As you know, DJ Armin Van Buuren, the #1 trance DJ in the world, releases an annual CD collaborartion titled “A State of Trance”.
How does this relate to Vancouver? Armin Van Buuren came to Plush earlier this month to play two shows with the Friday show was completely sold out! The photo in this entry was taken by me at his Thursday October 9, 2008 show! Any excuse to post my amazing pictures up on Modern Mix Vancouver! :)
Since his concert, I have obtained his 2008 CD and have been listening to it non-stop and I finally feel like I have heard enough of his selection to be able to pick my favorites and I have included his track list below italicized the “general consensus” of the “most popular” tracks from ASOT 2008. I use those terms casually as everyone has their own taste in music, but the ones I have italicized are perhaps the more well known tracks.
For those of you who are already listening, here is a track list for your convenience.
CD1: ON THE BEACH 1. Armin van Buuren feat. Jaren – Unforgivable (First State Remix)
2. DJ Tatana – Spring Breeze (Martin Roth SummerStyle Remix)
3. Mike Foyle – Bittersweet Nightshade
4. M6 – Amazon Dawn
5. Andy Moor – Fake Awake (The Blizzard Remix)
6. Blake Jarrell – Punta Del Este
7. Benya feat. Penny Nixon – Serendipity
8. Ohmna – Satori Waterfalls
9. Signalrunners feat. Julie Thompson – These Shoulders (Club Mix)
10. Myon & Shane 54 feat. Carrie Skipper – Vampire (Club Mix)
11. Julian Vincent – Certainty (Mark Otten Dub)
12. Tenishia feat. Tiff Lacey – Burning From The Inside (Tenishia’s Burning Dub) 13. Mr. Sam feat. ClAud9 – Cygnes
14. Lange – Out of the Sky (Kyau & Albert Remix
CD2: IN THE CLUB
1. Arnej feat. Josie – Strangers We’ve Become (Intro Tech Dub) 2. Sunlounger feat. Zara – Lost (Club Mix)
3. Offer Nissim – For your Love (Sied van Riel Remix)
4. Ilya Soloviev & Paul Miller – Lover Summer (Orjan Nilsen Remix)
5. Markus Schulz – The New World
6. Robert Nickson & Daniel Kandi – Rewire
7. Giuseppe Ottaviani – No More Alone
8. The Thrillseekers feat. Fisher – The Last Time (Simon Bostock Remix)
9. Stoneface & Terminal – Blueprint (Club Mix)
10. DJ Shah feat. Adrina Thorpe – Back To You (Aly & Fila Remix)
11. Andy Blueman – Time To Rest (Live Guitar by Eller van Buuren)
12. Thomas Bronzwaer – Certitude
13. 8 Wonders – The Return
14. Jochen Miller – Lost Connection 15. Armin van Buuren feat. Sharon Den Adel – In And Out of Love (Richard Durand Remix)
When I was in the line up for Pop Opera’s grand opening two weekends ago, I met a promoter from Twisted Productions who hinted to us that a very very big name trance DJ (ie. No. 1 trance DJ in the world) was coming to Vancouver some time in October. But it was very hush hush and he couldn’t say any more. Now that concert details have been released, it has been announced that Paul Van Dyk will be on his Vonyc Sessions world tour and he’s coming to Plush on October 30th! Early bird tickets have already sold out, but you can still buy general admission passes here…for $60.
As mentioned in my previous blog entry, POP OPERA (686 West Hastings) had its grand opening tonight. After over an hour of waiting in the guestlist line up (ironically, my guestlist didn’t go through…but that’s a whole other story) the only reason why my group of three made it through the wait was because we outlasted the lineup, contrary to many frustrated party-goers giving up and waving down cabs on the street instead. That being said, the lineup was one of the more enjoyable aspects of my night! The weather was fairly warm with no rain, the people in the line-up were civilized not rowdy, the bouncers were respectful not rude and I had the fantastic opportunity to catch up with two of my friends.
Once inside, coat check was $5: a steep price to pay on a summer’s evening, but not atypical of the Donnelly Nightclubs. Pop Opera’s interior had the same architectural structure as the old Club 686 yet modern updates, including lighting and artwork, gave it an upscale feel. This club was made for VIP – with several roped off areas encompassing white couches and rectangular tables, on top of which were menus for bottle service. Regardless, the club felt…cluttered…rather than spacious. True, the wooden dancefloor was large and accommodating, but tables were too close to the bar and more often than not, we had to squeeze past people in the narrowness.
Like any other club, the dancefloor had its moments with a jumping crowd one song and a dwindling, thinning crowd the next. Perhaps this was due to an erratic music choice. The featured DJs were “Flipout and J Swing” from The Beat 94.5 FM yet I found the song selection more appropriate for radio, not for a dancefloor. Perhaps that was the sound Pop Opera was aiming for – with a wide selection of song genres – from grungy hip-hip beats to classic oldskool.
A door to the left of the DJ booth led to a smaller area enclosed in dark glass. (For those of you who have been to the previous Club 686, this would be where the VIP seating was). With a square-ish dance floor and rounded walls with full length mirrors, a completely different set of music was being played absolutely isolated and sound proof from the main room.
Overall, the branding of “POP OPERA” brings to mind Andy Warhol style pop- art and bright bubbly colors (ie. the Friday night posters and guest passes for complimentary colors with its contrasting bright pink and pastels) yet the actual venue was inconsistent with my assumptions. Nonetheless, I am glad I had to opportunity to check out such a hyped-up and anticipated club :)
**Enter MMV’s first contest SHEAR GENIUS. Application deadline August 3rd.
The Donnelly Group (Bar None, The Modern, Republic, etc.) is opening another club! POP OPERA (686 West Hastings) is having its grand opening tonight! SEE YOU THERE.
