Cirque du Soleil - Cirque 2009

In April 2009, Montreal will once again witness the beginning of a new touring show from the Cirque du Soleil. The temporary name is "Cirque 2009", but I'm sure it will get an exotic name weeks before their opening show. It looks like a Brazilian will direct the new show.

Gene Farris @ Cherry - April 26, 2008

Last Saturday, after a friend's birthday party at Vieux-Montréal, instead of heading to Stereo to hear Danny Rampling, which I heard it was off the hook, we ended up going to Cherry for some funky and cool music.

I have said so many times and keep insisting - you must check out this place people. Last time I was here was for my birthday back in December, and the place got raided. This Saturday Gene Farris from Chicago was in the house, and he dropped house music made for the gods. What a great remixer, and talk about the energy level of the place, sketchy as usual and a lot of fun.

Too bad a missed Danny Rampling, but I only had energy for a normal club that night, and if it wasn't Rampling, Farris was the next natural choice for the evening.

Madonna - Hard Candy

Madonna's new album will be in the American stores on April 29, and internationally a day earlier. In order to celebrate the release of the new album, she will perform in an intimate concert at New York's Roseland Ballroom on Wednesday, April 30. She knows the boys love her, and she couldn't have picked at better city to begin promoting her new CD.

If you are not one of those lucky ones to be at the concert, don't worry, Peter Rauhofer and Offer Nissim will be in charge of Madonna concert afterparty right across the street

Häagen-Dazs: Honey Bees

More information at http://helpthehoneybees.com/

Danny Rampling @ Stereo

Danny Rampling is coming out of retirement to play at Stereo, and if you have never seen this guy before, my suggestion is not to miss this opportunity. I have seen him only once a while ago, when he openned up for David Morales at Stereo, and what a warm up set he gave us, I can only imagine what he is going to do as the main attraction for the night.

David Morales - Unrelease Stereo Mix

"Touch My Body" by Mariah Carey - you must visit David Morales myspace site in order to listen to this delicious song. David Morales always does an amazing job with Mariah Carey songs, it is like magic.

Not sure if he is going to make it back to Stereo this Saturday, but if he is and if you are in Montreal, make sure to hit Stereo, I believe is his last performance at Stereo until August 2008.

Update: David Morales will not be performing at "La Vie En Stereo" this Saturday, I guess not enough time to return from Tel Aviv. Nevertheless Danny Rampling will be there (he is coming out of retirement to play at Stereo), along Patrick Guay and Alain Jackinsky (am I the only one having problems pronouncing this guy last name?)

São Paulo - Pride 2008

It is confirmed boys and girls, I will be in São Paulo for Pride this year, and keep an eye for the "Babylon Especial" review, I don't think Peter Rauhofer has nothing to worry about my critic, now Offer Nissim .. I'll be watching this time.

Unfortunately because I'm going down for work, this will be the only party I'll be attending.

Climaxxx Blackout Edition: B'ugo & Danny Torrence @ Stereo - April 19, 2008

To do a back to back Stereo weekend is not for amateurs, and I must say I don’t think I’ll be repeating this double night anytime soon.

Friday night at Stereo was fun, and it had been a while since I heard the Spaniard duo playing. They sucked some of my energy but had plenty left in my body for the following night, just needed the perfect mix of music to bring it up to the surface again.

Arrived at Stereo and the place was packed solid, but what grabbed my attention was not the people, or the Stereo signs hanging from the ceiling, or these cuties standing around, what really got me going was the music being played. First time hearing B’ugo at Stereo, and I really hope it is not the last time.

It felt as if I was being splashed with this aromatic fresh sounds of house music. I can’t put my finger in the style, but my guess is a whole combination of so many good things, that have been blended so well together that now I’m hungry for more. Seriously, it was such a great mix of styles that probably there is a name already for it - Soultek?

Get me good music, and you will get dancing out of me, and when I’m inspired I can’t stop dancing, and man this guy made me move, I thought I was not going to have any more energy left for Torrence. I must say, B’ugo was the surprise of the evening, I would be lying if I said I knew B’ugo played such good music, and kudos to Torrence for choosing such a talented DJ to warm up his crowd, and to expose the dancers to B’ugo’s music.

Torrence took over the decks around 4:30am or so, and he started one of the solid set I have seen him played up to now. Chus & Ceballos were good the night before, Danny Torrence was just perfect. The only imperfection was caused by some technical issues happening with the system, which made the music stopped twice I think. Besides that everything was 10 out 10 during the whole night.

