Patius @ Baltic Sea

Guys, I'm literally just leaving Saint Petersburg right now (the boat is moving), and I do have a couple of things to say about it but not now. Having a great time, but unfortunately I'm unable to upload pictures, so you'll have to wait.

will return with more later on

Allan Natal @ Parking - July 18, 2009

This is a keeper, and if I had to describe Natal with only one word, I would have to use "epic-ish". Guys, I'm packing so can't got into many details, but the sound brought by Natal was just delicious. What a way to mix all the styles and give a tribalish tone. Tribal explosive, with lots of vocal, with some interesting tribal-trance-ish tunes added to the mix.

There were moments when I felt as if I was listening to this happy trance-tribal tunes that somehow were synchronizing the dance floor into one entity, then he throws in some hard tribal stuff and the dance floor wants more. My understanding before seeing him was that music wise he was everywhere, and yes indeed he is everywhere, and better than that, he is everywhere but at the right time, do I make sense?

Love @ Terrasses Bonsecours

Do you want some different to do? Try the Terrasses Bonsecours at the old port in Montreal.



...just a quick note, it is not Ibiza or Miami, it is Montreal.

Berlin - by Robert Cezar Matei

Can't remember for how long, but Berlin has been in my hit list for a while, and in a couple of days I'll be there. Searching information about Berlin/Berghain/Panorama, I came across a review, written by Robert Cezar Matei (2007), and I think you should read it as well:

I’ve just had an amazing few weeks in the coolest city I’ve ever been in. So, to process the experience, I wrote about it. And I tagged a bunch of you fools who might be entertained by parts of it. Berlin is raw and unpretentious; it sizzles with youthful, rebellious energy. It’s that fleeting time and place that's truly cool, where the right ingredients and a touch of bohemia create electricity in the air. I imagine this is what it felt like to be in Paris in the twenties, London in the sixties or New York in the eighties.

At all hours, the streets are filled with gangs of friends. The modus operandi seems to be to find a disused building or empty lot, build a makeshift bar, haul in a soundsystem and start the music. Amazing parties go down in crumbling industrial monsters. Punk bands play in the sewers. DJs show up at flea markets and start spinning. You walk into old rail depots to the best underground hip-hop you’ve ever heard. You stumble into awesome clubs by biking down the river until you hear minimal techno. You drink champagne on top of gargantuan Soviet memorials. You meet Stanford friends at random squats. ;)

A lot (too much?) has been written about Berlin’s dance music scene. The freewheeling nightlife is legendary. Taking the subway at 6 a.m. on a Thursday, you see more people going home than going to work. Weekends are on another level entirely – dancefloors stay packed from 2 a.m. to 2 p.m. And even through their most unhinged excesses, Berliners keep a laid-back attitude and a self-aware smile.

But this is not about a paradise for culture vultures and hedonists. The experience cuts deeper. Berlin is what happens when the gears of the economy leave some room to breathe, and it’s an invigorating thing to see. It’s that rare place that’s a cultural powerhouse without being a financial one. The rise of the wall pushed corporations out of West Berlin. The fall of the wall pushed workers out of East Berlin. Prosperity drained westward, and in the ensuing vacuum something unique flourished.

Someone told me Berlin is what New York would be like if the professionals left and only the artists stayed. When you can get an apartment for $300/month and a sit-down meal for $6, you can get by working two nights a week. Lots of people are doing just that, spending the rest of their time however they want – music, art, fun. A low cost of living and a strong safety net support an unprecedented range of lifestyles. “Poor but sexy” has become the city’s quasi-official byline.

Poor, sexy and radical. I’ve never felt more out of place than when I stumbled into a squat in Kreuzberg. This was Berlin at its rawest: a bombed-out five-story building, covered in graffiti, anti-establishment banners hung from windows, teeming with crust punks and anarchists. I’ve never seen so many people trying to live in the fringes – a full-blown gutter community. They may not have The Answer, but it’s good to see people who don’t take the status quo for granted.