**For MMV’s review on Pop Opera’s opening night, click here.
**Enter MMV’s first contest SHEAR GENIUS. Application deadline August 3rd.
This past weekend, I had a chance to visit Space Lounge Restaurant (1149 Granville Street) which newly opened about a month ago in downtown, Vancouver. We sat at the bar for post-dinner, pre-clubbing drinks and I was able to talk with the Bar Manager Ivan Chew (AKA “Chewy”) and the Space Lounge chef Matthew Phillip
What sets Space Lounge apart? Other than their zodiac-inspired space theme, with a wall of glowing space lights, translucent curtains, and menu based on the four elements (Earth, Water, Fire, Air), the kitchen and bar have very close ties. In fact, all their cocktail syrups are made in-house with fresh ingredients! Simmer equal parts of water and sugar and add in dashes of licorice, spices, fruit puree…anything! As a result, the flavors of the Space Lounge menu and cocktail selection are likely to complement each other. I ordered their most popular drink – the Pirahnna for its unique blend of flavors. Spiced rum! House-made pineapple syrup! In terms of prices, it’s about $8 to $10 for a specialty drink – a little bit on the pricy end so make sure you try something unique! The bartenders are also equipped with bar tricks, so there was entertainment value in the tossing of shakers, and the pouring of alcohol at unusual angles.
As for its food, some bite-sized appies are served on silver spoons on a flat, square dish. Thanks to Chewy, I was able to sample a delicious bite of juicy mango topped with coconut sorbet. The other spoon held a square sliver of cheesecake. This serving-style reminds me of the appetizers at Whine-o’s just down the street, where appetizers (mini meatballs, etc.) are also served on white chinese style spoons.
We stayed until about 9pm but apparently as the night goes on, Space Lounge turns into a little bit of a dance floor. However, it closes at midnight so for those who was to get their late-night/early-morning groove on, it’s time to conveniently club hop down the Granville strip.
So, on Friday night I went to the Blank & Jones concert at Richard on Richards. Blank & Jones is a duo from Cologne, Germany with eight album releases – well, nine now after The Logic of Pleasure. Great concert venue with an elevated stage and zig-zags of color-changing neon lights framing the DJs. The concert wasn’t sold out which contributed to its spaciousness and gave everyone the freedom and ability to JUST DANCE.I think this was one of the best touring DJ concerts I have been to in a while – a contributing factor being how Blank & Jones are trance DJs, which is a pleasant change to all the house DJ concerts and clubs I have been to as of late. And because Blank & Jones are not as mainstream as DJs such as David Guetta or Fedde Le Grand, the crowd there was willing to pay $25 for a concert they wanted to be at, as my friend Anca said, “brought together for the love of trance”.
Lastly, Blank and Jones had a lot of crowd interaction – a lot of hands up, and pointing back at the crowd and eye contact. Perhaps it’s because there’s two of them so one can entertain the crowd while the other one spins. I have a video of Blank just standing still and staring at my camera and grinning – probably thinking I was about to take a picture and not realizing I was on video-mode instead.
For more Blank & Jones videos, click here for their official YouTube page.
The next DJ concert I’m going to is Markus Schulz at Plush on July 1st. Hope to see you there!
Last night I went to the Industry and Media Reveal for Tunnel Bar|Lounge (622 West Pender Street) which was an invitation-only event to preview the club before it opens to the general public. Thank you to DJ Skilla, the resident DJ at Ginger 62 for handing me these passes while he was DJing at my 21st birthday party last week. The event started at 8pm-ish and we were given complementary drink tickets (stylish, mini, fuscha-colored cardboard squares) in the line up. By 10pm the club was already starting to fill up with groups of people who know a lot of other people from working in “the industry”. The picture below is taken from the BACK of the club, facing the front entrance:
The Tunnel venue is a long, rectangular club. Looking through the entrance, you could see right to the end of the club, where the DJ booth is located. Coatcheck is on the right, a small, veiled VIP lounge is on the left. Beyond that, the bar, its white counter stretched down on the left side of the club while couches were opposite it on the right. Behind the bar were wide TV screens flashing scenes of a driver’s-seat view of (appropriately) driving through a tunnel. At the back end of the room, with the dance floor and DJ booth, the walls and ceiling curved where they met to give the impression of a tunnel. The washrooms were slightly grungy with its with black walls and pink graffitti yet elegant chandelier lamps hung from the ceiling
At the event, broadcasters were there to film the progression of Tunnel club – from the planning to the launch. They intend to pitch the series to a number of networks later this summer. I have to say, you should check this club out if not for any other reason than to see what the hype is all about. From my blog stats, more people are visiting Modern Mix Vancouver from search terms relating to Tunnel than any other search query.
Tunnel Bar|Lounge is opening soon and is located on 622 West Pender Street.
Keep your eyes peeled, your ears open and your liver strong with these grand opening nights:
Traffik Fridays w/ Soulgood Events & Epik Entertainment (May 30th) Lifted Saturdays w/ Canthrill Productions (May 31st) Shelter Wednesdays w/ D Rock & Alan. (June 4th)
If you want to guestlist to any of the above events, email guestlist@entertunnel.com. Their Media & Industry night is tomorrow, Wednesday May 28th, and I have tickets!
If I end up going, I will definitely give a review of the club.
When I was in the line up for Pop Opera’s grand opening two weekends ago, I met a promoter from Twisted Productions who hinted to us that a very very big name trance DJ (ie. No. 1 trance DJ in the world) was coming to Vancouver some time in October. But it was very hush hush and he couldn’t say any more. Now that concert details have been released, it has been announced that 
So, on Friday night I went to the 