Many of you know I haven’t been going out to Stereo as much as I used to, not because I don’t like the place anymore, on the contrary, it is and probably always will be one of my favourite places to dance. Just I haven’t been enjoying the music as much as I used to. Maybe I’m just going thru a phase or something. Danny Torrence showed me that I’m not going thru a phase, I just enjoyed good music and I won’t compromise on it.

Danny gave me the trip of my life because he took me to difference places during the time I spent at Stereo. He gave us tribal, vocal, smooth minimal, amazing techy songs, dirty sexy house tunes, and all music was played just a the right time. It was as if Danny Torrence knew exactly what we wanted to hear in order to dance as we wanted.

Even the light show was just perfectly synchronized with the music being played. There was light when needed and darkness when we wanted to be bad. The crowd was just perfect, and even though it was not as packed as the night before, it was perfectly warm for everyone inside.

Celeda performance was also fantastic, and please forgive my ignorance but I had no idea who she was until she sang at Stereo. My gosh what a great voice, and I had no idea I had danced so much to her music already - he sang 4 song and you could tell she enjoyed it.

I cannot get over the remix of “Touch My Body”, which I’m assuming is David Morales mix. It is just superb and so far the best I have heard. Danny loved it so much that played it twice during the evening, usually he doesn’t do that but this song deserve to be played twice, so the people that arrived late can dance to its delicious sounds.

Love the evening and I wished I had stayed until the end, but 2 nights in the row at Stereo drain all the energy left in your body. Thank you B’ugo and Danny Torrence for such an amazing night.

UPDATE: the "Touch my Body" we heard was David Morales unreleased Stereo remix, and I don't think we will be hearing this amazing song from other sources. I could fall in love dancing to this tune.

Reunion: Joubin and Chus & Ceballos @ Stereo - April 18, 2008

I cannot even remember the last time I saw Chus & Ceballos playing at Stereo. Although it was a last minute decision, I’m glad I decided to go, specially since the day before I had put my hands on the “Blended Sound 002” CD.

Joubin really worked his ass off warming up the crowd, and the closer it got for the end of his set, the more intense the music became. The place was packed crazy, and you could feel the energy building up.

Confession of the dance floor: I was not suppose to go out for C&C, but a friend of mine from NYC convinced me to go, then he decided at last minute he was not coming to Montreal, so there you have me at Stereo on Friday night. Never mind, I would probably have gone even if my friend didn’t come.

Chus & Ceballos arrived after 5:00am and they decided to slow down the tunes at the beginning. I thought there was no need for it, but probably it was one of their diabolic plans to get the dance floor going like crazy. Their back to back always work great, and I love when they start adding their special energy to their sets. They have changed in their style of music, it is tribal but different - I can’t say if I like more what they used to be or if I haven’t “evolved” with their present music. Nevertheless, they are Chus & Ceballos and their intensity in their night are just out of this word.

I was a little bit tired and left at around 9:00am - I know, maybe I’m getting old people, or maybe I was just listening to my body. I had a good time, and really enjoyed the crowd, some of which I would probably see the night after for Danny Torrence Climaxxx Blackout Edition.

Good job by Joubin, and had a good time with Chus & Ceballos, and I really recommend buying their double CD, it will make you dance at the confort of your own house, or car.

Update from New York City: according to my friends Victor Calderone once again delivered big time at Pacha last night (or this morning). Pacha, how did you enjoy being the center of the universe for the NYC boys this weekend?

PAM ANN - The Best Flight Attendant

I had the chance to see her live performance twice so far, and both times were too funny, if she comes to your town I recommend it. She has lots of inside information on the airline industry, and she uses it very well.

"... I don't have bags, I have people..."

Chus & Ceballos are back

have you decided already if you are going Friday or Saturday? or you are doing both nights? Danny Torrence and his Blackout Edition of the Climaxxx night is on the day after.

Red-Lite - finally tapping the right market?

Is it possible that Trance could be the new black for the afterhours Red-Lite? They might be after something, and I think it may actually work.

If you enjoyed the performance of Menno at the Bal en Blanc, well this is your chance to see him again on May 2. Great booking in my opinion, and happy anniversary Red-Lite.

The fight to be equal - what happened Brazil?

On a more serious note, I have just read about the problem José Avila is presently facing in Brazil. It came to my attention after reading several Brazilian blogs, and I think I must share it with you. It also reminds me that we Canadians are very lucky to live, in one of the few countries in the world, where gay relationships are considered and recognized as equal as a straight one.

Summary of the problem José Avila is facing, is that after the passing of Fabio, his partner of ten years, Fabio's family decided to start a legal battle in order to take possession of all assets this couple built up during their life together.

