and I would love if the owners, of this beloved club, were to give all Stereoheads a sign of life. Many have already moved on, and I know most of us have great memories of this place. I also think we are all tired of the numerous rumours about when the opening night is, or if there will be one.
First time I saw the video below, I had flashback of how many times I've walked through those doors, and even thought my stomach felt weird by looking at what was happening, at the end I got a big smile in my face, because of the countless times I felt happy by just being there.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Rafael Calvente is back
Unity is bringing Rio de Janeiro to the dance floor
and at the other end, Parking is bringing Miami to the house
and Karma is bringing the New York sound
The Week International - World Tour
One of my favourite Brazilian clubs has decided to take their Made in Brazil parties on a world tour, and Spain was their first stop back on April 11, 2009. The Week International is also scheduled to visit France, England, Canada, Argentina and Mexico.
The Week International has 3 branches in Brazil: São Paulo (2004), Rio de Janeiro (2007), and Florianopolis (2009), and we have seen some of their actual (Rafael Calvente) and former (Ana Paula) DJ residents spinning in Montreal. Interesting enough only the DJs from Rio de Janeiro are the ones hitting North America up to now, but this may change because I'm sure TW Tour will try to showcase their DJs from São Paulo. In Spain, the DBoy Club in Barcelona hosted the party, and Renato Cecin (São Paulo) was the DJ in charge.
It has not been confirmed yet, but I'm pretty sure Montreal will be the city hosting the TW tour in Canada, and I will love if one of my favourite Montreal clubs were to welcome this Brazilian powerhouse - the question is would TW bring their own Go-go boys as well?
Review - TW São Paulo - May 2008
Review - TW São Paulo - January 2006
The Week International has 3 branches in Brazil: São Paulo (2004), Rio de Janeiro (2007), and Florianopolis (2009), and we have seen some of their actual (Rafael Calvente) and former (Ana Paula) DJ residents spinning in Montreal. Interesting enough only the DJs from Rio de Janeiro are the ones hitting North America up to now, but this may change because I'm sure TW Tour will try to showcase their DJs from São Paulo. In Spain, the DBoy Club in Barcelona hosted the party, and Renato Cecin (São Paulo) was the DJ in charge.
Review - TW São Paulo - May 2008
Review - TW São Paulo - January 2006
Saturday, April 25, 2009
ANTM - São Paulo
America's Next Top Model travelled to Brazil in their last episode, and the blog Made in Brazil has put a recap together for those who missed the show (me) - as you can see he was not too happy with the image portrayed, by the show, of this fantastic city. Funny when one of the girls asked "where is the ocean?", I'm guessing she thought this was Rio de Janeiro eh?
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Danny Tenaglia returns to Montreal
Monday, April 20, 2009
Florence Foresti
Florence Foresti is a French comedian, and there are many sketches of her impersonating different world personalities. I'm sorry if you don't speak French, but because lots of this blog readers are bilingual, I think I can safely post these clips here for your amusement.
Micky Friedmann @ Parking - April 18, 2009
Micky Friedmann has just made his way up in my favourite DJ list - won't go into too many details - as you can see I ended up not going to Toronto, not because I didn't want to but because there was a birthday party I couldn't miss in Montreal.
Got to Parking at 1:00am and Micky was already on fire. Everyone was dancing, and unlike his last performance at Parking, I found him to be more energetic, and not shy at all, and by this I mean he wasn't scare to push the boundaries of the crowd, like there is one at Parking eh?
Mind you, I was also surprised to see so many people out - didn't we just have a dance marathon that lasted almost 15 hours last weekend? Man, Montreal can't get enough. Anyway, Micky way to bring happy house music to the people, and can't wait to see him again. Talking about that, there is a possibility I'll be checking him out at a big party in Copenhagen in August.
Got to Parking at 1:00am and Micky was already on fire. Everyone was dancing, and unlike his last performance at Parking, I found him to be more energetic, and not shy at all, and by this I mean he wasn't scare to push the boundaries of the crowd, like there is one at Parking eh?
