There are many option in Montreal this weekend boys and girls, you have Parking, Unity, Cherry, RedLite, Circus, too bad (((Stereo))) is not available, and many other venues. Great DJs everywhere, and I would seriously consider the combo the Blended boys are offering for the night, which starts with Pablo Ceballos (Parking) and ends with Danny Torrence (RedLite), and there is even transportation available between both venues.
I'm heading down to the Big Apple for the infamous Alegria party on Sunday night, which just announced Tony Moran will open up for Abel in the main room. I'm also really tented to check out Halloween at Pacha on Friday night, where Erick Morillo, Danny Tenaglia, Steve Angelo and Sebastina Ingrosso will be entertaining the crowd. I would have to leave a day earlier, and this is what I'm not sure if I can do it - let you know what I decided to do afterwards. Happy Halloween!
Halloween video by Pacha Tv
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Montreal at the beginning of October
and for those readers visiting from out of Montreal, this is what my city looks like at the beginning of October. Nice temperature during the day, cooling off at night time, with very nice warm colours all over the place. Tonight it is snowing, I don't think the snow will stay on the ground, but winter is here.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
Janette Manrara & Romulo Villaverde
I really like the show "Do you think you can dance", and I believe Janette and Romulo showed the judges how to dance Salsa - I need some lessons with those two.
Offer NIssim @ Parking - October 25, 2008
Thanks to the door man for letting me in, because I arrived at 11:15pm and it was already sold out, but again how would I write a mini-review if I didn't make it inside eh?
Offer did what he does best, he entertained the crowd all night long, and on top of that, Parking with Offer Nissim was the Black & Blue for a lot of people. What? Let me explain myself a bit. Lots of people (not me), that went to the Black & Blue, were somehow disappointed with the music, because they didn't hear the vocals, the happy tunes, the ones that make you smile and everything that comes with the package.
Today I'm sure there are lots of people feeling pretty good, because they got the dosage of vocals they've been missing for a couple of days. Please don't think I'm endorsing Offer Nissim for the Black & Blue, but it wouldn't had hurt to add I don't know, maybe Ana Paula to the DJ mix? Talking about Ana Paula, if you think you saw her last night at Parking, you are right, she was there dancing and taking advantage of very deserved brake from her busy schedule.
If you stayed away from Parking because you knew it was going to be a full house, you did good, but let me tell you one thing, it felt great to be part of that intense and incredible vibe. Offer Nissim is not one of my favourite Deejays, but what a party he was able to create at Parking. Thanks Offer, but most importantly, thanks to the people for being so happy.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Micky Friedmann @ Parking on November 29
The sexy and beautiful DJ Micky Friedmann is coming to Parking to help celebrate the 8th anniversary of this amazing club (Peter, Stéphan, Junior and Escape are also coming in November).
who is he? Micky is from Berlin and plays this type of funky progressive house tunes, and he plays hard.
Micky Friedmann playing at The Week São Paulo in June 2008
who is he? Micky is from Berlin and plays this type of funky progressive house tunes, and he plays hard.
Micky Friedmann playing at The Week São Paulo in June 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Madonna - Candy Shop
Madonna is in town boys and girls, and I wish I could say I was going to see her, but unfortunately this album did not inspire me to do it. One thing I'm sure, the next CD will be for sure out of this world, specially since it would be her first with the new label.
Madonna performing in Nice
Madonna performing in Toronto
Madonna performing in Nice
Madonna performing in Toronto
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Parking during the next two weeks
Tonight Oscar Velazquez (remember him from the Divers/Cité Ball?) is taking care of the dance floor, then Parking is bringing Offer Nissim, Pablo Ceballos and Stéphan Grondin in the next couple of days.
I would love to check out Pablo Ceballos and Grondin, but instead I will be hitting the Alegria party in New York City.
I would love to check out Pablo Ceballos and Grondin, but instead I will be hitting the Alegria party in New York City.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Black & Blue 2008 - Digital Paradise - Montreal - October 12, 2008
Originally posted at mtlnights.com
Pictures by www.globalsound.ca
"Get there early, get there early", although I knew my entrance to the Palais de Congres was going to be easy (media), the drama of the Bal en Blanc 2008 could not get out of my head. My advise to anyone that asked me, was to get there early, just in case there was a delay at the door.
