"BRAZILIAN BEATS LAUDING IT IN LONDON”
THE WEEK – SATURDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER
CLUB REVIEW
It would be fair to say that we are lucky to have some amazing home-grown club brands that have made a impact across the world and that we can be proud of, names such as Trade, DTPM, Love Muscle & Crash springing to mind, oh and not forgetting Beyond of course, this Sunday morning afterhours having made more than a splash in Amsterdam & Paris, while the former brands have made it further a-field, destinations including Australia, South Africa & even South America. Now, as much as we can be proud of our British brands, the diversity of our scene is such that we often welcome overseas clubs with open arms, although there has seemingly been a dominance by all things Spanish in this respect, Matinee Space & SuperMartXe ruling supreme in the import stakes, while others like Muccassassina, Nightkomn & Scream only getting a recent look in at specialist event The London Global Dance Festival (LGDF). But the man behind this huge undertaking which dominated the Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend, who was also responsible for the NYD success story that was As One, Mr Alex Erfan, had something else up his sleeve, the arrival of a club event in London, this time from Brazil and a brand that is not only a legend in its own country, but had just last month made its mark of Barcelona’s Circuit Festival.
The Week, whilst relatively unknown to the average Joe in London, is simply huge in its home town of Sao Paulo, as well as making considerable waves across Brazil in both Rio & Florianopolis, this club event in South America’s largest city regularly attracting well over 2500 revellers through its doors in a club setting that simply blows the mind, two huge rooms illuminated with wall to wall laser lighting and plenty more besides, plus an outside area sporting a swimming pool & views over Sao Paulo to absolutely die for and we haven’t even touched on the Rio setting yet. And as for the crowd The Week attracts, well you can imagine that it is full to brimming with bare chested Brazilians, handsome & scantily dressed go-go dancing boys, muscular men & gorgeous girls, all who know exactly what having a good time is about, topping all that with magnificent music of the uplifting, funky & fulsome kind, from some of the best looking D.J.’s in the business. So, with this massive brand making strides not just in its home country, but slowly & surely across the globe, London simply had to be on their touring agenda and what better man to make it happen than Mr As One & LGDF himself.
So, with our sights firmly set on Fire and with the prospect of something quite special, at least by London standards, we made our way down to Vauxhall, arriving at the venues doors a little after midnight, negotiating a rather healthy queue of people as eager as us to see just how this Brazilian brand of a club would work in London. With door pleasantries over, we stepped into the club proper, first calling on the coatcheck to drop off our bits & bobs and then grab some refreshments at the bar, meeting almost immediately the delightful Danny Shubert, who was on a relative free reign to enjoy the party, while partner Roni was masterminding proceedings from a background position. With Danny soon off to locate his liege, we headed down into the main room, very much taken a-back by the considerable changes that had been made, the D.J. booth completely moved from its original spot, now standing proud towards the far end of the room, which had been knocked back as far as the building perimeter, a large stage area wrapping around both sides of the booth in readiness for the spectacular carnival of a show that had been promised.
Finding a spot to the left of the D.J. booth, we surveyed the new territory that was Fire’s main room, the most striking addition being a massive LED lighting affair on the back wall, to compliment the banks of video screens down one side & the infamous Fire laser lighting that set off the yellow & green decor & interesting ceiling decor that was certainly making a statement. But much more of a statement was coming from the D.J. both, not so much from his music, which for us was a bit off beat, but from his smouldering good looks, Doug Uim certainly cutting a stride and impressing pal Danny who had rejoined our side. With a quick visit into the lounge space over, we were back in the main room and ready for the duo of Steve Pitron & Mikey D, both who never fail to deliver delectable & majestic music whenever they perform alone, but to get them together and at this The Week party was to be an outstanding highlight. And, do you know what, they delivered in each & every department, track after track mesmerising the crowd and short of lifting the roof off Fire.