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Derrick May @ Footwork - Toronto
I cannot believe I hadn't notice Mr. May was scheduled to play in Toronto this weekend. I've been asking to bring this guy forever to Montreal, and I'm seriously considering driving to T.O. in order check him out
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Bal en Blanc 15 @ Palais de Congres - April 13, 2009
Review originally posted at MTLNIGHTS.COM
Do you remember the first time you went to a Bal en Blanc? It was 2005 for me, and I can tell you many things have changed since then, and I’m sure many of you are already rolling your eyes saying “if he knew how used to be in bla bla bla”. Music has changed, the crowd has changed, I have changed, but a constant, year after year, is how we agree to disagree in what we believe was good and bad.
Let me start saying that because of Montreal, I have learned a lot about music, and I find that Montrealers are very educated in what music is all about - I think I just felt more rolling eyes right there - and this level of understanding makes this city an attractive place for music and party lovers. Although we are spoiled with the musical talent that visit, and that we have in our city, it doesn’t mean just because someone is famous we will accept anything that is through at the crowd, deejays must work to gain our respect.
Due to problems that occurred in the past, it was a given people would arrive early, and by the time I made it to the convention center (11:00pm), there was already a huge line outside. I had no issues in getting in (media), everything went smoothly, and probably only took me 7 minutes to arrive to the house room. Most of my friends had bought the regular ticket, and I did not hear the same complains as in the past, yes they did have to wait, but nothing compared to Bal en Blanc 14.
House Room to the left, and the Trance room to the right, having mini-shops located in the middle of both rooms, and as a suggestion to the Bal en Blanc people, it would be nice to have something where you could read the schedule for the night. This way by the time you get into either room, you know who is spinning. Another thing you could do is to rip a page from the program containing the timetable for the night, as a friend of mine did.
Checked first the House Room, where King Louis was doing a great job energizing the crowd for what was to come. Unfortunately due to the fact I like to check my environment at the beginning, I did not pay special attention to what King Louis was doing.
Did not notice anything special about the décor in the house room, actually beside the giant screen located behind the decks, there was really nothing else, unless those Japanese style lamps can be considered as the decoration of the place. Recycling was the theme of the night, nothing controversial compared to the religious tone of 2008, and it got me thinking that maybe that giant led screen was the answer to fully use clean energy to decorate the place, instead of something that was going to end up in the garbage. The House room VIP entrance area was located to the left hand side of the deck, and there were around 5 different stages for the VIP people located in both sides of the room.
Had to check the Trance room, and by then Markus Schulz was already moving the crowd, and let me tell you he got me moving as well. Bal en Blanc definitely put more emphasis in this room, several old style chandeliers decorated the ceiling, and when lights were focus on them, it really looked magic. Not counting the fantastic lasers that were brought up to delight the trance crowd. No one can now claim Bal en Blanc does not listen to the people, because for the longest time I’ve been hearing complains about not having lasers in that room, which wouldn’t work in the House room by the way. Spectacular laser show completed the trance music, mixed with the mysterious mist that always appears in this room. There was also a giant screen located right behind the decks.
This was Markus Schulz’s first Bal en Blanc, and after his performance, I’m pretty sure we will be seeing him again in the near future. I’m also sure he was very happy, not only because he got the remix the theme song, but also that he got to performe it live. Before I get blasted by Trance lovers, I must informed you I’m house lover more than anything else, and there is no way I can be considered an expert in trance music, but what I saw and felt at the trance room, might actually make me a bi-lover of house and trance music.
Jumped back to the House area were Upper Cut had just began his set, and by then you could start seeing the difference in the energy of both rooms. Many of my friends rave about Upper Cut performances in Montreal, unfortunately I didn’t feel his music was enough to keep me there, and went back to see Markus Schultz. Trance music I found to be very epic, with nice vocals, and having an estrange euphoria - dancing trance for me was like a short movie with a defined beginning and end. Do I make sense?