Unlike the "Bal en Blanc", the "BBCM" did everything possible to keep the entrance process as just a minor inconvenience. Everyone was super polite and helpful, and not to mention I felt as if I was royalty during my way in. Spoke to several people (VIP and non VIP ticket holders) and all talked about how easy was to get in. Thank you to the organizers, staff and volunteers for such a great beginning of the night.
It was probably around 11:30pm when I made to the giant dance floor, and I must make a statement. All you are going to read are my personal opinions of the night. If I could I would write two reviews, one from Patius and another from a gay man expecting to go to a "gay" musically inclined event (I know I'm going to get blasted by what I just wrote), and keep reading in order to find out why.
The first thing I notice was the big room looking more like a warehouse, obviously you cannot help yourself in trying to compare this location with the Olympic Stadium. At the big “O” everything looks giant, specially when you look up and you see the whole ceiling decorated like if the sky was dress up for the party of the year. At the convention center the first impression I had was modesty, less decoration, more technology, less limitations, and more in touch with the crowd.
Keeping up with the theme of the night, there were giant screens placed all over the room, there were also a wall of LEDs, that I must say worried me a bit because it reminded me of the LEDs at the Telus Center for the Divers/Cité Ball, which were annoying. Luckily, those LEDs were wisely used as part of the light show of the night.
Miguel Graça (21h30 - 1h15), Portuguese by birth and Montrealer by choice, was in charge of the decks when I arrive. I had heard of him before, but every time I was supposed to go to one of his parties, something would happen and I could never go. Graça was spinning a combination of electronic house techy tunes, and I must say it was an interesting choice by the BBCM, because you would expect a much more vocal house oriented type of music to start the night, at least for the Black & Blue event.
The whole set was a solid display of deep house techy music, with nice mixing and great interaction with the crowd. I believe this is the first time Graça has performed in a circuit party and I’m sure he is very happy with the job he did - nice exposure for a DJ that is mostly found in the underground scene of Montreal.
Right in the middle of the dance floor, there was a pyramid surrounded by lights, which became a geographical point of orientation, but even with this central point I was able to get lost a couple of times. Loved the mini dancing stages placed around the place, there were at least four or five of them, plus the giant one for the VIP area. It was great because it was a stage where anyone could go and dance, unlike previous years when only the BBCM dancers were allowed to be.
Dave Seaman (1h20 - 3h40) arrived and he was received with a very warm welcoming noise by the crowd. Progressive dark house music began to be delivered by Seaman, and can I add tranceish to the mix as well? Enjoyed his set, which sometimes was hard and sometimes soft. There were probably more vocals in his set than what I heard in Miguel’s, and some of them were just a trip to the past splashed with the freshness of the present, such a remix of the “Sweet dreams”, which drove the crowd nuts. Some of the music were great tunes with some soft voices in the background, giving you this feeling of lightness.
First time seeing this DJ live, and personally I like what he delivered, not exactly spectacular but was good. On the other hand I don’t think the gay crowd was too happy with the choice of music. I already had people asking me what happened to the vocals, what happened to the anthems, what happened to the house music?
What about the crowd? If you liked the DJ lineup and did not go because the Black and Blue is a gay event, I must tell you lots of straight people have found a gold mine and have not share it with you. Don’t have the numbers, but the place was full and with enough space to dance and walk around, without having to push anyone. There were lots of straight people, and lots of good looking men and women. Actually, emphasis on the good physics found at the convention center.
There was a whole section that had been taken over by the bears, and it was easy to figure out the area, you just need to look up at the balloons, and their had obviously some Teddy Bears imprinted on it. Actually, thinking about it, their section was kind of large.
When Peter Rauhofer (3h45 - 6h10) was announced I think you could hear the relief felt by many people that were still waiting to hear that “gay” sound, and weren’t they in for a surprise? Peter delivered a strong dark sexy almost non-vocal house type of set. I had just seeing him a couple of weeks ago, and this Black & Blue set had nothing in common with his last one in Montreal. Both were different and both equally good.
