“BECOME A BEYOND BELIEVER”
MUSIC IS THE ANSWER – SPECIAL POST
SUNDAY 25TH JULY
In the relatively short time that we have been reporting in a vibrant gay music scene boasting some truly amazing D.J.’s not just here in the capital, but across Europe & further a-filed, one club stands out head & shoulders above the rest when it comes to truly inspiring music, this coming as no surprise when you see the veritable feast of disc spinning meisters that graces the clubs decks over the years. So, with the latest incarnation of Beyond parties, B2B, gathering steam and having held its latest party last night & today (Sat/Sun 24th/25th July) we thought it only appropriate to devote a special post to this most prolific of club brands, focussing on two D.J.’s that centre pieced both parts of the 14 hour extravaganza, but we also give a shout to two Beyond inspired compilations and one by a Beyond resident D.J.
Right, without further a-do, our first focus goes to Rob Sykes, who made a welcome return to Beyond last night (Sat 24th July) at the first leg of the B2B party, taking to the main room decks at super club Colosseum in Vauxhall and proving a considerable draw, particularly given his D.J.’ing pedigree. In terms of Beyond, whilst Rob was never considered a resident, the odd guest appearance in the original days of the club at Colosseum saw him treat the masses to slices of the Sykes superb sound that became so sort after at the time. With the massive circuit style club Action being part of the clubbing revolution within Vauxhall, Rob was an intrinsic part of this club set up, headlining the D.J. line up at each party and most deservedly so, his style of funky, chunky, progressive & tech infused house very much hitting the mark with the huge audiences that Action attracted and this mega circuit styled event made Mr Sykes pretty much a household name across gAylist/land clubbing in the capital. But this was to lead onto Rob joining the exclusive band of D.J.’s that work & play for The Orange group and it is fair to say that, in Juicy, Rob continued the fairytale connection with Action’s Andrew Harris, this Saturday night outing at Fire enjoying four years in the spotlight, its sudden demise leaving a gaping hole in the clubbing calendar and also leaving Mr Sykes a little in the wilderness, thus his return to the fore with Beyond, very much a morale boosting move.
Rob’s career behind the decks stared back in the early 1990’s, he gaining residencies at clubs that included Quiet Storm, Billion Dollar Babes, Hollywood Babylon & the then iconic Studio 94, these appearances seeing Mr Sykes stretch his legs overseas, in Europe, The US Africa & Australia, notable highlights in his career being representations at aftershow parties for Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue and even for the great lady herself, Madonna, following her most recent concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. Mind you it doesn’t stop there, as Rob has played at the highly acclaimed & prestigious MTV Europe music awards in both Rome & Lisbon, playing to massive audiences both in & out of the music industry, so is no stranger to playing to huge crowds, although is just as comfortable in the small sophisticated bar set up, as the enormous circuit stage. Away from the limelight and Mr Sykes dives into the studio occasionally, laying down compilations that are very much reflective of his mood and moments in life, creative collections of beats that represent Rob’s diverse taste in house music genres floating between funky & electro, to more underground & tech infused sounds are loaded in his impressive repertoire, two great examples being his latest mix entitled “Lady Loca Vive En Berlin” & his “Beach Baby Babylon” compilation (a favourite of ours), both available at http://soundcloud.com/djrobsykes. However, naturally, it is his mix devoted to Beyond B2B that gets our biggest shout, just over 60 minutes of electro funk, tech & progressive beats, together with inviting vocals, all mixed up to provide an uplifting & enchanting string of sounds that have the Sykes stamp firmly on them and in the man’s own words is “...a taster of what you can expect to hear me playing...”, Rob’s centre stage performance for B2B at Colosseum already now in the bag. So, if like us, you were unfortunate to miss this spectacular Beyond outing & Rob’s performance, why not emulate the experience by checking out his mix at http://djrobsykes.podomatic.com/.
