“OUTSTANDING ORANGE-ITES”
MUSIC IS THE ANSWER – SPECIAL POST
SUNDAY 15TH AUGUST
When the word Orange is used in conversation by our straight cousins, they tend refer to either that round fruit that burly rugby players eat at half time or “...the future’s bright the future’s...” mobile phone network, but when it comes to us the thing that springs to our mind first & foremost is the legendary afterhours Monday morning madness of a nightclub that has become an absolute institution & a reason to push the boundaries of normality to the extreme. And this weekend, well tomorrow morning (16th August) to be exact, marks a momentous occasion in the life & times of this iconic club, as it celebrates 12 years in existence, yes, the last year before it reaches its teens, this citric splendour that started life back in 1998 at its first home in Rotherhithe, although in those days the night was named Chiller, whereas the club was called Orange. However with a move to Vauxhall in 2001 that Orange, as an event, step out of the shadow of the club marked the beginning of something quite special. So to mark this special occasion, comes another in our series of special music posts in which we focus on the clubs most longstanding residents & then cram in news of latest studio works from others intrinsically linked with this Monday morning madness of an event.
Without question, the one name that we associate with Orange & who has been with the club right from those exploratory early days in Vauxhall is Fat Tony, the legendary D.J. that has been hitting the headlines of both the gay & tabloid press, as well as hitting the bill board posters for the biggest clubs in the business, of which Orange can be credited as one. That said, Tony’s career behind the decks close on fifteen years before the concept of Orange was born in 1998, a career that has seen this sometimes controversial character, feature large & wide across the gAylist scene, notable brand appearances also including, Crash, DTPM, Fiction, Matinee and, the mother of them all, Trade, the club where not only did he rule the famed lite lounge, but forged one of the strongest friendships in his long an illustrious career, that with the equally colourful character that is Lawrence Malice. But it was also in more main stream clubs & venues like Cafe De Paris & Puscha that have benefitted from the Tony magic, has seen him travel the world with his vocation, from capital cities like New York, Sydney & Moscow, to countries like South Africa, Greece & China. His time behind the decks has seen Tony rub shoulders with the likes of Madonna, George Michael, Prince, Michael Jackson & The Pet Shop Boys, such was the demand for his services at a never-ending number of celebrity parties, all this very much thrusting him into the media spotlight, Tony never being scared of causing a little controversy or speaking his mind. Indeed on such incident landed him in on the front pages of The Sun newspaper, the headline reading “It’s A Hit, Gender Bender D.J. thumps Wham! George!"
However, the rock & roll lifestyle that saw him party hard with the stars & celebrities of the music industry was to take its toll, as not only has he had to face a battle with cancer, but the ravages of his indulgent lifestyle saw him seek the sanctuary of rehabilitation in order to allow him to continue his passion for D.J.’ing as well as maintaining his relationship with his long term partner. Having won his first battle, the fight against cancer, Tony probably saw his most successful years with Trade and with other associations too, the days of Soho’s Review bar also real highlights, not least the formation of a D.J. & friendship tie with Stevie B that is as strong today as when it was formed. But, for us, it was the emergence from rehab that has seen the most dramatic change in Tony, most especially through his work. Not only has he once again become the D.J. in demand that he was all those years ago, but performances at Matinee’s Cable based parties & DTPM’s “The Bitch Is Back” will live in our memories. However, unquestionably, Tony is at his magnificent best when playing at Orange and no Bank Holiday party is the same without him & Tonnic doing their funky & fulsome most, he even having the ability to draw people away from Area’s main room and the likes of Paul Heron & Steve Pitron. We have been privileged (and we don’t use that word lightly here) to witness an incredible string of outstanding sets at Orange from this legendary D.J. and for us, he is the epitomy of what Orange is all about, pushing the boundaries, keeping in tune with the cutting edge sounds of now and capturing the imagination, both Tony & Orange doing this week-in week out. As for his time in the studio, well since coming out of rehab, Tony’s rediscovered passion in his art has seen a succession of track releases under the title “Men Adore”, cuts of which you can check out at http://myspace.com/djfattonyldn, although we continue to wait for promised further new tracks as well as remixes of old classics, so we will be watching this exciting news with interest.
