BPM AFTERHOURS @BARCODE VAUXHALL – SUNDAY 14TH JUNE
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
The afterhours scene has always been a coveted prize in gAylist London with many of the big names having their go at attracting the “early morning” clubber, although only a handful have stood the test of time and we all know the names of the two most successful brands in the last 18 years, one which still continues to dominate weekly, the other with it’s special events that still draws massive attention & crowds to match. However, it is not to say that there isn’t room for anymore, indeed it is sometimes refreshing to do & be somewhere a little different.
Therefore, we hailed the launch of a new afterhours experience designed in its concept to be a stylish and swish alternative to the norm, where magnificent music was matched by a quality crowd in sophisticated surroundings. So it was that “bpm” was launched with its first outing on Easter weekend proving not quite as popular as expected, but then with tough competition of tried & tested specialist in this field, Trade running, it was little surprise. So how would this latest bpm outing do?
Well, having missed out on the first one, we were determined to make this one and on the back of a Matinee experience across the other side of Vauxhall, it was a mere hop, skip & jump to Barcode Vauxhall, the latest host for this new after-hours brand. And having torn ourselves away from the magical music madness of Pagano, it was definitely time to chill for a while, in comfortable surrounds amidst lots of familiar friendly faces. And we couldn’t have chosen a better place, as we arrived at Barcode’s door at just turned 7 a.m. with pal Benoit, who was itching to keep the party going at fever pitch pace, but this was definitely a more sedate affair as we dropped off our belongings in the coatcheck & then investigated the club space at the back of the venue, before retiring to the middle bar for refreshments.
It seemed that most of the action was taking place in the front room and no wonder why, as Alessandro was in charge of the decks, delivering a deliciously delirious mix of chilled yet upbeat house tunes that had us dancing in an instant. Quite where he had found these superb sounds we weren’t sure, but his choice of tracks was absolutely perfect for the afterhours vibe and spot on with the magnificent music that bpm had sought to achieve from the outset. Record after record had us mesmerised on our spot & we can say without question, this was the best set we have experienced in the hands of this spurning talent, who has truly earned his places as part of the Matinee family of D.J.’s, but looking so much at home in this early morning format.
To add to the atmosphere, there were plenty of familiar faces around, many of whom had enjoyed the exploits at bpm’s bigger sister’s party across at Colosseum. Minty was here looking remarkably fresh accompanied by her beau, Industri pals Chris & Terry were soaking up the atmosphere, Max Sanna, who’s set we had missed but was kicking back & relaxing, Jeremy Precelton was present, having finished shift, slipping into the mood, Cliff Jackson, who had come down to see what was on offer, the delectable Mark M Forms, who had worked so hard & tirelessly to put on the scintillating shows at Matinee, so was trying to relieve the stresses with fellow friend Romano, even Oliver who had beaten us too it and came bounding up, giving us his characteristic welcome, lifting us high into the air in a massive hug, then imparting some very sentimental thoughts which were very touching indeed, so we really couldn’t have asked for better company to slide into a lazy sunny Sunday.
But it was far from lazy, as Alessandro’s pulsating performance kept us moving at a pace and when his set came to an end, far too quickly for our liking, Recreation promoter & established D.J. talent Lee Yeomans took over, keeping up the pace making sure that even with a slight change in the musical style, hinting to a more tech infused house heaven direction, the chilled yet upbeat vibe blended smoothly seeing us continuing to jive away with Chris & others, burning up our spot in mystical motion.
With our friend Benoit having moved on to further exploits, we took a moments respite from the action inside, relaxing outside on Barcode’s terrace, mixing with Oliver, Alessandro & friends, sharing news on Matinee, on Ibiza, on Pride and many other issues as well as gossip, then trading trips inside to soak up Lee’s music and consuming shots of Sambuca amongst other drinks (at gone 8 a.m. in the morning!!) with exploits outside, spotting D.J. Steve Pitron walking past on his way to work, but pausing to say hello, with him hinting us towards another party that was brewing up a storm.
However, for some reason, we wanted to see out the rest of bpm, which with the combination of charismatic company & marvellous music was proving to be just the afterhours chilling ticket the doctor had ordered following the frenetic activities at Matinee. And the remaining select bunch of faithfuls clearly had the same idea as D.J. Devilish shared mixing duties with Lee right up to the slightly premature finish at 9.30 a.m.. But with all best intentions to saunter off home laid to waste we succumbed to temptations, disappearing to Beyond to round off an already wonderful weekend.
Well, what did we think of bpm and did it fulfil our expectations? The answer to that is yes, as in aiming to deliver style, quality & sophistication, it got extremely close to achieving just that. There was no doubt that the crowd were just the sort we loved to mix with (non of your trashy & chavvy set here) & it was true that in the relaxing yet swish surroundings of Barcode Vauxhall, it had the feeling of an amazing chill-out session, not least in the hands of Alessandro who entertained us with some monstrous music. So for these reasons, we thought bpm was superb in a select sort of way, yes it wasn’t packed, but then you know what they say about quality compared to quantity.
However, as we have already said, the coveted prize that is the afterhours experience is just that and in reality bpm was always going to struggle against the competition in the form of Beyond which has grasped a stranglehold on this Sunday morning slot and with it strutting its stuff just next door in Area, in some ways it was a “no brainer” that this legendary club would steal the lions share of punters. As for bpm as a brand, we think it has all the right ingredients to work, but maybe timing and location have been against it so far. However with Matinee under evolution with a move away from Vauxhall, we feel that if bpm follows suit, then it should succeed and deserves to do so. (DISCO MATT)
REVIEW FOR SEENQUEEN
The afterhours scene has always been a coveted prize in gAylist London with many of the big names having their go at attracting the “early morning” clubber, although only a handful have stood the test of time and we all know the names of the two most successful brands in the last 18 years, one which still continues to dominate weekly, the other with it’s special events that still draws massive attention & crowds to match. However, it is not to say that there isn’t room for anymore, indeed it is sometimes refreshing to do & be somewhere a little different.