Offer Nissim was schedule to begin at 1:00am and because I know lots of boys were waiting for him, I also rushed back to see what he was going to do this time. Personally I think we could have distributed his 2 hours set to other deejays, like given more time to Ana Paula and Victor Calderone. Nissim is loved by many people, and I do like some of his music and have experienced some good sets at Parking, but his performance at the Bal en Blanc was less than original, and might add perhaps a bit boring. I did stay for an hour or so, but after waiting and waiting for the music to improve, I decided to check out what Markus Schultz was still doing in the Trance room, trance music with a techier touch.
Missed the theme song but got to see the beginning of Above & Beyond, which also came strong with their trance music, but perhaps not as strong as what I remember from their previous appearance at the Bal en Blanc. Somehow I felt as if the music was a little bit linear
Rushed back to the House Room where “Dressed in White” was going to get performed by Yan Lavoie. Cool song, but at times I thought Yan was just screaming, and where was Amannda?
Anyway, had to chance to ask Ana Paula how did her performance at the Palm Spring White Party went the day before, and she said it was all good. Music started to play and next thing I see is Ana Paula walking in front of the stage greeting the public. Nice welcome back by the crowd, but I kept telling myself “girl I think is better you get yourself back on the decks and start working”. Fine, a pre-remixed song to start, and I can understand her, especially since she feels Montreal is her second home, and she wanted to make people feel close to her.
Thanks to Montreal, Ana Paula has already created a good name in the circuit party in North America, and there is no way back for her. Delicious mix of tribal tech music was what Ana Paula brought to the people, and this is not the tribal we saw first from her in 2007, this is a more mature sound, more international but always with her vibrant energy. The vibe in the house room went off the charts while she was in control of the decks, but be careful Ana Paula, don’t spend too much time away from the decks, otherwise you are going to get crucified and you are not even Jesus. While she was spinning I wished this party would never end, the light show was perfect, the people happy, the dance hot, loved it and from there on I was ready for more house music.
Not sure if it was my impression, but her last song was long, either Axwell wasn’t ready to take over, or she didn’t want to leave the decks. Madonna was playing when finally Axwell took control of the place, and he started by ripping Madonna’s song in peaces. Then a progressive type of sound blasted from the speakers, interesting at the beginning, but really not sure afterwards, with time it became harder and techier, with not much vocals, at least while I was there.
Migrated once again to the Trance room, where people were going nuts with Armin Van Buuren, and when I say nuts, it was really nuts crazy - but I have to give it to the guy, he is really good.
What about the people? Awesome peaceful crowd, come on there were around fifteen thousand people and did you see one fight? Amazing number of good looking people, both men and women, and most of them kept with the white outfits, but perhaps I noticed more people not wearing white this year. If I were a tourist in Montreal, and went to this party, I would come out of there with a big nice impression of the physical appearance of the people in this city. If the straight boys couldn’t stop looking at the girls, let me tell you the gay boys and straight girls were doing the same to the men.
Armin did a fantastic job entertaining the masses in the evil side of the party, and it was funny that at one point at went back to check out Axwell and not sure if it was my impression but both were spinning almost the same song but in different styles, both felt very epic in an estrange different way.
It was almost 8:00am and I did not want to miss the mouse entrance - was he going to wear red or black? Black ears is what he decided to come out with, and I have never seen such a transformation of the crowd, in the front of the stage, as when Deadmau5 took over the decks. The music changed, the people changed, the vibe changed. Deadmau5 music was kind of a mix of minimal with soft techno, slammed between some trance and house, and maybe some electro? I believe the first music played was “Ghosts n Stuff”, which I actually like. Definitely there were some interesting tracks played, but not enough to keep me there.
My own opinion is that maybe the 8:00am slot should had be given to Victor Calderone instead, this is the time when Montrealers are used to start bouncing with great music, this is when the party gets going, and I did not feel Deadmau5 was able to do that, obviously the hardcore fans will disagree with me right here, but I’m sorry I felt bored and went back to the arms of Armin.
