Mr. Leatherman Toronto 2007 was chosen last Saturday Nov 25, and in order to celebrate, DJ Sydney Blu was the one asked to spin for the boys at the Victory Ball.
First I have to say the MLTC should ask the BBCM to show them how to create an interesting mini-show without interrupting the whole party. The mini-show which probably lasted for 30 minutes was too long and boring.
The Koolhous at the Guvernment, is an interesting venue for parties. The sound system could be improved but the venue itself is very versatile. I enjoyed very much the fact they use their lighting to reduce the dance floor area. Meaning, when people start leaving, it looks as if the lights were only used in the area where there were people, shredding off the sense that the place started to get empty.
This was my first time hearing DJ Sydney Blu, and I was kind of concerned I wouldn't enjoy her set, because it looks like she is totally into the proggy electro sounds. I was totally wrong, she was able to adapt her music to the mostly gay crowd of the party, and we had a fabulous time dancing to her rhythms. She also has this incredible energy, and she is able to interact with the dancers in a very interesting manner. Super set by this girl, and looking forward to the next party with her.
The crowd was, let me put it this way, rough, leathery and very dirty. I'm not very much into the leather thing, but as far I was told, the Toronto people were really well behaved compared to people from other similar parties, such as the Leather Ball in Chicago, or the Black party in NYC. I still found it very heavy, but at the same time I really liked my outfit.
Monday, November 27, 2006
Sunday, November 19, 2006
Angel Moraes @ StereoNY (New York City) - Nov 18, 2006
Disclaimer: this is how I spent my Saturday / Sunday.
There is only one NYC in the world, and if I were ever to move to the United States, it wouldn't be Miami, nor Chicago or LA, it would be NYC - love the city.
Saturday night and here we are inside of one of those famous NYC yellow taxis in our way to StereoNY, when one of my friends say "we have to go back, I forgot my driver's licence". 12:30am and we finally made it, right in front of this warehouse look like building, with 2 big lines of people waiting to get in. I see this fabulous girl standing in the door with some papers in her hands, and I tell myself she must be the Montreal person I have to talk to, but then I looked to the right to another girl, and there she is, this amazing gorgeous girl, moving her body like no one else in the surrounding area. "You must be Adrienne I told her", which she responded with a sexy "bonjour". It didn't take to long for her to tell us that the golden tickets had arrived and it was time to let some Montreal blood into StereoNY. Thank you StereoNY for allowing the Montreal people to get in the complementary bases.
Before I write anything else, I have to say that the opening night is not the time to judge a club for what it will become. You will only get a taste, and this is when management will know what they have done right and wrong, in order to improve and make it what they really want their new place to be.
I also would like to mention something else, because I got asked many times while in NYC. StereoNY (NYC) and Stereo (Montreal) are not part of the same organization. They are two different clubs, owned by different people, and it is not like Stereo is opening a branch in NYC. The original creator of Stereo decided it was time to open a club in NYC, and he decided to use the same name and logo for his club in the United States, and this is as far as the connection of those 2 clubs will go. Only time will tell if StereoNY will become something similar to what Stereo is today to Montrealers.
Several of my friends in NYC have been in Montreal, and they had the chance to party at Stereo, and when they heard the gang from Montreal was coming down to NYC for the opening of the club called StereoNY, first they were surprise because they didn't know about it, then excited because they remember how much fun they had in Montreal. By the time I had arrived in NYC, there were other events shaping the night of this incredible city, 3 clubs had been closed, including Roxy which is where most of the gay boys would go out to on a Saturday night - what a good timing for this new club I thought.
There were a lot of people waiting to get in, and I assumed that because the lines were big, inside would be insane. In the short period of time we were asked to wait, I noticed several people having enough of lining up and choosing to party somewhere else. When I we finally made it inside (12:50am), there were also some people leaving because they said the place felt empty. I understand it is opening night and management wants to create a buzz, but perhaps it would had been a good idea to let people in faster to get the party going downstairs. One thing I didn't noticed but my friends did, was the sign right at the entrance of the club, were it was warned the club was a gay environment friendly and respect and tolerance was expected from everyone wanting to come in, or something in the style.
We were giving our gold tickets and let in, two lines were created for the security check, which was happening right in the first room, which was decorated in white, and with an enormous {{{Stereo}}} logo - I'm assuming StereoNY wants to create an association between the worldwide known Stereo logo with this new club in NYC. Fairly quickly checked out by the security boys (no smiles) and we are let in to the next step of our entrance. We are then directed by someone to the coat check, passing by the ticket booth with two people inside.
Coat check was surprisingly small for the size of the club, and I hope they are planning to expand it horizontally instead of maintaining it vertically as it is right now. There is only room for one person at the time for coat check, and this was creating an unnecessary slow moving line to finally take the steps downstairs to the main club. Checked my coat and T-shirt, felt the beats coming from downstairs, and couldn't wait any longer and started to dance. Dancing while waiting for my friends in coat check, and having people looking at me because I had no T-shirt on.
My visit to the loo could no longer wait, so I decided to leave my friends behind and move downstairs. You have to walk a significant number of stairs to get down to the club area, and when you finally make it, you find yourself in an area with 2 halls containing 2 entrances each to the dance floor, and at the end of one you would ended up in the main bar area. In one of the halls, right underneath the stairs they have set up 2 big beds for chill out purposes, and in the other end it is just a hall that some people were using to chill out in the "dark".
Got into the dance floor area and had a quick look of my surrounding area, searching for the toilets. Finally saw a sign right at the end of the main bar downstairs and I when I was ready to get in, this big security guy stopped me, grabbed my arm and pointed upstairs. I guess no unisex bathrooms at StereoNY - boys upstairs and girls downstairs. Move myself to the mezzanine level, which is located right above the dance floor, and asked one of the people working there to direct me to the toilet, and she pointed downstairs again. Made the choice to follow some other people to another set of stairs which we finally figured out it was for the emergency exit. Finally made to the toilet, and I'm guessing it had just been painted because it still smell like fresh paint. Big area, but very compact distribution of the urinals and the cabins, located only in one side of the room. Two super small cabins, and there will be no need to put up signs with "one person only" because there is no way two people would fit there, it is barely big enough for one. I'm sure management had plans to expand this super important part of the club.
The sound system is powerful and I'm sure it will sound deliciously incredible when they finish tuning the machine with people inside. Finally I managed to make it to the dance floor, and if you stand right in the middle of it and look up, you will see a set of 8 different size disco balls hanging from the ceiling, kind of cute. Keep looking up and you see the second level, which is basically a mezzanine where people can have a great view of the dance floor. If you have been at the Unity Club in Montreal, it is kind of the similar concept.
I kept looking to see if I could find where the DJ booth was set up, until someone told to look right in front of me, and there it was. The DJ booth looks like those closed bunkers with a horizontal frontal open area. Angel Moraes and another guy were inside, dropping the sounds for the night.
Interesting choice of music by Angel Moraes - I have seen him in action several times, and I would say the initial part of the his set was not what I expected from the opening night, not from this master of the music. The music was good when we arrived, but it became kind of mellow shortly after. This gave me an excuse to explore the rest of the place and the people.
The crowd was mostly straight, with some people wearing blazers and nice evening dresses. Others were fairly comfortable in their sexy jeans, and thee was even a drag queen dressed in this interesting yellow (?) out fit. There is bar located in the mezzanine level, right beside the men's toilet, and another one in the lower floor, right in front of the dance floor. There is a good sitting area located behind the main bar, and right in front of it, and if I'm not mistaken there is a small stage area, full of sofas, right in front of the stairs bringing you down from the mezzanine, which people were using to dance as well.
Lots of people working at StereoNY all of them wearing a black T-shirt with Stereo written on it, or was it StereoNY? Walking around and this security guy looks at me and asks me "Where is your T-shirt?" I looked at him thinking why are you working here, and I tell him "in the coat check, where it belongs". Those who know me will understand T-shirts are the first thing I get rid of when I go dancing. I would say the majority of the people working at the club, were friendly. They had this cool attitude, trying to figure out what kind of club, and what kind of clientele they are going to have to deal with.
The crowd is still to be defined, the opening night was mostly straight, and the combination of slow music, not feeling the crowd, and other points, made my friends decide to change of venue for the evening. I decided to stay because I really wanted to see what Angel Moraes had in the sleeve for the night. No longer after the departure of most of my friends, and the music really went downhill to my taste. Was it hip hop what Angel was spinning for a second? I have no idea, and surprisingly the crowd liked because they were even kind of singing along at the end of the phrase of the songs. One of my friends looked at me and told me relax, to calm down because the tunes were probably songs that Angel like very much and he wanted to drop them to the crowd.
My friend decided to take off to Crobar, and I decided to move upstairs to chill out and check out the crowd. Finally the music stopped and Angel welcome everyone to the club, showing off a little bit the power of the sound system, and then finally, and I repeat, finally the Angel Moraes that I know came out of the shelf. It was an explosive beginning with hard vocal beats that made the dance floor move as it should. I was still recovering from his initial set, you know it is like when you are traveling with some friends, and then you get a flat tired in the middle of the way, it takes a little bit of time to go back to the road.
Great tunes and I really wished Angel had given us this incredible doses of rhythm early on in the evening. Nevertheless, I finally put myself together, got my smile back in my face, and went dirty in the dance floor. I do miss having a box to dance on top of it, and actually checked to see if I could used something else as substitute. I even looked at the main bar area, but the security guy near by looked really mean, so no way I was going to try to dance there, plus there is not enough space anyway.
Angels Moraes played a good set of House Music for the gods, unfortunately I could not feel the vibe of the crowd, and when this perfect combination occurs, is when you have these memorable evenings you will remember for a long time. I'm pretty sure Angel Moraes is very proud of his new creation, and much more when the club start to take off with its more defined clientele.
Whoever decides to go to StereoNY, should read the warning at the entrance of the club, the one I missed but my friends didn't. If this club is able to attract people from all walks of life, where it doesn't matter if you are black or white, straight or gay, fat or fit, cute or ugly, and if they all come for the same reason, for the love of the music and to dance, then New York get ready because you are in for an unforgettable trip of good time.
The location has potential to become an excellent place to spend some hours dancing and enjoying the company of your friends, and the new people you meet. Coming from Montreal I'm not used to pay USD 8.00 for a Heineken, but because I came from Montreal I got in for free - so fair enough - and I have no idea how much the cover charge was for the evening. It was probably 5:00am when I left the place.
I'm glad I decided to come to NYC for the weekend, I had the chance to meet some interesting characters, do some power shopping, check out the beautiful men around, dance to the tunes of different DJs, and most important of all, to spend some quality time with my good friends.
Furthermore, I wish the best to StereoNY, Angel Moraes and whoever is involved with this new club. I understand it is not easy to be in the nigh life in NYC at the moment, but whom better than New Yorkers to show to the world you want to continue enjoying your life.
Definitely I want to go back in a couple of months, and check out this club again, this is when I will be able to tell you if Montreal (Stereo) was able to inspire a club in NYC (StereoNY), with something Montreal received from the big apple (inspired by the legendary Paradise Garage) - a place were people feel like they are in their second home.
There is only one NYC in the world, and if I were ever to move to the United States, it wouldn't be Miami, nor Chicago or LA, it would be NYC - love the city.
Saturday night and here we are inside of one of those famous NYC yellow taxis in our way to StereoNY, when one of my friends say "we have to go back, I forgot my driver's licence". 12:30am and we finally made it, right in front of this warehouse look like building, with 2 big lines of people waiting to get in. I see this fabulous girl standing in the door with some papers in her hands, and I tell myself she must be the Montreal person I have to talk to, but then I looked to the right to another girl, and there she is, this amazing gorgeous girl, moving her body like no one else in the surrounding area. "You must be Adrienne I told her", which she responded with a sexy "bonjour". It didn't take to long for her to tell us that the golden tickets had arrived and it was time to let some Montreal blood into StereoNY. Thank you StereoNY for allowing the Montreal people to get in the complementary bases.
