Blame Canada!!

Circus - 6th Anniversary - 2010

Yes sir, they have been open for 6 years now, and they are celebrating in big - March 11, 12, 13 & 14, 2010.

Bal en Blanc 16 - Easter 2010 - Final Line Up

The final line up and schedule is up boys and girls

Trance Room:

- Wizz & Insomnia 9:00pm-12:00am
- Infected Mushroom 12:00am-1:30am
- Sander Van Doorn 1:30am-4:00am
- Ferry Corsten 4:00am-7:00am
- Markus Schulz 7:00am-10:00am
- Sied Van Riel 10:00am-12:00pm

House Room:

- Etienne Ozborne 9:00pm-11:30pm
- Cesar « Bass » Romero 11:30pm-1:00am
- LMFAO (live) 1:00am-2:00am
- David Guetta 2:00am-5:00am
- Kaskade 5:00am-7:00am
- Ana Paula 7:00am-9:30am
- David Morales 9:30am-12:00pm

Which M?

To tell you the truth I'm curious about both DJs, so who knows where I'm going to end up tonight. Moto Blanco, from South London, has been in the business longer, and he will be one of the headliners of the famous Palm Spring White party this year, and one of his commercial hits in vogue at moment is "Release Me". On the other hand you have Mr. da Silva, a professional dancer and model from Germany, that no long ago decided to become a deejay, and it looks like it is working for him, because the guy is busy busy busy, playing in different circuit parties with some well know deejays.

where should I go?

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food

Because this blog cares:

Sharing powerful stories from his anti-obesity project in Huntington, W. Va., TED Prize winner Jamie Oliver makes the case for an all-out assault on our ignorance of food.

Jamie Oliver's TED Prize wish: Teach every child about food | Video on TED.com

we are the world

The video of the new version of the famous "We are the world" song has gone viral already in youtube and facebook - and if you haven't had the chance to see, well here it is



and this is the version I heard for the first time when I was in Junior High, that's a long time ago boys and girls, but still a powerful song even today.

Victor Calderone @ Stereo - February 13, 2010

Welcome back Stereo, we have missed you so much, and do not think I’ve been sarcastic with this statement, not at all, it is just that this is the first time since the grand reopening, that I felt like I was back at Stereo, the place that I felt in love with long time ago. Due to the fact I spent such a good time, I’m inclined to say it has fired up my professional raver skills once again, it has revitalized my passion for dancing at Stereo, and this can only mean good things for this place, because I’m sure lots of people feel this way as well.

How different is to go to a place where you know who is going to be spinning eh? Whoever went knew more or less what kind of music was going to hit them, and joining forces on the dance floor just create a hell of a good party. Cannot remember the last time Stereo was open until almost noon, and it has been such a long time that my body is no longer used to this marathon, and unfortunately I could not say until the end, but I enjoyed every single minute of my stay at the temple.

Wait a second, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about eh? Fine, let me start from the beginning. By the way, I’m not very happy in paying CND 5.00 of service charge just to get my ticket in advance (bought at Priape paying cash), I’m okay with a charge, but does it has to be so much?

Initially I had planned to go to Parking first then Stereo, instead had a disco nap until 1:00am and made to Stereo by 2:00am. I warned my friends not to arrive after 2:30am or risk to stay in line for a while - it is just logical, Victor in the house, and people will start leaving the bars by 2:00-2:30 in order to get in first. It took me around 15 to 20 min to get in, and I think Stereo is no longer used to have those big lines outside, because there was no organization whatsoever - a word to the security personal, get your act together because if people got their tickets in advance, and paid an extra CND 5.00 for it, at least they are expecting to get in on an orderly fashion. I’m not saying let me in right away (it would be nice), but at least control the crowd. Another question, when is the actual coatcheck reopening? It is nice to have 3 different temporary coatchecks, but I do not like having to cross the dance floor, and disturb the dance flow, to get rid of my jacket.

Victor, Victor, Victor, you have proven many times over why you are at the top of your game, and I’m pretty sure you enjoy your nights at Pacha NY, but I beat there is nothing like coming home to Stereo, a place that has evolved with your music, from the old tribal, to the techno and everything else in between.

The music was superb from the time I arrived until the time I left, hated the fact I had to stand in line, on the dance floor, waiting to check in my coat, while Victor dropped some amazing music. Nevertheless, there was time for more similar moments, where you got lost in the passion of the music looking around thinking this is where I’m supposed to be today.