Peter came super energetic and pumped, and he kept the energy level of music very constant from the beginning until the end. Obviously he dropped some vocals, but not as many as everyone might had expected, for a gay event we only heard one Madonna song being played all night long. Minimal was dropped, deep tribal, techy, and the crowd went wild when he started to play “Happy People”, among other remixes. Once again he was able to deliver a strong set without smiling once, and by the time Rauhofer had finish his set, I felt as if I had just drank 5 bottles of energy drinks at once - talk about getting me hyper.
Had the chance to check out the VIP area, which offered some snacks and chill out space for the people inside, not too much glamour but some people enjoy that aspect of the parties. The bathroom situation was under control, you had to wait in line for a bit but not too long, maybe longer because some people did not realize there were actually 2 lines inside, one for the toilets and another for the water fountains - one which was not working.
Checked the toilets, or at least tried, of the regular ticket holders and instead of letting people go down thru the emergency exits, they were required to return by the same path on their way up - this is when I decided the music was calling on the dance floor and I dropped my quest to see what was going on upstairs.
Today I will stop saying I haven’t heard a good set by Mark Anthony (6h15 - 8h40), because this is what I witness on Monday morning. To be honest I was hoping Anthony was going to be the last DJ to spin so I could leave early, instead I’m glad he was placed right after Peter Rauhofer, because he was able to continue the fantastic job Peter has just finished, and transformed into an equally successful set of his own. If D-Formation had been the fourth DJ of the night, the music wouldn’t had flown as well as it did.
Mark Anthony was the perfect DJ chosen to play great music at that time of the “night”. He was able to move the crowd up and down accordingly to his will, and never asked too much or too little from everyone. Music was dropped as waves move in the ocean, and it was great to see such a sea immerse itself in such deep tunes of tribal beats, of vocals, or dark and sexy mysterious music.
Except from the transition to D-Formation from Mark Anthony, there were mini-dance show prepared by the BBCM to entertain the crowd. Honestly, it did not come up to standards set by previous Black & Blue events, specially since I do not recall seeing a moment dedicated to the fallen victim of AIDS, which have been very emotional moments of this event in the past - and if there was one I missed it completely. Who doesn’t remember the thousands of candles set once on the floor of the Olympics stadium? Or the giant towers of metal which was light up with candles from the top to the bottom? Or even the human flag from last year? Or many other special moments, which had become an expected moment during this party. Maybe the Black & Blue is moving towards new horizons, and I guess we just have to keep up with its new reality.
D-Formation (8h40 - 12h00), the most loved and hated DJ from last year event, came on strong and ready to make the people either leave or dance until there was no tomorrow. D-Formation spin the type of music that you either hate or love, and I’m lucky that I enjoy every single minute of his delicious tunes.
Very deep darker progressive type of house music you can think of is what he played while I was there, and out of the DJ he was the one that made me sweat the most, so much that I ended up hurting my ankle. He dropped those very hard base lines followed by faster and slower tunes, and when you least expected, there was so vocals coming of nowhere. There is no way to describe in words how you feel when he is in charge of the decks, this DJ is one you must experience, and not sure about you but his music is one I wanted to dance in a club or a massive, instead of having to listen to it in the comfort of my house.
If the BBCM hinted what direction they were taking the Black and Blue by inviting D-Formation to spin last year, I think with this year’s event, they have confirmed this party is no longer aimed towards mostly to one part of our society, instead they have reached across all the colours of the rainbow, and my suspicious is that next year we’ll see a much more equal representation of the straight and gay crowd at this event.
Overall I enjoyed all the DJs of the night, and I guess I’m lucky because my house music taste is kind of everywhere. Techy sounds were the predominant genre of music played during the whole night, and if I was a gay man expecting to hear mostly “gay” sounds, and please keep in mind I’m generalizing at this point, I would probably had not musically enjoyed too much this event. If you ask the straight crowd, I’m almost sure in the majority will say they really enjoyed the Black and Blue 2008, and lots of their straight friends will make sure not to miss next year’s event.