Before I write anything else, I have to say that the opening night is not the time to judge a club for what it will become. You will only get a taste, and this is when management will know what they have done right and wrong, in order to improve and make it what they really want their new place to be.
I also would like to mention something else, because I got asked many times while in NYC. StereoNY (NYC) and Stereo (Montreal) are not part of the same organization. They are two different clubs, owned by different people, and it is not like Stereo is opening a branch in NYC. The original creator of Stereo decided it was time to open a club in NYC, and he decided to use the same name and logo for his club in the United States, and this is as far as the connection of those 2 clubs will go. Only time will tell if StereoNY will become something similar to what Stereo is today to Montrealers.
Several of my friends in NYC have been in Montreal, and they had the chance to party at Stereo, and when they heard the gang from Montreal was coming down to NYC for the opening of the club called StereoNY, first they were surprise because they didn't know about it, then excited because they remember how much fun they had in Montreal. By the time I had arrived in NYC, there were other events shaping the night of this incredible city, 3 clubs had been closed, including Roxy which is where most of the gay boys would go out to on a Saturday night - what a good timing for this new club I thought.
There were a lot of people waiting to get in, and I assumed that because the lines were big, inside would be insane. In the short period of time we were asked to wait, I noticed several people having enough of lining up and choosing to party somewhere else. When I we finally made it inside (12:50am), there were also some people leaving because they said the place felt empty. I understand it is opening night and management wants to create a buzz, but perhaps it would had been a good idea to let people in faster to get the party going downstairs. One thing I didn't noticed but my friends did, was the sign right at the entrance of the club, were it was warned the club was a gay environment friendly and respect and tolerance was expected from everyone wanting to come in, or something in the style.
We were giving our gold tickets and let in, two lines were created for the security check, which was happening right in the first room, which was decorated in white, and with an enormous {{{Stereo}}} logo - I'm assuming StereoNY wants to create an association between the worldwide known Stereo logo with this new club in NYC. Fairly quickly checked out by the security boys (no smiles) and we are let in to the next step of our entrance. We are then directed by someone to the coat check, passing by the ticket booth with two people inside.
Coat check was surprisingly small for the size of the club, and I hope they are planning to expand it horizontally instead of maintaining it vertically as it is right now. There is only room for one person at the time for coat check, and this was creating an unnecessary slow moving line to finally take the steps downstairs to the main club. Checked my coat and T-shirt, felt the beats coming from downstairs, and couldn't wait any longer and started to dance. Dancing while waiting for my friends in coat check, and having people looking at me because I had no T-shirt on.
My visit to the loo could no longer wait, so I decided to leave my friends behind and move downstairs. You have to walk a significant number of stairs to get down to the club area, and when you finally make it, you find yourself in an area with 2 halls containing 2 entrances each to the dance floor, and at the end of one you would ended up in the main bar area. In one of the halls, right underneath the stairs they have set up 2 big beds for chill out purposes, and in the other end it is just a hall that some people were using to chill out in the "dark".
Got into the dance floor area and had a quick look of my surrounding area, searching for the toilets. Finally saw a sign right at the end of the main bar downstairs and I when I was ready to get in, this big security guy stopped me, grabbed my arm and pointed upstairs. I guess no unisex bathrooms at StereoNY - boys upstairs and girls downstairs. Move myself to the mezzanine level, which is located right above the dance floor, and asked one of the people working there to direct me to the toilet, and she pointed downstairs again. Made the choice to follow some other people to another set of stairs which we finally figured out it was for the emergency exit. Finally made to the toilet, and I'm guessing it had just been painted because it still smell like fresh paint. Big area, but very compact distribution of the urinals and the cabins, located only in one side of the room. Two super small cabins, and there will be no need to put up signs with "one person only" because there is no way two people would fit there, it is barely big enough for one. I'm sure management had plans to expand this super important part of the club.
The sound system is powerful and I'm sure it will sound deliciously incredible when they finish tuning the machine with people inside. Finally I managed to make it to the dance floor, and if you stand right in the middle of it and look up, you will see a set of 8 different size disco balls hanging from the ceiling, kind of cute. Keep looking up and you see the second level, which is basically a mezzanine where people can have a great view of the dance floor. If you have been at the Unity Club in Montreal, it is kind of the similar concept.
I kept looking to see if I could find where the DJ booth was set up, until someone told to look right in front of me, and there it was. The DJ booth looks like those closed bunkers with a horizontal frontal open area. Angel Moraes and another guy were inside, dropping the sounds for the night.
Interesting choice of music by Angel Moraes - I have seen him in action several times, and I would say the initial part of the his set was not what I expected from the opening night, not from this master of the music. The music was good when we arrived, but it became kind of mellow shortly after. This gave me an excuse to explore the rest of the place and the people.
The crowd was mostly straight, with some people wearing blazers and nice evening dresses. Others were fairly comfortable in their sexy jeans, and thee was even a drag queen dressed in this interesting yellow (?) out fit. There is bar located in the mezzanine level, right beside the men's toilet, and another one in the lower floor, right in front of the dance floor. There is a good sitting area located behind the main bar, and right in front of it, and if I'm not mistaken there is a small stage area, full of sofas, right in front of the stairs bringing you down from the mezzanine, which people were using to dance as well.
Lots of people working at StereoNY all of them wearing a black T-shirt with Stereo written on it, or was it StereoNY? Walking around and this security guy looks at me and asks me "Where is your T-shirt?" I looked at him thinking why are you working here, and I tell him "in the coat check, where it belongs". Those who know me will understand T-shirts are the first thing I get rid of when I go dancing. I would say the majority of the people working at the club, were friendly. They had this cool attitude, trying to figure out what kind of club, and what kind of clientele they are going to have to deal with.
The crowd is still to be defined, the opening night was mostly straight, and the combination of slow music, not feeling the crowd, and other points, made my friends decide to change of venue for the evening. I decided to stay because I really wanted to see what Angel Moraes had in the sleeve for the night. No longer after the departure of most of my friends, and the music really went downhill to my taste. Was it hip hop what Angel was spinning for a second? I have no idea, and surprisingly the crowd liked because they were even kind of singing along at the end of the phrase of the songs. One of my friends looked at me and told me relax, to calm down because the tunes were probably songs that Angel like very much and he wanted to drop them to the crowd.
My friend decided to take off to Crobar, and I decided to move upstairs to chill out and check out the crowd. Finally the music stopped and Angel welcome everyone to the club, showing off a little bit the power of the sound system, and then finally, and I repeat, finally the Angel Moraes that I know came out of the shelf. It was an explosive beginning with hard vocal beats that made the dance floor move as it should. I was still recovering from his initial set, you know it is like when you are traveling with some friends, and then you get a flat tired in the middle of the way, it takes a little bit of time to go back to the road.
Great tunes and I really wished Angel had given us this incredible doses of rhythm early on in the evening. Nevertheless, I finally put myself together, got my smile back in my face, and went dirty in the dance floor. I do miss having a box to dance on top of it, and actually checked to see if I could used something else as substitute. I even looked at the main bar area, but the security guy near by looked really mean, so no way I was going to try to dance there, plus there is not enough space anyway.
Angels Moraes played a good set of House Music for the gods, unfortunately I could not feel the vibe of the crowd, and when this perfect combination occurs, is when you have these memorable evenings you will remember for a long time. I'm pretty sure Angel Moraes is very proud of his new creation, and much more when the club start to take off with its more defined clientele.
Whoever decides to go to StereoNY, should read the warning at the entrance of the club, the one I missed but my friends didn't. If this club is able to attract people from all walks of life, where it doesn't matter if you are black or white, straight or gay, fat or fit, cute or ugly, and if they all come for the same reason, for the love of the music and to dance, then New York get ready because you are in for an unforgettable trip of good time.
The location has potential to become an excellent place to spend some hours dancing and enjoying the company of your friends, and the new people you meet. Coming from Montreal I'm not used to pay USD 8.00 for a Heineken, but because I came from Montreal I got in for free - so fair enough - and I have no idea how much the cover charge was for the evening. It was probably 5:00am when I left the place.
I'm glad I decided to come to NYC for the weekend, I had the chance to meet some interesting characters, do some power shopping, check out the beautiful men around, dance to the tunes of different DJs, and most important of all, to spend some quality time with my good friends.
Furthermore, I wish the best to StereoNY, Angel Moraes and whoever is involved with this new club. I understand it is not easy to be in the nigh life in NYC at the moment, but whom better than New Yorkers to show to the world you want to continue enjoying your life.
Definitely I want to go back in a couple of months, and check out this club again, this is when I will be able to tell you if Montreal (Stereo) was able to inspire a club in NYC (StereoNY), with something Montreal received from the big apple (inspired by the legendary Paradise Garage) - a place were people feel like they are in their second home.
Monday, November 13, 2006
Steve Bear Sas & Victor Calderone @ Stereo - Nov 11, 2006
Disclaimer: This is how I spent my Saturday / Sunday
I knew "everyone" was going to be at Parking because Peter Rauhofer was the main DJ of the evening over there, so I took my time to rest and get ready for Stereo. My intuition was right, and even though I arrived at 2:30am, which would had meant a wait of at least 45min to get in for a normal Evolve night, I got in right away.
First thing I noticed was the fact the machine Stereo had installed, at the ticket booth, was gone. To tell you the truth I kind of like the way it was anyway, you give your cash, you get a coloured entrance ticket in return, give it to the security, get a smile and a stamp back, and you are set for the night.
Second thing I noticed was the decor, which if you have been there in the last weekends, then you will understand why I don't have to describe it. I do have to admit the leafs look really cool with the light show happening during the evening - it gives this cozy feeling to the dance floor.
Every time I hear the name Steve "Bear" Sas, the question of why he is called Bear comes to my mind, but I always refrain in answering it, and please don't say that he looks like a bear because he doesn't. The Bear started the night with slow rhythms, and to be honest I couldn't remember what kind of music he spins - it has been a long time since I've been in one of his parties. If you are called to warm up for Calderone, you know your dance floor will be very diverse and energetic.
Good selection of tracks, moving from slow tunes, to more vocal music, energizing the dance floor with tribal sounds, and finally expanding, by the end of the set, to more darker sexy sounds. Darker deep house which made the transition to Calderone almost unnoticeable. I enjoyed his set, and I would say he was able to warm up the crowd for the rest of the night.
I wouldn't had noticed Calderone had come in if wasn't because there was a spot light right at that exact moment, and the volume hadn't been increased substantially.
"Tribal rhythms, dark and sexy beats with a pinch of progressive are in the store for the Stereo faithful." You would recognized this quote if you have visited Stereo site lately, but what they cannot advertised is the fact you are going to be treated for a super voyage if you decide to be "pinched" by Calderone. The night is called Evolve, and I would love to one day to be able to sit down and ask him why he named his night as such, but I have the feeling it is what it is, an evolution not only of his sound but also of himself.
What can I say? The crowd? Beautiful. The place? Marvelous. The ambiance? Unique. DJs? Fantastically evolved to the next level in the evolution scale. Weather forecast for Montreal was rainy and cold for Saturday and Sunday, and most likely the majority of the people spent their day becoming a vegetable in their homes. The actual weather on Saturday and Sunday night at Stereo: Very hot atmosphere, with sexy sweat bodies moving around the dance floor, dark sexy tunes coming from the speakers, accessorized by a super inspired main DJ, which was able to take the entire dance floor in a journey like no other.
I said it before and I will repeat it once more, if the crowd is able to feel the DJ, and vice-versa, you are not only going to get an amazing non-verbal communication happening, but also an inspiration that enables the creation of an unique vibe that will never be replicated, only improved. I'm sure Calderone felt the crowd, because it felt as if we had allowed him to guide us during the whole evening, thru a tour of the known and unknown.
