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| ONE MIGHTY WEEKEND 2008 - In Review
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One Mighty Weekend 2008:: In Review
by Brennan Sullivan
Article Courtesy of EDGE
*** NOTE: Click any image for a closer look
This year's OMW was such a blast! The host hotel where most of us stayed, the Buena Vista Palace, had undergone extensive renovations from last year (when large common areas were still covered in tarps and scaffolds). The staff there is, in my mind, very courteous and prompt. Check-in was friendly and went smoothly, and they immediately brought up extra pillows upon request.
This year the weather cooperated, and there was no monsoon lagoon's or running from showers like last year. Gorgeous, sunny days and surprisingly cool nights, along with a hottie factor that was really remarkable even for this event, and of course stellar music sets by most of the DJs at the various parties, all conspired to make this one event to remember. It's amazing how many parties get packed into three days.
Thursday June 5, 2008
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DJ Brett Henrichsen
Photo by PhotographyByJRDavis.Com |
Jump Start @ The House of Blues
The first event was a brand new one this year, Jump Start, with DJ Brett Henrichsen, at the House of Blues, located at the far end of Downtown Disney. You had to walk past Mannequins to get there, and it appeared that club was jumping from what I could tell on the outside. After a good 20 minute walk, we made it House of Blues. Picture a multi-level, saloon-style structure with an old west feel to it. The dance floor was actually slightly below the main floor bar area, with ramps on the side and steps in the middle leading down into the recessed area. The DJ booth was set up on a stage in front.
Stairs to the upstairs balcony were located on both sides of the building. You could really get a nice view looking down to the dance floor from several rows of benches (kind of reminded me of church pews for some reason, loll) in the front on this second level. The upstairs area basically covered about half the space as the first floor, with an opening for the wide dance floor and stage below. Basically, it's a theater set-up without being a theater per se. There were no benches downstairs for rowed seating. The upstairs also had several mini-levels, and the sides had tables, which gave the ends a restaurant-style feel. This was a multi-use space for sure! |
There was already a decent-sized crowd inside when we got there, around 10:30PM. And there was Brett up on stage, and if I may pause for a moment here, the man looked absolutely frickin's stellar. The flashing strobe lights kept illuminating his physique in wonderful ways, which added to the visual aspect of the event. We all know how he looks, but how did he play? Well, in a word, AWESOME! Brett's sets of late have been very consistent, and that night was no exception. He really takes the pulse of the crowd and knows what to throw down next. Early on here, Brett was playing some really fun stuff, like Depeche Mode's "I Just Can 't Get Enough", Janet's "Feedback" (Paulo's mix), and out of nowhere dropped a great mix of EMF's "Unbelievable" that worked well at that point in his set.
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Brett also played the hot Johnny Vicious dub of Natasha Bedingfield's "Pocketful of Sunshine", Paulo's slamming mixes of Rihanna's "Don 't Stop The Music" and Madonna's "4 Minutes", and the Ralphi Rosario mix of Jessica Sutta's "Make It Last", which really set the place on fire. We also got to hear the hot new Offer Nissim mix of Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean", which is infinitely better than the mix that Johnny Vicious did on Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Something" (which Brett also played). You could just see the happy faces all around, as the crowd continued to pack the venue. Old friends were re-uniting, new friends were being made, numbers were being exchanged for later, etc....This party had such a 'feel-good' vibe to it.
After going a bit too dark between 12:00 and 1:00 AM, and losing some of the NRG he had earlier, Brett recovered nicely for his transition into a more after hours feel, but with the requisite driving beats. |
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He was really keeping the vocals minimal, and displaying some of the amazing keyboard work of Jose Spinnin Cortez and Deep Influence (Orlando F) with that fierce Brazilian jungle sound. Brett had what I would describe as a third transition around 1:45 into a lighter, more pop-oriented closing sound, where we got some nice mixes of songs like Leona Lewis's "Bleeding Love" and Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars". Brett did a nice job of working in some different
moods throughout the night.
Friday June 6, 2008
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Reunion Pool Party
Photo by PhotographyByJRDavis.Com |
Reunion Pool Party @ The BVP
The first pool party was on Friday, with DJ Don Bishop spinning. As well attended as Jump Start was the night prior, there still weren't enough boys who had arrived yet to really pack this party, but that was nothing out of the ordinary from years's past.Don did play a nice mix of some old and new stuff throughout, before going a bit harder and more circuitry the last hour or so.