Two very well defined vibes had been created in both rooms, a vibrant and contagious Trance, and a less happening almost sleepy House one. Usually I’m the first to claim the House room is usually better than the evil one, but at the Bal en Blanc 15, the trance deejays showed more consistence in the music compared to the flow that occurred with the house deejays. If I’m not mistaken the house room, which had been full until now, lost some of their people at this time.
Decided to explore the bathroom situation upstairs, and even thought I had access to the VIP area, I followed the journey of the people. The waiting time was actually not bad, if you can forget the long walk and the bright sun light. Then I moved to the back of the House room stage, where I got to see Victor Calderone getting ready, half an hour before his start time, in the deck located right beside the main one.
After seeing Victor, I decided I was going to wait for him, and I was just hoping he was going to be able to lift my energy once again. By then many of my friends had already left the premises of the building, the house room was straighter, and the trance room was still bouncing with full energy.
10:00am and Victor takes his place, and no longer after he talks to one of the technicians indicating something is wrong and the music stops. We could hear van Buuren at the other end, but quickly the situation got resolved and Victor started his warm-up set? I love Victor Calderone, but it is already 10:00am and I’m tired and sleepy because of the previous music I was hearing. “The set is only 2 hours long and I don’t think I have the strength to wait for a music to pick up“, this is what I told myself. I know it is not Victor’s fault he was in charge of closing the party, but I wanted to hear more energy right at the beginning. Only stayed for 40 minutes of his set and decided to leave. Some friends told me he picked up hard after that, unfortunately it was too late for me.
Bal en Blanc did a great job organizing such a big event, and trying to resolve some of the issues that have cause many problems in the past. Great line up and performance in the trance room, but not too happy with what I heard in the house one. If you are calling Victor again next year, please make sure he plays at peak time not closing, and not really sure if Deadmau5 belongs there, and please let Offer rest a bit before calling him back. Loved Markus, Ana and Armin, and enjoyed Axwell. The images displayed in the giant screen were also a nice touch, images in which I got lost more than once.
Finally, in previous events I spent most of the time in the House room, this year was different, either because I’m enjoying more trance, or because the house deejays were unable to keep me going. The review is my personal opinion of the night, and I expect you to disagree with my taste, specially the hardcore fans of some of the invited deejays. Great party, and if you have never gone to this party, think about next year.
Do you remember the first time you went to a Bal en Blanc? It was 2005 for me, and I can tell you many things have changed since then, and I’m sure many of you are already rolling your eyes saying “if he knew how used to be in bla bla bla”. Music has changed, the crowd has changed, I have changed, but a constant, year after year, is how we agree to disagree in what we believe was good and bad.
Let me start saying that because of Montreal, I have learned a lot about music, and I find that Montrealers are very educated in what music is all about - I think I just felt more rolling eyes right there - and this level of understanding makes this city an attractive place for music and party lovers. Although we are spoiled with the musical talent that visit, and that we have in our city, it doesn’t mean just because someone is famous we will accept anything that is through at the crowd, deejays must work to gain our respect.
Due to problems that occurred in the past, it was a given people would arrive early, and by the time I made it to the convention center (11:00pm), there was already a huge line outside. I had no issues in getting in (media), everything went smoothly, and probably only took me 7 minutes to arrive to the house room. Most of my friends had bought the regular ticket, and I did not hear the same complains as in the past, yes they did have to wait, but nothing compared to Bal en Blanc 14.
House Room to the left, and the Trance room to the right, having mini-shops located in the middle of both rooms, and as a suggestion to the Bal en Blanc people, it would be nice to have something where you could read the schedule for the night. This way by the time you get into either room, you know who is spinning. Another thing you could do is to rip a page from the program containing the timetable for the night, as a friend of mine did.