The convention center is a good venue for a party, but I think we all have gotten used to the Black and Blue in the Olympic Stadium, and I hope next year it goes back to their regular home. Very well organized event, and even thought I wasn’t sure I liked the set up at the beginning of the night, it kind of grew on me with its warehouse feeling. Once again, please remember these are my personal opinions of this party, and what a party.
Pictures by www.globalsound.ca
Unlike the "Bal en Blanc", the "BBCM" did everything possible to keep the entrance process as just a minor inconvenience. Everyone was super polite and helpful, and not to mention I felt as if I was royalty during my way in. Spoke to several people (VIP and non VIP ticket holders) and all talked about how easy was to get in. Thank you to the organizers, staff and volunteers for such a great beginning of the night.
It was probably around 11:30pm when I made to the giant dance floor, and I must make a statement. All you are going to read are my personal opinions of the night. If I could I would write two reviews, one from Patius and another from a gay man expecting to go to a "gay" musically inclined event (I know I'm going to get blasted by what I just wrote), and keep reading in order to find out why.
Keeping up with the theme of the night, there were giant screens placed all over the room, there were also a wall of LEDs, that I must say worried me a bit because it reminded me of the LEDs at the Telus Center for the Divers/Cité Ball, which were annoying. Luckily, those LEDs were wisely used as part of the light show of the night.
Miguel Graça (21h30 - 1h15), Portuguese by birth and Montrealer by choice, was in charge of the decks when I arrive. I had heard of him before, but every time I was supposed to go to one of his parties, something would happen and I could never go. Graça was spinning a combination of electronic house techy tunes, and I must say it was an interesting choice by the BBCM, because you would expect a much more vocal house oriented type of music to start the night, at least for the Black & Blue event.
Right in the middle of the dance floor, there was a pyramid surrounded by lights, which became a geographical point of orientation, but even with this central point I was able to get lost a couple of times. Loved the mini dancing stages placed around the place, there were at least four or five of them, plus the giant one for the VIP area. It was great because it was a stage where anyone could go and dance, unlike previous years when only the BBCM dancers were allowed to be.
First time seeing this DJ live, and personally I like what he delivered, not exactly spectacular but was good. On the other hand I don’t think the gay crowd was too happy with the choice of music. I already had people asking me what happened to the vocals, what happened to the anthems, what happened to the house music?
What about the crowd? If you liked the DJ lineup and did not go because the Black and Blue is a gay event, I must tell you lots of straight people have found a gold mine and have not share it with you. Don’t have the numbers, but the place was full and with enough space to dance and walk around, without having to push anyone. There were lots of straight people, and lots of good looking men and women. Actually, emphasis on the good physics found at the convention center.
When Peter Rauhofer (3h45 - 6h10) was announced I think you could hear the relief felt by many people that were still waiting to hear that “gay” sound, and weren’t they in for a surprise? Peter delivered a strong dark sexy almost non-vocal house type of set. I had just seeing him a couple of weeks ago, and this Black & Blue set had nothing in common with his last one in Montreal. Both were different and both equally good.
Peter came super energetic and pumped, and he kept the energy level of music very constant from the beginning until the end. Obviously he dropped some vocals, but not as many as everyone might had expected, for a gay event we only heard one Madonna song being played all night long. Minimal was dropped, deep tribal, techy, and the crowd went wild when he started to play “Happy People”, among other remixes. Once again he was able to deliver a strong set without smiling once, and by the time Rauhofer had finish his set, I felt as if I had just drank 5 bottles of energy drinks at once - talk about getting me hyper.
Had the chance to check out the VIP area, which offered some snacks and chill out space for the people inside, not too much glamour but some people enjoy that aspect of the parties. The bathroom situation was under control, you had to wait in line for a bit but not too long, maybe longer because some people did not realize there were actually 2 lines inside, one for the toilets and another for the water fountains - one which was not working.