The dissonance was as much from wearing my club clothes as from wanting to rise to the top of a system they despised. Well, nothing to do but play it cool. Exchange ideas. One of them, an American, thought that the U.S. was the least free country in the first world. How free are you if most jobs won’t guarantee your kids a decent education? How free are you if you have to fend for your own retirement and health care? It’s no wonder so many of this country’s brightest minds are channeled into such a narrow range of professions. It’s a terribly stable system: the people most capable of enacting change have no choice but to buy into the status quo.

I may be romanticizing Berlin. If the city’s any indication, kids are more likely to become DJs and graffiti artists than activists. It’s a freak child of history; it’s a product of subsidies and of live-and-let-live laws that would never fly in the Anglo world. Berlin may sound like a city of freeloaders. But a society whose public school teachers can’t afford to send their kids to college is pretty poor at valuing contributions. A vibrant civilization needs starving artists and activists as much as it needs accountants and consultants.

Where does that leave me? I’d move there in a heartbeat, except it’s no place to build a career. I’m ambitious and I feel like I’ve been conditioned to want a certain kind of success. I’d be a very different person if I’d gone to school there instead of here. But I like to think my priorities are still flexible. Riding through the streets of Berlin, I often struggled to figure out why I live in the U.S. I'm about to take a slow drive across the country, so maybe I'll figure it out then. The best answer, at this point, is that most of my friends are here. So here’s to you guys.

Shakira - Loba

this is Shakira's new song, and at first I heard in English and didn't like it too much (I guess it has to grow on me), but I kind of enjoyed the Spanish version. What do you think?

Spanish Version


English Version


and of course the remixes are already being uploaded everywhere.

Montreal Divers/Cité - July 26 to August 2, 2009

There must be a lot of confused people out there, because if you are not from Montreal, but want to be here for the gay festivities, you are probably asking yourself: "should I go for Divers/Cité (Jul 26-Aug 2) or to the Pride Celebrations Montreal (Aug 13-16)?"

Anyway, I won't go into details, but 3 years ago a new group was created to take care of the official pride celebrations, which includes the Gay Parade, and this group is called "Pride Celebrations Montreal". Besides the Parade, they have prepared several activities including a Mega T-Dance at Place Emilie-Gamelin, with the DJs Stéfane Lippé, Mark Anthony and Oscar Velazquez.

Are you still confuse? This is my take on this matter, if you are coming from out-of-town to party, my suggestion is to be here for "Divers/Cité". If you want to check out more the Pride/Parade side of the celebration, then come during "Pride Celebrations Montreal". If you have a lot of free time in your hands, then come for both festivals, because Montrealers are always ready to party.

Parties are my stronghold, so here is what I suggest you not to miss during Divers/Cité.

Indoor Events: D/C Party on August 1 @ Telus Theatre with David Morales and Peter Rauhofer. *** D/C Ball on August 2 @ Telus Theatre with Alain Jackinsky, Isaac Escalante and Ana Paula.

Unfortunately, Divers/Cité is not selling tickets online, so you will have to buy then when you get to Montreal (Priape Montreal, or Kiosk Info on Festival Site - don't wait to buy tickets at the door). If you are in Montreal, what are you waiting for?

***Update (July 18): tickets for the Divers/Cité parties can be purchased online - just visit their website and choose your party.

Outdoor Events: Sunset Party on August 1 @ Parc Emilie-Gamelin (2:00pm-10:00pm) with Jeremy Khamkeo, Yinon Yahel, Nicola Torriero and David Morales. *** La Grande Dance on August 2 @ Scene Berri-Ontario (1:00pm-11:00pm) with Alain Vinet, Peter Rauhofer, Isaac Escalante and Ana Paula. These are free events, and lots of fun and lots of people - don't believe me? Check the short clip below:



and you should check their respective websites, because there is much more where this comes from.