Erin Hamilton came out about half way through and performed her new smash hit "Control Yourself" (summer anthem alert!) and "The Flame".
The rest of the pool parties kicked a** and reached more of the critical mass typical of these events, but more on the pool parties later. |
Beach Ball @ Typhoon Lagoon
Next up was Beach Ball @ Typhoon Lagoon on Friday night. One word first about the main event parties in general needs to be said here: Please provide shuttle buses that go directly from the BVP to Typhoon Lagoon, Disney Hollywood Studios Studios and Universal Studios in the same way it is done for the after hours.
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Now, let me just say before reviewing DJ Tracy Young's set itself, that this was probably the most fun night of the weekend all around. I mean, all the boys in their bathing suits, great water rides, and perfect weather (there was even a breeze, which I thought would be cold way on top of the water slides, but it wasn't. It was a soft, warm breeze). We rode the side slides and the tunnel ones, which were a ton of fun, and also ventured into the wave pool. I never made it into the lazy river, which I planned on doing later as a way to just chill, because I wanted to dance. This park still confuses me at night though, and some of the winding paths don't seem to get you places directly or without some confusion. I had to keep asking where things were, and the signage is a bit obscure. You would often walk down one path, only to find it dead-end or be roped off.
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DJ Tracy Young
Photo by PhotographyByJRDavis.Com |
This brings me to the music, and specifically, Tracy Young's performance. The boys seemed to really enjoy her set, and she played some fun stuff no doubt, with faves like Rosabel's "That Sound" and Inaya Day's "Movin' Up" (Tony Moran Mix). My main critique of Tracy's set is more on the technical side, where I had hoped some of the transitions would have been a bit crisper and the musical selections not so heavy during the peak hours. We all know what Tracy is capable of, and in all fairness to her, she appeared to be distracted by a number of fans trying to buy her CDs being sold by a gentleman with a cowboy hat directly to the side of the DJ booth. She did do an encore, which brought all the boys back into the fray, whooping and hollering.
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Magic Journeys @ Arabian Nights
The first after hours event was spun by DJ Roland Belmares, and I must say that between him and DJ Tony Moran, I heard the best sets of the weekend. Brett was a close runner-up. Some may be in shock, since everyone's used to some of the other names as top picks here, but not this time. That's my story, and you'll see why I'm sticking to it. Just a quick word on the venue and transportation. There were no fire alarm interruptions this year, which really broke the rhythm of Tony and Abel's sets last year. So, it was nice to not have to contend with that this time around. Also, the shuttle buses from the hotel to Arabian Nights seemed more frequent than last year, and this reliability was greatly appreciated, so bravo to the promoters here! |
Arabian Nights I
Photo by PhotographyByJRDavis.Com |
While Roland's crowd packed the venue with about a three-quarters full dance floor, it was more crowded and had better NRG than any of the after hours parties at Arabian Nights last year, in my opinion, including the events that Tony and Abel spun that year (which were about two-thirds full). The lighting, especially the lasers, were phenomenal, as always. I think Kyle may have been up there, but I couldn't tell. Roland was hitting it hard with Rosabel's mix of Cyndi Lauper's latest "Same Ol' F**** Story", Rafael Lelis's awesome re-work of Kathy Brown's "Turn Me Out", Edson Pride's AMAZING mix of Rihanna's "Don't Stop The Music", and a bunch of other more vocally-oriented tracks. I liked how Roland opted to do this earlier on, instead of the more drum driven, dub mixes that often dominate entire after hours sets.
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DJ Roland Belmares
Photo by PhotographyByJRDavis.Com |
Roland's beat matching was flawless, and honestly with his delivery, he had me by the balls for his ENTIRE set. He took it deeper later, giving us Everett Bradley's "Put Your Hands Up" that Tony Moran produced for his compilation last year, and wonderful mixes of songs like Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body". What was really unique for me about Roland's set was that where he opted not to play dubs or extended beats, he would play full-on vocals, but they were filtered so as not to be front and center. Through sound manipulation the mixes that he dropped showcased more of the production elements of the songs (keyboards, synths, drums, etc...)