Victor lifted you up and then brought you down for nice chill out instant, then bouncing you back way up in order to show you there is more than just a moment of good music, there is a whole trip of melodies that you must be ready to explore and enjoy.

Wanted to hear Victor’s techno side? Checked, the minimal moments? Checked. Was there a maximum as well? Checked (what a hell is that anyway?). Industrial house? Checked. Techno house? Checked. Victor’s classics? Checked. House with superb vocals? Checked. In other words, Victor made sure to have everything ready for the Stereoheads, and the crowd did not disappoint either.

The vibe was just fantastic, everyone enjoying the music and each other’s presence. I do have to say we must have more evening like this one at Stereo, this way the new legion of upcoming Stereoheads will learn how to behave at the temple, they must learn the dance floor is for everyone and not just for themselves, and “I’m sorry” and “excuse me” is still fashionable.

Now tell me, how couldn’t I have a big smile in my face if Victor was giving up excellent build ups that made sense? The ending were even better, and here and there he would drop something classic and then remixed into something totally new.

The crowd was evenly distributed into all genres, very diverse and lots of good looking people, perhaps the invisible line was pushing more to the left than to the right, but we all know how much the boys love Victor.

Really enjoyed the customs wore by the Go Go dancers, and they really went out of their way to showcase different stuff, from gods of the ancient Egypt and Rome, to Canadian Olympians and some space like dudes, and lions and human size dolls, talk about giving something for everyone, both gay and straight, in the room eh?

One thing, I wish the light people had used more the black light, specially in those dark moments when the music was just perfect for it, and loved when the kind of spot lights were turn on at the same time on the dance floor (they are everywhere in the ceiling) - it felt magical, and at the end they did a good job with the lights in general, and someone was having fun typing those messages in the giant screens, well who wouldn’t with the music we experienced with Victor.

Stereo, thank you very much for listening and giving us what we want, and I’m not saying we only want Victor, not at all, we want to have the option to choose which night we want to step into our second home, we want to know what we are going home for, and we promise to give you the best crowd possible, and we promise to bring back all this energy Stereo is famous for. Think about it, put the old Stereo and the new Stereo together, and you have a power house desired by everyone in the business, and we are luck to have you here in Montreal.

Welcome back Stereo

edit: I would love to be in Berlin on April 3, and experience Calderone at Berghain - if you are in town and end up going to this party, please let me know how it goes.

Live from New York - It's Betty White!

This blog is officially endorsing the campaign to encourage SNL (Saturday Night Live) to invite Betty White to host the show.

For more information, please visit the Facebook fan page at Betty White to Host SNL (please?), and as of February 13, 2010, there were already over 300,000 fans.





Pictures source: Facebook fan page

Victor Calderone @ Stereo

I'm so ready for Victor tonight, and the best is that he is going to all night long, which means we most likely will see all the stages of his Evolve night.

Valentine's Weekend 2010

this is most likely my schedule for tonight




and the perfect ending would be catching a flight to LAX, but I'll have to wait 2 weeks in order to finish this Valentine's weekend.

Vancouver Opening Ceremony

Amazing areal view of British Columbia, stunning visuals, great venue, nice use of technology, loved the whales and the Northern lights, big expectations, but please forgive me people that have spent countless hours working in the opening ceremony, it was boring.

The "Can't Stop Peter" Tour

Peter has answered the Winter Party Festival open letter with his "new" tour



Somehow I have the feeling this is not the last we are going to hear from both sides.

Vancouver 2010

Let the games begin



Picture Source

Stop Peter Rauhofer in Miami?

The Winter Party Festival in Miami is almost upon us (March 3 to 8, 2010), and among the talented DJs attending the parties you will find Alexander, Boris, Chus & Ceballos, Ana Paula, Alyson Calagna, Hector Fonseca, Brett Henrichsen, Rosabel, Tracy Young and more.

There is one thing that has also caught my attention, and it is the friction between the organizers of the festival and Peter Rauhofer & the Opium Group, which are hosting their own party, not affiliated to the festival, at the same time.

It would be interesting to see what was the official reaction by Peter, if there was any, to the open letter released in January about this matter.

What do you think about this situation? Read the open letter below or check the website Stop Peter.