Checked first the House Room, where King Louis was doing a great job energizing the crowd for what was to come. Unfortunately due to the fact I like to check my environment at the beginning, I did not pay special attention to what King Louis was doing.
Did not notice anything special about the décor in the house room, actually beside the giant screen located behind the decks, there was really nothing else, unless those Japanese style lamps can be considered as the decoration of the place. Recycling was the theme of the night, nothing controversial compared to the religious tone of 2008, and it got me thinking that maybe that giant led screen was the answer to fully use clean energy to decorate the place, instead of something that was going to end up in the garbage. The House room VIP entrance area was located to the left hand side of the deck, and there were around 5 different stages for the VIP people located in both sides of the room.
Had to check the Trance room, and by then Markus Schulz was already moving the crowd, and let me tell you he got me moving as well. Bal en Blanc definitely put more emphasis in this room, several old style chandeliers decorated the ceiling, and when lights were focus on them, it really looked magic. Not counting the fantastic lasers that were brought up to delight the trance crowd. No one can now claim Bal en Blanc does not listen to the people, because for the longest time I’ve been hearing complains about not having lasers in that room, which wouldn’t work in the House room by the way. Spectacular laser show completed the trance music, mixed with the mysterious mist that always appears in this room. There was also a giant screen located right behind the decks.
This was Markus Schulz’s first Bal en Blanc, and after his performance, I’m pretty sure we will be seeing him again in the near future. I’m also sure he was very happy, not only because he got the remix the theme song, but also that he got to performe it live. Before I get blasted by Trance lovers, I must informed you I’m house lover more than anything else, and there is no way I can be considered an expert in trance music, but what I saw and felt at the trance room, might actually make me a bi-lover of house and trance music.
Jumped back to the House area were Upper Cut had just began his set, and by then you could start seeing the difference in the energy of both rooms. Many of my friends rave about Upper Cut performances in Montreal, unfortunately I didn’t feel his music was enough to keep me there, and went back to see Markus Schultz. Trance music I found to be very epic, with nice vocals, and having an estrange euphoria - dancing trance for me was like a short movie with a defined beginning and end. Do I make sense?
Offer Nissim was schedule to begin at 1:00am and because I know lots of boys were waiting for him, I also rushed back to see what he was going to do this time. Personally I think we could have distributed his 2 hours set to other deejays, like given more time to Ana Paula and Victor Calderone. Nissim is loved by many people, and I do like some of his music and have experienced some good sets at Parking, but his performance at the Bal en Blanc was less than original, and might add perhaps a bit boring. I did stay for an hour or so, but after waiting and waiting for the music to improve, I decided to check out what Markus Schultz was still doing in the Trance room, trance music with a techier touch.
Missed the theme song but got to see the beginning of Above & Beyond, which also came strong with their trance music, but perhaps not as strong as what I remember from their previous appearance at the Bal en Blanc. Somehow I felt as if the music was a little bit linear
Rushed back to the House Room where “Dressed in White” was going to get performed by Yan Lavoie. Cool song, but at times I thought Yan was just screaming, and where was Amannda?
Anyway, had to chance to ask Ana Paula how did her performance at the Palm Spring White Party went the day before, and she said it was all good. Music started to play and next thing I see is Ana Paula walking in front of the stage greeting the public. Nice welcome back by the crowd, but I kept telling myself “girl I think is better you get yourself back on the decks and start working”. Fine, a pre-remixed song to start, and I can understand her, especially since she feels Montreal is her second home, and she wanted to make people feel close to her.
Thanks to Montreal, Ana Paula has already created a good name in the circuit party in North America, and there is no way back for her. Delicious mix of tribal tech music was what Ana Paula brought to the people, and this is not the tribal we saw first from her in 2007, this is a more mature sound, more international but always with her vibrant energy. The vibe in the house room went off the charts while she was in control of the decks, but be careful Ana Paula, don’t spend too much time away from the decks, otherwise you are going to get crucified and you are not even Jesus. While she was spinning I wished this party would never end, the light show was perfect, the people happy, the dance hot, loved it and from there on I was ready for more house music.
