Divers/Cité 2008 - Pride Montreal Edition

It is finally here boys and girls, Divers/Cité and all other related events have already started, and you better get ready because you will need the energy to enjoy all of them. It doesn't matter what you do, just remember to be safe and be nice to everyone.

Tuesday - July 29 - Boulevard des Rêves (Scene Loto-Quebec)
Wednesday - July 30 - Traffic (Scene Loto-Quebec)
Thrusday - July 31 - Cachongo, La Noche Latina (Scene Loto-Quebec)
Friday - August 1 - New Society (Scene Loto-Quebec)
Friday - August 1 - Peter Rauhofer & Jester @ Divers/Cité (TELUS Theatre - 2h00)
Saturday - August 2 - Sunset Party do Brasil (Scene Loto-Quebec)
Saturday - August 2 - Mascara, La Nuit des Drags (Scene Berri-Ontario)
Saturday - August 2 - Lesbomonde @ Musée Juste pour Rire (Susan Morabito, Torus & Lady McCoy)
Saturday - August 2 - Unity Party do Brasil @ Unity (Ale Bittencourt, Rafael Calvente & Amannda)
Saturday - August 2 - Climaxxx - Danny Torrence @ TELUS Theatre - 2h00)
Sunday - August 3 - La Grande Danse (Scene Berri-Ontario)
Sunday - August 3 - Le Grand Bal Disco (Scene Loto-Quebec)
Sunday - August 3 - D/C Party @ Unity (Isaac Escalante & Bruno Brown)
Sunday - August 3 - D/C PrideBall @ TELUS Theatre (Ana Paula, Oscar Velazquez & Alain Jackinsky)




There are many other events happening around the Divers/Cité parties, and the best way to find out where to go is just ask whoever you know for suggestions, and if you don't know anybody, then there is a reason to ask someone, maybe you get to know someone new.

BBCM during Pride
Unity during Pride
Parking during Pride
Sky

L.A. Story

Landed in Montreal and there was a text message from my brother saying I had missed today's quake (5.4) in Los Angeles. Well, I'm back and have tons of stuff to do but will post my mini-review of the trip, and my visit to "Here", among other things.

Marimar

and enjoy your Sunday...

Redondo Beach rocks!!!

L.A. is L.A. and even thought you really need a car to anything in this city, I just love the fact my brother lives only 2 blocks away from the beach (Redondo Beach). Although I love running in the old port of Montreal, there is something magical about just being in the beach. This morning I went for a run and there were I would say around 120 teenagers in training to become the next surfers in this city.

I will try to post some pictures in the next couple of day, but please don't get mad if I don't because I'm probably too busy enjoying this city. I still haven't had the chance to see my friends, but I think Saturday night will be the night when I'll check out a couple of places around the city.

L.A. here I come

I will try to keep you posted and updated about the upcoming Pride celebrations in Montreal, which has been kind of hard because I've been so busy enjoying the Summer in this city, and so should you.

Packing my bags for my mini trip to Los Angeles, and lets see what is going on over there. My friends tell me the weather is just fantastic, and it helps that my brother lives only 2 blocks away from the beach.

By the way, what is going on with those more than tropical storms we've been having in Montreal? Global warming?

Stereo Fire Press Release

July 18th, 2008
For Immediate Release

Hello to Stereo fans worldwide,

Montreal’s world renowned Stereo Nightclub was the victim of a fire on Thursday July 3rd shortly after midnight. Luckily no one was hurt. While smoke and soot damage was considerable, the club is far from being a total loss. Only the club’s infrastructure was affected and our famous sound system was mostly unharmed. The largest repair workload will be related to the reconstruction of the walls, floors and ceilings.

At Stereo, the unparalleled support we have received over the years from its patrons, staff, or artists has always been stellar, but in these tough times it has never shined more. Without at doubt, our fans are really the heart and soul of Stereo and will unquestionably ensure its continued success. Without you, the club wouldn’t exist. This is why we would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your outpouring of support during this period of mourning and rebirth. We have received heartfelt messages from around the globe from music lovers worldwide vowing to join together to rebuild a home perceived as a Temple dedicated to Diversity, Harmony, Music, Peace & Love.

