Thursday, April 21, 2011

Amazing DJs coming to D.C. over the next couple of weeks!

I already mentioned this in a previous post, but I figured I'd share more info on who is coming to town and when. I also added a little taste of each DJ, so in case you have no idea who these people are, you can see what kind of music they play.

Saturday 5/7: Axwell (Glow @ Club Fur)
Leave the World Behind
Watch the Sunrise
Saturday 5/14: Steve Aoki (Glow @ Club Fur) (THIS IS AWESOME)
I'm in the House
Turbulence (With Laidback Luke featuring Lil' Jon)

Saturday 5/21: Alex Gaudino (Glow @ Club Fur)
Destination Calabria (greatest video ever)
I'm in Love

Thursday 5/26: Armin van Buuren (Glow @ Club Fur) (The LEGEND)
In and Out of Love
Imagine

Sunday 5/29: Benny Benassi (Glow @ Club Fur)
Satisfaction (can't talk about Benassi without this song)
Illusion

Enjoy!

Club Fur Review

I've been talking a lot about DJs playing at Glow @ Club Fur. It only seems right that I wrote a review of the place. I must start this review with a premise. I have had the privilege to go to some of the best clubs in the world. Last summer, I spent a whole week in Ibiza. For those of you who don't know what/where that is, Ibiza is a small island off the coast of Spain. It is to this day considered one of the premiere locations for people seeking and exiting club experience. 
The island offers other tourism opportunities in the north. The best part of the island, according to me at least, is in the south. The southern part of the island houses some of the best clubs in the world. Pacha (who also has one in NYC), Space, Privilege, Circoloco DC10 and Amnesia are the most popular ones, and rightfully so. I highly recommend anyone that really loves and breathes electronic music to go to Ibiza. You will not be disappointed.
Anyway, back to Club Fur. After spending the summer there, my expectations were not that high for Club Fur. I first went there when David Guetta came to D.C. in December 2010. I remember thinking that I was just going to enjoy his set, and did not envision the club itself was going anything exciting. As soon as I walked in, however, I quickly changed my mind. The place is actually a lot bigger than it appears to be from the outside. There are 7 bars, 4 separate rooms and 2 mezzanines. The first thing I noticed that was, in my view, a good indication of how well the place worked, was the wardrobe department. Pretty much every club I've ever been to in my life had horrible lines going to the wardrobe, and you ended up waiting a long time to get your coat checked. That was not the case at Fur; it took me maybe 3 minutes to get my coat and all of my friends' coats checked.
Aside from that minor detail, there were other things I really liked. For some reason, the bar only used top shelf liquor. I don't know if it was an accident or I just got lucky, but they always used great booze to make drinks. And it was only $7 a drink. I know that is not cheap, but for top shelf liquor I was expecting a lot more. Another thing I loved, as a smoker, was the outside area, where they had those space heaters and ashtrays all around. That was much appreciated.
When I got to the main dance floor where Guetta was set to perform, I did immediately think it was a little small and it was going to get pretty packed. My suspicions proved to be right; then again, Guetta attract all kinds of people, so that is not that surprising. The sound system was nothing exceptional, but for the size and location of the club, I thought it was definitely better than expected. I spent about an hour 5 ft away from Guetta and the sound system, and for the next couple of days my hearing was not very good.
The show itself was really good; Guetta was about 45 minutes late, but that has more to do with the DJ than with the club itself. He put on a good show, and at one point a guy covered in LED lights and hooked to the ceiling came in with guns that shot out some type of fog. That was AWESOME. I think he is a staple in Guetta's shows, I saw him in A.C. too.
So all in all, I was pleasantly surprised by Club Fur. My expectations were low coming in, but they were definitely met, and then some. I've gone to a number of other shows there and I expect to go to a lot of them over the next couple of weeks and over the summer. Below I put in some pictures I took with my phone of the Guetta night. Hope you enjoy them!

This was, sadly, the best picture I got of Guetta doing his thing.
 This is the Tron looking guy that jumped around while shooting lasers and fog. As I said, AWESOME.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

A taste of Wolfgang Gartner

Wolfgang Gartner-Illmerica
Deadmau5 & Wolfgang Gartner-Animal Rights
Andy Caldwell ft. Gram'ma-Funk Nasty (Wolgang Gartner Mix)
Wolfgang Gartner-Illmerica (Natty Rico Sax Rework)...I know it's the same song just remixed. But I just found this remix and I like it a lot.