Not sure if it was my impression, but her last song was long, either Axwell wasn’t ready to take over, or she didn’t want to leave the decks. Madonna was playing when finally Axwell took control of the place, and he started by ripping Madonna’s song in peaces. Then a progressive type of sound blasted from the speakers, interesting at the beginning, but really not sure afterwards, with time it became harder and techier, with not much vocals, at least while I was there.
Migrated once again to the Trance room, where people were going nuts with Armin Van Buuren, and when I say nuts, it was really nuts crazy - but I have to give it to the guy, he is really good.
What about the people? Awesome peaceful crowd, come on there were around fifteen thousand people and did you see one fight? Amazing number of good looking people, both men and women, and most of them kept with the white outfits, but perhaps I noticed more people not wearing white this year. If I were a tourist in Montreal, and went to this party, I would come out of there with a big nice impression of the physical appearance of the people in this city. If the straight boys couldn’t stop looking at the girls, let me tell you the gay boys and straight girls were doing the same to the men.
Armin did a fantastic job entertaining the masses in the evil side of the party, and it was funny that at one point at went back to check out Axwell and not sure if it was my impression but both were spinning almost the same song but in different styles, both felt very epic in an estrange different way.
It was almost 8:00am and I did not want to miss the mouse entrance - was he going to wear red or black? Black ears is what he decided to come out with, and I have never seen such a transformation of the crowd, in the front of the stage, as when Deadmau5 took over the decks. The music changed, the people changed, the vibe changed. Deadmau5 music was kind of a mix of minimal with soft techno, slammed between some trance and house, and maybe some electro? I believe the first music played was “Ghosts n Stuff”, which I actually like. Definitely there were some interesting tracks played, but not enough to keep me there.
My own opinion is that maybe the 8:00am slot should had be given to Victor Calderone instead, this is the time when Montrealers are used to start bouncing with great music, this is when the party gets going, and I did not feel Deadmau5 was able to do that, obviously the hardcore fans will disagree with me right here, but I’m sorry I felt bored and went back to the arms of Armin.
Two very well defined vibes had been created in both rooms, a vibrant and contagious Trance, and a less happening almost sleepy House one. Usually I’m the first to claim the House room is usually better than the evil one, but at the Bal en Blanc 15, the trance deejays showed more consistence in the music compared to the flow that occurred with the house deejays. If I’m not mistaken the house room, which had been full until now, lost some of their people at this time.
Decided to explore the bathroom situation upstairs, and even thought I had access to the VIP area, I followed the journey of the people. The waiting time was actually not bad, if you can forget the long walk and the bright sun light. Then I moved to the back of the House room stage, where I got to see Victor Calderone getting ready, half an hour before his start time, in the deck located right beside the main one.
After seeing Victor, I decided I was going to wait for him, and I was just hoping he was going to be able to lift my energy once again. By then many of my friends had already left the premises of the building, the house room was straighter, and the trance room was still bouncing with full energy.
10:00am and Victor takes his place, and no longer after he talks to one of the technicians indicating something is wrong and the music stops. We could hear van Buuren at the other end, but quickly the situation got resolved and Victor started his warm-up set? I love Victor Calderone, but it is already 10:00am and I’m tired and sleepy because of the previous music I was hearing. “The set is only 2 hours long and I don’t think I have the strength to wait for a music to pick up“, this is what I told myself. I know it is not Victor’s fault he was in charge of closing the party, but I wanted to hear more energy right at the beginning. Only stayed for 40 minutes of his set and decided to leave. Some friends told me he picked up hard after that, unfortunately it was too late for me.
Bal en Blanc did a great job organizing such a big event, and trying to resolve some of the issues that have cause many problems in the past. Great line up and performance in the trance room, but not too happy with what I heard in the house one. If you are calling Victor again next year, please make sure he plays at peak time not closing, and not really sure if Deadmau5 belongs there, and please let Offer rest a bit before calling him back. Loved Markus, Ana and Armin, and enjoyed Axwell. The images displayed in the giant screen were also a nice touch, images in which I got lost more than once.