Our other special devotion goes to two more legends of the dancefloor, who have been cutting a stride since our earliest days of clubbing and both continue to play an important part of the citric splendour that is Orange. Without doubt, The Sharp Boys have played a significant part in all the major clubs, parties & events across gAylist London & beyond for a good fifteen years now and their dynamism behind the decks always goes down extremely well, whether it be in the confines of The Terrace room at Beyond Area or the massive stage that is the London Gay Pride dance stage, just two examples of a myriad of joint appearances the duo have chalked up this year alone. To say they have been there & done that is a commendable observation, as they have been part of virtually every major club brand, venue & event, the list including Trade, Heaven, DTPM, Universe, Famous Five, Purple In The Park, Brighton/London/Manchester/Soho/Pride’s, the list goes on, but have also been very much a staple ingredient of virtually every party across the gay clubbing mecca that has been (and continues to be) Vauxhall, playing out at Area, Fire & Colosseum, branded parties touched by George & Steven including Gravity, Horizon, Space, Juicy, White Party, Later, & of course Beyond and no specialist weekend or Bank Holiday goes by without the boys being part of the essential line-up. However, the duo are also famous for their clubbing parties, Royal House, a concept that was born a few years ago now, but still has an amazing following & creates an incredible buzz, although despite having been involved in so many parties, such massive brands & even self made concepts, the boys will always been intrinsically linked with Orange and no party would be the same without them behind the decks.
You would be forgiven for thinking that, given that impressive C.V. of London & UK appearances, the Boys restrict themselves to good old blighty, but oh no, as their glittering careers have seen them play to thousands in countries as far apart as Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, & South Africa, whilst they have touched on cities such as Istanbul, Miami, Los Angeles, Moscow, San Francisco, Sydney and loads in between, clubbing destination hotspots including Fire Island, Ibiza, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, & Cologne having been intoxicated with their incredible blend of funky, electro, tech & vocal drenched uplifting house for which they have both become renowned for. But it would be fair to say that the duo of George Mitchell & Steven React are just as prolific in the recording studio, having amazed a discography that many would be proud of and during their time remixing works for the biggest dance & pop music names in the business, including George Michael, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Christine Aguilera, Aretha Franklin & Mary J Blige, although they also devote some of their limited spare time to laying down compilations too, their two latest being absolute corkers. The first of our choice is the mix that was lifted straight from their appearance on Gaydar Radio in advance of this year’s London Pride celebrations, when the duo performed a phenomenal closing set on the Dance Stage in Leicester Square, although this “Sharpcast” is taken from their clubnation show the previous night, while their “Dansen” titled compilation includes some superb tracks, not least Mark Knight’s “Devil Walking, Pirupa’s “Blu”, Swedish House Mafia’s “One” & Hifi Sean’s Psychedelic mix of the fab “Strings Of Motion”, although the boys also get in on the remixing act with their take on Boy George’s Amazing Grace, but give us a sneak preview of their own track “Dansen” which is due for general release v soon & the inspiration behind the compilation title. Both these mixes get our full thumbs up which you can grab at http://sharpboys.podomatic.com/ and watch this space for news on the full release of their new track, plus catch the boys playing this coming Bank Holiday at Beyond’s Manchester Pride special, plus Orange Trade back in London.
Now, as has become our tradition, in devoting this post to all things Orange, we have diverted slightly from our advertised coverage, but in keeping with the citric theme, give shout to the works by three other Orange resident/guest jocks, first up being Gonzalo Rivas, one half of the original RAW combination that is now an intrinsic part of any Orange party. For us, Gonzalo ranks alongside the mere handful of D.J.’s that stand out as milestones in our clubbing history, his involvement in Trade around the turn of the century, a very important time in our lives although he continues to cut an impressive stride across many parties where we appear and never fails to deliver storming sets that leave us breathless. This goes for his compilations too and his latest, a tribute to labels 99North & Higher State Records sitting nicely here, as the mix includes Upstate’s “I Get High”, remixed by The Sharp Boys, as well as works by Steve Tomas, & a plethora of 99 Allstars tracks plus much more that Gonzalo explains “...have had a huge influence on me over the past years...”, he being pleased to bring you “...a selection of my favourite tracks & remixes mixed all together in one podcast...”, which is a must for your collection at http://gonzalorivas.podomatic.com/.