Calderone had a total control of the dancers, and the dancers of him, creating this magic energy that bounced from, around, and thru the walls of Stereo. The more the vibe increased, the more Calderone went digging deeper in his sexy tunes, creating this sensual atmosphere where everything and anything was possible. He was darker than usual, tribal sounds inspired by the batucadas I love so much, sexy beats that made not only the gay boys, but also the straight crowd to hug and kiss each other. Tribal progressive tunes that made me dance like a maniac, and I probably looked like one as well. Some vocals here and there, just showing up in the perfect moment.
Once again Stereo was able to attract a good looking crowd - the place got packed right after 3:30am, which was expected because the Parking crowd had began to arrived. Solid number of people until the end of the night. By the time Calderone took over the night, which was at 5:00am the place was already rocking, and it stayed full until the end.
Loved the new sofas placed in the right hand side upper area of Stereo - the massage area - most of the time I don't get the chance to venture to that side because I'm always dancing, but I did this time.
It was a beautiful night, and once again Calderone has shown why he loves Montreal so much, and why Montrealers love him back. If he didn't like it, he would had stop coming here a long time ago, instead it seems he is always able to connect with the crowd in a special way. The connection creates an energy that is not only inspiring to him as a DJ, but also to the crowd as dancers. Did I feel this connection? Yes, and not only that, I allowed Victor Calderone to guide me into a new adventure full of music and dancing, and the best of all, to share this feeling with an incredible type of crowd. No wonder why I had a smile in my face all night long.
Victor continued his magic until a little bit passed 12:00pm, this is when the music stopped and everyone thanked him for such an incredible journey. Danny Torrence was already up there talking to him. The lights were turned on, everyone checking everyone to see how "tired" everybody was. Calderone looked again at the dance floor, and as if magic he decided to continue to the party a little bit longer - and on top of that, to make it even more special, he decided to end the night playing house music with vocals. I was taken to heaven right there - bravo, bravo, bravo Victor. 12:30pm and the party upstairs was over.
I believe the super friendly energetic and enthusiastic people left didn't have enough for the night, because Stereo After 8 with Stéfane Lippé was another hit. Did anyone actually leave the place? Great music to continue partying. I probably left at around 4:00pm and there was still tons of people in the dance floor.
Happy Anniversary Stereo, and thank you Calderone for another historic night under the disco ball.
Patius
I knew "everyone" was going to be at Parking because Peter Rauhofer was the main DJ of the evening over there, so I took my time to rest and get ready for Stereo. My intuition was right, and even though I arrived at 2:30am, which would had meant a wait of at least 45min to get in for a normal Evolve night, I got in right away.
First thing I noticed was the fact the machine Stereo had installed, at the ticket booth, was gone. To tell you the truth I kind of like the way it was anyway, you give your cash, you get a coloured entrance ticket in return, give it to the security, get a smile and a stamp back, and you are set for the night.
Second thing I noticed was the decor, which if you have been there in the last weekends, then you will understand why I don't have to describe it. I do have to admit the leafs look really cool with the light show happening during the evening - it gives this cozy feeling to the dance floor.
Every time I hear the name Steve "Bear" Sas, the question of why he is called Bear comes to my mind, but I always refrain in answering it, and please don't say that he looks like a bear because he doesn't. The Bear started the night with slow rhythms, and to be honest I couldn't remember what kind of music he spins - it has been a long time since I've been in one of his parties. If you are called to warm up for Calderone, you know your dance floor will be very diverse and energetic.
Good selection of tracks, moving from slow tunes, to more vocal music, energizing the dance floor with tribal sounds, and finally expanding, by the end of the set, to more darker sexy sounds. Darker deep house which made the transition to Calderone almost unnoticeable. I enjoyed his set, and I would say he was able to warm up the crowd for the rest of the night.
I wouldn't had noticed Calderone had come in if wasn't because there was a spot light right at that exact moment, and the volume hadn't been increased substantially.
"Tribal rhythms, dark and sexy beats with a pinch of progressive are in the store for the Stereo faithful." You would recognized this quote if you have visited Stereo site lately, but what they cannot advertised is the fact you are going to be treated for a super voyage if you decide to be "pinched" by Calderone. The night is called Evolve, and I would love to one day to be able to sit down and ask him why he named his night as such, but I have the feeling it is what it is, an evolution not only of his sound but also of himself.
What can I say? The crowd? Beautiful. The place? Marvelous. The ambiance? Unique. DJs? Fantastically evolved to the next level in the evolution scale. Weather forecast for Montreal was rainy and cold for Saturday and Sunday, and most likely the majority of the people spent their day becoming a vegetable in their homes. The actual weather on Saturday and Sunday night at Stereo: Very hot atmosphere, with sexy sweat bodies moving around the dance floor, dark sexy tunes coming from the speakers, accessorized by a super inspired main DJ, which was able to take the entire dance floor in a journey like no other.
I said it before and I will repeat it once more, if the crowd is able to feel the DJ, and vice-versa, you are not only going to get an amazing non-verbal communication happening, but also an inspiration that enables the creation of an unique vibe that will never be replicated, only improved. I'm sure Calderone felt the crowd, because it felt as if we had allowed him to guide us during the whole evening, thru a tour of the known and unknown.
Calderone had a total control of the dancers, and the dancers of him, creating this magic energy that bounced from, around, and thru the walls of Stereo. The more the vibe increased, the more Calderone went digging deeper in his sexy tunes, creating this sensual atmosphere where everything and anything was possible. He was darker than usual, tribal sounds inspired by the batucadas I love so much, sexy beats that made not only the gay boys, but also the straight crowd to hug and kiss each other. Tribal progressive tunes that made me dance like a maniac, and I probably looked like one as well. Some vocals here and there, just showing up in the perfect moment.
Once again Stereo was able to attract a good looking crowd - the place got packed right after 3:30am, which was expected because the Parking crowd had began to arrived. Solid number of people until the end of the night. By the time Calderone took over the night, which was at 5:00am the place was already rocking, and it stayed full until the end.
Loved the new sofas placed in the right hand side upper area of Stereo - the massage area - most of the time I don't get the chance to venture to that side because I'm always dancing, but I did this time.
It was a beautiful night, and once again Calderone has shown why he loves Montreal so much, and why Montrealers love him back. If he didn't like it, he would had stop coming here a long time ago, instead it seems he is always able to connect with the crowd in a special way. The connection creates an energy that is not only inspiring to him as a DJ, but also to the crowd as dancers. Did I feel this connection? Yes, and not only that, I allowed Victor Calderone to guide me into a new adventure full of music and dancing, and the best of all, to share this feeling with an incredible type of crowd. No wonder why I had a smile in my face all night long.
Victor continued his magic until a little bit passed 12:00pm, this is when the music stopped and everyone thanked him for such an incredible journey. Danny Torrence was already up there talking to him. The lights were turned on, everyone checking everyone to see how "tired" everybody was. Calderone looked again at the dance floor, and as if magic he decided to continue to the party a little bit longer - and on top of that, to make it even more special, he decided to end the night playing house music with vocals. I was taken to heaven right there - bravo, bravo, bravo Victor. 12:30pm and the party upstairs was over.
I believe the super friendly energetic and enthusiastic people left didn't have enough for the night, because Stereo After 8 with Stéfane Lippé was another hit. Did anyone actually leave the place? Great music to continue partying. I probably left at around 4:00pm and there was still tons of people in the dance floor.
Happy Anniversary Stereo, and thank you Calderone for another historic night under the disco ball.
Patius
Danny Tenaglia @ Stereo - June 22, 2006
Disclaimer: this is how I spent my Thursday / Friday
"Do you have tickets? Do you know who might have tickets? What time does Stereo opens up? Tena who? Yes, I got tickets. What? She is coming? CND 100 if you are in the guest list?"
After hearing the questions and answers above, I drove up to my friend's house, left my car there because I didn't want to get any parking ticket on Friday morning, and walked to Stereo. 12:30 am and the line was already thick, and it keep getting thicker by the minutes. Lots of noise, lots of people moving, lots of beautiful faces, and bodies, and everyone looking at the people in the front to see if anyone was getting in already. Probably it was around 1 am when the line started to move. Didn't take long and there I was again, T-shirtless being checked by the beautiful and smiling security girls.
There were tons of people congregated right in front of the main bar, and lots of regular faces kissing each other in the cheeks and saying hello - obviously I had to do the same before moving upstairs, were most of the people always disappear in a sea of sounds and bodies.
Looked around and didn't find anything different regarding the decor of the place, maybe because Stereo was planning a major dress up for the following Disco party, and not knowing when Tenaglia was going to end his party, why take the chances eh?
I came prepared to dance as if I were in the Sauna (place where people go to relax - not the other Sauna) - so I decided not to wear Jeans, and instead opted for some Brazilian capoeira pants, which worked out wonderfully.
Looked up at the booth, and there he was, Mr. Tenaglia in person, back at Stereo for an unforgettable evening. Music was tranquil, low volume, relaxing, like a welcoming sound to the main lounge, where everyone is getting ready for a ride of their life. Tenaglia kept talking to another person in the booth, I'm assuming it was to get to know the whole equipment, and this went on for a while.
There was only one cheese box placed this time around in the front, and the rest were banned to the end of the dance floor. Surprisingly there was no one dancing on it yet, so I decided to move in for a while. I have said this thousand times, there is no better spot to dance than in the top of those cheese boxes. You can scan the whole area in 3 seconds, and you have enough space to dance without having to step on someone feet.
Finally when Tenaglia looked as if he had grasped everything he needed to know, he looked at the dance floor and the volume went up, way up. The music was still not up to beat, but got faster and people started to make noises, clapping, jumping, and smiling more. Danny did not just pay attention to what was going, but he also came down to the dance floor to check the sounds, and to say hi to his friends. It didn't take too long for him to get surrounded by several people he knew. Hugs were exchanged, small conversation went on, and finally when he had satisfied his need to be there, he decided to go back to the booth. Funny thing is that while he was in the dance floor, you could see people still trying to see his hat up in the DJ booth.
It was probably 3 am when Tenaglia decided to talk a little bit, thanking Montreal for its long support to his work, thanking Stereo, Morales, and other DJs in the house. He also stated that he wanted people to let him be whom he was, and he was sure this was going to happen because at Stereo we are all adults and very open minded about different things, specially about the music. If people were ready to let him do what he wanted, he was promising a trip like no other before, where he would travel different eras, different places, and different emotions.
Finally the room exploded full of energy and sounds. There was not a single soul that stayed untouched by what was coming out of the speakers, either because the sound was just excellent or because those vibration from the speakers are so powerful that they should be used to revive people having a heart attack.
Tenaglia talked about a trip at the beginning of the evening, and we were all treated with a special first class ticket to Bumbumland, and the trip was amazingly divided in different incredible stages, which did not allow your body to rest for a second.
The music went from a mellow and slow beginning to a darker more tribal deep sounds, even deeper sounds followed, spiced up by classic sounds. Minimal techno filled with classic house and twisted with the old sounds of disco. Underground music became reality during the whole evening, and he did it without having to use to many of the whole so known music we are so used to hearing in every party.
I'm a super lover of vocal house music, and let me tell you, I didn't miss it at all, because Tenaglia used different types of sounds in order to make me forget them. Instead when he was getting ready to take us to another stage of our trip, he comes and dropped a Reggae song. Who else in his/her right mind would be able to do this at Stereo? Why did he do it? Because he was having too much fun with the whole dance floor. People reacted differently, but everyone, after looking at each other with bigger smiles in their faces, went back to dance to the sounds of Reggae.