Wolfgang Gartner is coming to town!

Wolfgang Gartner is undoubtedly one of the breakthrough DJs for 2010. After signing with Ultra Records in 2010,  one of the most important labels in the electro-house scene, Gartner saw his popularity increase considerably. Ultra Records is the label for, to name a few, Deadmau5, David Guetta, Benny Benassy and Fedde Le Grand. So I guess you could say they have some talent. 
Back to Gartner, he was nominated for a 2010 Grammy for Best Remixed Recording (Non Classical), for his remix of Andy Caldwell's "Funk Nasty." He also released "Illmerica" which is currently, and has been for quite a while, on of my favorite electro tracks. I also believe "Illmerica" to be one of the best tracks for 2010. I highly recommend you go see him next weekend, April 30th, at Glow @ Club Fur. Tickets are $20,   and the party starts at 10PM and ends at 2AM. Lastly, look out for updates on Axwell, the amazing and always entertaining Steve Aoki, Alex Gaudino, the legend Armin van Buuren, and Benny Benassi! Seems like summer is going to start early this year for clubs in D.C. 
Links below for tickets and location!

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

A taste of DJ Pauly D

This is the type of music you can expect at Barcode Lounge this Friday, 4/15. It hurts me to say this song is actually pretty catchy.

DJ Pauly D at Barcode this Friday 4/15

While I do not think Pauly D is in any way close to the other DJs I have talked about in previous entries, for the sake of good journalism I have to report this. Barcode Lounge is exactly what the name suggests: a lounge bar. Drinks are good, staff is friendly and it usually gets pretty packed. So if you like the Jersey Shore and are a fan of fist pumping, you should check it out. The bar is 21+ and tickets are $20. Links below show you location and where to get the tickets, as well as the Barcode Lounge website.

Thursday, March 31, 2011

There's still time for Angello!

Don't forget, Steve Angello will be performing at Club Fur @ Glow tonight. Don't miss it!

I don't care what DJ Mag says, Deadmau5 is the best.

Every year DJ Mag comes up with a list of the top 100 DJs in the world. For the fourth year in a row, the number one spot went to Armin van Buren. The list comes out around October every year, and it usually reflects who the top DJs fairly accurately. People are going to have their own preferences, but the list gives a very good indication of who's had the best year etc. 
This is not disputing van Buren's talent in any way, but I believe Deadmau5 is the best DJ out there right now. I had the privilege to see him perform in NYC at Roseland Ballroom before Halloween last year, and it was one of the most amazing live performances I ever experienced. I  unfortunately missed his show at the 9:30 Club here in D.C., the one during which he passed out and was later hospitalized for exhaustion. However, I do hope he comes back to D.C. soon, either at the 9:30 Club or at Club Glow. Actually, any place will do, I just hope he comes back. His performances are extremely entertaining from a visual perspective, there's a lot of crowd interaction, which is difficult for a DJ wearing a giant Mau5 Head, and obviously his music is amazing. Well, I think so.
Anyway, this post came out after I saw a video of his performance at Ultra Music Festival this past weekend in Miami. The track is "Sofi Needs a Ladder" off his latest album 4x4=12, which is available on iTunes. In case you were wondering, the drummer is Tommy Lee and Sofi is his (Tommy Lee's) girlfriend. Come on, how cool is that? Enjoy.

Monday, March 28, 2011

Save the World Tonight-NEW Swedish House Mafia

I truly hope Steve Angello will play the newest Swedish House Mafia track, Save the World Tonight, when he comes to Club Fur this Thursday. You can find live versions of the track at a number of different venues. The official date for the release of the single is not known yet, however Steve Angello himself confirmed this will be the Swedish House Mafia's newest single at the Future Music Festival in Melbourne Australia (source http://housemusicparty.info). 
Below you can see a live performance at the Masquerade Hotel in Miami, FL. 

Future of DJ consoles?

I know this does not really tie into the D.C. club scene. I just stumbled across this video and thought it would be an interesting take for all my followers interested in the future of DJs. This futuristic console uses cubes to create tracks. The track that you see below is actually really catchy. 
Do I personally think this will be the future of DJs? No. DJs will use their beloved consoles for years to come, at least in my opinion. This is, however, a pretty cool little instrument, and if any DJ comes to D.C. using one of these Reactables, I'll be sure to let you all know. For now, enjoy the video and make sure to check back in soon for more news regarding Tiesto, Dada Life and other DJs on their way to D.C.!