Quoting from the blog "Made in Brazil"

Even though the couple were together for almost ten years, right after Fábio passed away, José Ávila found himself locked out of his own apartment by his partner's family. He was also accused of transferring money from the couple's joint account to his personal account, even though he had legal proof that the transfer had been done with his partner's consent prior to his death. Thanks to his team of lawyers, and to the surprisingly progressive gay right laws of his home state of Rio Grande do Sul, on March 12th José regained possession of the apartment he shared with Fábio, and was appointed the treasurer of his assets. However, Fábio's family was unhappy with this decision, and José is now facing a long trial in which he will have to prove that he and Fábio were actually a couple, and that has the rights to everything that the two of them built together over the years.

I just find unbelievable that in the year 2008 there are so many people facing similar problems, not just in Brazil, but in many other countries around the world. People have given their lives to fight for their rights, and just because I'm Canada, where I can legally married another man - only if I were to find a boyfriend - it doesn't mean I cannot do anything.

My virtual friend - Italo - and other Brazilian bloggers have started a petition, and if you are visiting Brazil in the next couple of days, please take your time and visit a FOCH store in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro or Curitiba, and sign it. This petition will be used during the trial, and hopefully it will help to bring to an end this unfair fight against José Avila.

In a couple of days São Paulo will host the largest gay pride celebration in the world, and I just hope Brazilians use this celebration to fight for their rights. What happened Brazil?

.:: CARIOCA VIRTUAL ::.: UMA LUTA DE TODOS NÓS!

MTLNIGHTS.COM

If you have been trying to reach MTLNIGHTS.COM and you ended up in a hacked web page, don't worry, the forum has not been hacked, but its host has been taking hostage.

In order to reach the forum, just use the following URLs below

http://mtlnights.com

or

http://www.mtlnights.com/forums/index.php

Blended Sound 002 - Chus and Ceballos & Joubin

Mile End Records has done again, they are releasing their second double CD of an incredible series they started last year. Got my hands in their first CD (Stereo Sound 001), featuring DJ Vibe and Stephan Grondin, and I can't wait to put my hands in this one because we all know how good Chus & Ceballos can be. Add to it the sounds of Joubin and you have another successful release.

You all know how much I love Stereo, and if the first CD was able to transport me to Stereo from the comfort of my own living room, I can just imagine what Blended Sound 002 will do to me. Release date is April 29, 2008.

UPDATE (April 19): guess what I have in my hands right now? Can't wait to hear it.

Ralphi Rosario @ Parking - April 12, 2008

Ralphi showed last night why his parties are legendary, this veteran from Chicago, which is also known as Rosabel when teaming out with DJ Abel from Miami, took the crowd into a super energetic tribalicious Latin power trip.

I was in the back when I heard this inviting vibrating tunes, and I just knew he was on already, and let me tell you the dance floor exploded, and if felt as if the explosion only ended when the lights were turned on.

Even if you don't like tribal music, Ralphi played it so well, and on top of that he added this Latin "sabor", that made dancing irresistible to anyone in the premises of the club. Enjoyed the remixed of "Touch My Body" and "4 Minutes" played during the night, I wonder if those remixes were his own production?

Beautiful crowd, very friendly, and energetic, and you had to be in order to keep up with the music. By the way, I had no idea girls had to be accompanied by a guy in order to get in on Saturday night, I thought Saturday was a mixed night period.

The place was busy, but it could had been even busier if more people had known what kind of musical talent Parking had imported last night. I really hope Parking booking him again soon, and if you couldn't see him last night, then I would recommend a short trip to New York City on May 24, when Ralphi will be spinning at another Alegria party - just make sure to be physically fit because you will need the energy.

Funny Saturday Morning

Repost - Madonna - 4 Minutes (Peter Rauhofer's sexy WORK Remix)

A couple of days ago I posted the video of the new Madonna remix released by Peter Rauhofer, it didn't take long for YouTube to get the clip off the air. Anyway, it is up again and lets see if this time the video stays there, if not, enjoy it while it last.

By the way, it looks like the new home fo "Work" might not be the final location for this New York night, and I'm sure you will know that even before me.



and in other news, if you are one of those that have tickets for the sold out Ministry of Sound event in Rio de Janeiro tonight - taken place at the Week International - please send me a mini review of the party.

...if you are in montreal tonight...

don't forget to check out Josh Wink at Parking, it should be fun.

Palm Springs White Party - April 18 to 21, 2008

I know we just had our Bal en Blanc in Montreal last month, but why not join the thousand of boys and girls in Palm Springs for another White Party? In case you go, please let me know how good the parties were ok?

During the 4 days, you can expect to dance to the tunes of Tracy Young, DJ Marco, Manny Lehman, Tony Moran and the sexy Brett Henrichsen, among others. Are you feeling like dancing to music tailored to this major circuit party?