Finally, in previous events I spent most of the time in the House room, this year was different, either because I’m enjoying more trance, or because the house deejays were unable to keep me going. The review is my personal opinion of the night, and I expect you to disagree with my taste, specially the hardcore fans of some of the invited deejays. Great party, and if you have never gone to this party, think about next year.
Micky Friedmann is back
I'm just wondering if Parking will ask him to play a longer set than last time.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Bal en Blanc 15 - final countdown
Only 2 days left, and I'll be officially reviewing the party for MTLNIGHTS.COM - if you see me, please stop me and say hi. I've been having computer issues this week, and this is why I haven't been able to post everything I want. There are many Bal en Blanc related parties happening everywhere, so just pick one and have fun.
Tuesday, April 07, 2009
Ana Paula @ Splash - NYC
Ana Paula has finally being asked to entertain the boys and girls in New York City, and I know a lot of people that will be very happy with this gig - good job Ana Paula.
and if Friday is not enough, she is also playing at Peter Rauhofer birthday bash the day after, at Union Square ballroom.
Sunday, April 05, 2009
Mark Farina @ Karma - April 4, 2009
Parking in that area of the city is just horrible, if you don’t know where to park, what I was not expecting was the big line up to get in, and this was for ticket holders. It was nice to see some familiar faces at the door, fabulous Dom was one of the people greeting you at the door, and also more familiar faces in the coat check area. By the time we made it in I was beginning to feel like home, crazy eh?
The place is small, but big enough for a nice party, did not make it to the mezzanine level because I think that is the VIP area, I thought about going up, but stopped when saw a security guy at the bottom of the stairs, and I don‘t think this guy was going to let me in.
Looked up and noticed those wonderful details in the ceiling, typical of an old building - loved the high ceiling - then I could not stop starring at the numerous different size disco balls hanging over the undefined dance floor. Never mind the sculpture of 4 people with their arms hanging over the bar, which is located on the left side of the place. The DJ booth is located right at the end of the room, perfectly centered so everyone can see it, and if this is not enough, there is a giant mirror located right in the back wall, have fun trying to use the mirror to find out what the DJ is doing, or maybe to see yourself on it. Two screams are located in each side of the deck, where different images, adds et al. are projected all night long.
Made it to the room a bit after midnight, which was just in time to witness the transition to Mark Farina from Peter Anthony - don’t know how Peter played, but the crowed was pumped by the time Farina took over. Sounds of trumpets were the first thing I think I heard, and after that it was total nirvana.
It was just unbelievable to be treated with music by one of the most admired and finest house music deejays. The explosion of sounds, the way music was mixed, the wave of tunes that hit gently your body. Everything just made me so happy all night long, and looking around I could see how almost everyone was feeling the same.
Mark Farina has released several cds under the name Mushroom Jazz, and the first thing you might ask is what is that? It is exactly how I felt after having experienced one of the most fascinating, and vibrant displays of house music in a long time, really, what was that? . Farina’s music at Karma was a mix of different type of beats: jazz, soul, soft funk, minimal, groove house, Latin, hip hop(ish) and many others I can’t even describe. The most interesting part of that, was not the different beats, but how they were all mixed together, I don’t think there are many people that could pay so much attention to the minimum details on how to bring everything into one amazing style of sound as Farina did. The music was easy to dance, giving your body a spontaneous rush of energy that kept me dancing all night long.
One thing I did not like, were those tables located on the right hand side of the place, personally I would get rid of them, creating more space for people to dance, and perhaps creating a nice flow for the people moving around the area. The place was super packed at the beginning, and it was hard to find a good area to dance, nevertheless it was nice that almost everyone was moving with the music, because this way you avoid hitting anyone that was just standing with your dance moves. Although the place was busy, I did not find the people to be pushy, it was kind of nice “bohemian” type of crowd, with some people well dressed but not too much. Karma is ga-y friendly, but don’t expect people to take off their shirts (at least not yet) - now I wonder if it is the same in other nights?