Moving onto the newer member of the RAW line-up and one that is proving incredibly popular, as it seems the man simply plays out of his skin at Orange parties, Hifi Sean even been credited as saying “...I love playing RAW at Orange, it’s one of those satisfying spots you get as a D.J. sometimes to experiment with sounds & grooves & watch everyone on the packed out Monday morning dancefloor get completely lost in it all...” his enthusiasm for his work shining through in Fire’s mirrorarch room with spectacular results. This also goes for his studio work and hardly a day goes by without Sean putting together some sort of track remix and his compilation series, particularly the psychedelic ones have incredible following, so it goes without saying that his latest is yet another superb example of the Hifi heavenly sound, which you should sample yourselves by going to http://djhifisean.podomatic.com/, or failing which, check out http://tunyurl.com/hifiseanpodcasts.
Our final citric devotion goes to one Nick Tcherniak, who has been gracing the decks at Orange as a guest recently, but is no stranger to the Orange/Trade combo parties, where back-to-back sets with partner in mixing crime, Steve Thomas, have become legendary. Indeed Nick’s studio works with Steve have seen some amazing results , both “My People” & “Deep Water” making it big right across Europe, being included in playlists of the top named D.J.’s and projecting the Tcherniak & Thomas duo right into the mixing/remixing limelight. But here we shout out for Nick’s latest compilation, “Summer Heat”, which includes some sizzling tracks, not least Crazibiza’s “Pinning Around”, Lopez Twin’s vs Who Da Funk with “Shiny Disco Balls 2010”, Pagano’s “Fascinating” and the Todd Terry/Prok & Fitch collaboration “Something’s Going On”, which is a worthy addition to your collection. And while you’re at it, grab his devotion to Logan Schmitz’s private party “UP”, both compilations available at http://nicktcherniak.podomatic.com/.
Right, that’s it for our special look at some of the huge talents that make up the incredible afterhours that is Orange and a special birthday commemoration marking 12 glorious years on Monday morning madness, which we are sure, especially under the helm of one Steven React Sharp, looks set to have many more years of citric splendour full of “outstanding orange-ites”. (DISCO MATT)
MUSIC IS THE ANSWER – SPECIAL POST
SUNDAY 15TH AUGUST
When the word Orange is used in conversation by our straight cousins, they tend refer to either that round fruit that burly rugby players eat at half time or “...the future’s bright the future’s...” mobile phone network, but when it comes to us the thing that springs to our mind first & foremost is the legendary afterhours Monday morning madness of a nightclub that has become an absolute institution & a reason to push the boundaries of normality to the extreme. And this weekend, well tomorrow morning (16th August) to be exact, marks a momentous occasion in the life & times of this iconic club, as it celebrates 12 years in existence, yes, the last year before it reaches its teens, this citric splendour that started life back in 1998 at its first home in Rotherhithe, although in those days the night was named Chiller, whereas the club was called Orange. However with a move to Vauxhall in 2001 that Orange, as an event, step out of the shadow of the club marked the beginning of something quite special. So to mark this special occasion, comes another in our series of special music posts in which we focus on the clubs most longstanding residents & then cram in news of latest studio works from others intrinsically linked with this Monday morning madness of an event.
Without question, the one name that we associate with Orange & who has been with the club right from those exploratory early days in Vauxhall is Fat Tony, the legendary D.J. that has been hitting the headlines of both the gay & tabloid press, as well as hitting the bill board posters for the biggest clubs in the business, of which Orange can be credited as one. That said, Tony’s career behind the decks close on fifteen years before the concept of Orange was born in 1998, a career that has seen this sometimes controversial character, feature large & wide across the gAylist scene, notable brand appearances also including, Crash, DTPM, Fiction, Matinee and, the mother of them all, Trade, the club where not only did he rule the famed lite lounge, but forged one of the strongest friendships in his long an illustrious career, that with the equally colourful character that is Lawrence Malice. But it was also in more main stream clubs & venues like Cafe De Paris & Puscha that have benefitted from the Tony magic, has seen him travel the world with his vocation, from capital cities like New York, Sydney & Moscow, to countries like South Africa, Greece & China. His time behind the decks has seen Tony rub shoulders with the likes of Madonna, George Michael, Prince, Michael Jackson & The Pet Shop Boys, such was the demand for his services at a never-ending number of celebrity parties, all this very much thrusting him into the media spotlight, Tony never being scared of causing a little controversy or speaking his mind. Indeed on such incident landed him in on the front pages of The Sun newspaper, the headline reading “It’s A Hit, Gender Bender D.J. thumps Wham! George!"