Don't get me wrong, Roland played hard throughout, but the material that I was hearing was easily accessible to the average circuit boy, unlike some of the stuff you hear played at other after hours events, which are often strange sounds or echoes, or chants in foreign languages. |
I'm not saying that this approach is a bad thing, but Roland knew how to do an after hours set tailored for an earlier part of the weekend crowd. I really think it's that specific. The last hour was a nice uptrip of current faves, like Tony Moran and Warren Rigg's beautiful new mix of the Rihanna's "Take A Bow" and Justin Lanning's "Take My Breath Away" (a different song than the 80's Berlin hit), and a hot new mix of Mary Mary's "Shackles" (Praise You). While the songs were hardly 'morning music's classics, it would not have fit with this party to have played such tracks. Roland did it just right, and kept the energy level where it needed to be throughout the set. The Justin Lanning song, coupled with a great mix of Olivia Newton John's "Xanadu" and Madonna's "Ray of Light" captured a soaring, almost ethereal-like sound that brought in the light of day.
Saturday June 7, 2008
Reunion II @ The Buena Vista Palace Hotel
The next event was the second pool party, where DJ David Knapp spun a fun, upbeat set, and really brought on a peak hour vibe that reminded me more of a night set. It was skewed a bit more toward current pop hits than Don Bishop's set, but that was fine. A classic or two was still thrown in for good measure, most memorably, Amber's "Sexual". It was a beautiful sunny day, the boys looked great, and the pool was refreshing.
What more could you ask for? How about Jeanie Tracey you say? Bring on the woman in pink! Her enthusiasm really showed in her energetic delivery of her classics like "Party People", "Everybody Up", and "Cha Cha Cha Heels". |
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Mo'Nique @ One Mighty Party
Photo by PhotographyByJRDavis.Com |
One Mighty Party @ Disney's Hollywood Studios
Up next was One Mighty Party @ Disney's Hollywood Studios. We got there just after 8PM, and after what seemed like endless walking from the parking lot all the way to the back of the studio, and caught DJ Wendy Hunt's warm-up set before Monique came on at 9PM. Nice song selections, placement, and builds throughout. It was similar to the vibe that Eddie Baez brought last year for the same party before Kathy Griffin came on as the comedian. My friends and I were a little disappointed with Mo'nique, however. She really was just a stream of consciousness that rambled on the whole time. There were funny moments and all, and she had her avid fans no doubt, who whooped and hollered even when she wasn't that funny, but not so much for me. She's funnier on TV. |
After Monique's performance, and some initial confusion about where to go, we were all herded to another entrance for the Disney Hollywood Studios party. Disney always staffs the Disney Hollywood Studios event well, and this year was no exception. It seemed every 50 feet there was someone with a wand, who was smiling, welcoming us, and answering questions.
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My only recommendation about that evening would be to have more food/beverage options available, which several of my friends noted as well. Rosie's All American Cafe was the only place to have a real meal, which I needed at that point, and was a bit of a walk from the main dance area. We only did one of the rides this year, the Star Wars one, where you are seated, which is fun. We went over to hear DJ Eddie Baez, who had a good crowd, over in the second area, and he was really turning out with some of his production work featuring peak time mixes. Over on the main dance floor, and under a clear sky, DJ Joe Gauthreaux had already started his set, a characteristically light, groovy style that really showcases his dexterity and ability to build a set. |
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Taylor Dayne
Photo by PhotographyByJRDavis.Com |
He picked things up considerably after 11PM in advance of Taylor Dayne coming on, dropping songs like Debby Holiday's cover of "Surrender Me" (Tony & Warren's mix of course), Donna Summer's new smash "Stamp Your Feet" (DJ Escape mix), and Funky Green Dogs's "Body" (Brad Smith mix).
Taylor Dayne was preceded by her dancers. After performing some fierce moves, the diva herself entered stage left, and she looked and sounded stunning. The woman still has the pipes, and it's a shame that it's only really the gay circuit boys these days who give this talented artist the support she needs and deserves. She performed her recent hit "Beautiful", which never did much for me, but was well received and well sung. Taylor didn't perform "I'm Not Featuring You", which was a surprise, as that was a bigger hit last year. Taylor mainly sang her older hits, which frankly, are her calling card. Numbers like "Naked Without You", "Tell It To My Heart" (which served as the encore) and even a clever cover of Barry White's "Can't Get Enough of Your Love" had everyone singing along. She thanked us, addressing the crowd as "a loyal fan base" but didn't talk much, which was wonderful and the greatest gift of all. Nothing worse than rambling divas!)
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The fireworks didn't start right away, and that crucial delay sapped a bit of the NRG that Taylor had finished with, but the pyrotechnics still turned out nicely. Not as long as last year or as memorable, even with a clearer sky, but I must say the finale of the fireworks this year KICKED A**!!! I don't recall ever seeing that many fireworks go off all at once, and it was quite a scene to behold indeed. The song choice was fine, if a bit ordinary, Rihanna's "Don't Stop The Music". Hopefully the timing will be better next year, as I really think that makes a big difference.