I still have to check Karma when another DJ is spinning, because I understand I cannot generalize how the place really is by being there only once, and for a special night with Mark Farina. I enjoyed my evening at this new place, and I’m definitely going back. Joking with a straight friend of mine, I told her Karma could be a little bit gayer, and she looked at me and told me “can you please give us at least one good place in Montreal to dance?” There you go, thumbs up to Karma, and great job done by the Blended boys with this booking, and finally Mark Farina, you are genius man.
The place is small, but big enough for a nice party, did not make it to the mezzanine level because I think that is the VIP area, I thought about going up, but stopped when saw a security guy at the bottom of the stairs, and I don‘t think this guy was going to let me in.
Looked up and noticed those wonderful details in the ceiling, typical of an old building - loved the high ceiling - then I could not stop starring at the numerous different size disco balls hanging over the undefined dance floor. Never mind the sculpture of 4 people with their arms hanging over the bar, which is located on the left side of the place. The DJ booth is located right at the end of the room, perfectly centered so everyone can see it, and if this is not enough, there is a giant mirror located right in the back wall, have fun trying to use the mirror to find out what the DJ is doing, or maybe to see yourself on it. Two screams are located in each side of the deck, where different images, adds et al. are projected all night long.
Made it to the room a bit after midnight, which was just in time to witness the transition to Mark Farina from Peter Anthony - don’t know how Peter played, but the crowed was pumped by the time Farina took over. Sounds of trumpets were the first thing I think I heard, and after that it was total nirvana.
It was just unbelievable to be treated with music by one of the most admired and finest house music deejays. The explosion of sounds, the way music was mixed, the wave of tunes that hit gently your body. Everything just made me so happy all night long, and looking around I could see how almost everyone was feeling the same.
One thing I did not like, were those tables located on the right hand side of the place, personally I would get rid of them, creating more space for people to dance, and perhaps creating a nice flow for the people moving around the area. The place was super packed at the beginning, and it was hard to find a good area to dance, nevertheless it was nice that almost everyone was moving with the music, because this way you avoid hitting anyone that was just standing with your dance moves. Although the place was busy, I did not find the people to be pushy, it was kind of nice “bohemian” type of crowd, with some people well dressed but not too much. Karma is ga-y friendly, but don’t expect people to take off their shirts (at least not yet) - now I wonder if it is the same in other nights?
I still have to check Karma when another DJ is spinning, because I understand I cannot generalize how the place really is by being there only once, and for a special night with Mark Farina. I enjoyed my evening at this new place, and I’m definitely going back. Joking with a straight friend of mine, I told her Karma could be a little bit gayer, and she looked at me and told me “can you please give us at least one good place in Montreal to dance?” There you go, thumbs up to Karma, and great job done by the Blended boys with this booking, and finally Mark Farina, you are genius man.
Friday, April 03, 2009
P90X - Round 2
Yes, I'm still doing P90X people, actually this is the end of week 6 of round 2. I do miss going to the YMCA (the social part), but years of going to the Y cannot compared to what I achieved with 90 days of P90X.
picture taken on March 21, 2009
If you have any questions regarding this program, just e-mail and I will try to answer what I can.
P90X - Patius Edition
If you have any questions regarding this program, just e-mail and I will try to answer what I can.
P90X - Patius Edition
Bal en Blanc 15 - Dressed in White
BAL EN BLANC 15 - REVIEW
Bal en Blanc has not released their promo video yet, I have seen their invite clip, but where is the promo video? Anyway, here is theme song for the Bal en Blanc 15, which is only 8 days away.
Bal en Blanc has not released their promo video yet, I have seen their invite clip, but where is the promo video? Anyway, here is theme song for the Bal en Blanc 15, which is only 8 days away.
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