Party Review : Black & Blue !

Dear BBCM - organizers of the Black & Blue party,

*** Thank you for organizing such a fantastic party !!! ***



Trance Room

For my first Black & Blue party, I absolutely loved it ! While I have been to Bal en Blanc many times, I can now say that I prefer Black & Blue.   

Overall Excellent: WHY?

* The energy, vibe & atmosphere were fantastic. The people in attendance were genuinely into the music, dancing and having a good time. It's amazing to see thousands of people dressed to a particular theme - black & blue, which keeps things interesting (if I had things my way, there would be more holidays & themed parties!). The DJ stages and lightning were well done, but not over the top so there was a bit of a dark underground feeling to the party.

* For an $85 ticket, I felt the party was well worth the price.  The party was extremely well organized - the line-up to get in was quite long at around 12:15 am so naturally I expected a long wait but was pleasantly surprised when it only took about 15 minutes to enter, check our coats & pass security! There were plenty of drink stands with minimal lines, and friendly staff.  

* The DJ line up was incredible (for the most part)! With so many DJ's in the House & Trance rooms, it gave party go-ers a chance to see DJs that they might not normally choose to see, while giving these DJ's more exposure. It's great hearing new unreleased upcoming tracks from these DJ's, but it is also nice to hear some classics, or older songs. Cheezy to say the crowd went to nuts when Denis Ferrer's "Hey, Hey!" was played but it was fun.

Marco V - once we arrived and settled into the party, we waited for Marco V to begin...and did he ever start his set off with a BANG!  One of the first tracks he played was his massive hit "Unprepared" ~ and it certainly wasnt long before the crowd was into it & loving it. As much as I would love to stay that we stayed for his entire set, we just couldnt; his set was getting to be a bit much, and I knew Chus & Ceballos were going to start any minute.  But for the hour or so that we did see, I loved every minute!

* Be sure to catch Marco V's TopTenMix monthly podcast on iTunes at : http://www.marcov.nl/mix/podcast_november.xml  



Chus & Ceballos - strangely enough, we watched Chus & Ceballos from the back of the stage since there was tons of room to dance, we could still see them perfectly & it was just too crowded for us at that point.  Musically, C&C delivered (especially considering they were coming off an 8 hour set from Pacha NYC)! It was a fantastic high energy thumping set with brilliant track selections :) These two know how to work a room & how to work a crowd!!! I am always sad to see these guys leave the DJ booth, but for all you Chus & Ceballos fans, they will be spinning at Stereo on November 27th !!! These two just know how to have fun & it shows. 

* Check out Chus & Ceballos' Facebook Fan Page for more info : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=150103&id=15561937139#!/chusceballos

Mark Anthony - two thumbs up ! From what we saw, he was great with uplifting energy & smooth track selection. Unfortunately, our legs needed a break during his set so we didnt really catch enough of his set...so I'll simply have to see him again...hehe.

Suprises?!?

* Gareth Emery: I do not really like trance, especially in a big room, but Mr. Gareth Emery had me sold !!! As I watched him spin, his energy, track selection & vibe took me to a trance world that I loved, and I quickly realized that I was watching my future husband in action :P The trance beats were not too overwhelming - his style is described as "essentially trance, with lots of house & progressive influences" so it was perfect. I'll be certain to check out his recently released debut album Northern Lights!     

* Gareth Emergy podcast: http://www.galexmusic.com/podcast/gareth.xml
* Facebook Fan page :
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=150103&id=15561937139#!/garethemery
* Official website at http://www.garethemery.com/

* Hernan Cattaneo: This Argentinian DJ was an excellent way to end the night! His beats had the perfect combination of dark and sexy that was inspiring & moving. For most of his set, all I could think was that he would be another perfect match DJ for Stereo. PLEASE PLEASE come to (((Stereo))) !!! I cant wait to hear more from Mr. Cattaneo & see him again.

* Hernan Cattaneo's podcast : http://podcast.hernancattaneo.com/feed
* Facebook Fan Page : http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=150103&id=15561937139#!/hernancattatneo
* Official Website : http://www.hernancattaneo.com/

HOT dancers - such a teaze for the single ladies!

 Meh?:

* I liked that there were plenty of concession areas, but really $6 for a bottle of water is a bit much!  Had the drinks been well priced, I would have definitely bought more instead of continuously filling my water bottle from the water fountain. Request: please have Gatorade or Powerade available ! Yes, water helps to replenish, but when it's hot & you're dancing hard, you need some electrolytes to help keep you going (and, apple/orange juice just doesn't do much good).   

* While the DJ line-up was stellar & the dancers were talented, I found that the live entertainment was annoying. Thank goodness these only lasted for 5 - 10 minutes & were pretty infrequent! Some of my friends who attended previous B&B's said they usually liked & were impressed by the live shows, but agreed that this year was not the best. Oh well, BBCM you have one year to find new live acts...please :)

* DJ Paulette was just NOT good ! Maybe I am being a bit harsh, but really, I haven't spoken to anyone who enjoyed this set. The mixing was okay/decent, but the track selection was NOT good...Her style is described as "house, electro, progressive", so it would have been better if she was BEFORE Chus & Ceballos, not after. She certainly ruined the great vibe that C&C had created!

- But in all fairness, had DJ Paulette been good, maybe I wouldnt have ventured to the Trance side...so thank you DJ Paulette, because I did not like your set, I discovered Gareth Emery & had a great time on the trance side!

* The sound was great for a large party. My only comment would be that as people leave the party the sound needs to be adjusted accordingly = turned down! With tons of people inside the room, the sound gets absorbed into the bodies; so as people leave, the volume needs to be turned down because it seemed to be getting louder & louder.

* Finally, as my last comment, I would just like everyone to think about their personal hygiene before, during and after an event. Is this so difficult ??? I will discuss this topic at a further date since it seems that too many people are missing the boat on this...and the rest of us are suffering for it. 

* Please note these are just my personal comments about the party, and they are rather small in the grand scheme of things.

~ * ~ Thank you Black & Blue !! ~ * ~

* Count us in for next year *