Our second focus goes to a man who needs no real introduction as, in terms of Beyond, he is very much a household name and one of the staple ingredients that makes the main room at Area on a Sunday morning the most popular place to be. Mike Dower, better known behind the decks as Mikey D, has been a major tore de force in the Beyond armoury since its re-birth back in 2008 and even if he isn’t part of the line up on any given Sunday (and that is a rarity), you will find him partying with the best of us and supporting what has become very much an institution for many. As we sit here focussing on the man, he is live behind Beyond’s decks, no doubt treating a packed main room to a scorching sequence of scintillating, uplifting, funky & chunky, house tunes that is so representative of his showings at this amazing afterhours club. Not only does Mikey more than compensate for the absence of close friend & D.J. partner in crime, Steve Pitron (who is currently on a well deserved holiday break), but we are occasionally treated to back-to-back sets from the duo that simply blow us away, the recent Pride event being a perfect example. However, whilst he may be best known for his slots at Beyond, Mikey has recently been asked to guest at the re-emerging Later parties at Fire and that very same pride weekend, we were treated to two doses of the Dower delirium, his solo set on the Sunday afternoon showing a tougher more tech infused side to his music that went down an absolute treat, as has all his performances we have witnessed there. Indeed, there are a mere handful of D.J.’s we know that can truly lift any lack lustre feeling we may become prone to on the dancefloor, Mikey being one of those and last week at Beyond did just that, banishing all thoughts of our injuries to the back of our mind and seeing us in a dancing dervish from 9 till 11 virtually nonstop.
To think that this man graduated from spinning discs in his bedroom to playing on the international stage at the blink of an eye is testament to his incredible talent and Mikey has hardly looked back since that pivotal & breakthrough moment in Sicily for Alternative Holiday’s Gay Summer weeklong event. Indeed, a whole string of residences & appearances followed back here in London, his residency at Crash the first time the Mikey magic behind the decks caught our eye, although, with clubs like A.M., Discotec, Heaven, Mr Dower’s reputation and demand was pretty much secured here in the capital, and who can forget his prolific performances for Matinee in its early London days at Area, magic days that will live in our memories for ever. Internationally, Mikey has played gigs as near as Paris & Rome and as far as Sydney & San Francisco, with many in between, all this while holding down a full time job for Ministry Of Sound, a demanding position that means the Dower diary tends to be pretty full, so appearances at Beyond & Lo-Profile, as well as guest slots across London & overseas are his own forms of release from the pressures of his full time job. So it doesn’t surprise that studio works are pretty limited, although a little birdie tells us the man is working on a new compilation at the moment, so as soon as it comes to fruition, we will share it with you. However, even though it stretches back to the first day of 2010, there is no better way to savour the talents of this amazing D.J. very much on peak performance, in one of those massive back-to-back sets with Mr Pitron, both parts taken straight from their three hour set and like the records within the two compilations, have become, as Mikey quite rightly says “...a journey through Beyond hits old and new, crammed with classics to celebrate its history...”, so a perfect choice to mark this latest incarnation of the club, B2B. If they are not in your collection yet, then go grab them now at http://mikeyd.podomatic.com/ and watch this space for his new mix, as we will be giving him a serious nudge when we see him on Dex’s terrace later today.
Right, we promised you some more compilations devoted to Beyond , although we cannot bring you the mini mix that Jamie Hammond laid down to mark his debut appearance for this mega club brand at Colosseum, as, sadly it has been deleted and is no longer available. But fear not as Area resident D.J. Alan K has just released his latest Beyond live set recording which you can grab now at http://djalank.podomatic.com/ and was lifted from his breathtaking set at Beyond’s Gay pride party on 4th July. Now, when it comes to multi mixing (that’s three sometimes four records blended into one) there is no-one better than Alan in our view and this compilation is riddled with brilliant examples and is a must for your collection.