Is it enough? No, this is Montreal okay? The BBCM also is hosting their Twist Weekend celebration on August 1-2:

*Beach Party - August 1 @ 1PM - 10PM - Plage du Parc Jean-Drapeau: DJ Ian Key, Stéfane Lippé, and Charles Poulin.
*Twist Party - August 1 @ 10:00PM-8:00AM @ Le Medley: Dj Max Julien, Miss Honey Dijon, and Mark Anthony.
*Twist Encore - August 2 @ 10:00PM-3:00AM @ Parking: DJ Patrick Dream and Hector Fonseca.
*Twister - August 2 @ 1:00AM-OPEN-END @ Circus Afterhours: DJ Stéfane Lippé, Paulette, King Louis and Franco Fabi.

After reading all this info, I think I'm the one that is confuse now - enjoy Montreal people.

Allan Natal @ Parking

Another Brazilian DJ is coming up to Montreal, and this time someone from the city of Belo Horizonte (a terra do pão de queijo). I've researched about Natal, and talked to some friends in Brazil about him, and so far I liked what I found out.

It sounds like Allan Natal plays a bit of everything, ranging from tribal with vocals, some electro, something diva, and the final result is usually a great musical cocktail for dancing.

Natal is young, and probably is still searching for the style that will define his career, and most likely either he will become famous outside Brazil, and this will cause a bigger appetite for his talent in the cities of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, or he will have to leave his hometown of Belo Horizonte, for Sampa or Rio, in order to get national recognition in Brazil. Looking forward his gig at Parking this Saturday, and if I have time I'll write a review.

Departures - the show

It is not the first time I have talked about this show, but after watching the entire first season of the show, “Departures” is probably one of the most inspiring traveling shows I have ever seen. It’s what they called, “aimed at the adventure seeker”, you know, that person you used to be, and you started to forget once you settle down in your office, or in you new life-a-deux. Then occasionally you kind of remember that part of you, which still exists deep inside of you, but most of us just find too hard to dig out, or maybe too scared to do something about it.

This blog exists because I wanted to share with you 3 things I love to do: dancing, traveling and writing. It might be kind of selfish in one way, because it is mostly me talking, and you reading. Then I think about it, and if there were no visitors, what would be the point about writing something if there was nobody reading right? In other words, we are having a “virtual conversation”, and I hope some of you get inspired as well and go dancing to one of those many parties I write about.

What I found different about this show, is the way Scott Wilson and Justin Lukach present the country they are visiting. It is not just about going to a place and showing the buildings or how beautiful the view is, but the most remarkable moments of their trips have been the human factor in each of their episodes. The first episode (Canada: ocean to ocean) was okay, I guess they were still trying to figure out how the show was going to be. Although I must admit it did pick up by the time they were in Alberta, but then the second episode (Jordan) was just an unbelievable experience, and now I really want to travel to Jordan.

Unless I won the lottery today, realistic speaking it would be almost impossible to do what these two Canadians have done, to leave everything behind (jobs, girlfriends, friends and more) and go traveling for an entire year. Fortunately I do have the opportunity to escape, once in a while, to a place I have never been before. If it is for vacation, I tried not to repeat the same place because if I had a great time the first time, I want to keep it that way, and if I went back I would probably be comparing to the last time I was there, and it is never the same - so instead of perhaps disappointing myself, I just prefer to keep those great memories in my heart, and try to explore something new - don‘t they say our heart is big enough to fit the entire world?

If you have the chance to watch this show, please do it, or even better, just go and explore some place you never been, and sometimes that could be in your own city.

Talking about traveling, in a couple of days this blog will be officially on vacation, Won’t promise you anything, but I will try to post something here and there to keep you up-to-date. Heard good things about Tallinn and can’t wait to see Berlin, plus there is a big party waiting for me in Copenhagen, and I'm crossing the fingers that our Summer in Montreal does return soon.

Montreal - Weekend 28

By the way, the last pic is for the Piknic Electronik (hope the weather is nice on Sunday)

My Apologies - Server Hacked

Sorry guys, but it looks like the server I use to upload pictures has been temporally hacked - no sure what's going to happen to all the pictures posted, but I might have to delete them all.