Tenaglia enjoyed what he saw, and the energy lifted up not only the room, but also Danny himself. He kept pretending to be an airplane by waving his hand from side to side, then using the spot light to make our eyes follow the white energy moving from one end to the other. Sometimes he spotted the disco ball situated right above his head with the cannon light - I had never noticed there was a disco ball there until this evening. He took off his hat, and said that it had been a long time since he had taken his T-shirt off. Did he really take his T-shirt off? I was not able to see it by the time this happened.
People were just wonderful, super happy crowd, full of energy, and almost everyone respected Tenaglia in the best way possible, by dancing like there was no tomorrow. I even saw Danny Torrence dancing like crazy at the beginning of the evening, and it was early afternoon and Torrence was still shaking his body to the sounds of Tenaglia. Other DJs were also in the house, and no, Madonna did not show up as some people were hoping, but tell you what, she has no freaking clue what an amazing party she missed it - she could had even learned a couple of things from this evening.
Something amazing was the fact the place was packed but not super packed, you were still able to move your ears, and I thought it was going to be super hot, and yes indeed the temperature got up, but those fans placed strategically in each tower metal did their job. They kept parts of the dance floor much cooler than others. People just had to move around in order to cool off a little bit. Beautiful people all over the place, men and women, and everyone dancing non stop.
11 am and I was already getting worried because I knew Tenaglia had said he was going to finish at noon. I didn't want this party to end, even if my body was telling me it was going to go on a strike in case I didn't stop dancing like crazy.
Tenaglia so far had take me along in a trip like I have never experienced before in my life. New sounds, new ways of mixing styles, new emotions, and if this is the future of our music, please let it take over the world faster, because I haven't had enough of what I heard.
Noon and Tenaglia looked at his watch makes the motion with his hands that it was time to go because he had to sleep. Bells sounds followed the move of his fingers, it felt as if the Big Bang had been moved to Stereo. He then decided to talk once again, and thanked once again the people at Stereo because he said that this place has a magic energy that cannot be found anywhere else. He thanked Montreal once again, and because we were allowing him to be who he is, because he was allowed to explore and be risqué, he was going to give us more. Oh my gosh! I looked at my friends and told them to forget about our plans in the afternoon, because the only way to get me out of Stereo was either by knocking me down, or dragging me outside tied in ropes. They said not to worry because they also had no plans in leaving the place.
Old classic voices in early afternoon - I had no idea Donna Summer was going to sound so good at Stereo, and even more after being spiced up by Tenaglia's hands. How can I explain, it was track after track after track of great music. People screamed, people laughed, people were truly happy, some with foreign help of course, and others just happy to be there because we were treated to something totally different.
2 pm and Tenaglia had beat me already, although part of my body was telling me to stay, the other was ready to collapse. Sad to leave but happy to have experienced such an incredible evening, which I know was also special to the DJ of the evening.
This time around I did not stick around Stereo bar, because they were broadcasting Tenaglia's sounds downstairs, and if I had stayed listening to that, I would had just moved myself back to the main room.
Once again thank you Stereo for such an incredible evening, and I feel lucky to have decided to be present, because it is not every day we have Tenaglia making you dance to the sound of his talent.
"Do you have tickets? Do you know who might have tickets? What time does Stereo opens up? Tena who? Yes, I got tickets. What? She is coming? CND 100 if you are in the guest list?"
After hearing the questions and answers above, I drove up to my friend's house, left my car there because I didn't want to get any parking ticket on Friday morning, and walked to Stereo. 12:30 am and the line was already thick, and it keep getting thicker by the minutes. Lots of noise, lots of people moving, lots of beautiful faces, and bodies, and everyone looking at the people in the front to see if anyone was getting in already. Probably it was around 1 am when the line started to move. Didn't take long and there I was again, T-shirtless being checked by the beautiful and smiling security girls.
There were tons of people congregated right in front of the main bar, and lots of regular faces kissing each other in the cheeks and saying hello - obviously I had to do the same before moving upstairs, were most of the people always disappear in a sea of sounds and bodies.
Looked around and didn't find anything different regarding the decor of the place, maybe because Stereo was planning a major dress up for the following Disco party, and not knowing when Tenaglia was going to end his party, why take the chances eh?
I came prepared to dance as if I were in the Sauna (place where people go to relax - not the other Sauna) - so I decided not to wear Jeans, and instead opted for some Brazilian capoeira pants, which worked out wonderfully.
Looked up at the booth, and there he was, Mr. Tenaglia in person, back at Stereo for an unforgettable evening. Music was tranquil, low volume, relaxing, like a welcoming sound to the main lounge, where everyone is getting ready for a ride of their life. Tenaglia kept talking to another person in the booth, I'm assuming it was to get to know the whole equipment, and this went on for a while.
There was only one cheese box placed this time around in the front, and the rest were banned to the end of the dance floor. Surprisingly there was no one dancing on it yet, so I decided to move in for a while. I have said this thousand times, there is no better spot to dance than in the top of those cheese boxes. You can scan the whole area in 3 seconds, and you have enough space to dance without having to step on someone feet.
Finally when Tenaglia looked as if he had grasped everything he needed to know, he looked at the dance floor and the volume went up, way up. The music was still not up to beat, but got faster and people started to make noises, clapping, jumping, and smiling more. Danny did not just pay attention to what was going, but he also came down to the dance floor to check the sounds, and to say hi to his friends. It didn't take too long for him to get surrounded by several people he knew. Hugs were exchanged, small conversation went on, and finally when he had satisfied his need to be there, he decided to go back to the booth. Funny thing is that while he was in the dance floor, you could see people still trying to see his hat up in the DJ booth.
It was probably 3 am when Tenaglia decided to talk a little bit, thanking Montreal for its long support to his work, thanking Stereo, Morales, and other DJs in the house. He also stated that he wanted people to let him be whom he was, and he was sure this was going to happen because at Stereo we are all adults and very open minded about different things, specially about the music. If people were ready to let him do what he wanted, he was promising a trip like no other before, where he would travel different eras, different places, and different emotions.
Finally the room exploded full of energy and sounds. There was not a single soul that stayed untouched by what was coming out of the speakers, either because the sound was just excellent or because those vibration from the speakers are so powerful that they should be used to revive people having a heart attack.
Tenaglia talked about a trip at the beginning of the evening, and we were all treated with a special first class ticket to Bumbumland, and the trip was amazingly divided in different incredible stages, which did not allow your body to rest for a second.
The music went from a mellow and slow beginning to a darker more tribal deep sounds, even deeper sounds followed, spiced up by classic sounds. Minimal techno filled with classic house and twisted with the old sounds of disco. Underground music became reality during the whole evening, and he did it without having to use to many of the whole so known music we are so used to hearing in every party.
I'm a super lover of vocal house music, and let me tell you, I didn't miss it at all, because Tenaglia used different types of sounds in order to make me forget them. Instead when he was getting ready to take us to another stage of our trip, he comes and dropped a Reggae song. Who else in his/her right mind would be able to do this at Stereo? Why did he do it? Because he was having too much fun with the whole dance floor. People reacted differently, but everyone, after looking at each other with bigger smiles in their faces, went back to dance to the sounds of Reggae.
Tenaglia enjoyed what he saw, and the energy lifted up not only the room, but also Danny himself. He kept pretending to be an airplane by waving his hand from side to side, then using the spot light to make our eyes follow the white energy moving from one end to the other. Sometimes he spotted the disco ball situated right above his head with the cannon light - I had never noticed there was a disco ball there until this evening. He took off his hat, and said that it had been a long time since he had taken his T-shirt off. Did he really take his T-shirt off? I was not able to see it by the time this happened.
People were just wonderful, super happy crowd, full of energy, and almost everyone respected Tenaglia in the best way possible, by dancing like there was no tomorrow. I even saw Danny Torrence dancing like crazy at the beginning of the evening, and it was early afternoon and Torrence was still shaking his body to the sounds of Tenaglia. Other DJs were also in the house, and no, Madonna did not show up as some people were hoping, but tell you what, she has no freaking clue what an amazing party she missed it - she could had even learned a couple of things from this evening.
Something amazing was the fact the place was packed but not super packed, you were still able to move your ears, and I thought it was going to be super hot, and yes indeed the temperature got up, but those fans placed strategically in each tower metal did their job. They kept parts of the dance floor much cooler than others. People just had to move around in order to cool off a little bit. Beautiful people all over the place, men and women, and everyone dancing non stop.
11 am and I was already getting worried because I knew Tenaglia had said he was going to finish at noon. I didn't want this party to end, even if my body was telling me it was going to go on a strike in case I didn't stop dancing like crazy.
Tenaglia so far had take me along in a trip like I have never experienced before in my life. New sounds, new ways of mixing styles, new emotions, and if this is the future of our music, please let it take over the world faster, because I haven't had enough of what I heard.
Noon and Tenaglia looked at his watch makes the motion with his hands that it was time to go because he had to sleep. Bells sounds followed the move of his fingers, it felt as if the Big Bang had been moved to Stereo. He then decided to talk once again, and thanked once again the people at Stereo because he said that this place has a magic energy that cannot be found anywhere else. He thanked Montreal once again, and because we were allowing him to be who he is, because he was allowed to explore and be risqué, he was going to give us more. Oh my gosh! I looked at my friends and told them to forget about our plans in the afternoon, because the only way to get me out of Stereo was either by knocking me down, or dragging me outside tied in ropes. They said not to worry because they also had no plans in leaving the place.
Old classic voices in early afternoon - I had no idea Donna Summer was going to sound so good at Stereo, and even more after being spiced up by Tenaglia's hands. How can I explain, it was track after track after track of great music. People screamed, people laughed, people were truly happy, some with foreign help of course, and others just happy to be there because we were treated to something totally different.
2 pm and Tenaglia had beat me already, although part of my body was telling me to stay, the other was ready to collapse. Sad to leave but happy to have experienced such an incredible evening, which I know was also special to the DJ of the evening.
This time around I did not stick around Stereo bar, because they were broadcasting Tenaglia's sounds downstairs, and if I had stayed listening to that, I would had just moved myself back to the main room.
Once again thank you Stereo for such an incredible evening, and I feel lucky to have decided to be present, because it is not every day we have Tenaglia making you dance to the sound of his talent.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Stephan Grondin & Victor Calderone @ Stereo, Feb 11, 2006
Disclaimer: this is how I spent my Saturday/Sunday
I knew I should had gone to Stereo earlier. Usually I'm there right at the beginning, but for whatever reason, this time around I got to Stereo at 2:45am. Last night was super cold, and if I had known the wait in the line up was going to be that long, I would had brought my winter shoes instead.
Usually I would start the review of Stereo at this point, but because I spent over an hour waiting in line, I have to review the line up as well. 3 lines as usual, one for the non-ticket holders, other for the guest list and pre-sale tickets holders, and another, right at the entrance of Stereo, of the people that know someone from inside, and don't have to wait in line for an hour like the rest of us.
I had the opportunity to observe how line number two evolved. When I got there, there were probably 30 people ahead of me. Then more people arrived that knew people already in line, and 30 became 50 and then 70, and finally the line had multiplied itself in 2 lines. New security guy would come down to tell us to behave and to stick to the line, so people could keep walking in the sidewalk. People would ask him why the line was not moving, and I was not able to hear the response. First time ever that I spend 60 minutes in line and I didn't move an inch. That is not true, I did have to move because some people wanted to get into the coffee shop besides Stereo.
If I had to define the line I had to spend over an hour, I would say it was a cold line in waiting for a big warm up. Very vocal, participative and homeless at the same time. When it became a little bit windier, people would get closer to each other, I guess this was in anticipation to what was going to happen inside. Not sure why the line was not moving at all for such a long time, but I have to say if wasn't because I really wanted to hear Calderone, I would have gone home. My foot were frozen by the time I got in and people were becoming kind of impatient, and I don't blame them - it was super cold.