But it wasn’t just their music that was making our experience special, as both Steve & Mikey made us feel so much a part of proceedings, Mr Pitron bounding over before his back to back performance, to say hello and share a “who am I speaking to" joke with us, then calling us across to the other side of the booth as his stupendous set with Mikey commenced, even Mr Dower looking over constantly and, having also said his hellos’ yet another quip about his latest compilation release entering into conversation. With the duo in full swing and the main room literally bursting at the seams, also reports coming in the queue outside was stretching up towards Starbucks, the heat from the mesmeric music was one thing, but the heat from the un air conditioned main room was another, so something had to give, the team rolling open the doors to the mirrorarch room early, Doug Uim stepping in ahead of Gonzalo Rivas’s arrival to ease the roadblock that was both the main room and the waiting masses outside.
Now the party was in full swing, the crowd getting bigger & bigger by the minute and the good looking muscle men intermixing with Brazilian boys & classic Fire club kids to create an enticing mix of dance crazy people that just wanted to party. And with the amazing LED display behind the main room D.J. booth firing on all cylinders, displaying Steve’s & Mikey’s names in bright white lights, both stars very were much in their element and loving every minute of it. Then to further add to our euphoria, we were joined by fantastic friend Brent Nicholls, who had his camera in hand ready to take shots of the incumbent stage show, as well as plenty of the other action going on around the club, although it was soon apparent that the full show would not be set in motion until close on 3 a.m., the start of his set next door in the “Latin” lounge, although having Mr Nicholls with both Steve & Mikey, not just under the same roof at the same time, but performing at the same party, was bliss indeed and took us back to the days of Crash, Ultra & the original Beyond, brilliant!.
With Steve & Mikey’s performance coming close to an end, we retreated from the stifling heat of the main room to take a few moments out in the “Latin” lounge before Brent’s set, catching up on news & downing iced refreshments with our pal before he started his stint behind the decks, our devotions from here on in very much torn between Brent in the lounge and Paul Heron in the mirror arch, who had taken over from the might of Gonzalo Rivas and was stirring up some superb sounds of his own. Meanwhile in the main room, the drop dead gorgeous & muscular to boot, Leandro Bekker, had taken charge of the decks, his tougher sounding house finding favour with the Brazilian lot, but the carnival of a show that preceded his full on performance, stole much of the limelight, twelve appropriately dressed dancers parading round the extended stage to samba style sounds that had the crowd cheering in appreciation of the sparkling spectacle. But having savoured the show, our main devotions were to the more Latin flavoured & funky beats Brent was masterminding next door, he pulling plenty of our favourite tunes out of the bag, the room pitching & yawing with followers of funk. Even Industri pal Stephen was getting in on the Latin act, rising to the occasion and swinging around on the dancing pole in the middle of the room, much to our hilarity, although being far braver than us in his escapades.
Such was the brilliance of the party that the time literally flew by, Per Q.X. eventually taking up the main room mantle and Pier Morrorco, who had been enjoying the party, called to duty to step in for a swift departing Mr Heron, the final few moments of our stay occupied with liaisons towards a now off duty Leandro Bekker and Spirit Of Star supremo, the engaging Michel Mau, although with 6 a.m. approaching fast, our attentions were now diverted to forays across Vauxhall at Beyond, a trip we had not made for some time. So, negotiating the very lengthy coatcheck queue to collect our belongings, we waved bye to Brent, eventually leaving Fire and a hugely successful The Week event behind, smiling from ear to ear from this ecstatic experience.