:-(

ImageShack (ImageShack), one of the web’s largest image hosts, was attacked tonight by a movement called “Anti-Sec”. The result of the attack has been to replace all ImageShack hosted images with a manifesto for the movement.

The message adds that “no images were harmed in the making of this…image”, implying that ImageShack images are not lost.

We’ll post updates as we learn more: please add your own experiences in the comments.

Update: site has been restored to its normal self and pictures are almost all back.

Copenhagen - WorldOutGames Party Suggestions

Guys, first I have to apologize because I'm going to be posting like crazy in the next couple of days, but I have to do it before I take off to the old continent. Have done my research and these are three parties I suggest you to do if you find yourself in Copenhagen during the WorldOutGames 2009. Please keep in mind there are many more events happening, and the best you can do is to talk to the locals once you arrive in the city, but if you trust my instincts, these are the ones I picked:

Oscar - Bar / Café - Copenhagen

Some people will understand why I'm posting about this Bar in Copenhagen, so if you have the chance, check it out and let me know if it was a good call.


Rådhuspladsen 77
København K
Tel: 33 12 09 99

Alegria - Alegria - Alegria

yes sir, Tony Moran will be in town on Saturday, and although I'm super busy it is most likely you will see me on the dance floor at Parking. Tony always bring happy tunes, and I'm really feeling like having a happy time, so why not eh? Here is a sample of what Tony did at the Alegria party during NYC Pride 2009:



and in other news, in a couple of days, I shall be dancing to the tunes of another happy DJ. Imagine a white night party in the Baltic sea with DJ Abel (Miami), but not only Abel, I will also have the pleasure to move to the rhythms of Wayne G (London), Paul Goodyear (Barcelona) and Guy Smith (NYC). You will have to give me sometime to review those parties alright?

Now, you have never been at the Alegria party in New York City? What are you waiting for? This is a sample of DJ Abel doing his magic:

Oscar Velazquez @ Parking - July 4, 2009

Señor Velazquez was on fire Saturday night, and I must admit he was less commercial than last time I saw him. The set was very tribal oriented, with lots of vocals, but what stayed in my mind was to see how he was reacting to the reaction of the crowd. The more people danced the more energy he added to the set, how could I tell? You just had to look up and see his big smile.

I also noticed the boxes have been moved to the center of the dance floor, at first I thought it was not happening, maybe because the people that decided to get up there. Once the party got rolling and the place filled up, I think the boxes did their job to add an extra sensuality to the place, specially having some sexy dancers moving their bodies for the crowd. I might suggest Parking to move the boxes around once in a while. Some people liked, some people were indifferent, the important things is to keep trying new things.

Personally I had a great time, couldn't stop smiling and dancing, and it is always nice to meet up with really cool people to have some fun. Did not stay until the end, got tired (man, I think I'm getting old) and left with a nice smile in my face - Good job Oscar Velazquez.

WorldOutGames - more copenhagen

and why wouldn't you? Check this out:

Chus & Ceballos @ Beachclub & Parking

Chus & Ceballos are back, and they are going to have a busy day today. First they are helping to celebrate the Blended boys 5th anniversary at the Beach Club. Then Chus & Ceballos will try to make your Perfect Sunday at Parking.

for our Blogamerican Readers

Weekend 27

If you are in New York City tonight

and if you are in Montreal tomorrow

actually, there are many other things to do ...but if I leave Montreal right now, I might make it to the Fire Cracker party, then I just have to drive back to catch my "tocayo" Oscar at Parking. What do you think?

Picture removed by hosting site

World Outgames 2009 - Copenhagen

Following the steps of Montreal, the first host city of the World Outgames, Copenhagen is expecting the arrival of thousands of people from all over the world, for the World Outgames 2009.

The games begin on July 25 and end on August 2, and I shall be attending one of the official closing parties, so keep an eye in the upcoming reviews, and no, unlike in Montreal, I will not be an athlete this time around.



I will try to get more info (party wise) for the people planing to be in Copenhagen, and I'm really looking forward discovering this interesting city.

Happy Canada Day

and yes, I do have to work today, but wait until it gets dark.