Moved to coat check area, and I thought about leaving my T-shirt there, then I remember how cold was outside, and decided to keep it with me, just in case. At the same time I understood why the line was not moving faster. Actually, I was going to say that the delay was caused by the fact there was only one person checking the names of the guest list people, but in reality I don't know why the line was not moving faster. The security girl saw how cold I was, and she was so nice to tell me that I should take my shoes off for a couple of minutes, this way my foot would warm up faster.
After had spent over an hour in line, in a such cold night, I think it was very appropriate that the first song I heard was "Sorry", by Madonna. It was like Stereo was apologizing for letting us wait outside for such a long time. I accepted the apologies of the temple, and quickly moved on to the dance floor, which was already packed.
Too bad I did not have the chance to experience the whole set giving by Grondin. He was spinning house music with vocals by the time I got upstairs. People were in a nice mood and I have to say, once I got up in the boxes, and saw the sea of people dancing, and moving around, I told myself it was going to be a good evening. Good vibe was coming out of all corners of the place.
Calderone came and his name was projected in the big wall opposite to the DJ both. I turned to the DJ both area and there he was, Señor Calderone live at Stereo. Last time Victor played at Stereo, people didn't stop talking about the party for days - if I'm not mistaken it was the recovery party on the Monday after the "Black & Blue". Someone, at the time, wrote a posting that might just summarize the whole evening: "...was so good I thought I was going to go crazy...at one point I could do nothing but scream..."
Happy Non-vocal House Music - this is how I define the music that Calderone used to introduce us to such a great evening. From happy house music, he moved to darker territories, and never allowing people to disconnect to one another. Every time I thought in taking a break, it felt like as if Calderone was speaking directly to me but turning up the notch. My body asked me for a break, and Calderone music was not allowing me to rest. Conspiracy against my body in first degree.
The music went digging to even deeper territories, and the beat got harder with time. After having danced so much, I had to listen to my body, and I cannot believe it, but I took a 20 minutes nap at Stereo. I found a little forgotten corner around, sat and closed my eyes for exactly 20 minutes. I body seriously needed the rest, and I have to say this "Stereo Siesta" took my energy to a whole new level.
Twice during the evening, Calderone decided to snap every body out of their little trips. Music was playing and then you heard a big BOOM, with a second of silence until the next song came out. Twice I looked towards the DJ booth after the big BOOM, and looked at the big smile in Victor's face. It was like he was saying "yes, you are down here again, and don't worry, you are going right back up with my music" and BOOM.
Several times during the night, Calderone was able to get people screaming by spinning "that" music. It must be uplifting to the DJs to hear the crowd totally approving their music, I believe it is like a good romantic relationship, the more you give, the more you get back - Calderone was not giving back music just for one person, he was having a musical orgy with the Stereo crowd.
Loved the red outfits of Kamaka and the Go Go Boys Dancers. Kamaka dancing is like children playing, innocent and genuine. We should have more of these little shows happening at Stereo. Saturdays should definitely have Kamaka and the boys, and on Friday Stereo should find a "Kamako" and some girls. I specially like the boy wearing the red underwear with black lines on it, and a flashing red light on the side. Nice tattoo in the back, and with the face of devil he had, it was the perfect combo to watch dancing.
It is always funny to find foreigners (foreigner in this case is someone from outside Montreal) that have never been at Stereo before. Two of them asked me what time Stereo closed, and they couldn't believe when I told them sometimes I had gone home at 6pm of the next day. There were a lot of new faces and some really good dancers during the whole evening.
There was a moment, during the evening, when the music became "stabilized"? It was like surfing a very nice wave, with no ups or downs, just nicely forward with splashing water in your face. This is when I realized someone had just dropped water in my head. The music sounded stronger this time around. It was not just underneath the disco ball, it was evenly distributed, almost at the same level, in every corner within the metal towers.
Lights were okay during the whole evening, there was nothing extra special which I could comment on it. Although you shouldn't completely take my word on it, because I spent a lot of time with my eyes closed. I just enjoyed the spot light giving to some of the normal dancers during the evening, and in almost every case, the dancer being spotted at was able to give a mini show to the rest of the people. Good job guys, with your 2 minutes of fame under the light.
Once again, Stereo used the projectors to add some extra ambiance to the evening. Sometimes showing the name of the DJs, sometimes giving us a taste of the outdoors activities, and sometimes just adding some psychedelic colours with lines to our eyes. For whatever reason I did not pay too much attention to this little technological showcase.
Liked the distribution of the boxes and the big stage at the end of the dance floor, which was cut in half to give room to the extra 2 boxes in the middle of the dance floor. I did get up in the boxes this time around, and if you haven't been up there, try it at least once. It is great to see everyone dancing to the magic sound of the music. Pay attention to the details, if you can, and you will observe everything that is happening. People smiling, people staring at people kissing, hands giving massages, and hands showing passions to body parts. You will see security people walking around in their black outfits, and they always leave me wondering if they are able to hear what whoever else is saying in their headsets.
Towards the end, Calderone decided to play some classics and a little bit of house with vocals. I cannot forget to mention I loved the tunes with "Batucadas" he throw at us, and probably this is the reason why my right hand side knee is in pain today. I should remember that just because is carnival time I should take it easy with my samba steps. The dance floor started to free out by 10am, and I love when I get more room to dance, not that I don't enjoy the warm cozy feeling of people around. Talking about sweating, on the front right hand side corner, I walked twice between the metal tower and the speaker, and there was someone with a very strong macho smell. I spent most of my time at the end of the dance floor, without visiting too much the straight or gay area.
It was almost 1pm when I decided it was time to move downstairs. I had to force myself to leave, because the music was going strong and while my common sense was telling it was time, to let it go, my body was trapped in Victor's conspiracy plan again my body.
Got my coat and walked thru the cold little walk of fame besides the coat check area. I do not remember seen Xmas decorations at Stereo in December, but those "green pines" full of Xmas decorations where there - where they used the night before and this is where they stored them?
What a surprise to arrive at the Stereo bar and see faces that had left Stereo upstairs for more than 2 hours already. Everyone was dancing to the tunes of Stéfan Lippé. After spending a whole evening with most of the music with no vocal, my ears were ready for some voices, and my mouth was ready to sing along. I know some people are tired of this song already, but how can I not mention the fact that when Lippé played "Say Something - David Morales Mix", it was like an invitation for everyone to move to the dance floor and ... say something ... few people were left sitting and ... say something.
It was a fun evening, with lots of dancing, new people, cold weather, not much controversy music wise as the previous night. Overall Victor came to do what he does the best, entertain his dancers while the energy is out there, and never forgetting to enjoy himself while spinning his music.
I knew I should had gone to Stereo earlier. Usually I'm there right at the beginning, but for whatever reason, this time around I got to Stereo at 2:45am. Last night was super cold, and if I had known the wait in the line up was going to be that long, I would had brought my winter shoes instead.
Usually I would start the review of Stereo at this point, but because I spent over an hour waiting in line, I have to review the line up as well. 3 lines as usual, one for the non-ticket holders, other for the guest list and pre-sale tickets holders, and another, right at the entrance of Stereo, of the people that know someone from inside, and don't have to wait in line for an hour like the rest of us.
I had the opportunity to observe how line number two evolved. When I got there, there were probably 30 people ahead of me. Then more people arrived that knew people already in line, and 30 became 50 and then 70, and finally the line had multiplied itself in 2 lines. New security guy would come down to tell us to behave and to stick to the line, so people could keep walking in the sidewalk. People would ask him why the line was not moving, and I was not able to hear the response. First time ever that I spend 60 minutes in line and I didn't move an inch. That is not true, I did have to move because some people wanted to get into the coffee shop besides Stereo.
If I had to define the line I had to spend over an hour, I would say it was a cold line in waiting for a big warm up. Very vocal, participative and homeless at the same time. When it became a little bit windier, people would get closer to each other, I guess this was in anticipation to what was going to happen inside. Not sure why the line was not moving at all for such a long time, but I have to say if wasn't because I really wanted to hear Calderone, I would have gone home. My foot were frozen by the time I got in and people were becoming kind of impatient, and I don't blame them - it was super cold.
Moved to coat check area, and I thought about leaving my T-shirt there, then I remember how cold was outside, and decided to keep it with me, just in case. At the same time I understood why the line was not moving faster. Actually, I was going to say that the delay was caused by the fact there was only one person checking the names of the guest list people, but in reality I don't know why the line was not moving faster. The security girl saw how cold I was, and she was so nice to tell me that I should take my shoes off for a couple of minutes, this way my foot would warm up faster.
After had spent over an hour in line, in a such cold night, I think it was very appropriate that the first song I heard was "Sorry", by Madonna. It was like Stereo was apologizing for letting us wait outside for such a long time. I accepted the apologies of the temple, and quickly moved on to the dance floor, which was already packed.
Too bad I did not have the chance to experience the whole set giving by Grondin. He was spinning house music with vocals by the time I got upstairs. People were in a nice mood and I have to say, once I got up in the boxes, and saw the sea of people dancing, and moving around, I told myself it was going to be a good evening. Good vibe was coming out of all corners of the place.
Calderone came and his name was projected in the big wall opposite to the DJ both. I turned to the DJ both area and there he was, Señor Calderone live at Stereo. Last time Victor played at Stereo, people didn't stop talking about the party for days - if I'm not mistaken it was the recovery party on the Monday after the "Black & Blue". Someone, at the time, wrote a posting that might just summarize the whole evening: "...was so good I thought I was going to go crazy...at one point I could do nothing but scream..."
Happy Non-vocal House Music - this is how I define the music that Calderone used to introduce us to such a great evening. From happy house music, he moved to darker territories, and never allowing people to disconnect to one another. Every time I thought in taking a break, it felt like as if Calderone was speaking directly to me but turning up the notch. My body asked me for a break, and Calderone music was not allowing me to rest. Conspiracy against my body in first degree.
The music went digging to even deeper territories, and the beat got harder with time. After having danced so much, I had to listen to my body, and I cannot believe it, but I took a 20 minutes nap at Stereo. I found a little forgotten corner around, sat and closed my eyes for exactly 20 minutes. I body seriously needed the rest, and I have to say this "Stereo Siesta" took my energy to a whole new level.
Twice during the evening, Calderone decided to snap every body out of their little trips. Music was playing and then you heard a big BOOM, with a second of silence until the next song came out. Twice I looked towards the DJ booth after the big BOOM, and looked at the big smile in Victor's face. It was like he was saying "yes, you are down here again, and don't worry, you are going right back up with my music" and BOOM.
Several times during the night, Calderone was able to get people screaming by spinning "that" music. It must be uplifting to the DJs to hear the crowd totally approving their music, I believe it is like a good romantic relationship, the more you give, the more you get back - Calderone was not giving back music just for one person, he was having a musical orgy with the Stereo crowd.
Loved the red outfits of Kamaka and the Go Go Boys Dancers. Kamaka dancing is like children playing, innocent and genuine. We should have more of these little shows happening at Stereo. Saturdays should definitely have Kamaka and the boys, and on Friday Stereo should find a "Kamako" and some girls. I specially like the boy wearing the red underwear with black lines on it, and a flashing red light on the side. Nice tattoo in the back, and with the face of devil he had, it was the perfect combo to watch dancing.
It is always funny to find foreigners (foreigner in this case is someone from outside Montreal) that have never been at Stereo before. Two of them asked me what time Stereo closed, and they couldn't believe when I told them sometimes I had gone home at 6pm of the next day. There were a lot of new faces and some really good dancers during the whole evening.
There was a moment, during the evening, when the music became "stabilized"? It was like surfing a very nice wave, with no ups or downs, just nicely forward with splashing water in your face. This is when I realized someone had just dropped water in my head. The music sounded stronger this time around. It was not just underneath the disco ball, it was evenly distributed, almost at the same level, in every corner within the metal towers.