Now, while the link is a little loose, one Beyond resident that always seems to hit the mark for us is D’Johnny, his appearances in The Terrace always drawing us away from the main room madness and while he has yet to lay down a special compilation for Beyond, his latest mix, which is included within the Logan Presents podcast series, is well worth a listen, being hot off the press at http://loganpresentspodcast.podomatic.com/ and just in time for the third UP private party at Dex in Brixton this afternoon. Like Mikey, if we get a chance, we will be prompting Mr Johnny for a Beyond devoted compilation, so watch to see if we are successful in our bid.
But firmly back on the Beyond music trail is a simply superb compilation for one of the clubs original residents, Alan X, who used to carry us cavourting right till the last seconds of our weekly homage’s to Beyond in the early days of Colosseum’s main room madcap antics, although in this latest mix, Alan treats us to the sounds more akin to his sets in the VIP lounge both at the first outing and last night (which we missed, blast!) but is also full of “...tunes guaranteed to get you moving, whether on the beach or at your local chillout...”. This latest mix marvel gets our complete thumbs up and is a must grab at http://djalanx.podomatic.com/, while you can, so don’t dilly dally, go get it now!
Right that’s about it for this Beyond inspired special post, although while we have hopefully given you plenty of brilliant beats to soak up for another week, why not check out Seen Queen’s music page, which has links to over 50 of the scene’s top D.J. talents, as well as a veritable feast of latest compilation releases, plus much more at http://seenqueen.com/music.
Our next post goes back to its usual format, although has a female feel with focuses on Sharon O Love & Lisa German, while we have news on a Matinee inspired mix from D.J. Michel Mizrahi, another new compilation from French fancy Leomeo, who will be in London for Lovechild’s “Tropicana” party, plus details of Pagano’s latest track release in advance of his appearance at Barcelona’s Circuit Festival, so keep watching & reading for all of that. In the meantime, all that’s left to say is “select those sounds, sit back, turn up the volume, become a Beyond believer and let the music play, as Music Is The Answer”. (DISCO MATT)
MUSIC IS THE ANSWER – SPECIAL POST
SUNDAY 25TH JULY
In the relatively short time that we have been reporting in a vibrant gay music scene boasting some truly amazing D.J.’s not just here in the capital, but across Europe & further a-filed, one club stands out head & shoulders above the rest when it comes to truly inspiring music, this coming as no surprise when you see the veritable feast of disc spinning meisters that graces the clubs decks over the years. So, with the latest incarnation of Beyond parties, B2B, gathering steam and having held its latest party last night & today (Sat/Sun 24th/25th July) we thought it only appropriate to devote a special post to this most prolific of club brands, focussing on two D.J.’s that centre pieced both parts of the 14 hour extravaganza, but we also give a shout to two Beyond inspired compilations and one by a Beyond resident D.J.
Right, without further a-do, our first focus goes to Rob Sykes, who made a welcome return to Beyond last night (Sat 24th July) at the first leg of the B2B party, taking to the main room decks at super club Colosseum in Vauxhall and proving a considerable draw, particularly given his D.J.’ing pedigree. In terms of Beyond, whilst Rob was never considered a resident, the odd guest appearance in the original days of the club at Colosseum saw him treat the masses to slices of the Sykes superb sound that became so sort after at the time. With the massive circuit style club Action being part of the clubbing revolution within Vauxhall, Rob was an intrinsic part of this club set up, headlining the D.J. line up at each party and most deservedly so, his style of funky, chunky, progressive & tech infused house very much hitting the mark with the huge audiences that Action attracted and this mega circuit styled event made Mr Sykes pretty much a household name across gAylist/land clubbing in the capital. But this was to lead onto Rob joining the exclusive band of D.J.’s that work & play for The Orange group and it is fair to say that, in Juicy, Rob continued the fairytale connection with Action’s Andrew Harris, this Saturday night outing at Fire enjoying four years in the spotlight, its sudden demise leaving a gaping hole in the clubbing calendar and also leaving Mr Sykes a little in the wilderness, thus his return to the fore with Beyond, very much a morale boosting move.
