May 14-16 - Close Spaces and Open Places

I rushed home from work on Friday, trying to get to the gym before it was too late. They close early on Friday (10pm), and anyway don't want to be eating dinner too late either. Mission accomplished, Workout worked in, Dinner eaten and another night off to a good start. Left with plenty of time before midnight so no last minute rush for the door. Parked right around the corner, got my startoff $1 bottled water and followed my man-on-the-scene into the party. The lights were flashing and the mood was upbeat for a different kind of Friday Party at Splash. Our DJ for the eve was Susan Morabito. I had not heard her spin on a Friday in a very long time and I was interested to see what kind of vibe she would bring for my Friday Night hangout. She is not a favorite DJ of everyone but I can see what some people like about her flavor of party. Me myself felt she waited too long to play something recognizable. A lot of the songs seemed like tea dance filler and I did not hear something I recognized until around 1am. I think that the New York club-going kind of person likes to hear stuff they recognize so that they can sing along and dance to what they know. Susan seems to feel that the goodness of the vibe and the classic beats will bridge the gap between the hardened club kid and the still dancing oldsters of classic parties of the early 80s. Myself, I was just looking to dance and while I will admit that the lights of Liz Ligouri definitely add to making the dance experience one with the fascinating light show. The party as a whole was missing too much. Overall, I think that it took too much effort to enjoy myself. I'll say that I like to dip into the classics just as much as the next one but I think the New York scene has moved past that type of music as a rule, especially on a Friday or Saturday night. Remembering what happened at the Black Party this past March I felt that Susan played what she thought people would be into at 7am rather than what they wanted to hear. I thought the music she chose to start off that night was just empty beats and no substance. While the Friday night mix had substance it was more of a classic confection and not the kind of body moving grooves we have grown to love in our recent past year of clubgoing episodes. The hottest beats right now meld what is hip, what is tribal and electronic and at the same time embrace what started it all. All that said, I will probably choose to miss the next Friday night party with the same host.

Saturday woke up feeling fine and did some music mixing of my own. I went on a tear and was able to slam together the entire CD in one afternoon. Can't wait to premiere my new sets (1 current mix and a 2CD retrospective mix) for my friends next month. As the evening rolled in I rested up for an early start on the night with a party in Chelsea for one of my friends. It was supposed to be a house party that spilled out onto the patio outside but ended up being just a spill as the weather conspired to keep us all very soggy. With only a brief respite during the walk from the car, it was thunder and lightning and all that rain to keep all of the party inside and not out. The overworked apartment was far too hot and too small to contain it, so the party spilled onto the stairwell and the hallway downstairs. It was still a good time though, with a lot of conversations had, cigs smoked and hard lemonade guzzled as we wished our friends well and then headed into the night. The after-the-party was of course at Roxy as we danced down the street, in between raindrops, and arrived at 12:45 at the spot that was and is the place 2B. DJ Manny Lehman was on the decks and the crowd was definitely in full effect for another truly electric mixdown. I walked into room to Beyonce (Naughty Girl) and the party beats were all over the place. I danced from the front to the back and even danced a floor show in the lounge area in the back with a nice open space to show off to Monica (Get It Off). Our crowd of friends grew only larger and the music got only better as we proceeded to once again have a stellar Manny evening (a consistent Level 4 throughout). I even ventured into the asian section and made a speaker appearance without knowing what was coming on next. Of course I knew that with a diva currently playing that the next song was going to be straight up tribal and of course, it was. Despite the momentary misses and burnouts of the evening it was all right for the boys in the house that night. We stayed in till around 4:30 am and caught a car home without too much drama. Sunday day is another day of rest and recovery and of course shopping. Another weekend over and done and we are closer to the summer with each passing day. Yes, yes, Spring is here. Rain, allergies and breaking out the short pants. As Kelis has stated, "The Boys are waiting... "