Therefore, we hailed the launch of a new afterhours experience designed in its concept to be a stylish and swish alternative to the norm, where magnificent music was matched by a quality crowd in sophisticated surroundings. So it was that “bpm” was launched with its first outing on Easter weekend proving not quite as popular as expected, but then with tough competition of tried & tested specialist in this field, Trade running, it was little surprise. So how would this latest bpm outing do?
Well, having missed out on the first one, we were determined to make this one and on the back of a Matinee experience across the other side of Vauxhall, it was a mere hop, skip & jump to Barcode Vauxhall, the latest host for this new after-hours brand. And having torn ourselves away from the magical music madness of Pagano, it was definitely time to chill for a while, in comfortable surrounds amidst lots of familiar friendly faces. And we couldn’t have chosen a better place, as we arrived at Barcode’s door at just turned 7 a.m. with pal Benoit, who was itching to keep the party going at fever pitch pace, but this was definitely a more sedate affair as we dropped off our belongings in the coatcheck & then investigated the club space at the back of the venue, before retiring to the middle bar for refreshments.
It seemed that most of the action was taking place in the front room and no wonder why, as Alessandro was in charge of the decks, delivering a deliciously delirious mix of chilled yet upbeat house tunes that had us dancing in an instant. Quite where he had found these superb sounds we weren’t sure, but his choice of tracks was absolutely perfect for the afterhours vibe and spot on with the magnificent music that bpm had sought to achieve from the outset. Record after record had us mesmerised on our spot & we can say without question, this was the best set we have experienced in the hands of this spurning talent, who has truly earned his places as part of the Matinee family of D.J.’s, but looking so much at home in this early morning format.
To add to the atmosphere, there were plenty of familiar faces around, many of whom had enjoyed the exploits at bpm’s bigger sister’s party across at Colosseum. Minty was here looking remarkably fresh accompanied by her beau, Industri pals Chris & Terry were soaking up the atmosphere, Max Sanna, who’s set we had missed but was kicking back & relaxing, Jeremy Precelton was present, having finished shift, slipping into the mood, Cliff Jackson, who had come down to see what was on offer, the delectable Mark M Forms, who had worked so hard & tirelessly to put on the scintillating shows at Matinee, so was trying to relieve the stresses with fellow friend Romano, even Oliver who had beaten us too it and came bounding up, giving us his characteristic welcome, lifting us high into the air in a massive hug, then imparting some very sentimental thoughts which were very touching indeed, so we really couldn’t have asked for better company to slide into a lazy sunny Sunday.
But it was far from lazy, as Alessandro’s pulsating performance kept us moving at a pace and when his set came to an end, far too quickly for our liking, Recreation promoter & established D.J. talent Lee Yeomans took over, keeping up the pace making sure that even with a slight change in the musical style, hinting to a more tech infused house heaven direction, the chilled yet upbeat vibe blended smoothly seeing us continuing to jive away with Chris & others, burning up our spot in mystical motion.
With our friend Benoit having moved on to further exploits, we took a moments respite from the action inside, relaxing outside on Barcode’s terrace, mixing with Oliver, Alessandro & friends, sharing news on Matinee, on Ibiza, on Pride and many other issues as well as gossip, then trading trips inside to soak up Lee’s music and consuming shots of Sambuca amongst other drinks (at gone 8 a.m. in the morning!!) with exploits outside, spotting D.J. Steve Pitron walking past on his way to work, but pausing to say hello, with him hinting us towards another party that was brewing up a storm.
However, for some reason, we wanted to see out the rest of bpm, which with the combination of charismatic company & marvellous music was proving to be just the afterhours chilling ticket the doctor had ordered following the frenetic activities at Matinee. And the remaining select bunch of faithfuls clearly had the same idea as D.J. Devilish shared mixing duties with Lee right up to the slightly premature finish at 9.30 a.m.. But with all best intentions to saunter off home laid to waste we succumbed to temptations, disappearing to Beyond to round off an already wonderful weekend.
Well, what did we think of bpm and did it fulfil our expectations? The answer to that is yes, as in aiming to deliver style, quality & sophistication, it got extremely close to achieving just that. There was no doubt that the crowd were just the sort we loved to mix with (non of your trashy & chavvy set here) & it was true that in the relaxing yet swish surroundings of Barcode Vauxhall, it had the feeling of an amazing chill-out session, not least in the hands of Alessandro who entertained us with some monstrous music. So for these reasons, we thought bpm was superb in a select sort of way, yes it wasn’t packed, but then you know what they say about quality compared to quantity.
However, as we have already said, the coveted prize that is the afterhours experience is just that and in reality bpm was always going to struggle against the competition in the form of Beyond which has grasped a stranglehold on this Sunday morning slot and with it strutting its stuff just next door in Area, in some ways it was a “no brainer” that this legendary club would steal the lions share of punters. As for bpm as a brand, we think it has all the right ingredients to work, but maybe timing and location have been against it so far. However with Matinee under evolution with a move away from Vauxhall, we feel that if bpm follows suit, then it should succeed and deserves to do so. (DISCO MATT)
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