Rob’s career behind the decks stared back in the early 1990’s, he gaining residencies at clubs that included Quiet Storm, Billion Dollar Babes, Hollywood Babylon & the then iconic Studio 94, these appearances seeing Mr Sykes stretch his legs overseas, in Europe, The US Africa & Australia, notable highlights in his career being representations at aftershow parties for Janet Jackson, Kylie Minogue and even for the great lady herself, Madonna, following her most recent concert at London’s Wembley Stadium. Mind you it doesn’t stop there, as Rob has played at the highly acclaimed & prestigious MTV Europe music awards in both Rome & Lisbon, playing to massive audiences both in & out of the music industry, so is no stranger to playing to huge crowds, although is just as comfortable in the small sophisticated bar set up, as the enormous circuit stage. Away from the limelight and Mr Sykes dives into the studio occasionally, laying down compilations that are very much reflective of his mood and moments in life, creative collections of beats that represent Rob’s diverse taste in house music genres floating between funky & electro, to more underground & tech infused sounds are loaded in his impressive repertoire, two great examples being his latest mix entitled “Lady Loca Vive En Berlin” & his “Beach Baby Babylon” compilation (a favourite of ours), both available at http://soundcloud.com/djrobsykes. However, naturally, it is his mix devoted to Beyond B2B that gets our biggest shout, just over 60 minutes of electro funk, tech & progressive beats, together with inviting vocals, all mixed up to provide an uplifting & enchanting string of sounds that have the Sykes stamp firmly on them and in the man’s own words is “...a taster of what you can expect to hear me playing...”, Rob’s centre stage performance for B2B at Colosseum already now in the bag. So, if like us, you were unfortunate to miss this spectacular Beyond outing & Rob’s performance, why not emulate the experience by checking out his mix at http://djrobsykes.podomatic.com/.
Our second focus goes to a man who needs no real introduction as, in terms of Beyond, he is very much a household name and one of the staple ingredients that makes the main room at Area on a Sunday morning the most popular place to be. Mike Dower, better known behind the decks as Mikey D, has been a major tore de force in the Beyond armoury since its re-birth back in 2008 and even if he isn’t part of the line up on any given Sunday (and that is a rarity), you will find him partying with the best of us and supporting what has become very much an institution for many. As we sit here focussing on the man, he is live behind Beyond’s decks, no doubt treating a packed main room to a scorching sequence of scintillating, uplifting, funky & chunky, house tunes that is so representative of his showings at this amazing afterhours club. Not only does Mikey more than compensate for the absence of close friend & D.J. partner in crime, Steve Pitron (who is currently on a well deserved holiday break), but we are occasionally treated to back-to-back sets from the duo that simply blow us away, the recent Pride event being a perfect example. However, whilst he may be best known for his slots at Beyond, Mikey has recently been asked to guest at the re-emerging Later parties at Fire and that very same pride weekend, we were treated to two doses of the Dower delirium, his solo set on the Sunday afternoon showing a tougher more tech infused side to his music that went down an absolute treat, as has all his performances we have witnessed there. Indeed, there are a mere handful of D.J.’s we know that can truly lift any lack lustre feeling we may become prone to on the dancefloor, Mikey being one of those and last week at Beyond did just that, banishing all thoughts of our injuries to the back of our mind and seeing us in a dancing dervish from 9 till 11 virtually nonstop.