Stereo is working hard to reopen its doors as quickly as possible. We will have to wait for the investigation into the criminal fire to be concluded in order to begin work after the Construction holiday ending August 4th.

Meanwhile, the adjacent Stereobar is still open and has served as a satellite venue for all our residents and guest DJs. This past Saturday Victor Calderone accompanied by Danny Torrence amazed the crowd in one of the most intimate rooms in the city boasting an incredible sound! Our terrace on Ste-Catherine has been open for a few weeks every Thursday and Fridays from 5pm to midnight, as well as Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to Midnight. This is an ideal space to spend some time outside with friends and get the latest news on the re-construction.

Rest assured we are working to get Stereo open as quickly as possible for you. Despite the terrible act that has occurred, we will be rewarded with a brand new club just before we start our 10 year celebrations in November.

We’d like to take this time to thank all of our loyal fans. Have a wonderful summer!

Sincerely yours,

The Stereo management

~~~~~~~~

About Stereo
---------------
Stereo nightclub is an afterhours club in Montreal, Canada which primarily features house music. It opened its doors in 1998 and was voted #5 of the top 10 nightclubs in the world by Muzik magazine (October 1999). It was the only North American club on the list. In 2008, Stereo was voted as one of the top 20 nightclub in the world in DJMag's Top 100 Clubs Poll for the past 2 years. Most of the world's leading DJs have played at Stereo, but the club itself boasts an impressive roster of residents as well. The doors regularly open at 2 AM and usually close around 10 AM but can sometimes be open as late as 3 PM the next day. The afterhours section of the club is always open on Fridays, Saturdays, & Sundays. The club is located on 858 Ste-Catherine East street.

It is co-owned by house DJ & Producer David Morales and Scott Lancaster. Major international DJs such as Danny Tenaglia, Satoshi Tomiie, Sander Kleinenberg, John Digweed, Roger Sanchez, Armin van Buuren, Mark Farina, Victor Calderone, Carl Cox, Desyn Masiello, Benni Benassi, DJ Vibe, Frankie Knuckles and Erick Morillo have all played at the nightclub to name but a few.


History
--------
The nightclub was originally established in 1998 to become the pulse of club music in Canada. The complex, which operates mostly as an afterhour establishment, also includes a separate bar area and hosts live music acts, with a total capacity of up to 1,100 people. The room itself is purposely built and engineered for dancing. Stereo's inner walls were strategically placed three feet away from the outer ones (custom-designed as a "box in a box") for studio-level acoustic perfection. The dancefloor itself actually floats on strategically-placed shock absorbers, helping prevent sore legs from an all-night dancing session, thus maximizing the enjoyment of the clubbing experience.

The original sound system was created and installed by club legend Angel Moraes. It has now been significantly upgraded by David Morales with help from our friends at Integral Sound. The current configuration has changed to a digital concept yet still includes a vintage UREI mixer and retains a clean and clear sound.

“No great décor, no big VIP area, not even amazing lights,” lends Hernan Cattaneo. “But the biggest and best sound you can humanly imagine.”
“Stereo in Montreal is every DJ's wet dream!” laughs Sander Kleinenberg, clearly an admirer. “The soundsystem is unique and the vibe during the infamous after-hours is legendary. There is simply no place like it anywhere in the world and some of my best DJ memories so far lay in that amazing DJ booth.

Stereo Headquarters

858 Ste Catherine Est
Montreal, Canada H2L 2E3
1.514.286.0325 X 221
Fax 514.286.0343

scott@stereo-nightclub.com

Danny Torrence @ Unity - July 19, 2008

You can't go wrong with Danny Torrence, and once again he showed he can make people dance all night long. Bomb after bomb of great tunes - thank you Danny.

BBCM during Gay Pride Montreal Edition

I shall be doing the Pool Party this year, and you should have your ticket by now, I think it will be sold out party.


Click here for more info

Unity during Gay Pride Montreal Edition

and Unity decided to go more Latin this year, they are importing some DJs from Brazil and Mexico for their Pride parties. One of the Brazilian boys is super cute and according to some of my friends in São Paulo, they are as good as Ana Paula.

Click here for more info

(((Stereo))) 101

We still don't know what is going on with (((Stereo))), but unfortunately it looks like she won't be open for Gay Pride Montreal Edition, and I was really looking forward to see what Ana Paula was going to do in our temple.

There are so many rumours going on, but to tell you the truth, probably not even the owners know what is going to happen. There is a criminal investigation under way, and until this is not sort out, nothing will happen.