Today I will stop saying I haven’t heard a good set by Mark Anthony (6h15 - 8h40), because this is what I witness on Monday morning. To be honest I was hoping Anthony was going to be the last DJ to spin so I could leave early, instead I’m glad he was placed right after Peter Rauhofer, because he was able to continue the fantastic job Peter has just finished, and transformed into an equally successful set of his own. If D-Formation had been the fourth DJ of the night, the music wouldn’t had flown as well as it did.
Except from the transition to D-Formation from Mark Anthony, there were mini-dance show prepared by the BBCM to entertain the crowd. Honestly, it did not come up to standards set by previous Black & Blue events, specially since I do not recall seeing a moment dedicated to the fallen victim of AIDS, which have been very emotional moments of this event in the past - and if there was one I missed it completely. Who doesn’t remember the thousands of candles set once on the floor of the Olympics stadium? Or the giant towers of metal which was light up with candles from the top to the bottom? Or even the human flag from last year? Or many other special moments, which had become an expected moment during this party. Maybe the Black & Blue is moving towards new horizons, and I guess we just have to keep up with its new reality.
Very deep darker progressive type of house music you can think of is what he played while I was there, and out of the DJ he was the one that made me sweat the most, so much that I ended up hurting my ankle. He dropped those very hard base lines followed by faster and slower tunes, and when you least expected, there was so vocals coming of nowhere. There is no way to describe in words how you feel when he is in charge of the decks, this DJ is one you must experience, and not sure about you but his music is one I wanted to dance in a club or a massive, instead of having to listen to it in the comfort of my house.
Overall I enjoyed all the DJs of the night, and I guess I’m lucky because my house music taste is kind of everywhere. Techy sounds were the predominant genre of music played during the whole night, and if I was a gay man expecting to hear mostly “gay” sounds, and please keep in mind I’m generalizing at this point, I would probably had not musically enjoyed too much this event. If you ask the straight crowd, I’m almost sure in the majority will say they really enjoyed the Black and Blue 2008, and lots of their straight friends will make sure not to miss next year’s event.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Emmy Rossum - Slow Me Down
and while you wait for my Black & Blue review to be posted, here is a song that I love, it just slow me down big time, and somehow it makes me happy.
Patrick Guay & Ana Paula @ Parking - October 11, 2008
Won't go into too many details because I think I wrote too much for my Black & Blue review. I've seen Ana Paula spinning several times now, and only once she has let me down a bit, but hey everyone is in title of a night off eh?
I do remember the first time I saw Ana Paula at Parking, it was her second coming to Montreal after her performance at the Divers/Cité 2007, and she didn't know too many people - I'm sure she felt like a fish out of water while she waited for her set to begin, and once she took charge of the decks, the energy of the room just exploded. Now she is a Parking resident and I'm sure she feel like she is coming home to play when she is scheduled to work in Montreal.
Patrick Guay, as usual, did a great job warming up the crowd, but everyone was just waiting for Ana Paula to arrive. There were lots of boys, not from Montreal, that already knew her of heard of her. I wouldn't be surprise if New York City were to call Ana Paula for a gig or two, there were tons of New Yorkers in town and all had only positive feedback to give after her performance.
Ana Paula performing at The Week Rio de Janeiro (Sep 08, 2008)
Ana Paula played hard and intense, starting with her dark happy tribal signature, but not limiting herself only in that genre of music, she also brought out of her bag minimal, progressive house, tribal techy, vocals I haven't heard, and more music we expect to hear during her set.
I wonder if people in Brazil have seen a difference in Ana Paula' set after she started to travel to Canada? She has definitely added much more than just Tribal into her music, and I just love how she mixes everything so well.
This was a perfect pre-Black & Blue party, the place was busy but with enough space to dance, and love the dry-ice machine Parking used so well during the night. Very sexy go-go boys, and yes we need more of those.
The Black & Blue is over, but I still think either the BBCM, or actually the Bal en Blanc people, should seriously consider booking Ana Paula for one of those massive parties we have in Montreal.
I do remember the first time I saw Ana Paula at Parking, it was her second coming to Montreal after her performance at the Divers/Cité 2007, and she didn't know too many people - I'm sure she felt like a fish out of water while she waited for her set to begin, and once she took charge of the decks, the energy of the room just exploded. Now she is a Parking resident and I'm sure she feel like she is coming home to play when she is scheduled to work in Montreal.