Montreal Canadiens

For the non Canadian readers, Montreal Canadiens - the hockey team from Montreal - has made it to the playoffs, and it has been a while. The city has lots of cars with the "Montreal Canadiens" flag, and it will get crazier if the team keeps winning. I don't have a flag in my car, but lets put up one in this blog eh? Go Habs go!!!

Climaxxx - Blackout Edition with Danny Torrence

You might be thinking "...but Chus and Ceballos..." yes sir, the Spaniards will be at Stereo the night before, but it doesn't mean anything because Danny Torrence is hosting the Saturday night. Difficult choice between picking one night over the other, and I know many of you will actually dance both nights. Climaxxx the Blackout Edition - what is it?

Quoted from Danny's posting at MTLNIGHTS

"I wanted to do something different. By blackout we wanted to do a different theme and spice things up. Everyone dressed up in purple, black, blue, basically dark colors to add a different dimension to the usual party. Decor and lighting will be geared accordingly as well.

should make for a cool concept...one thing i know for sure it will at least be be different.

hope to c u there - Danny Torrence"

I've been feeling a little bit in the dark mood lately, and for what I can see Danny probably will be laying a super dark and sexy night, is this what I need?

DJ Paulo @ Parking - April 5, 2008

Decided to test my camera in the club environment again, this time the video quality was much better, now I just have to work in the sound. Just don't get used to seeing my own videos, because I like more dancing than shooting these videos.





and by the way, it was a fun night, lots of tribal tunes, the house was packed, but I was a little bit tired so I left around 2:00am. Remember when Friday night was the happening night at Parking? It has been a while sinse Saturday has become the hot night for this place - and if you don't have too much to do on Monday, you should check it out on a Sunday night.

Kulturklub - Stereo - a new night is born

The Blended boys are celebrating their 4th anniversary this weekend, and if you don't know, they are responsible for some of the best parties in town. Tonight, a new night is born in Montreal, with the launch of Kulturklub at Stereo. Erik El and Bruno Brown will be in charge of the decks, and correct me if I'm wrong but this is their first night playing at the big room upstairs.

I've seen those boys in action at Circus before, and they are hot, and if you thinking in going out late tonight I would highly suggest to check it out. Don't feel like going out too late tonight? You can always go out tomorrow morning, to be exact just after 8. Nicola Torriero, Danny Torrence, Malick and Joubin will be taken care of the dancers at Stereo Bar.

Spring is Coming

It has been a couple of days already since we officially entered Spring.

Even though today is didn't feel like it, Spring is really coming to the Northern Hemisphere. If you are reading this from the Southern Hemisphere, then you must known the weather will start cooling off on your side eh?

Spring means more parties, and desperate people looking to expose their skin to the sun - I'm one of them. Then I look at the April schedule posted by Stereo, and I think they want to keep us dancing every weekend. There is the Blended boys 4th anniversary party, DJ Vibe is returning, so is Heather, Chus & Ceballos, Torrence and Grondin. David Morales is once again inviting Danny Rampling to play at "La Vie en Stereo". Rampling is coming out of retirement to play at Stereo, which I think is really cool, specially since he made such a great impression first and last time he played at the temple back in October 2006.

Rampling posted back them his review of the night:

"Oh My god-what a club!
this night will stay with me forever.The
sound system is a monster such power in the
boxes.my opinion is that stereo sound is the no1
sound system in the world.
You people are ever so fortunate to have this
great club in Montreal.
the 4hrs i played went so quickly really enjoyed
playing alongside my good friend David
Morales....he took over at 5.30 am and lifted the
room to the next higher level his music was
superb twisted tribal electronic soul.....Morales
was on fire.
i made two trips to the dance floor for a
shakedown before i had to leave at 11am-to fly
home.......there's such a wild tribal hardcore
feeling in the room.reminds me of the days of the
soundfactory nyc in the mid 90's....Amazing
mixture of clubbers all responding positively to
the beats.
Canada supports David for all the style and
quality provided at stereo.
it was very difficult leaving such a brilliant
night-i have been so inspired by the whole
experience-therefore will certainly return as a
dancer in the near future-everyone should make a
trip to the worlds no1 club.
I know understand how and why David Morales the
host plays for up to 23hrs non
stop......Incredible! thank you so much Canada for
all your support much respect.
Dan still on the stereo high!!"

Back to Spring, lots of things to do and I still haven't checked what is going elsewhere. Victor Calderone is also returning in May, unfortunately I believe I'll have to miss this one because most likely I'll be down in São Paulo - keep an eye for party reviews coming from South America. Anyway, Spring is here and I hope the snow disappears.