January 25, 2010

OPEN LETTER TO DJ/PRODUCER PETER RAUHOFER AND THE OWNERS OF THE OPIUM GROUP


We are writing to you about a very special annual celebration that benefits the South Florida community on many levels – the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force’s Winter Party Festival. The 2010 Festival will take place March 3-8. As it has for many years, the Festival will support and be supported by many Miami Beach businesses. The Opium Group has benefited from an immense amount of business from Winter Party Festival over the years. This year, however, The Opium Group has not only decided to host a competing party, it has also declined to contract with the Task Force for use of either of its South Beach nightclub properties. While the Task Force has found another venue for its Sunday night party, we are very disappointed that you have withdrawn support from this important annual fundraising event.

We believe that you may not be aware of the serious repercussions this business decision may have on the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community of South Florida. Winter Party Festival is the largest annual fundraising event produced by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, our country’s oldest, most enduring national organization dedicated to achieving equality for the LGBT community. What makes it truly unique is that two-thirds of the net proceeds are distributed to nonprofit organizations serving the Miami-Dade LGBT community through a grant-making program administered by the Dade Community Foundation. In the past five years, nearly $800,000 in proceeds from the Task Force’s Miami events has been distributed to local organizations.

The dollar amount dispersed last year was significantly less than the amount raised in previous years, in part because a competing event at The Opium Group’s Mansion property resulted in a 32% decrease in revenue for Winter Party Festival’s 2009 Sunday night dance party. As a result, there was less money to be distributed to the Dade Community Foundation’s sixteen grant recipients, including the ACLU Foundation of Florida, Center for Communications on HIV/AIDS, Equality Florida, Miami Beach Gay Pride, Pridelines Youth Services, Safe Schools South Florida, SAVE Foundation and Switchboard of Miami.

Winter Party Festival buoys many local businesses by bringing in over 10,000 people from around the world to shop, dine and experience the Miami Beach nightlife. In fact, the Miami Beach Visitor & Convention Authority awards the Task Force with a sizable grant each year to enhance the Festival’s marketing efforts. The Festival’s centerpiece event, the Beach Party, is the attraction that draws approximately 10,000 guests from around the world to Miami Beach, but it is the other dance parties that allow the Festival to generate a healthy return on investment. The Sunday night dance party, in particular, is critical to the Festival’s success.

The economic crisis our country has been experiencing has negatively affected individual giving. As a result, our local organizations are more dependent than ever on grants. The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force and its team of dedicated South Florida volunteers have been working extremely hard for the past nine months to ensure that the pool of money from the 2010 Festival is larger than ever. The production of a successful Sunday evening dance party is crucial to achieving this goal. It is inevitable that a competing event targeted at the same audience will make this objective even more difficult to meet.

While we realize that that your plans for 2010 are already in place, we hope that, equipped with a better understanding of what Winter Party Festival means to our local community, you will not sponsor a competing party next year. We also hope that you will consider making one of your venues available to the Task Force in 2011. In the meantime, we ask you to support the Festival and its mission of raising funds for the LGBT community by making a sizeable donation to the Task Force.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force would welcome a further dialogue about Winter Party Festival and the opportunity to answer any questions you may have. The organization can be reached through Russell Roybal, Deputy Executive Director of External Relations, at 202.639.6324.

Rea Carey
Executive Director
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force

Steve Adkins
Executive Director
Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce

Michael Andrews
Executive Artistic Director
South Beach Chamber Ensemble

Willis “Chip” Arndt
Executive Vice President
Merchant Advantage

Thomas Barker
Executive Editor and Publisher
Wire Magazine

Cindy Brown
President
Cenergy, LLC

James Brown
Retail Marketing Director
Perry Ellis

Jerry Chasen
Chair, GLBT Community Projects Fund
Dade Community Foundation

Victor Diaz-Herman
Board Chair
Pridelines Youth Services

Edison Farrow
President
SoBe Social Club

Luigi Ferrer
Executive Director
Pridelines Youth Services

Stephen Greenberg
President
Stephen Greenberg Designs

Robert Loupo
Co-Founder and Executive Director
Safe Schools South Florida

Jake Miller, Esq.
Attorney and Counsellor at Law
Law Offices of Jake Miller

Babak Movahedi
Owner
MOVA

Tim Nardi
General Manager
Shore Club Miami

George Neary
Associate Vice President of Cultural Tourism
Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau

CJ Ortuno
Executive Director
SAVE Dade

Chad Richter
Retail Sales Manager
Kiehl’s Since 1851

Rick Siclari
Executive Director
Care Resource

Herb Sosa
President
Unity Coalition

Daniel Spring
South Beach Insurance Agency, Inc.