Patrick Guay, as usual, did a great job warming up the crowd, but everyone was just waiting for Ana Paula to arrive. There were lots of boys, not from Montreal, that already knew her of heard of her. I wouldn't be surprise if New York City were to call Ana Paula for a gig or two, there were tons of New Yorkers in town and all had only positive feedback to give after her performance.
Ana Paula performing at The Week Rio de Janeiro (Sep 08, 2008)
Ana Paula played hard and intense, starting with her dark happy tribal signature, but not limiting herself only in that genre of music, she also brought out of her bag minimal, progressive house, tribal techy, vocals I haven't heard, and more music we expect to hear during her set.
I wonder if people in Brazil have seen a difference in Ana Paula' set after she started to travel to Canada? She has definitely added much more than just Tribal into her music, and I just love how she mixes everything so well.
This was a perfect pre-Black & Blue party, the place was busy but with enough space to dance, and love the dry-ice machine Parking used so well during the night. Very sexy go-go boys, and yes we need more of those.
The Black & Blue is over, but I still think either the BBCM, or actually the Bal en Blanc people, should seriously consider booking Ana Paula for one of those massive parties we have in Montreal.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Rafael Calvente @ Unity - October 4, 2008
Usually Unity feels young on Saturday night -not as young as on Friday night- and this time it felt right, with a good mix of ages. I did not arrive early because there was a house party to go to, and this would explain why I had to wait in line for a bit. Once inside Rafael was already spinning and going nuts with his dark tribal tunes.
It was a tribal night, but perhaps too dark for my taste, but again remember I was not there from the beginning, so not sure what kind of warm up Malick did. Rafael looked like he really enjoyed his gig at Unity, and people really enjoyed dancing as well, dance floor was busy during the whole time I was there, and there were two very sexy go-go boys.
Once again, I liked the evening but perhaps I was expecting for a more happier tunes type of night (super personal view, which I'm pretty sure is not shared by lots of people). He played lots of vocals, some old, some new, and kept himself mostly in the dark sexy spectrum of house music.
Looking forward Rafael's next stop in Montreal, and who knows, maybe it would be interesting to see him playing to the Parking crowd, what do you think?
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Danny Torrence @ Stereobar on Thanksgiving Monday
I don't know about you guys, but I'm planning to hit Stereobar right after the Black & Blue on Monday. This Saturday he is spinning at Unity, but unfortunately I'll miss him because I'll be at Parking for Ana Paula, My thoughts are that Torrence is the perfect way to end a Black & Blue weekend in Montreal
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Black & Blue 2008 - Digital Paradise
Read the Black & Blue 2007 Review
October 09 - Jock Ball @ Circus
Patrick Guay
Alain Jackinsky
October 10 - Leather Ball @ Medley
Sin Morera
David Knapp
Tracy Young
October 11 - Military Ball @ Metropolis
Charles Poulin
Manny Lehman
Tony Moran
October 12 - Main Event @ Montreal Convention Center
Miguel Graça 21h30 - 1h15
Dave Seaman 1h20 - 3h40
Peter Rauhofer 3h45 - 6h10
Mark Anthony 6h15 - 8h40
D-Formation 8h40 - 12h00
October 13 - Recovery Party @ Circus
Ben Manson
Stefane Lippé
Junior Vasquez
Saturday, October 04, 2008
Brazil is taking over Montreal again
Don't forget, Saturday night (October 4) is Rafael Calvente at Unity, and next Saturday (October 11) is Ana Paula at Parking.
ps. I will try to come back with my mini review for Rafael's party at Unity.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Tears For Fears- Change (Offer Nissim mix)
Digging in the past, and you can hear the Offer Nissim tune signature in this song. It is amazing how many of his remixes have the same type o beginning.
and why not listen to this one as well, it drove me nuts during the Black & Blue last year
julian jeweil - air conditionne
and why not listen to this one as well, it drove me nuts during the Black & Blue last year
julian jeweil - air conditionne
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