Lights were okay during the whole evening, there was nothing extra special which I could comment on it. Although you shouldn't completely take my word on it, because I spent a lot of time with my eyes closed. I just enjoyed the spot light giving to some of the normal dancers during the evening, and in almost every case, the dancer being spotted at was able to give a mini show to the rest of the people. Good job guys, with your 2 minutes of fame under the light.
Once again, Stereo used the projectors to add some extra ambiance to the evening. Sometimes showing the name of the DJs, sometimes giving us a taste of the outdoors activities, and sometimes just adding some psychedelic colours with lines to our eyes. For whatever reason I did not pay too much attention to this little technological showcase.
Liked the distribution of the boxes and the big stage at the end of the dance floor, which was cut in half to give room to the extra 2 boxes in the middle of the dance floor. I did get up in the boxes this time around, and if you haven't been up there, try it at least once. It is great to see everyone dancing to the magic sound of the music. Pay attention to the details, if you can, and you will observe everything that is happening. People smiling, people staring at people kissing, hands giving massages, and hands showing passions to body parts. You will see security people walking around in their black outfits, and they always leave me wondering if they are able to hear what whoever else is saying in their headsets.
Towards the end, Calderone decided to play some classics and a little bit of house with vocals. I cannot forget to mention I loved the tunes with "Batucadas" he throw at us, and probably this is the reason why my right hand side knee is in pain today. I should remember that just because is carnival time I should take it easy with my samba steps. The dance floor started to free out by 10am, and I love when I get more room to dance, not that I don't enjoy the warm cozy feeling of people around. Talking about sweating, on the front right hand side corner, I walked twice between the metal tower and the speaker, and there was someone with a very strong macho smell. I spent most of my time at the end of the dance floor, without visiting too much the straight or gay area.
It was almost 1pm when I decided it was time to move downstairs. I had to force myself to leave, because the music was going strong and while my common sense was telling it was time, to let it go, my body was trapped in Victor's conspiracy plan again my body.
Got my coat and walked thru the cold little walk of fame besides the coat check area. I do not remember seen Xmas decorations at Stereo in December, but those "green pines" full of Xmas decorations where there - where they used the night before and this is where they stored them?
What a surprise to arrive at the Stereo bar and see faces that had left Stereo upstairs for more than 2 hours already. Everyone was dancing to the tunes of Stéfan Lippé. After spending a whole evening with most of the music with no vocal, my ears were ready for some voices, and my mouth was ready to sing along. I know some people are tired of this song already, but how can I not mention the fact that when Lippé played "Say Something - David Morales Mix", it was like an invitation for everyone to move to the dance floor and ... say something ... few people were left sitting and ... say something.
It was a fun evening, with lots of dancing, new people, cold weather, not much controversy music wise as the previous night. Overall Victor came to do what he does the best, entertain his dancers while the energy is out there, and never forgetting to enjoy himself while spinning his music.
Saturday, November 04, 2006
"The Week" - São Paulo (Brazil) - Jan 28, 2006
Disclaimer: this is how I spent my Saturday/Sunday
I spent Saturday morning working and doing some shopping. I rested a little bit at the hotel, and Danilo, a guy I met the day before, came to pick me up at around 2am at the hotel.
In the way to the club, I was told about the mega-fight that is happening in the night life of São Paulo. Basically there are 2 guys with 2 different types of ideas, and it sounds like only one of them dominate the after hours life at the time. Imagine, we are talking in a city with 20 million people.
Previous to "The Week", the king of the clubs was called "Level", now is "The Week", which is going super strong. Kristine W, when she performed at this place back in November 2005, commented in her review of the evening, that she was brought to tears during her show. Coming to a country where Portuguese is the official language, she could not believe how five thousand people sang along with her during the show - according to her, this was super emotional. I know what many of you are asking, and no, she was not there this past Saturday.
Back to my January 28 review - got to the door of the place, located in the middle of nowhere, with tons of boys and girls arriving from all sides. From the beginning I could tell this was going to be a good evening. I was also told that the other "owner of the after hours Paulista" had just openned a new club on January 28, but the rummors were it was not a good crowd, so people decided to hit "The Week", instead of checking out the new place.
Anyway, we got to the doors of the club, and Danilo started to introduced me to a lot of people. He also showed who was the most powerful man of the Paulista evening, the host of the club "The Week". It is funny how everyone wants to be friends with this guy. I think I got lucky, because the ticket/door person kind of liked me, I entered as if my name was in the guest list of the club.
The Week is an incredible place people - a combination of afterhours with open spaces, big enough for 5,000 people. It is divided in 2 major dance floors, one with DJs spining a more darker house music, and the other, smaller compared to the main one, with a more vocal type of house music.
In the main room, the DJs spinning were:
· PACHECO (Babylon)
· RENATO CESIN (Babylon)
· JOÃO NETO (Babylon & Toy)
In the Second room, where unfortunately I did not spend that much time, just came to see it how it was, they had the following DJs spinning:
· Paulo Agulhari
· Marcos Viana
The first thing I noticed when I walked thru the gates of the place, was the outside chill out area. There are palm trees and long white sofas everywhere. A wonderful swimming pool, which I was told no one goes in, unless is for the famous pool parties, and two strategically well placed outside bars. The view is just breath taking, and this is just the chill out area.
Next there is no way to miss the 5 or 6 major gates leading into the main dance floor. the gates are kept open all the times, even during winter times (yes, it does get cold once in a while in São Paulo). It is nice to be able to get out of the main room when it gets too hot, and come back right back when you are ready to continue dancing, unless you want to continue dancing in the outside area.
I cannot help but to mention, the number of good looking people, men and women at this place, was out of this world. Besides the beauty of the crowd, another thing that grabbed my attention, was a crowd almost evenly divided between straight and gay people, the only thing I didn't see were lesbians. I was told they don't like to hang around at "The Week".
I couldn't stop looking at so many beautiful men and women at this place. The energy is superb, and it is friendly enough to make you feel good about partying at the club. I didn't notice too much attitud, something you might expect from a place hosting so many people at the same time.
The main dance floor is enormous, with very interesting decoration, and everyone knows when it's 3am because the chandeliers get light up all at the same time at this hour. Right after that, the chandeliers become part of the light show of the place. Lasers being a big part of the show, too much perhaps for my taste.
One of the girls, dancing in the stage, had probably one of her most beautiful tragedies of the evening. She was dancing with another girl, doing a type of a lesbian mini show, in boxes which are almost twice as tall as the ones at Stereo. In one moment I saw her dancing up in the box, and next I saw her lying down in the floor almost beside me. Man, it must had hurt, because that fall was as powerful as the high hills she was wearing - but no sweet, she stand up and went back to dance on the top of the boxes. Could not stop noticing some people kind of making fun of her misfortune, which did not impress me at all. Just to add to this info, I was informed the girl that felt from the box was not actually a girl, it was a drag queen - guys, "she" really looked like a woman.
The gogo boys and gogo girls all looked like models - beatiful muscles, great curves - it is a view to make any straight & gay person look up, to see them dancing. Once again, I cannot point out how beautiful people where at this place.
The barbies (this is how the muscle gay men are called in Brazil), I was told, stay up in the front of the DJ both. The DJ both is situated as it was the table for the last supper. The VIP area is located right behind it, and some of the more VIP people get to hang out with the DJ.
The VIQ (Very Important Queer) area is located on the right hand side, second level, of the main dance floor. At the begining it was empty, but at around 3:30am the queens arrived.
The boys loved my Montreal dance moves - and I have to thank Danilo for showing the best time ever at "The Week". Did not get to get up in the box to dance, again might be because I didn't want to have a beautiful tragedy happening to me either. Can you imagine?
The inside chill out room is decorated in a Japanese style, with nice scultures, and sofas strategically placed everywhere.
The DJ that openned up the set, Pacheco, was okay, nothing special about him, it was a good warm up to the next DJ. Then came DJ Renato Cesin - oh my Bhuda, he was just incredible. Not just in the energy put by him but also because of the music chosen for the evening. House Music to its best style. Some of the tunes I recognized, and some other I wish I had heard back in Montreal. What incredible tunes, and crowd moved accordinly. Besides the fact this guy is a good DJ, he is also a cutie, and he was shirtless during his set - a la David Morales.
DJ Renato Cesin was the best DJ of the evening, I really enjoyed his music, and he made me sweet, the only that did not help him out too much was the light show. Somehow this improved dramatically later on in the evening.
The third DJ schedule for the evening was DJ João Neto. I do have to apologize because I'm not really sure if he was at this club, or if he was spinning at the newest club that openned up in São Paulo ("Freak"). I only stayed until 7am and I'm not sure if he started to spin after I left the place. My review only covers up to this point. Once again, as I said, the light show was just amazing later on in the evening. I wonder if the person taking care of the light was changed at this time.
If someone from São Paulo is reading this review, and you know if DJ João Neto was at "The Week" on January 28th, please let me know so I can correct the info posted in this review. I've heard good things about this DJ, nevertheless, Renato Cesin (the second DJ of the evening) was superb.
The crowd was very friendly, and very participative ... what? okay, imagine the DJ spinning an incredible song that everyone loves, now imagine 5000 people singing that song at the same time - listening to that was just incredible, it's like a boost of energy in your body, and you cannot help, but you have to join in, singing with the rest of the crowd.
Men kissing men, women kissing men, men kissing women, more men kissing men. Very sensual vibe, and with the amount of beautiful men and women, how couldn't you be sensual eh?
Now, as soon as 6am came, the sky started to light up, and what an incredible feeling is to come out of the main dance floor to the outside chill out area, having the breeze of the wind, and the light blue sky - people lying down on the white sofas everywhere, people talking, some people dancing, and you look back at the main room, thru the 5 or 6 gates - cannot explain the feeling guys, you have to experience.
Looking at the main room from the outside, I felt like I was looking at a horror house lights and thunder coming from it. Just the visual guys, because the music was just spetacular, and you kind of didn't know if you wanted to stay inside or outside.
The only complain I have is about the floor in the main room. with people drinking and sweeting, it gets really wet and kind of dangerous for people dancing. I almost went down myself at least once because I was dancing on a wet area. It could be suggested to the owner of the place to do something to the floor, but this is a minor thing to improve the place.
One thing that is very common at the clubs in Brazil, is that you don't pay when you get in, or when you order drinks. You pay when you exit the place. When you get in, they give you a card with your name on it, and this is what you use to get your drinks. You order, and the barperson takes you card and check what you order, or you have a pass with a number, and the order goes into the computer. You have to be very careful not to lose this card, otherwise you must pay the fine showing in the card, which in this case was R$ 150.00 (around CND 75.00). People have to line up in two different places, one for customers paying in cash, and the other paying with a credit card. Once everything is done, you are ready to leave the place.
"The Week" is considered a gay place, and you can tell that because the entrance fee is differentiated between men and women. Normal ticket price for men is R$ 30.00 and normal ticket price for women is R$ 35.00. Their explanation for this difference in pricing is this show to all people coming into the club, this is a gay friendly place, and they don't want to see people freaking if two or more men are kissing, or the same for women. If you cannot handle, just stay away, and if you do, just smile, dance and have a good time.
Personally I don't agree with this price differential, but again, I don't live in Brazil. The country is very open minded when it comes to the sexuality issues, but you still see a lot of homophobic people around.
I give a 9 stars out of 10 to the club - what an incredible night it was, and I would love to see some of our local talents spinning at The Week - it would be wild. It doesn't matter who, either Lippé, Torrence or Grondin, I'm sure they would do amazing at this place. Different energy.
One last thing, Nokia is a low profile supporter of the after hour life in São Paulo. I was told there have been some promos in which if a person where to buy a Nokia cell phone 7210, they would get 3 months of free entrance to The Week. In another promo, if you buy another phone, Nokia would pays for X times at The Week, and other things in that style. When you are exiting the club, you see a glass wall with the Nokia logo on it, without the name Nokia of course. Low profile supporter of the professional ravers. Just once in a while they come out of the closet and post their name everywhere.