I'm an active member of the public forum MTLNIGHTS.COM, and actually this blog exists today because of this forum. I have taken the liberty to copy and paste the mini (((Stereo))) story posted by James Forbes, one of the founders of this incredible afterhours in Montreal, which I still call my second home.

Part I

Little tidbits you probably don't know:

1. How Stereo got its name:

We were trying to come up with something for two years, and when Angel came on board, he wasn't any more help...the 8 of us went back and forth, and about a month before the publicity for the opening had to be ready, Shirin, who ended up being the original cash girl suggested Stereo, which we all hated...

But it grew on us, and clearly grew on Montreal, the UK and NYC as well...

I'll fill you in on how we found the money to get it all started next time...that is close to unbelievable...so is how it ever got open in the first place...

J

Part II

How Stereo got its first financier...

We had just written a business plan, sometime in 1996...and were wondering where the hell we were going to get cash to start the club...this was long before Angel, Mark, and Alain came on the scene...it was a serious work in progress...

So the bunch of us were partying at Playground, and after a night of dancing like idiots, a guy named Andre walked up to us and asked us who we were, and basically said: I just sold my shares in soft image, made a ton of money, and I really like your style...if you have anything cool to invest in, call me and let me know...

So we met with him the next day...and the rest is history...

Andre in 2001 to his wife 'stereo was the worst mistake I ever made...I don't know what I was thinking"...

And so it goes...

;)

J

Next time, how Angel got on board, and how to get Italians to do hundreds of thousands of dollars of free work...

Part III

So one day, Mark Anthony just opened up and said that he knew a guy, Angel Moraes (of whom I was certainly aware), who had a sound system on the order of the SF who wanted to open a club in MTL but had no financing, nor a space. Just so happened we had both...the rest is history...no joke, that simple, that easy... However, during construction, I mentioned to the partners that i though the architectural drawings for the space, which were drawn up in Germany, were off...they said the new owner was an architect, and he wouldn't make any errors... So we cut 70-90 k of steel for the floor, only to find that 'gasp' it was cut for a floor about 2 feet wider and 1 foot longer...indeed, the floor plans were wrong. Now the issue was how to get the new floor installed when all the moolah was gone. So I went to the Italian steel and cement guy, said to him that what we were building was our cathedral, our church...and asked if he was a Catholic...he said yes...so I said, "if this was a church in your 'hood, would you work for free?' to which he said 'yes'... The floor went in, I promised my partners would pay him...I think he got his money about two years later, to my shame... The bottom line...the place has lived on borrowed time since it was built, has a mind of its own, and is its own beast...I understand that, Angel understands that, Greg understands that, Michael understands that, Alain understands that, Scott understands that, Luc understands that, Kamil understands that, and even David understands that...precious few others ever did...but thanks to all those who kept her alive for so long... You made my dreams come true...I have spent more time in that space than any other human being...been to the depths of despair, and the heights of exstacy...and I made a living at it as well... Thanks again for all the memories!!! She made men and bitches of us all. J

I really hope James will write his memoirs of Stereo, if Stereo didn't make him rich, I'm sure the memoirs would. I'm relatively new to the afterhours scene - around 5 years or so - and I have to thank (((Stereo))) for educating me with respect to music, to enjoy a night of dancing, to enjoy life in this little secret many Montrealers have never been or know it exists.

I will try to keep you updated about (((the temple))) as soon as I get some info, until then keep on dancing.

Parking during Gay Pride Montreal Edition

and don't worry, I will post all the events related to Pride in a couple of days.

Click here for more info

AussieBum does it again

and now something for my female readers, some of the male ones, and for those guys that want to look great in a pair of underwear.



what does it has to do with this blog? good music, great looking people, and it is in Australia, I think that makes this video an excellent addition to this blog.

I promise one day I will post pictures of my trip to Australia, which hasn't happened yet, but it will. Until then, soon I shall be posting something from Los Angeles, I should be there in a couple of days.

Battle at Kruger, South Africa