However, the rock & roll lifestyle that saw him party hard with the stars & celebrities of the music industry was to take its toll, as not only has he had to face a battle with cancer, but the ravages of his indulgent lifestyle saw him seek the sanctuary of rehabilitation in order to allow him to continue his passion for D.J.’ing as well as maintaining his relationship with his long term partner. Having won his first battle, the fight against cancer, Tony probably saw his most successful years with Trade and with other associations too, the days of Soho’s Review bar also real highlights, not least the formation of a D.J. & friendship tie with Stevie B that is as strong today as when it was formed. But, for us, it was the emergence from rehab that has seen the most dramatic change in Tony, most especially through his work. Not only has he once again become the D.J. in demand that he was all those years ago, but performances at Matinee’s Cable based parties & DTPM’s “The Bitch Is Back” will live in our memories. However, unquestionably, Tony is at his magnificent best when playing at Orange and no Bank Holiday party is the same without him & Tonnic doing their funky & fulsome most, he even having the ability to draw people away from Area’s main room and the likes of Paul Heron & Steve Pitron. We have been privileged (and we don’t use that word lightly here) to witness an incredible string of outstanding sets at Orange from this legendary D.J. and for us, he is the epitomy of what Orange is all about, pushing the boundaries, keeping in tune with the cutting edge sounds of now and capturing the imagination, both Tony & Orange doing this week-in week out. As for his time in the studio, well since coming out of rehab, Tony’s rediscovered passion in his art has seen a succession of track releases under the title “Men Adore”, cuts of which you can check out at http://myspace.com/djfattonyldn, although we continue to wait for promised further new tracks as well as remixes of old classics, so we will be watching this exciting news with interest.
Our other special devotion goes to two more legends of the dancefloor, who have been cutting a stride since our earliest days of clubbing and both continue to play an important part of the citric splendour that is Orange. Without doubt, The Sharp Boys have played a significant part in all the major clubs, parties & events across gAylist London & beyond for a good fifteen years now and their dynamism behind the decks always goes down extremely well, whether it be in the confines of The Terrace room at Beyond Area or the massive stage that is the London Gay Pride dance stage, just two examples of a myriad of joint appearances the duo have chalked up this year alone. To say they have been there & done that is a commendable observation, as they have been part of virtually every major club brand, venue & event, the list including Trade, Heaven, DTPM, Universe, Famous Five, Purple In The Park, Brighton/London/Manchester/Soho/Pride’s, the list goes on, but have also been very much a staple ingredient of virtually every party across the gay clubbing mecca that has been (and continues to be) Vauxhall, playing out at Area, Fire & Colosseum, branded parties touched by George & Steven including Gravity, Horizon, Space, Juicy, White Party, Later, & of course Beyond and no specialist weekend or Bank Holiday goes by without the boys being part of the essential line-up. However, the duo are also famous for their clubbing parties, Royal House, a concept that was born a few years ago now, but still has an amazing following & creates an incredible buzz, although despite having been involved in so many parties, such massive brands & even self made concepts, the boys will always been intrinsically linked with Orange and no party would be the same without them behind the decks.