Had fun, and I hope if any of you, is travelling to Brazil soon, take your time and visit this place.
Patius, reporting live from Brazil
I spent Saturday morning working and doing some shopping. I rested a little bit at the hotel, and Danilo, a guy I met the day before, came to pick me up at around 2am at the hotel.
In the way to the club, I was told about the mega-fight that is happening in the night life of São Paulo. Basically there are 2 guys with 2 different types of ideas, and it sounds like only one of them dominate the after hours life at the time. Imagine, we are talking in a city with 20 million people.
Previous to "The Week", the king of the clubs was called "Level", now is "The Week", which is going super strong. Kristine W, when she performed at this place back in November 2005, commented in her review of the evening, that she was brought to tears during her show. Coming to a country where Portuguese is the official language, she could not believe how five thousand people sang along with her during the show - according to her, this was super emotional. I know what many of you are asking, and no, she was not there this past Saturday.
Back to my January 28 review - got to the door of the place, located in the middle of nowhere, with tons of boys and girls arriving from all sides. From the beginning I could tell this was going to be a good evening. I was also told that the other "owner of the after hours Paulista" had just openned a new club on January 28, but the rummors were it was not a good crowd, so people decided to hit "The Week", instead of checking out the new place.
Anyway, we got to the doors of the club, and Danilo started to introduced me to a lot of people. He also showed who was the most powerful man of the Paulista evening, the host of the club "The Week". It is funny how everyone wants to be friends with this guy. I think I got lucky, because the ticket/door person kind of liked me, I entered as if my name was in the guest list of the club.
The Week is an incredible place people - a combination of afterhours with open spaces, big enough for 5,000 people. It is divided in 2 major dance floors, one with DJs spining a more darker house music, and the other, smaller compared to the main one, with a more vocal type of house music.
In the main room, the DJs spinning were:
· PACHECO (Babylon)
· RENATO CESIN (Babylon)
· JOÃO NETO (Babylon & Toy)
In the Second room, where unfortunately I did not spend that much time, just came to see it how it was, they had the following DJs spinning:
· Paulo Agulhari
· Marcos Viana
The first thing I noticed when I walked thru the gates of the place, was the outside chill out area. There are palm trees and long white sofas everywhere. A wonderful swimming pool, which I was told no one goes in, unless is for the famous pool parties, and two strategically well placed outside bars. The view is just breath taking, and this is just the chill out area.
I cannot help but to mention, the number of good looking people, men and women at this place, was out of this world. Besides the beauty of the crowd, another thing that grabbed my attention, was a crowd almost evenly divided between straight and gay people, the only thing I didn't see were lesbians. I was told they don't like to hang around at "The Week".
I couldn't stop looking at so many beautiful men and women at this place. The energy is superb, and it is friendly enough to make you feel good about partying at the club. I didn't notice too much attitud, something you might expect from a place hosting so many people at the same time.
One of the girls, dancing in the stage, had probably one of her most beautiful tragedies of the evening. She was dancing with another girl, doing a type of a lesbian mini show, in boxes which are almost twice as tall as the ones at Stereo. In one moment I saw her dancing up in the box, and next I saw her lying down in the floor almost beside me. Man, it must had hurt, because that fall was as powerful as the high hills she was wearing - but no sweet, she stand up and went back to dance on the top of the boxes. Could not stop noticing some people kind of making fun of her misfortune, which did not impress me at all. Just to add to this info, I was informed the girl that felt from the box was not actually a girl, it was a drag queen - guys, "she" really looked like a woman.
The gogo boys and gogo girls all looked like models - beatiful muscles, great curves - it is a view to make any straight & gay person look up, to see them dancing. Once again, I cannot point out how beautiful people where at this place.
The barbies (this is how the muscle gay men are called in Brazil), I was told, stay up in the front of the DJ both. The DJ both is situated as it was the table for the last supper. The VIP area is located right behind it, and some of the more VIP people get to hang out with the DJ.
The VIQ (Very Important Queer) area is located on the right hand side, second level, of the main dance floor. At the begining it was empty, but at around 3:30am the queens arrived.
The boys loved my Montreal dance moves - and I have to thank Danilo for showing the best time ever at "The Week". Did not get to get up in the box to dance, again might be because I didn't want to have a beautiful tragedy happening to me either. Can you imagine?
The inside chill out room is decorated in a Japanese style, with nice scultures, and sofas strategically placed everywhere.
The DJ that openned up the set, Pacheco, was okay, nothing special about him, it was a good warm up to the next DJ. Then came DJ Renato Cesin - oh my Bhuda, he was just incredible. Not just in the energy put by him but also because of the music chosen for the evening. House Music to its best style. Some of the tunes I recognized, and some other I wish I had heard back in Montreal. What incredible tunes, and crowd moved accordinly. Besides the fact this guy is a good DJ, he is also a cutie, and he was shirtless during his set - a la David Morales.
DJ Renato Cesin was the best DJ of the evening, I really enjoyed his music, and he made me sweet, the only that did not help him out too much was the light show. Somehow this improved dramatically later on in the evening.
The third DJ schedule for the evening was DJ João Neto. I do have to apologize because I'm not really sure if he was at this club, or if he was spinning at the newest club that openned up in São Paulo ("Freak"). I only stayed until 7am and I'm not sure if he started to spin after I left the place. My review only covers up to this point. Once again, as I said, the light show was just amazing later on in the evening. I wonder if the person taking care of the light was changed at this time.
If someone from São Paulo is reading this review, and you know if DJ João Neto was at "The Week" on January 28th, please let me know so I can correct the info posted in this review. I've heard good things about this DJ, nevertheless, Renato Cesin (the second DJ of the evening) was superb.
The crowd was very friendly, and very participative ... what? okay, imagine the DJ spinning an incredible song that everyone loves, now imagine 5000 people singing that song at the same time - listening to that was just incredible, it's like a boost of energy in your body, and you cannot help, but you have to join in, singing with the rest of the crowd.
Men kissing men, women kissing men, men kissing women, more men kissing men. Very sensual vibe, and with the amount of beautiful men and women, how couldn't you be sensual eh?
Now, as soon as 6am came, the sky started to light up, and what an incredible feeling is to come out of the main dance floor to the outside chill out area, having the breeze of the wind, and the light blue sky - people lying down on the white sofas everywhere, people talking, some people dancing, and you look back at the main room, thru the 5 or 6 gates - cannot explain the feeling guys, you have to experience.
Looking at the main room from the outside, I felt like I was looking at a horror house lights and thunder coming from it. Just the visual guys, because the music was just spetacular, and you kind of didn't know if you wanted to stay inside or outside.
The only complain I have is about the floor in the main room. with people drinking and sweeting, it gets really wet and kind of dangerous for people dancing. I almost went down myself at least once because I was dancing on a wet area. It could be suggested to the owner of the place to do something to the floor, but this is a minor thing to improve the place.
One thing that is very common at the clubs in Brazil, is that you don't pay when you get in, or when you order drinks. You pay when you exit the place. When you get in, they give you a card with your name on it, and this is what you use to get your drinks. You order, and the barperson takes you card and check what you order, or you have a pass with a number, and the order goes into the computer. You have to be very careful not to lose this card, otherwise you must pay the fine showing in the card, which in this case was R$ 150.00 (around CND 75.00). People have to line up in two different places, one for customers paying in cash, and the other paying with a credit card. Once everything is done, you are ready to leave the place.
"The Week" is considered a gay place, and you can tell that because the entrance fee is differentiated between men and women. Normal ticket price for men is R$ 30.00 and normal ticket price for women is R$ 35.00. Their explanation for this difference in pricing is this show to all people coming into the club, this is a gay friendly place, and they don't want to see people freaking if two or more men are kissing, or the same for women. If you cannot handle, just stay away, and if you do, just smile, dance and have a good time.
Personally I don't agree with this price differential, but again, I don't live in Brazil. The country is very open minded when it comes to the sexuality issues, but you still see a lot of homophobic people around.
I give a 9 stars out of 10 to the club - what an incredible night it was, and I would love to see some of our local talents spinning at The Week - it would be wild. It doesn't matter who, either Lippé, Torrence or Grondin, I'm sure they would do amazing at this place. Different energy.
One last thing, Nokia is a low profile supporter of the after hour life in São Paulo. I was told there have been some promos in which if a person where to buy a Nokia cell phone 7210, they would get 3 months of free entrance to The Week. In another promo, if you buy another phone, Nokia would pays for X times at The Week, and other things in that style. When you are exiting the club, you see a glass wall with the Nokia logo on it, without the name Nokia of course. Low profile supporter of the professional ravers. Just once in a while they come out of the closet and post their name everywhere.
Had fun, and I hope if any of you, is travelling to Brazil soon, take your time and visit this place.
Patius, reporting live from Brazil
Cape Town - Final Impression - March 17, 2006
Read - First Impression
Read - Second Impression
Read - Third Impression
Read - Fourth Impression
Read - Fifth Impression
This was the place I was staying on Long Street (INN LONG HOSTEL). I highly recommend this place if you are staying in Cape Town, great location, and Nikki plus stuff are super helpful with everything. They were the only ones, out of all the hostel I contacted that followed up, with interest, my inquiries. Just make sure to bring some ear plugs, Long Street does not sleep.
and can you see those mountains behing the planes?
and this is how I spent my whole last day in Cape Town: drinking - I think we had over 20 different people in this table during the whole day.
what a great way to end my vacation, drinking Green Iguanas with some friends
Patius
The End
Cape Town - Fifth Impression - March 14, 2006
Read - First Impression
Read - Second Impression
Read - Third Impression
Read - Fourth Impression
Probably this will be my last communication from CPT, I'm even more relaxed now than before, so my comments, this time around, might not even make sense, but here it goes.
CPT has everything I was looking for in a vacation location. Beautiful city, great view of the surrounded areas, friendly people, cosmopolitan for the South African standards, super good looking men, gay friendly, inspiring musically speaking, a stinking colony of penguins just an hour south of the city, and with a population that loves to celebrate life.
If you are looking for a nice place to relax and have a good time, please write down CPT in your traveling schedules, you will not regret it. Most of the time, when I travel for pleasure, I try not to go back to the same place I've been before. Why you may ask, and the answer is easy. Most of the time, I have a super good time in my holidays, and by going back I might ruin my good memories, from the previous vacation, by comparing the second round to the first one. After so many days in this city, I'm happy to say I will return to CPT one day, I guess I've fallen in love with this little South African place.
Within the city, Rikkis is the best transportation method, cheap, reliable, and very adventurous. There is a sign inside the car that reads "Ride at your own risk". The drivers are real characters, and you never know which one you are going to get in your next ride, but for sure you will meet interesting people, from all walks of life, once sitting -grabbing yourself to the edges- in the super mini van. One day I rode with two dogs, a cat, her German owner, and three gorgeous guys from Slovakia.
If you are expecting to get warm water from the Atlantic ocean, you are in for a big surprise, I think I saw my legs turning blue one of these days. Nevertheless, they have great beaches here, and I would even say that Camps Bay beach is way nicer than South beach. Myself I spent most of the time at the Clifton third beach, which is the gay one. Even when it was really windy, this beach was the place to go, it is protected by rocks, in all sides, creating this fabulous tropical environment within the rocks. To get to warmer waters, you just have to travel to the Indian Ocean side beaches.
I know I love going to the gym, but after seeing so many great bodies in this city, the first thing I'm going to do, once in Montreal, is to get Ricardo (YMCA downtown) to write me a new work out program. Shit these people take care of themselves. Logically I was kind of exotic over here, being the only Latino in the whole area it was good for me - sexy boy they called me. Actually, I lie, I met this Argentinian woman on a Rikkis one day, but it doesn't count, she is a breeder, in no way a competition to my Latin charm.
