAylist flag at Lovebox, other attractions across the Sunday will be the more metrosexual offerings of “Horse Meat Disco”, “Wish”, “Trailer Trash” & “Disco Bloodbath” with the likes of James Hillard, Jim Stanton, Luke Howard, Severino, Kath Harding, Dan Beaumont, Ben Pistor, Hannah Holland & Mikki Most performing, so plenty of other offerings to pop your head in on. Plus, Grace herself will be taking to the main stage at about 8.30 p.m., so even devoting yourself to the whole of “Cirque Du Salvation” as you should be doing, will mean you won’t miss out on any of Miss Jones’s prolific performance. Details of all the attractions, shows, performers etc at Lovebox can be found at http://lovebox.net/.

Now, a little birdie tells us that ticket sales are going better than expected with well over 20,000 sold already and we suspect many more running up till Sunday, which you can buy in a number of ways. Remembering that this is a three day festival when you look at prices, tickets just for Sunday are available at £45, although that includes entry to the whole Lovebox festival which, obviously includes the “Cirque Du Salvation” arena. So where can you grab yours? well online via http://www.lovebox.net/tickets, where you will find loads of options & outlet details, or you can pop into Prowler & Clone Zone who are selling tickets direct, failing which just turn up at Victoria Park and pay at the Box Office. In terms of directions, again the website details everything you need to know, although the nearest tube is Bethnal Green (yes its East London, don’t moan!) and, of course, http://lovebox.net/ is THE place to get details of the whole festival, so go check it out.

As for “Cirque Du Salvation” at Lovebox on Sunday, well it should prove to be a brilliant afternoon of music, dance & delight, so gets our resounding thumbs up & recommendation, as does the return of Salvation to London for this special showing. More details on this international clubbing brand can be found at http://salvation-london.com/ and watch this space for news on a full on event back in the capital in September. (DISCO MATT)

Weekend Focus - Lovechild "Makin Hay"

2010-07-15T09:53:00.002+01:00

WEEKEND RECOMMENDATION FOCUS
LOVECHILD “MAKIN HAY”
SATURDAY 17TH JULY

There is little doubt that since moving to Fire last November, Lovechild has really found its feet, the Saturday slot proving much more popular than the original Sunday evening segment it held at Pacha in Victoria, its new chapter in life seeing some prolific parties down in Vauxhall, very much cementing its position on the gAylist clubbing circuit in the capital. So, it goes without saying that with its latest event “Makin Hay” which takes places this Saturday (17th July), Lovechild should once again prove the dominant choice in people’s picks of the weekend and is therefore deserving of our first new style focus & more defined approach to our recommendations posts.

So, what can you expect from this latest Lovechild outing? Well, first & foremost, the rustic theme will see Fire transformed into a summer field of fantasy with plenty of hunky chunky farm boys of dancers to delight the eye and massage the mind. Expect plenty of ploughing, furrowing, & frolicking in the proverbial haystack of happenings on the dancing podiums & stages across Lovechild’s main & contact rooms. Creative dance director Thiagio Drewry certainly knows how to get the biggest & best (wink, wink) performance out of his bevy of beauties, his raucous & revealing shows now very much a trademark of any love in with Lovechild. If you weren’t at the last eye popping party, which not check out the superb Seen Queen video via http://seenqueen.com/video/index.htm#sqxtvlc which gives you plenty of idea’s of what’s in sex fuelled store this Saturday.

But Thiagio’s drop dead gorgeous dancers will not be the only ones to get you hot under the collar, as the music to this summer theme to this “Makin Hay” mayhem man-fest is going to soar the musical mercury’s, as a line up of at least six star D.J.’s will be revving up the rhythm across three floors of fun. Longstanding Lovechild residents Mattias, Gabriele Cutrano & Paul Heron will be back, playing it tough & tech fuelled in the contact room (the Mirrorarch in Fire speak!), while the main room sees much more of a new look, as promoter Alex Erfan welcomes two guests to the fold to add a fresh feel to the offering. Making a welcome return to the U.K. is South African Leroy Tayler, who starred at the recent LGDF series of events, landing plenty of new fans at Later’s party that Sunday, so should prove a popular draw again, his distinctly African inspired funky & electro sounds having secured a residency at Cape Town’s premier Crew Club, not to mention being part of Salvation’s touring team. And in celebration of his appearance, Leroy has laid down a specially dedicated compilation which is available at http://events.leroytayler.podomatic.com/, the 117 minute mix very reflective of his afro percussive/electro style & sound and is an absolute gem.