You would be forgiven for thinking that, given that impressive C.V. of London & UK appearances, the Boys restrict themselves to good old blighty, but oh no, as their glittering careers have seen them play to thousands in countries as far apart as Brazil, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, & South Africa, whilst they have touched on cities such as Istanbul, Miami, Los Angeles, Moscow, San Francisco, Sydney and loads in between, clubbing destination hotspots including Fire Island, Ibiza, Barcelona, Madrid, Paris, & Cologne having been intoxicated with their incredible blend of funky, electro, tech & vocal drenched uplifting house for which they have both become renowned for. But it would be fair to say that the duo of George Mitchell & Steven React are just as prolific in the recording studio, having amazed a discography that many would be proud of and during their time remixing works for the biggest dance & pop music names in the business, including George Michael, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Christine Aguilera, Aretha Franklin & Mary J Blige, although they also devote some of their limited spare time to laying down compilations too, their two latest being absolute corkers. The first of our choice is the mix that was lifted straight from their appearance on Gaydar Radio in advance of this year’s London Pride celebrations, when the duo performed a phenomenal closing set on the Dance Stage in Leicester Square, although this “Sharpcast” is taken from their clubnation show the previous night, while their “Dansen” titled compilation includes some superb tracks, not least Mark Knight’s “Devil Walking, Pirupa’s “Blu”, Swedish House Mafia’s “One” & Hifi Sean’s Psychedelic mix of the fab “Strings Of Motion”, although the boys also get in on the remixing act with their take on Boy George’s Amazing Grace, but give us a sneak preview of their own track “Dansen” which is due for general release v soon & the inspiration behind the compilation title. Both these mixes get our full thumbs up which you can grab at http://sharpboys.podomatic.com/ and watch this space for news on the full release of their new track, plus catch the boys playing this coming Bank Holiday at Beyond’s Manchester Pride special, plus Orange Trade back in London.
Now, as has become our tradition, in devoting this post to all things Orange, we have diverted slightly from our advertised coverage, but in keeping with the citric theme, give shout to the works by three other Orange resident/guest jocks, first up being Gonzalo Rivas, one half of the original RAW combination that is now an intrinsic part of any Orange party. For us, Gonzalo ranks alongside the mere handful of D.J.’s that stand out as milestones in our clubbing history, his involvement in Trade around the turn of the century, a very important time in our lives although he continues to cut an impressive stride across many parties where we appear and never fails to deliver storming sets that leave us breathless. This goes for his compilations too and his latest, a tribute to labels 99North & Higher State Records sitting nicely here, as the mix includes Upstate’s “I Get High”, remixed by The Sharp Boys, as well as works by Steve Tomas, & a plethora of 99 Allstars tracks plus much more that Gonzalo explains “...have had a huge influence on me over the past years...”, he being pleased to bring you “...a selection of my favourite tracks & remixes mixed all together in one podcast...”, which is a must for your collection at http://gonzalorivas.podomatic.com/.
Moving onto the newer member of the RAW line-up and one that is proving incredibly popular, as it seems the man simply plays out of his skin at Orange parties, Hifi Sean even been credited as saying “...I love playing RAW at Orange, it’s one of those satisfying spots you get as a D.J. sometimes to experiment with sounds & grooves & watch everyone on the packed out Monday morning dancefloor get completely lost in it all...” his enthusiasm for his work shining through in Fire’s mirrorarch room with spectacular results. This also goes for his studio work and hardly a day goes by without Sean putting together some sort of track remix and his compilation series, particularly the psychedelic ones have incredible following, so it goes without saying that his latest is yet another superb example of the Hifi heavenly sound, which you should sample yourselves by going to http://djhifisean.podomatic.com/, or failing which, check out http://tunyurl.com/hifiseanpodcasts.
Our final citric devotion goes to one Nick Tcherniak, who has been gracing the decks at Orange as a guest recently, but is no stranger to the Orange/Trade combo parties, where back-to-back sets with partner in mixing crime, Steve Thomas, have become legendary. Indeed Nick’s studio works with Steve have seen some amazing results , both “My People” & “Deep Water” making it big right across Europe, being included in playlists of the top named D.J.’s and projecting the Tcherniak & Thomas duo right into the mixing/remixing limelight. But here we shout out for Nick’s latest compilation, “Summer Heat”, which includes some sizzling tracks, not least Crazibiza’s “Pinning Around”, Lopez Twin’s vs Who Da Funk with “Shiny Disco Balls 2010”, Pagano’s “Fascinating” and the Todd Terry/Prok & Fitch collaboration “Something’s Going On”, which is a worthy addition to your collection. And while you’re at it, grab his devotion to Logan Schmitz’s private party “UP”, both compilations available at http://nicktcherniak.podomatic.com/.
Right, that’s it for our special look at some of the huge talents that make up the incredible afterhours that is Orange and a special birthday commemoration marking 12 glorious years on Monday morning madness, which we are sure, especially under the helm of one Steven React Sharp, looks set to have many more years of citric splendour full of “outstanding orange-ites”. (DISCO MATT)
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