John Tanzella
Executive Director
International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association

Laura Veitia
EWM Realtors

George Vesa
Manager
The Strand Ocean Drive

Rio Music Conference - Feb 12-16, 2010

It's not Miami yet (WMC), or Playa el Carmen (BPM), but is Rio, and who knows maybe this conference will become something huge in a near future.

Stephan Grondin @ Parking - February 6, 2010

I-N-C-R-E-D-I-B-L-E!!!

It doesn't matter who is in town, because if Grondin is spinning somewhere, you know it is going to be a good party, and once again Stephan did not disappoint me.

There have been some improvements at Parking, and I actually asked the manager what was different, and he just said "go to the dance floor", and isn't that he was right? Parking has added new speakers and base, and once you step on the dance floor you feel the difference, very nice by the way.

Parking got busy, and kudos to the warm up set, this guy is getting better and better, and I guess this is the perfect place to have a good training eh?

Now going back to Grondin, what a set he gave us, he was flawless in every aspect, from the mixing, the choice of music, his vibe, and everything was kept in a timely fashion, perfect transitions, and nice fusion with the lights. I wanted to dance house music and this is what I did until 3:00am.

The crowd was very good, with great dancers and nice looking people, just one of the go go dancers was not having too much fun up there, but the other two had a blast. I just wished I knew which song was the new one released by Grondin, I'm sure I heard it, but don't know which one it was.

I have checked Grondin schedule for the next couple of weeks, and this guy is busy, and if you are in New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Miami, and Boston, keep an eye on where he is going to be spinning because you should be there as well.

Agnes - Release Me

It is such a happy song - no wonder it's been used in the Sydney Mardi Gras video.

Australia - Sydney Mardi Gras 2010

I'm scheduled to travel to Australia in 2010, and although I would love it to be for Mardi Gras, it won't happen this time (have to be in Brazil instead). Nevertheless, if you are going to be there, please send me pictures/videos and I'll post them in your behalf.

Guy Gerber - My Hero

Dear Stereo or Dear Parking, please bring Guy Gerber to Montreal again. I've become his fan number 2 since his performance at the Igloofest - I'm not the number 1 because I'm sure I'll get in trouble with a lot of people out there.

Gerber is in a league of his own when it comes to music, the intensity of the tracks, the smoothness of the sound, the feeling you get when listening to his music, and I'm for sure looking forward seeing his again in our city.

Vancouver 2010

Vancouver will welcome the world in a couple of day, some of my friends are already in the city because they are either working for the Winter Olympics, volunteering, or they just happen to live there. I still haven't had the chance to make it all the way to the West Coast, I guess Los Angeles has been getting all my attention in the last couple of months, but no worries I'll eventually get there.

Rio de Janeiro

Never been to Rio? Then is time for you to do an aerial visit of this city.

Bal en Blanc 16 - Easter 2010

Can't believe we are already in the month of February, and this is the best time to go South. Why? We are already getting sick and tired of the Winter, and by leaving for at least a week, when you return you have cut your Winter in half, and Spring is right around the corner.

I'm supposed to go to Brazil at the end of the month, but nothing is confirmed yet, and talking about Spring, Easter weekend is not far away, which means Bal en Blanc in Montreal. Unfortunately, I might not be able to review this massive party this year, but no worries, I'll make sure to post a review of another great party.

First 500 tickets @ $80 + $4 (police service fee) + box-office fee ($10.64 – Web and tel.; $2 – points of sale) + service charges - (taxes incl.)* SOLD OUT

The next 2,000 @ $95 + $4 (police service fee) + box-office fee ($12.64 – Web and tel.; $2 – points of sale) + service charges - (taxes incl.)* SOLD OUT

The next tickets @ $110 + $4 (police service fee) + box-office fee ($14.63 – Web and tel.; $2 – points of sale) + service charges - (taxes incl.).

Note that, if tickets remain, the price at the door will be higher than $110.

Ps. You know you could click on the image eh?

First February Weekend 2010

Florianopolis - Carnival 2010

Too bad I missed Joe Hickerson last Saturday at Parking, but I was too cold after the Igloofest and decided to warm up at my house. Talking about warming up, The Week International in Florianopolis is getting ready for the Carnival 2010 (Feb 12-16). Unfortunately I'm not one of those that will be enjoying the Brazilian Summer, at least not for Carnival, but if you are, make sure to stop by this place.

Click on the flyer for more detailed information