A battle between a pride of lions, a herd of buffalo, and 2 crocodiles at a watering hole in South Africa's Kruger National Park while on safari.

Victor Calderone @ (((Stereobar))) & Fred Everything @ Academy

and it is confirmed, Victor Calderone will be spinning at Stereobar on Saturday, July 12. I'm pretty sure the place will be packed, and the party starts at 8:00pm with Danny Torrence, and by 10:00pm Victor will take charge of the night. I must admit, this will be a very intimate night for those attending this event.

In case you don't want to have a techy night, then maybe you should check out Fred Everything at Academy, which is going to stay open until the next day, but make sure to make it before 2:30am, because after that you will not be allowed to get in.

Fred Everything or Victor Calderone?

a-ha - don't they age?

I wish they were still touring North America, and I'm guessing lots of people don't know they are still together and performing.

The clip below was made in Oslo in May 2008





In January 1991 a-ha played to a paying audience of 198,000 people at the Marcanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro (Rock in Rio II), crazy eh? In the video you can see Morten's face not believing there were so many people singing along with him, and mind you, most of them didn't speak English at all - only in Brazil, and let me tell you every time I watch this video I get a big smile in my face.


click here to watch the complete version of Hunting High and Low

and how can we forget this wonderful video



bottom line, what a band they are, love their music and would love even more to be in on of their shows, I guess I must travel to Northern Europe to see them.

Cyndi Lauper - Into the night

I guess I must buy her new album called "Into The Night", all my friends are raving about it, and I must admit I always love her, plus I kind of like the songs I've heard so far. By the way, this is the only version I could find in youtube where the embedded code is available.

EDIT: the actual name of the CD is "Bring Ya To The Bring", "Into The Night" is one of the songs on the CD.



when is she returning to Montreal? and you can always watch her live performance on a an episode of "as the world turns"

Climaxxx in Exile

This is the first time the infamous Climaxxx night will be held outside Stereo, and althought I work on Friday, I'm feeling a little bit in exile and I might actually check out what Climaxxx would look like outside its normal (((home))).

Jazz Festival - last day

Don't forget, today is the last day of the Jazz Festival, and Mory Kanté will be in charge of the last show at the Scène General Motors. The show starts at 9:30pm with "The Lost Fingers" warming up the crowd until the arrival of Mory with his 15 musicians.

New York New York

I have been so busy that I forgot to talk about the major citywide raid that occurred in New York City during Gay pride. Pacha was shut down, Splash was also hit, and many other clubs got visited by the NYPD. All the clubs have reopen by now, anyway, here is the article for you to read:

Gay Pride Weekend Brings Club Raids
by Steve Weinstein
New York Editor-In-Chief
Saturday Jun 28, 2008

On Friday, June 27, tens of thousands of men were pouring out onto the streets of Manhattan from all over the country expecting a citywide party. The last weekend in June is not only a celebration of Gay Pride, but also a lucrative weekend-long festival of gay dance events. But this year, something else happened.

The City of New York, which has been cracking down hard on gay sex venues, moved in with a vengeance on nightclubs. Splash was reportedly overrun by police, although no one from the city or the club returned calls for comment. The club has, however, remained open.

The other club was shut down. Pacha, the megaclub on the western edge of Hell’s Kitchen, was scheduled to hold two major dance parties for Gay Pride: Victor Calderone’s Pride Evolve on Saturday; and the Saint at Large’s Champions on Sunday night.

Champions has been moved to Capitale, a large space on the border of the Lower East Side and Chinatown where Saint at Large has held parties in the past. Mike Peyton, of the Saint at Large, said that anyone with a ticket for Pacha party should simply show up at Capitale, which is the Bowery a few blocks above Canal Street, and the ticket will be honored.

Moving the party has cost the Saint at Large probably much, if not most, of the proceeds, which were to go to Heritage of Pride, the organization that runs the march down Fifth Avenue.

A notice at Pacha gave the following information for the club shutdown. There has been surveillance of the club since Aug. 11, 2007. Since that time, the warrent said, there have been drugs bought that included Ecstasy in various quantities for about $20 per pill; cocaine, up to as much as $750 worth; marijuana; and "alleged" ketamine (which could mean it was sold as Special K, but might have been a substitute).