Joe G. did a nice job picking things up and hitting us with some well-placed drama in the form of the John Williams intro to the Superman movie (Christopher Reeves). It lasted about 30 seconds and then he went right into his set, starting off with "Bigger, Better, Harder, Stronger". Let me say that Joe brought the goods for sure all night. |
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It was about as perfect a set technically as you could ask for here. Joe's set featured excellent song selection and placement, precision mixing, and a solid journey that hit all the peaks and valleys at the right times.
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DJ Eddie Baez
Photo by PhotographyByJRDavis.Com |
But, I was hoping this talented DJ would have taken a few more chances that night, and have added some more samples and layering to really add to the context of the party he was spinning. I thought the earlier part of his set had more feeling to it. Joe's work ethic, from interviews and all the things I have heard about him, is one of the strongest in the business, and you won't catch this DJ pointing at people in the crowd or having a million people trying to visit his DJ station. However, I think if he relaxed a bit, then his sets would flow more naturally and have less of a mechanical feel. Spinning this event as the headlining DJ must have been nerve-wracking, though, so all things considered, not a bad set at all, and he really read the crowd well and hit all the right buttons.
Some more of the goods Joe delivered musically that night which I picked up on were some fierce dubs of of Taylor Dayne's "I'm Not Featuring You" (Manny Lehman), Altar Feat. Jeanie Tracy "Everybody Up" (Rosabel), and Massi and DeLeon Pres. Breathwaite "Show You" (Tony Moran). We even got to hear Tamara Wallace's "Looking for Men" by a DJ besides Ralphi or Abel, LOL!
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Also, he played the Rosabel Hyper Mix of Janet's "Feedback" (one of my favorite circuit mixes of this song) and Twisted Dee's new song "Kung Fu Me", which Brett featured on his Gay Days comp. H-O-T!!! I wish Twisted Dee (Dee Gurney) would do live sets at circuit events, assuming she can spin live the way she remixes songs in the studio.
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Magic Journeys II @ Arabian Nights
Later that night, we made it over to Arabian Nights for the second after hours of the weekend, this time featuring DJ Alyson Calagna. She had a packed house. The entire dance floor was full, and only the perimeters on the far side entrance were not shoulder-to-shoulder. Boys were even dancing up in the stands, especially on the near side entrance. I have to say that Alyson knows how to serve it hard, and she was, for most of her set. She also was working it dirty, literally, with Chanelta's "Clean It Up" (These Beats Are Dirty, Paulo's mix), Celeda's "Dirtyfilthy", and Ultra Nate's "Automatic".
I feel like in her attempt to occasionally throw in a surprise, it ended up drifting too far from the core set, but she would bring it back each time. Examples of this included Jessica Sutta's "Make It Last" and Rosabel's "That Sound", which really only work during an earlier, peak hour set, not for an after hours event. |
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Arabian Nights II
Photo by PhotographyByJRDavis.Com |
Alyson has a unique, driving beat pattern that she uses, and you really have to hear it to appreciate her cadence. She also played some hot dubs of Santa Esmeralda's "Another Cha Cha", Britney's "Gimme More", Ralph Falcon's "Break You", Inaya Day's "Movin' Up", Madonna's "4 Minutes", and a clever tribal chant of Basil's "Mickey" (yes, that 80's song!). Alyson pounded us all night, and I really think her set would have been one of my tops of the weekend if she hadn't tried to intersperse it with lighter interludes.
Again, this is just my opinion, but she was really 'son's otherwise. The last hour of her set had this really rock, grunge-type feel that worked surprisingly well. This has to be the best set of music I have heard from her, and it has been awhile since I have had the opportunity to, so I'm glad I went to this party to witness her formidable skill. |
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Sunday June 8 2008
Reunion III @ The BVP
Now, we have come to the last day. I thought DJ Phil B played a nice set at the pool party, and it seemed a toss-up as to whether it was more crowded that day or for David Knapp on Saturday. Debby Holiday's live performance was well received, and she did the most numbers out of all of the pool party performers. I was a bit disappointed that she didn't sing "Dive", her breakthrough hit that Chris Cox turned out back in 2004. Oh, well. But, her cover of "Surrender Me", that had just been released a few weeks prior to this event, was AMAZING!!
