2010 June 06 – Gino's Blog

Danny Tenaglia Review

After forging iconic status when it comes to event organization and execution, NRJ and Poliakov have done it again on Saturday June 5, 2010, with none other than “Music is the Answer” creator, Danny Tenaglia.

The New Yorker with music as distinctive as his wide, trademark smile is a heavyweight in the international electronic music scene. His three decades of DJing for the most elite of clubbers and other fellow DJs, have only fueled Tenaglia’s passion and enthusiasm on stage.

The man with super-human endurance, energy and positive vibes is rumored to be a robot deep down. That rumor spread after Tenaglia’s numerous marathon sets of up to 12 consecutive hours.

Tenaglia’s visit to Lebanon was long overdue, and he made sure it was worth the wait. Through BeirutNightLife.com and Facebook, Danny stayed in touch with the anxious cubbers and promised he wouldn’t stop till the organizers (or police) stopped him. The police assigned to Forum de Beyrouthe though, were very pleased with the music, and could be seen nodding their heads to the bassy Tenaglia beats.

After Nicole Moudaber delivered a set of fresh, underground house, Tenaglia took command of the decks, earlier than what Lebanese clubbers are used to, fulfilling his promise of starting early and keeping at it for hours.

I am not partial to describing these nights as ‘journeys’, but Tenaglia’s Lebanon debut definitely qualifies as one. With 2 hours of Trance in the beginning, riddled with ups and downs in tempo and bass ensured an awesome preamble to the heavier house that was coming later in the night.

Tenaglia unveiled a track he had made especially for Lebanese clubbers, which threw revelers into a dancing frenzy.

The sun rose and got pretty high in the sky before Tenaglia left the decks to the Basement’s Jade and Diamond Setter.

All in all, the event was a magnificent one albeit with somewhat less clubbers. Tenaglia’s consistency and dedication to his genre of House, has made him a household name (get it?) to electronic music connoisseurs, and virtually unheard of to the layperson: an enhancement to the clubbing experience he offers, in my honest opinion.

Plus, i LOVED Pacman on the LED screens… Very symbolic of the Electronic Music Movement =D

For more awesome photos, please visit BeirutNightLife.com

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PLUM Bar Review

plum bar has been closed

As Gemmayzeh grew and flourished, it dethroned Monot as the prime nightlife hotspot in the process. Only a handful of elite and seasoned clubs remained active and packed.

Monot has tried to regain its former glory, yet dozens of clubs and pubs have failed to keep open to business.

On Friday night, I was invited to PLUM bar, which is situated on this legendary street, to an NRJ Mastermix night. That night made me reconsider the state of Monot’s nocturnal activities.

The clubs is spacious and its couches are comfortable. The DJ booth is snugly tucked away in one of the corners and the bar continuous from the entrance up to a higher level in the club. The lighting and décor is simple and minimalistic, and several screens showcase visuals that accompany the music.

The night kicked off with DJ BH and some commercial electronic music. Then, Palais’ resident RnB DJ, DJ Lethal Skillz took over the decks, and switched to his trademark 12” vinyl records. The urban sounds had clubbers grinding and throwing their hands in the air, with Lethal Skillz pitching in his MC talents and hyping up the crowd.

Dio came next, with a deep set of underground house music that has made him famous on NRJ mastermix and in the afterhours of several major NRJ events.

The management of PLUM bar is also very reasonable, and this negotiability of what the club showcases in terms of music and themes, is reflected in its diverse weekly schedule that includes 80s songs, electronic music, RnB hits and other thematic occasional nights.

Do you miss Monot? Do you reminisce the early days of your clubbing careers? I do, and PLUM definitely returned the warm feelings to my heart. I’d recommend you go there with a group of friends and reserve one of the tables, cause PLUM is a more conventional-party-place, where walk-ins don’t really allow you to experience what the place has to offer.

Club: PLUM
Location: Monot Street (where Blush used to be)
Music: House, RnB, 80s (depending on the night)
Price: 25$ Minimum Charge if not entrance
Door Policy: 18+
The Verdict: One of the few places that still make Monot valid