The warrant cited drug buys within the cub on dates from August 2007 into June 2008, but the big drug buys only started occurring around December of last year.

The club remains closed as of this writing. According to some reports, Marquee, a straight club on the "club strip" in West Chelsea, was also shut down by authorities. But many people, both New Yorkers and out-of-towners, are wondering about the timing of these incidents on the biggest all-gay weekend of the year.

Source: Gay Pride Weekend Brings Club Raids

and the blog "Good Night Mr. Lewis" has another interesting take on the matter, worth the reading - Tiesto Of Strength.

What happened New York City? Are you scare you are going to be called anti patriotic as well?

(((Stereo))) Official press release

July 4th, 2008
Official press release

Hello to all Stereo fans,

As many of you may well already know, Stereo was hit by fire on Wednesday at around midnight. Damages are considerable but the club is far from being a total loss for two major reasons. First, only the infrastructure was badly hurt. Our famous sound system was mostly unaffected. The largest repair workload will be related to some rebuilding of the back end and to cleaning up due to the thick smoke which tends to leave a mess of soot after such a fire.

The second reason, and without a doubt the most important of all, is that YOU are really the heart of Stereo. Without you, the club wouldn’t matter anyway. We would like to take the time to thank all of you for your constant support in this sad moment of difficulties as you have already shown us in the past.

Stereo will reopen its door quickly enough, rest assured. We will have to wait for the investigation on criminal fires to be over to be able to start up repairs of any kind. All of this should be done rather quickly, despite the extent of the damage.
Meanwhile, we would like to inform you that Stereobar will nevertheless be opened this weekend. DJ Chopin will be celebrating his birthday Friday Night and Joubin, who was scheduled to play upstairs, will also take turns behind the turntables with Jeff Fontaine. Saturday night, Alain Jackinsky and Patrick Guay will also move their night downstairs alongside duo Bruno Brown & Erik El.

We would also like to point out that the terrace on Ste-Catherine is now opened and will be every Thursday and Fridays from 5pm to midnight, as well as Saturdays and Sundays from Noon to Midnight. An ideal space to spend some time outside with good friends.

Refunds:
For all those who had bought their tickets for the Victor Calderone (July 12) and Ferry Corsten (July 18), a second message will be released to inform you of the necessary steps to take, if NECESSARY. We are presently looking at the possibility of transferring those nights into another establishment. More details about these matters will follow in the days to come.

Thank you all for staying loyal to us.

Sincerely yours,

The Stereo management

Happy 400 Anniversary Québec City

(((STEREO))) (((STEREO))) (((STEREO)))

By now most of you have heard the news, last night Stereo was damaged by a fire. I had no idea until this morning when I started to get text messages, from people in 3 continents, asking me if this was true.

Tried to get info from everywhere, but unfortunately due to a busy schedule I had to wait until after work to find out what was going on.

Arrived home and the news hadn't sank yet, I was only thinking about the fact the news claimed the fire had done around C$500,000.00 worth in damages.

Took my bicycle and went to the temple to see up and close what was really going on. Scott Lancaster was right outside at the (((Stereo Patio))) and had the chance to speak to him.

According to him, the place inside is really messy, but there is already a crew working in cleaning the place up. The sound system was not damaged and Scott hopes to have the temple up and running within 3 weeks - no Calderone on July 12th, but he hopes to be open for Ferry Corsten by July 18th (too soon?).

Didn't get to see the place from inside, and didn't ask how much damaged this suspicious fire had caused, but I believe Stereo Afterhours should be ready to rock before Gay Pride Montreal Edition, which happens at the beginning of August.

Watch out the Official Press release, and I think one is needed in order to calm down the Stereoheads of this world.

(((Stereo Patio))) should be opening soon, and once the electricians do their final wire testing, it is expected that (((Stereo Bar))) will also open up soon.

I don't know what the future holds for Stereo, but I can tell you it has added something fun in my life, and for that I thank you Stereo.

Just for Laughs Festival 2008

I know, the Jazz Festival hasn't even finish but you must start thinking about the Just for Laughs festival already. It is on from July 10 to 20. I want to get tickets for one of the Gala shows, the one hosted by Kathy Griffin but I think it is sold out already. If you have spare tickets, please let me know (patius@aol.com)