Joining him in the Lovechild “Makin Hay” main room will be D.J. The Oli, who is very familiar with his stomping ground that is Fire, having played out at virtually all their stable of events over the years and will be sure to pack out the main room with his rousing uplifting yet funky beats that saw him go down a storm at Beyond with a superb opening set a couple of weeks ago and so good was his performance then, that we will be focussing on him in our next music post so watch out for that. Other music highlights include those from Phil Hewson, who makes a welcome return after deserting us to play at another love inspired party down under, Sydney’s Love Muscle getting their slice of the Hewson magic, so will have plenty of stores to tell and maybe some of the fetish kind to share as he bounces into Lovechild straight from “Leather Nexus” at Fire on Friday & then shoots off the “Spit Roast” also at Fire on Sunday (erm, you sleeping in the club then Phil?). We expect more D.J.’s to be confirmed & maybe the running order to switch, so will bring you more details as we get them.

Now, with the expectation of the usual amazing lighting, production, effects & pyrotechnics that come with any Lovechild party at Fire, along with stunning visuals from Alan X, all that remains are the all important ticket & other information details. So, when does it all start? well, Lovechild’s “Makin Hay” party doors open at Fire this Saturday (17th July) at 11 p.m., the event running through till 7 a.m. with advance tickets on sale at usual Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & DV8, you can grab one at The Box in Covent Garden or go online to direct link http://www.clubtickets.com/gb/2010-07/17/lovechild-making-hay, where you can grab your £10 advance entry pass. Plus the first 100 paying customers through the door will receive a free wristband for Beyond at Area, which immediately follows Lovechild.

Finally, if you find yourselves in Soho on Friday evening (16th July), you can do far worse than sliding into Rupert Street, where Alex & his team will be throwing their “Makin Hay” pre-party (maybe throwing some hay around too!), with Alessandro Londra spinning the sounds from 9 p.m and some of delectable farm boy’s or dancers sowing a seed or two.

So, it’s time to make hay while the sun shines by tripping down to Fire this Saturday, soaking up the masterfully macho music from the Lovechild D.J. maestro’s & feasting your eyes of the farm boy bevy of beauties at this “Makin Hay” happening and we will be there to report on it all. (DISCO MATT)

Extra Bites - Shadow Lounge 9th Birthday

2010-07-13T19:00:00.005+01:00

Hey Folks,

It would be fair to say that we are still floating on cloud nine following a mesmeric Matinee party on Sunday, so have needed to yank ourselves down towards terra firma to give a big birthday shout to a gAylisting Soho sophisticate who will be celebrating its anniversary this Thursday (15th July). with their "Greatest Hits" party.

When it opened back on July 13th 2001, The Shadow Lounge immediately offered something that was a class above the competition, a mecca for those into sophisticated, stylish & sumptuous socialising right in the heart of the gayest of villages we know, its relatively unassuming yet smart entrance on Soho’s Brewer Street, opening up like a tardis of unashamed elegance & opulence that transported you into a different & most luxurious sumptuous space, a far cry from the somewhat shabby surroundings outside and serving up a charismatic combination of comfort & quality unrivalled anywhere in the area. Shadow Lounge’s origins were always as a membership club, the entry policy reflective of the clientele it wished & inevitably attracted, setting it aside from many of its so called competitors, although in truth it had little competition for what it was offering at the time. And this door discipline drew in not just the upper echelons of the gAylist circuit, but the hallowed turf that is The Shadow Lounge was welcoming celebrities & Hollywood stars through its doors on a regular basis, notorieties including Joan Collins, Elizabeth Taylor, Elton John, Graham Norton, Paul O’Grady, Cilla Black, Kylie Minogue & Sharon Osbourne, to mention a mere few, while it has also attracted coverage in both the broadsheet & tabloid national press, getting the resounding thumbs up from loud mouth journalist Janet Street Porter no less.

Through the years the venue has seen a number of changes in both management and clientele although The Shadow Lounge has ridden the rollercoaster of change within what has proven to be a most fickle scene, competitors like Element, Sweet Suite, The Sanctuary, & Too 2 Much having fallen foul of an audience that takes no prisoners, while Soho’s most sophisticated social magnet has quietly gone about its business and has matined its position as, in its own words, “not only London’s No. 1 gay venue but also one of the most unashamedly stylish, fashionable and sumptuous experiences in the capital”. Indeed some of the specialist nights that were there at the beginning, still reign supreme today, Friday’s “Therapy” & Saturday’s “Inferno” still going strong, while the venue has welcomed some of the biggest promoters in the gAylist scene too, Salvation’s Steve Elliot holding his off-shoot “Scandal” there, Orange’s Steven Sharp having recently launched a Sunday night pre-party within its doors and who can forget the massive success that was “Salon” with legends Minty, Miss Kimberley & Tallulah in charge. Up to date and new weekly Tuesday nighter “OMFG” is making waves, as is the monthly Thursday happening “Hola”, both complementing a pretty full calendar of events, which General Manager Tolis Simpson & creative director Shaun Given are keen to develop to bring the Shadow Lounge back to its former glory.