Without doubt we can conclude that in The Week at Fire, Alex Erfan & everyone involved in the organisation of this incredible event very much pulled of one of the best parties we have seen in Fire this year. Not only were we taken a-back by the numbers through the doors, but the music from the top class D.J. line up, definitely delivered to expectations & more. The changes to Fire’s main room were certainly impressive, the LED lighting display shouting out a stunning statement and whilst many would say the London effort wasn’t a patch on those In Sao Paulo & Rio, we thought the party packed a considerable punch, showing the rest of clubland in the capital at least, just how good it can be done at Fire. As for our highlights, well it has to be the spellbinding back-to-back performance by Messrs Dower & Pitron, along with the Latin infused excellence of Brent Nicholls, all three serving to prove that we definitely have top quality D.J.’s in London to match anywhere in the world. The Week definitely did it for us and we can’t wait to see it lauding itself in London again, as we will be there for sure. (DISCO MATT)
THE WEEK – SATURDAY 18TH SEPTEMBER
CLUB REVIEW
It would be fair to say that we are lucky to have some amazing home-grown club brands that have made a impact across the world and that we can be proud of, names such as Trade, DTPM, Love Muscle & Crash springing to mind, oh and not forgetting Beyond of course, this Sunday morning afterhours having made more than a splash in Amsterdam & Paris, while the former brands have made it further a-field, destinations including Australia, South Africa & even South America. Now, as much as we can be proud of our British brands, the diversity of our scene is such that we often welcome overseas clubs with open arms, although there has seemingly been a dominance by all things Spanish in this respect, Matinee Space & SuperMartXe ruling supreme in the import stakes, while others like Muccassassina, Nightkomn & Scream only getting a recent look in at specialist event The London Global Dance Festival (LGDF). But the man behind this huge undertaking which dominated the Whitsun Bank Holiday weekend, who was also responsible for the NYD success story that was As One, Mr Alex Erfan, had something else up his sleeve, the arrival of a club event in London, this time from Brazil and a brand that is not only a legend in its own country, but had just last month made its mark of Barcelona’s Circuit Festival.
The Week, whilst relatively unknown to the average Joe in London, is simply huge in its home town of Sao Paulo, as well as making considerable waves across Brazil in both Rio & Florianopolis, this club event in South America’s largest city regularly attracting well over 2500 revellers through its doors in a club setting that simply blows the mind, two huge rooms illuminated with wall to wall laser lighting and plenty more besides, plus an outside area sporting a swimming pool & views over Sao Paulo to absolutely die for and we haven’t even touched on the Rio setting yet. And as for the crowd The Week attracts, well you can imagine that it is full to brimming with bare chested Brazilians, handsome & scantily dressed go-go dancing boys, muscular men & gorgeous girls, all who know exactly what having a good time is about, topping all that with magnificent music of the uplifting, funky & fulsome kind, from some of the best looking D.J.’s in the business. So, with this massive brand making strides not just in its home country, but slowly & surely across the globe, London simply had to be on their touring agenda and what better man to make it happen than Mr As One & LGDF himself.
So, with our sights firmly set on Fire and with the prospect of something quite special, at least by London standards, we made our way down to Vauxhall, arriving at the venues doors a little after midnight, negotiating a rather healthy queue of people as eager as us to see just how this Brazilian brand of a club would work in London. With door pleasantries over, we stepped into the club proper, first calling on the coatcheck to drop off our bits & bobs and then grab some refreshments at the bar, meeting almost immediately the delightful Danny Shubert, who was on a relative free reign to enjoy the party, while partner Roni was masterminding proceedings from a background position. With Danny soon off to locate his liege, we headed down into the main room, very much taken a-back by the considerable changes that had been made, the D.J. booth completely moved from its original spot, now standing proud towards the far end of the room, which had been knocked back as far as the building perimeter, a large stage area wrapping around both sides of the booth in readiness for the spectacular carnival of a show that had been promised.
Finding a spot to the left of the D.J. booth, we surveyed the new territory that was Fire’s main room, the most striking addition being a massive LED lighting affair on the back wall, to compliment the banks of video screens down one side & the infamous Fire laser lighting that set off the yellow & green decor & interesting ceiling decor that was certainly making a statement. But much more of a statement was coming from the D.J. both, not so much from his music, which for us was a bit off beat, but from his smouldering good looks, Doug Uim certainly cutting a stride and impressing pal Danny who had rejoined our side. With a quick visit into the lounge space over, we were back in the main room and ready for the duo of Steve Pitron & Mikey D, both who never fail to deliver delectable & majestic music whenever they perform alone, but to get them together and at this The Week party was to be an outstanding highlight. And, do you know what, they delivered in each & every department, track after track mesmerising the crowd and short of lifting the roof off Fire.