This lady knows how to work the crowd, and the boys loved her. Jeanie Tracy is the perennial favorite for sure, but I would go hear Debby Holiday sing anytime. |
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Universe Performance
Photo by GreatPartyPics.com |
Universe @ Universal Studios, Orlando - Florida
The final main event party was at Universal Studios on Sunday night, and appropriately enough, termed Universe. Contrary to some reports being circulated, this was actually not a new event, but a "revived" party from years past. The Coliseum Party at the Hard Rock Café venue had run its course, and having outgrown that space, it seemed only fitting to have the event outside! While the 'street's lot it was on was not easy to find at first (a bunch of us went to where the event had been held in years past before the Coliseum days), as there were no signs and fewer staff than at the Disney Hollywood Studios event to guide you. Anyway, once there, we beheld a truly GORGEOUS SET!! The elaborate lighting structure, shimmering brightly and positioned over a massive scaffold was phenomenal, as was this entire space. There was a distinct similarity to the back lot of Paramount Studios in LA where Wonderland had been held (until this year). |
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DJ Abel is up on stage mixing, and blending the beats like a hot knife through butter, so smooth, almost silky, and with his prowess, it stays that way all night. Abel played well throughout, and while the set never peaked the way I was expecting it to, there were plenty of high moments to appreciate. The thing is, for any other DJ, it would have been an amazing set, but for Abel, it was just good. I have to hold the man to a higher standard because he is that phenomenal. He dropped the stellar Tony Moran and Jody Den Broeder mix of Red Carpet Feat Julie McKnight's "Alright", which always evokes a feeling of happiness in the crowd, particularly on the chorus, and then goes into this fierce circuit anthem sound. He tweaked "Mariah's Miracle" (the mash-up Peter Rauhofer did recently with Fragma's "Toca's Miracle" from many years back, and Mariah Carey's "We Belong Together") by adding some additional layering. Abel was playing more of an after hours set I felt, and vocal snippets predominated for much of the set. There was a point later in the set when he went lighter and happy, dropping Soul Logic's "Let's Get Together", and then artfully sampling Ultra Nate's "Free" underneath the Soul Logic song, and then back to the full song again. He finished with a great mix of Cyndi Lauper's "True Colors".
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Manny
Leahman
Photo by PhotographyByJRDavis.Com |
Magic Journeys III @ Arabian Nights
The last after hours event, and the last party of the weekend, was again at Arabian Nights, this time with DJ Tony Moran and DJ Manny Lehman. They both played excellent all night, but between the two, I tip my hat to Tony, who really lit it up and erased any doubts that he is in a slump (after some less than favorable online reviews of recent sets at Alegria and for a leather party). He dropped a ridiculously hot dub of Zhauna Saunders "Body Moves", a tease of Nicki Richards's "Universe Alegria", and an unreleased dub of his mix of Rihanna's "Take A Bow". Trust me, I was talking to people who usually aren't big Moran fans, and they were all impressed with what they heard. Tony had me in this amazing space, and was playing with lot of fire and passion. I can't even recall other tracks, as a lot of what he was playing was this soaring instrumentation, which was both beautiful and fierce at the same time. |
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Manny came on around 4:30 AM and closed out the party. I like how he dropped some crowd pleasers, like the Rosabel Dub of Cyndi's "Same Ol' F****Story", Kobbe's HOT new mix of "Do It Properly" from Kim Cooper (back in the day), and Offer Nissim Feat. Maya's "Happy People". Manny also played some lesser known, but equally fierce material, like the Jose Spinnin Cortes mix Randy Fries's'"I Got Away". Overall, great song picks, solid beat matching, and good track placement. It was great to hear Tony and Manny spin an event together, since both have different skills which nicely complement one another in the dj booth. It probably made sense to have Tony spin first, since his sets generally tend to feature more vocals. True to form, the earlier part of Tony's set featured more front-and-center vocals, before he dropped it down a bit and slammed us with those exquisitely produced instrumental sounds that he produces in the studio. |
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Well, that ends another One Mighty Weekend. This year was such a blast, and I really hope next year's event can equal or even surpass this year's. Jump Start, by all accounts, was a huge success, and I would expect that event to return next year. It will also be interesting to see what next year brings for a DJ lineup, since many of these same DJs have been playing this same event for the last several years, but just spinning different parties. It is really only the little things that need to be tweaked at this point in this successful venture's run (under Johnny Chisholm), in order to keep all the wheels greased on a true gem, and of the last, on the gay circuit.
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