Part of their plan is to bring Shadow Lounge members special monthly parties, but predominantly to return the venue to its roots of providing a place where you can enjoy either an evening relaxing with friends or alternatively dance the night away in sophisticated style and both Tolis & Shaun are as best placed as anyone to do just that as they were part of Shadow Lounge’s opening team back in 2001. So, their return has already seen some of those prolific monthly members’ events, March’s Gold party & the more recent Greek Summer bash and the Adam & Steve event, great examples where members were privileged with a preview of plans & celebrations before doors being swung open to the public, with free drinks and other offerings and as Shaun explains, “...It is our way of saying Thank You to those who supported us throughout the years...”. However, it is fair to say that the venue remains the epitome of not just gAylist but celebrity A list is still pulling in the stars nine years after making an indelible print of the Soho social scene, showing no signs of slowing down, rather ramping up its following with a period of renovations that have been rolled out over the last few months, the venue now looking its best and in good time to celebrate its ninth year in operation.

So, with this coming Thursday (15th July) marking not just another one of those special monthly gatherings, but Shadow Lounge’s 9th Birthday bash entitled "Greatest Hits" and as a result the evening should prove a huge hit, extra special & full of surprises. The team will be inviting back original hosts, D.J.’s & staff for this celebratory night, inviting people who made history at & for the venue and you can probably expect the odd celebrity or ten to pop in across the night too. With a complimentary drinks reception for members, VIP appearances, the Shadow Lounge dancers, a surprise show by Eurocreme, prize giveaways and the much sought after Shadow Lounge goodie bags, the team will no doubt once again prove just how good they are delivering legendary ones. Members and their guests will be able to soak up all the birthday proceedings from 8 p.m., while the general public will be let loose from 11 p.m., with this brilliant birthday bash running through until 3 a.m. If you haven’t received your invitation yet, you may have missed the post, but for q-jump & VIP guest list request, email now to rsvp@theshadowlounge.co.uk, with more info on the venue available at http://theshadowlounge.co.uk/.

So, this Thursday is the day to polish off your dancing shoes, choose the most fabulous outfit in your wardrobe and get down to Shadow Lounge and as we always say....Go There! Be There!

xDM

Extra Bites Special - "Matinee Open Air Summer Party"

2010-07-09T18:03:00.005+01:00

Hey Folks,

Now what does M stand for? Well quite a lot of things actually, especially in our books, although on this occasion just one word comes to mind and that is Matinee. Why? Well this most Mediterranean of clubbing brands returns to London this coming Sunday, yes you heard us right Sunday 11th July, which a whole new style & look to boot.

Now if you haven’t seen it already, then best you get yourselves up to speed with our special preview feature on Matinee, which details all the changes that Logan Schmitz & his “Presents” team of schnitzels have made in advance of the Sunday’s “Open Air Summer Special” event. The full report (well worth a read if we say so ourselves!! is available & out now direct at http://discomattpreview.blogspot.com/2010/07/matinee-open-air-summer-party.html).

So, having given much of the background & a fair bit of detail, we wanted to entice you into Matinee at MOS further, first with a big nod towards the music you can expect in this very much Ibiza inspired outing, the open air terrace being the focal point of activity, but plenty more happening inside. Now, the fantabulous threesome playing all alfresco for you will be international megastar Paul Heron, Matinee’s very own Spanish resident Taito Tikaro & relative new name to the D.J.’ing game, but a world renowned dancer to the stars, Marco Da Silva, while inside the line-up is just as tantalising, with Italian stallion Pagano, along with fellow Sicilian splendour Alessandro Londra, being joined by emerging talent Michel Mizrahi.

Now, we will be the first to admit that we have a bit of a mouth on u, especially when it comes to putting our words down on paper & in print, but we very much like music to do lots of the talking. Therefore with this in mind, to whet your appetite for what you can expect, musically wise at MOS on Sunday, what better way than to link you direct to the D.J.’s latest pieces of work. So, our first shout goes to Paul Heron, who will be kick-starting the terrace, we highly suspect with lots of funky & fresh summery beats, but with plenty of the Heron trademark tech & progressive pump thrown in for good measure, loads of examples which you can find in his latest compilation “Summer progressive” 120minues of toe tapping & hip swinging sounds, which you can grab at http://soundcloud.com/djpaulheron/paul-heron-summer-progressive-2010.