But it wasn’t just their music that was making our experience special, as both Steve & Mikey made us feel so much a part of proceedings, Mr Pitron bounding over before his back to back performance, to say hello and share a “who am I speaking to" joke with us, then calling us across to the other side of the booth as his stupendous set with Mikey commenced, even Mr Dower looking over constantly and, having also said his hellos’ yet another quip about his latest compilation release entering into conversation. With the duo in full swing and the main room literally bursting at the seams, also reports coming in the queue outside was stretching up towards Starbucks, the heat from the mesmeric music was one thing, but the heat from the un air conditioned main room was another, so something had to give, the team rolling open the doors to the mirrorarch room early, Doug Uim stepping in ahead of Gonzalo Rivas’s arrival to ease the roadblock that was both the main room and the waiting masses outside.
Now the party was in full swing, the crowd getting bigger & bigger by the minute and the good looking muscle men intermixing with Brazilian boys & classic Fire club kids to create an enticing mix of dance crazy people that just wanted to party. And with the amazing LED display behind the main room D.J. booth firing on all cylinders, displaying Steve’s & Mikey’s names in bright white lights, both stars very were much in their element and loving every minute of it. Then to further add to our euphoria, we were joined by fantastic friend Brent Nicholls, who had his camera in hand ready to take shots of the incumbent stage show, as well as plenty of the other action going on around the club, although it was soon apparent that the full show would not be set in motion until close on 3 a.m., the start of his set next door in the “Latin” lounge, although having Mr Nicholls with both Steve & Mikey, not just under the same roof at the same time, but performing at the same party, was bliss indeed and took us back to the days of Crash, Ultra & the original Beyond, brilliant!.
With Steve & Mikey’s performance coming close to an end, we retreated from the stifling heat of the main room to take a few moments out in the “Latin” lounge before Brent’s set, catching up on news & downing iced refreshments with our pal before he started his stint behind the decks, our devotions from here on in very much torn between Brent in the lounge and Paul Heron in the mirror arch, who had taken over from the might of Gonzalo Rivas and was stirring up some superb sounds of his own. Meanwhile in the main room, the drop dead gorgeous & muscular to boot, Leandro Bekker, had taken charge of the decks, his tougher sounding house finding favour with the Brazilian lot, but the carnival of a show that preceded his full on performance, stole much of the limelight, twelve appropriately dressed dancers parading round the extended stage to samba style sounds that had the crowd cheering in appreciation of the sparkling spectacle. But having savoured the show, our main devotions were to the more Latin flavoured & funky beats Brent was masterminding next door, he pulling plenty of our favourite tunes out of the bag, the room pitching & yawing with followers of funk. Even Industri pal Stephen was getting in on the Latin act, rising to the occasion and swinging around on the dancing pole in the middle of the room, much to our hilarity, although being far braver than us in his escapades.
Such was the brilliance of the party that the time literally flew by, Per Q.X. eventually taking up the main room mantle and Pier Morrorco, who had been enjoying the party, called to duty to step in for a swift departing Mr Heron, the final few moments of our stay occupied with liaisons towards a now off duty Leandro Bekker and Spirit Of Star supremo, the engaging Michel Mau, although with 6 a.m. approaching fast, our attentions were now diverted to forays across Vauxhall at Beyond, a trip we had not made for some time. So, negotiating the very lengthy coatcheck queue to collect our belongings, we waved bye to Brent, eventually leaving Fire and a hugely successful The Week event behind, smiling from ear to ear from this ecstatic experience.
Without doubt we can conclude that in The Week at Fire, Alex Erfan & everyone involved in the organisation of this incredible event very much pulled of one of the best parties we have seen in Fire this year. Not only were we taken a-back by the numbers through the doors, but the music from the top class D.J. line up, definitely delivered to expectations & more. The changes to Fire’s main room were certainly impressive, the LED lighting display shouting out a stunning statement and whilst many would say the London effort wasn’t a patch on those In Sao Paulo & Rio, we thought the party packed a considerable punch, showing the rest of clubland in the capital at least, just how good it can be done at Fire. As for our highlights, well it has to be the spellbinding back-to-back performance by Messrs Dower & Pitron, along with the Latin infused excellence of Brent Nicholls, all three serving to prove that we definitely have top quality D.J.’s in London to match anywhere in the world. The Week definitely did it for us and we can’t wait to see it lauding itself in London again, as we will be there for sure. (DISCO MATT)
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