To think that this man graduated from spinning discs in his bedroom to playing on the international stage at the blink of an eye is testament to his incredible talent and Mikey has hardly looked back since that pivotal & breakthrough moment in Sicily for Alternative Holiday’s Gay Summer weeklong event. Indeed, a whole string of residences & appearances followed back here in London, his residency at Crash the first time the Mikey magic behind the decks caught our eye, although, with clubs like A.M., Discotec, Heaven, Mr Dower’s reputation and demand was pretty much secured here in the capital, and who can forget his prolific performances for Matinee in its early London days at Area, magic days that will live in our memories for ever. Internationally, Mikey has played gigs as near as Paris & Rome and as far as Sydney & San Francisco, with many in between, all this while holding down a full time job for Ministry Of Sound, a demanding position that means the Dower diary tends to be pretty full, so appearances at Beyond & Lo-Profile, as well as guest slots across London & overseas are his own forms of release from the pressures of his full time job. So it doesn’t surprise that studio works are pretty limited, although a little birdie tells us the man is working on a new compilation at the moment, so as soon as it comes to fruition, we will share it with you. However, even though it stretches back to the first day of 2010, there is no better way to savour the talents of this amazing D.J. very much on peak performance, in one of those massive back-to-back sets with Mr Pitron, both parts taken straight from their three hour set and like the records within the two compilations, have become, as Mikey quite rightly says “...a journey through Beyond hits old and new, crammed with classics to celebrate its history...”, so a perfect choice to mark this latest incarnation of the club, B2B. If they are not in your collection yet, then go grab them now at http://mikeyd.podomatic.com/ and watch this space for his new mix, as we will be giving him a serious nudge when we see him on Dex’s terrace later today.
Right, we promised you some more compilations devoted to Beyond , although we cannot bring you the mini mix that Jamie Hammond laid down to mark his debut appearance for this mega club brand at Colosseum, as, sadly it has been deleted and is no longer available. But fear not as Area resident D.J. Alan K has just released his latest Beyond live set recording which you can grab now at http://djalank.podomatic.com/ and was lifted from his breathtaking set at Beyond’s Gay pride party on 4th July. Now, when it comes to multi mixing (that’s three sometimes four records blended into one) there is no-one better than Alan in our view and this compilation is riddled with brilliant examples and is a must for your collection.
Now, while the link is a little loose, one Beyond resident that always seems to hit the mark for us is D’Johnny, his appearances in The Terrace always drawing us away from the main room madness and while he has yet to lay down a special compilation for Beyond, his latest mix, which is included within the Logan Presents podcast series, is well worth a listen, being hot off the press at http://loganpresentspodcast.podomatic.com/ and just in time for the third UP private party at Dex in Brixton this afternoon. Like Mikey, if we get a chance, we will be prompting Mr Johnny for a Beyond devoted compilation, so watch to see if we are successful in our bid.
But firmly back on the Beyond music trail is a simply superb compilation for one of the clubs original residents, Alan X, who used to carry us cavourting right till the last seconds of our weekly homage’s to Beyond in the early days of Colosseum’s main room madcap antics, although in this latest mix, Alan treats us to the sounds more akin to his sets in the VIP lounge both at the first outing and last night (which we missed, blast!) but is also full of “...tunes guaranteed to get you moving, whether on the beach or at your local chillout...”. This latest mix marvel gets our complete thumbs up and is a must grab at http://djalanx.podomatic.com/, while you can, so don’t dilly dally, go get it now!
Right that’s about it for this Beyond inspired special post, although while we have hopefully given you plenty of brilliant beats to soak up for another week, why not check out Seen Queen’s music page, which has links to over 50 of the scene’s top D.J. talents, as well as a veritable feast of latest compilation releases, plus much more at http://seenqueen.com/music.
Our next post goes back to its usual format, although has a female feel with focuses on Sharon O Love & Lisa German, while we have news on a Matinee inspired mix from D.J. Michel Mizrahi, another new compilation from French fancy Leomeo, who will be in London for Lovechild’s “Tropicana” party, plus details of Pagano’s latest track release in advance of his appearance at Barcelona’s Circuit Festival, so keep watching & reading for all of that. In the meantime, all that’s left to say is “select those sounds, sit back, turn up the volume, become a Beyond believer and let the music play, as Music Is The Answer”. (DISCO MATT)
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