Taito Tikaro then takes centre stage, having flown in especially from Matinee’s Ibiza party at Amnesia, literally hours after rocking the white isle with his enormous euro beats. There are so many tracks & remixes this man is responsible for, but without doubt, for us, his best yet is the smash & matinee inspired hit “Addicted” with the amazing vocals of Vanessa Klein, which we are sure will get some sort of pay as the sun beats down on MOS’s terrace with Taito in charge. Now what do you mean you haven’t heard the record yet!! where have you been??, well go check it out in all its glory at http://youtube.com/watch?v=3LZtAoBhaoU and you too will be “addicted to Matinee", this four minute video including shots of the man himself in action.

Rounding off proceedings on this terrific terrace space at MOS, will be the turbocharged presence of Marco Da Silva, who is acclaimed as one of the world’s most photographed faces in the gAylist world, his dancing career C.V. littered with A listers, not least Kylie Minogue, although in turning to D.J.’ing is performances are more littered with euro styled vocal & tribal tunes, rather than cheesy pop (did we say that about Kyle? How dare us!) and in his relatively short time behind the decks has put out three podcasts which give a distinct nod to his style, all of which you can grab now at http://djmarcodasilva.podomatic.com/, each one of the three episodes worth checking out to get a full flavour of Marco’s talent.

Inside and Rupert St, Lo-Profile, & Lovechild resident product of Sicily Alessandro Londra will start up the sounds, this determined & dedicated D.J. having scored notable successes both at home & abroad in recent months (including Beyond!), building on an impressive catalogue of Matinee appearances under the old regime, but also starring at Logan’s last outing in May. Given that he has only been behind the decks full time for about three years, our Bello has broad musical shoulders, this showing through in many of his performances and we would expect no less than a specially dedicated mix to this Matinee “Open Air” spectacular, his 60 minute devotion absolutely spot on in capturing the Ibiza fun filled & sun drenched feel & is a must listen at http://soundcloud.com/djalessandrolondra/matinee-ministry-of-sound-london-2010.

However, in true Sicilian fashion, there will also be plenty of dram on the dancefloor, courtesy of our favourite Italian stallion Mr Francesco Pagano, whose glittering career has seen him play across every continent in the world & net to some of the biggest names in the business. He has been a staple ingredient in the majority of Matinee parties in the capital & whenever he has left out (and that isn’t too often) the events haven’t quite been the same. Playing for Logan at SuperMartXe means Pagano has become a Matinee must and will definitely drape us in drama with masses of mesmeric music, including we are sure, his latest smash track, which you should add to your collection via http://beatport.com/s/t5naqf, “Drama On the Dancefloor” typifying this endearing man’s vitality & energy.

Music aside and we know that Logan has plenty of treats up his sleeve, although whilst we have be tugging very hard, in typical fashion he wants to keep a fair few of them under wraps. However, what we can guarantee, that MOS will be looking its best with plenty of Matinee production & visuals both inside and out. The terrace is being given the Ibiza treatment & extended to accommodate the masses that will be invading Elephant & Castle on Sunday afternoon and the glorious go-go dancers, for which Logan Presents have become famous for, will be out in force, Dilmar, Elektra, Enrique, Naomi, Sandro & co satisfying the eye & strutting their stuff to the splendid sounds. Plus, you can expect a few extra ingredients thrown in for good measure to make this a Matinee to remember.

Now, whilst we know this is a clubbing event, what cannot be escaped is the fact that Spain will be playing in & hopefully winning the world cup final, so, having been in touch with Logan earlier today, we can confirm that he is in negotiations with MOS to set aside a space for those that don’t want to miss out on a Spanish victory, although he is keen to stress that it won’t interrupt the main Matinee proceedings, especially for those that could give a fig. So, if you are thinking of missing out on Matinne at MOS because of the footie, think again, although pleeeaaase don’t bring your dreaded vuvuzela’s with you, a Spanish shirt, flag or panted face will be more than enough!!

So, to that final all important detail reminder and Matinee “Open Air Summer Party” kicks off at MOS from midday this Sunday (11th July), running through until 10 p.m. Advanced tickets priced at £15 tickets still available online at http://clubtickets.com/ as well as at Soho retail outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & DV8, along with SolarStation on Archer Street & Covent Garden’s The Box. If you are lucky enough to be on either the guest or concessions list, make sure you get there early, as there will be no entry after 4 p.m. And as for the all important weather, the latest forecast indicates sunny intervals but high UV levels between the hazy high cloud & temperatures touching on 30 degrees, so come prepared and as the team say “...dig out those summer shades & come see Matinee in a new light...”. More information on what looks like being the Matinee smash of 2010 so fair can be obtained via http://loganpresents.com/.

What more can we say, apart from miss this an you will definately miss out, so make sure you "Go There! Be There!"

xDM