CPT has one of the nicest saunas I have seen so far, yes I know there are great ones in Toronto and Los Angeles, but this is me talking here. "The Hot House" is such a social place in CPT, people go there as if you were going to Unity or Stereo in Montreal. Everyone you met in the village, tells you "see you later at the Hot House", and later on in the evening, there they are, and there I was as well. The place has a super nice bar area, tables to sit around and socialize, and people actually do sit around and talk. Several times I found myself having a very stimulating conversation, after having had a great mating event. Once you go upstairs, you have this great jacuzzi looking at the whole city of CPT, and the terrace is just fantastic, with a view of the Table Mountain. Let me put this way, great sunrise from the terrace of the Hot House. I wish the saunas in Montreal were as nice as this one - Montreal is the city with most per capita saunas per person than any other city in the world, but haven't they heard that is not the quantity that counts, but the quality of it?
There are not after hours clubs in CPT as the ones we have in Montreal, but the clubs are open until late. How many times I walked by Sliver, Bronx, or other place along Long Street, at 7am and the place was still rocking. people love to go from one place to another, and it is like they have a whole schedule ready before going out, a schedule without names. The best dance club in CPT is called Sliver, located in the heart of the Gay Village - remember, the gay village is 2 or 3 blocks long. Interesting set up, with one room downstairs, where DJs spin house music with lots of t-shirt less boys, and one upstairs being rocked by the jumpy/electro/straight house tunes. Sliver also have this fabolous outdoor chill out area, with trees everywhere - they usually stay open until 10am.
Love the guys in CPT, very friendly and good looking guys. Love the macho rough Dutch/German looks of the white boys in this city, and let me tell you, I have met wonderful guys so far during my trip. Actually, I have to go now because I'm having lunch with this cutie I met last night.
Patius
Read - Final Impression
Cape Town - Fourth Impression - March 11, 2006
Read - First Impression
Read - Second Impression
Read - Third Impression
I'm too relaxed to type for too long, so here is my latest and shortest update.
Finally I made up to the top of the Table Mountain, and I'm glad I did. You have to understand, there are 2 ways to get up there, one is walking up for two hours, and the other via the cable car, which cost R$ 115.00 (return) and only takes 6 minutes to get up to the top.
The view from the top is just fantastic, and the best is when you see the clouds coming from all over the place. You are literally right at the same level as the clouds. Met a lovely old couple from London, and the lady was telling me how many South African friends they have back home. You see, London is now for Cape Town what Toronto used to be for Montreal. The place where the young and educated move to get jobs. You have no idea how linked these two cities are, and there are so many Londoner that own houses in this place. If I could, even I would own a little studio in CPT.
Rikkis is my fauvorite transportation method in Cape Town, I love those yellow super min-vans - hate having to call them because it takes me sometimes 10 minutes to get thru, but it is worth it, R$ 16.00 to anywhere from anywhere cannot go wrong.
I have to say I really enjoy listening to African, this rough Dutch/German/English sounds that drive me nuts coming from the right person - have managed to learn some words here and there.
Someone asked me how is South Africa after the Apartheid. To tell you the truth, I have no idea because this is my first time in this country, and actually, CPT should not be considered as an example of South Africa, I told you before, it doesn't feel like you are in Africa. What I can tell you is what I heard from the locals, and just about Cape Town, not South Africa. I had this wonderful chat with these two black ladies the other day, one South African and the other Kenyan. They were having this wonderful discussion about the social issues of the city, and there was no way I could not listening to what they were saying. I decided to stop being a passive participant of the conversation, and became active on it as well.
Basically they say that Cape Town changed a lot in the last 10 years, life has dramatically improved, and the city has become prettier, cleaner, and way safer than what used to be. Jobs have been created to people that didn't have anything before, and may I add it has been done in such a clever way. They told me that during the Apartheid, the propaganda about "black people are dangerous" was very effective, so effective that even the black people today believe on it. The Kenyan girl told me she has no problem walking towards a group of white people sitting around chatting about life, but really feel unsafe if this group of people happens to be made up of all black people.
Long Street was closed yesterday, for an yearly festival, and what a party. The whole city came down to Long Street, it felt like Pride in Montreal if the bars participated in the celebration.
They even had a polling station asking the famous "yes or no" question. They were inquiring, to the public, if Cape Town should become more African. As soon as I saw the YES & NO cards, I just walked away and went back to the party. Stayed until 1am when I moved myself to the village to meet up with the boys. Had a great time, and want to head down to the beach again, so I will write more later.
Oh yeah, the beach ... cold water, super cold water, but man is worth it .... beach here I come .....
Read - Fifth Impression
Read - Final Impression
Cape Town - Third Impression - March 7, 2006
Anyway, this time around I was not going to walk to the beach, instead there is this interesting method of transportation that is called the "Rikkis", which are basically these yellow super mini-vans that pick you at your place, and drop you off anywhere for a fee of R$ 16.00.
The locals I met here told me I had done something very dangerous, because they say those little mini-cars roll over very easily. I arrived intact at the beach, and I must admit, it was an incredible day to roast under the sun of Cape Town. At the beach I meet up with some people at had met in other locations, and it was fun to chat with them. It was also nice to appreciate the bodies lying down around where I was, oh man, oh man, delicious.
Besides the fun, of course there are other things that you notice in Cape Town. The contrast between the rich and the poor is just incredible. As soon as you leave the airport, you are able to see the famous Townships, a super poor city full of slums. I don't know how many live there, but let me tell you, there are a lot of poor people in the surrounding areas of the city. Then you get the city and you cannot help to see the number of luxurious car dealers everywhere. We are talking about Mercedes Benz, BMW, Jaguar's, Porches, Harley's and etcetera. There are also tons of furniture stores, and I'm not saying Ikea type of stores, more on the upper scale side of the business. They are everywhere but really everywhere, and the first that came to my mind was "who buys these goods". Once you start to walk around you will notice right away who buys them. On the sea side, you will find the most expensive real state of South Africa, beautiful houses with views to die for. In the other side of the mountain, you also find nice housing, not as expensive as the sea side, but nevertheless too expensive to have the poor people, mostly which are black, to afford.
As long as a country has a political class that is corrupt, which believe they are in power to make themselves richer, at any cost, and to maintain their social status at the cost of the other people standard of living, we will always have this type of disparity occurring. If this way of life does not change, it will be impossible to make the people to believe and do the best, not just for themselves, but also to the entire society.
Last night I stayed in the house of someone I met during the day, and oh my gosh. Incredible house, located in one of the most expensive areas of the city. This person owns, not just a classic, made in South Africa, Beetle, but also a super classic Jaguar. The view from his house is just superb, and this morning looking down the ground floor, I saw this black Nanny playing with a blond kid. I wonder if you will ever see the reverse of the coin, a white Nanny with a black child.Enough of my social insights of this city, and who am I to talk about the good or the wrong of this society, when we have something to work on in our own city of Montreal eh?
Today I spent it at the Waterfront, listening to live music on the docks, walking around with the breeze of the sea hitting your face. Tons of people walking around, tourists and locals, eating at restaurants, having a cigarette in the cafes, or just shopping in their largest shopping mall in town. I felt like I was walking in the Fifth avenue or Rodeo Drive, with so many nice and expensive stores, of course, where everything is 20% more expensive as if bought outside this particular mall.I also decided to hit the Aquarium - you see, the seals are supposed to be lying around the docks, but with a weather of +40C, I'm sure they decided it was better to spend their Summer in the Antarctica. Although some people I spoke to today, told me it was funny to see penguins roasting under the heat of Simon's Town, and I wonder why didn't they leave to the South Pole as well - nice friends the seals, probably they left without inviting the penguins to their Summer house in the South. The Aquarium was cute, there were some divers "swimming with the sharks", and some skiny penguins around.
I have to say, so far, I have enjoyed very much this city, and I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to have some good time. The view of the city is just spectacular, and with all the good and bad, I thinking in extending my stay for another couples of days. I figure I won't have another chance to come back to Cape Town in the next little while, so if I'm already here, why not stay a little bit longer eh? Just don't tell this to my boss.I will be posting some pictures when I return to Montreal, now the closest I want to get to technology is when I come to type these words in the computer.
Read - Fourth Impression
Read - Fifth Impression
Read - Final Impression
Cape Town - Second Impression - March 5, 2006
First I have to say my body is totally adjusted to the Sydney (Australia) time zone, problem is I'm in Cape Town (South Africa). It is almost 8am and I still haven't got "home". I believe today is Sunday, so it is a good thing that I don't even know what day is today, because it means I'm fully enjoying myself.
I've been a couple of days in this city, and now I believe what some locals told me, this doesn't look like Africa. It doesn't feel like it either, so if you were to visit this city, hoping to find some nice local South African way of life, I think you would be disappointed. Now, if you came here looking for nothing, like myself, then you are in heaven.
Besides wine, we tasted Champagne, Brandy and more wine, and as expected, at the end of the day, everyone was each other best friend. I think the Irish girl did not enjoy very much my honesty when I told her I didn't believe in monogamy, and the Brit one, kind of understood me when I told her, my mother always told me not to talk to strangers, and now I just sleep with them.
I love blond guys, and it is funny how I came all the way to Africa, to find myself in heaven with so many blond guys I have met so far. Do not forget the Germans, Brits, Australians, and French - somehow I always manage to meet them, but specially the Capetonians, oh my gosh - love the taste of the local meat more than the imported one.
I knew Cape Town was not a so dangerous place as the other major city in this country, but who would guess I would be walking home at 5 o'clock in the morning, and feeling as safe as in Montreal? I'm sure there are dangerous areas, but I have been able to find myself in an okay area. Cape Town has done some very interesting things to improve the security of the city. They have hired street people to work as security in the streets. They wear these neon vests, and they take care of the parked cars around the city. I know the locals don't agree with me, but I have to say I kind of feel safe walking around and seeing all these people, wearing those jackets, that remind you security. At the same time, if you need to buy some special "delicacy", you just have to ask them, and promptly you will have it delivered in your hands.
Yesterday, instead of joining the boys on a tour to the Cape of Good Hope, I decided to stay in town, and hit the beach. You have to understand, the weather was super nice when I arrived here, then it became cloudy and chilly. It stayed like that for another two days, and finally on Friday, the sun came out again. Would I take a chance and leave town to see a place where the Atlantic and the Indian ocean meet? No way, beach was imprinted in my mind. Remember, I came here to do nothing, instead of going on a tour, I decided to hit the beach, the Clifton beach number three, which is the gay one.
I told the people at the hostel I was going to walk to the beach, they kind of suggested me to take a cab instead. I walked, and I'm glad I did it, it took me more or less one hour to get there, but the view I got to see was spectacular. One of the big mountains is called the Lion's head, and part of it is closed now because a stupid tourist thru a cigarette in the bushes, and set the whole thing on fire. The base of the Lion's head burned for two days. Eventually I'm going to walk up there, but not yesterday, beach was my destiny and my mission.
Around 6pm I decided it was time to go back home. First thing was to find a taxi to get back, but as more I walked on the water front, the more I just forgot about the taxi. The water front area of the city is totally different to the other side of the city, which is separated by a big mountain. Beautiful houses, great view of the ocean, nice good looking people jogging around, and I still can get used to the right hand side driving thing of the Capetonians. I guess the Brits/Australians feel right at home when driving here.
I ended up walking home, besides the fact I never know which one is a taxi or mini bus, it was a cool idea to see the city just walking around. It took me almost two hours to get home, but I'm sure I got to see much more than people that actually live here and drive around everywhere.
Guys, I have to hit my bed now.
Read - Third Impression
Read - Fourth Impression
Read - Fifth Impression
Read - Final Impression
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