B018 Review

August 31, 2011 By Gino 16 Comments

After The Basement’s demise earlier this year, B018 automatically became my absolute favorite club, in the world. Apparently, I am not the only one that thinks so. B018 ranks 6th on WorldsBestBars.com’s Top 100 and 40th on DJMag’s Top 100 clubs. To compare, Sky Bar is 62nd on DJmag’s poll and doesn’t even appear on World’s Best Bars page. Let’s start with the basics:

The Name

Pronounced: B (bee) 0 (written as a zero, pronounce as the letter O) 18 (eighteen).
Written: B018 NOT BO18
Origins: Founder, Naji Gebran’s apartment was number 18 in a block B back in the 80s, where the B018 concept began. Contrary to popular belief, it does NOT mean Be-Over-18.

Origins

Start: 1984, Beirut
First Location: 1993, a warehouse in an industrial area of Beirut
Second Location: 1998, the current location in the Karantina area

Location’s Significance

B018 is located in the Karantina area, which is Arabic for Quarantine. This part of Beirut used to be where foreign crews were screened for diseases in ancient times, and in more modern times, more specifically during the Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) it housed some 20,000 refugees. The area saw horrific violence and the refugee camp was completely obliterated and its residents displaced.

The area’s terrifyingly macabre aura and history make it an unlikely spot for an entertainment hub. But that’s exactly what it’s become. B018 is Beirut’s oldest and most legendary club, and it sits buried in an area that has been synonymous with pain and discord for centuries, chasing away the ghosts of the past.

Architecture and Design

Everyone knows that Bernard Khoury designed B018. It is arguably his most famous creation. From the highway, you might mistake it for a humble parking lot. However, at night, the sounds and traffic will definitely show you otherwise.

The above-ground structure is an unassuming metal facade with a massive hydraulic apparatus that articulates the infamous retractable roof. Concentric circles surround the metallic, subterranean structure, where cars complete a full rotation around the club before finding a spot in one of the outer circles. The headlights of clubbers’ cars reflect off the surface of one of the roof’s retractable sections, which along with the city lights, create the only dynamic visual factor in the club below.

The comfortable sofas are foldable, serving as both a seat and an elevated platform for the more restless happy feet. It might be interesting to point out that the wood used in making the chairs comes from coffins, adding to the cryptic feel of the bomb-shelter inspired club.

The many unique and bold features of the club’s design and architecture have landed B018 in every single architecture-related journal and magazine. The vibrant and energetic club is a stark contradiction of its surroundings and as Bernard Khoury explains, a perfect protest to the neglect this area of the Lebanese capital has suffered over the years.

The Music

B018 is a massively underground club. Its pedigree is endorsed by the world’s biggest underground names, from Dany Howells to Nick Warren, to the M_nus crew, James Zabiela and many many others. The club hosts the gods and goddesses of underground electronic music on a regular basis. It has also harbored many of Lebanon’s artists with underground street cred such as Lumi and Fady Ferraye.

From electro, to techno, to minimal, to nudisco, to house and progressive, there’s always a deliciously digital genre blaring from the speakers and spilling off onto the highway. Big Al, Gunther, Stamina, Fady and Ziad are the resident decknicians and will always make sure you get the bass massage your internal organs so desperately need.

Other days, B018 plays host to a completely different type of music, from funk and jazz, to pop and rock and 80s music. It’s usually on Thursdays, and sometimes on Mondays. But Friday and Saturday are always dedicated to the club’s reputation-making deep, underground, electronic masterpieces.

My Two Cents

B018 is my ideal venue. It is underground, yet can be glamorous when it needs to be. It has amazing DJs all year round, yet can play host to virtually any musical heavyweight. It is ancient, but has yet to lose its luster. I’ve become close friends with many of the people behind this club, especially Ziad and Gunther. I hold the mayorship of B018 on Foursquare, and have done so for well over 18 months straight. I’ve checked in there a total of 67 times, which is a LOT.

I am disappointed to see so many people get the wrong impression about B018. Its afterhours operations earn it underserved notoriety of being infested with drunks and junkies. Well, I don’t really drink alcohol and I don’t do drugs and I can vouch the same for most of the people that frequent B0 (although they probably drink more alcohol than I do =P). So, to whomever thinks they’re too good for B0 and wouldn’t go there in a million years, I say THANK YOU! Good venues unspoiled by fish-face poses, cheap cigars and way-too-much makeup are a rarity, and B018′s notoriety does serve an indirect purpose: filtering the clientele, watering down the vanity and selecting for more genuine music lovers that go clubbing for the music, not for their Facebook’s mobile uploads album. So, if you want to dance, long and hard to music you didn’t listen to on the radio on the way over to the club, B018′s for you. If your friend’s birthday sucked, or your date was a flop, redeem yourself and save your night after 2:00AM at B018.

There’s no better feeling than going to a club on any given day, dancing for hours, opening the roof to let the smoke out and the cool in, and eventually let the sunlight flood the dancefloor and bar. My advice to you is, go on a weekday (except Monday, cause it closes) and leave at around 7:00-8:00AM and point your fingers and laugh at all the people stuck in a traffic jam on their way to work or school, while you go home to sleep through the day and recover.

Club: B018 Karantina
Location: Karantina (near Forum)
Music: Underground Electronic
Resident DJ: Gunther & Stamina, Fady Ferraye, Big Al and Ziad
Price: 30,000LL entrance with one drink for walk-ins after 2:00 AM
Door Policy: 18+
The Verdict: Divine

About these ads

Filed Under: Clubs Tagged With: b018 architecture, b018 beirut, b018 bernard khoury, b018 rank, b018 review

Poll of the Week: Your Thoughts on the Alcohol Ban + 76% of Readers Are for the Smoking Ban

August 26, 2011 By Gino 7 Comments

Islamic groups have been fighting alcohol consumption in Lebanon for years now. They’re succeeding in some areas. Before my 14 March readers point fingers at Hezbollah, I’ll remind them that two of the bastions of 14 March have been dry for decades, namely Sidon (Saida) and Tripoli. The difference is that the Hezbollah bans are more recent and unlike those before us, we are speaking up about this.

However, before I write my thoughts on the matter and present to you my findings, I want to know what you guys think, and that’s this week’s poll of the week!

BEFORE you vote:

Remember, indoor smoking was banned by the Lebanese Government (legally) for health issues. In these areas, Islamic groups are banning them, illegally and under false pretenses.

Last Week’s Results

The results reflect a much higher than expected level of support! More than 76% are completely with versus only 7% against. As for the skeptics, they’re also pretty low compared to what you’d expect from Lebanon and its governments…

So, good luck to us all!

Filed Under: Polls, Uncategorized

The Weekly Leaks: At 43 Years Old, La Creperie is Closing Up Shop

August 25, 2011 By Gino 7 Comments

READ THIS MORE RECENT UPDATE FIRST. Thanks!

La Creperie is a place where I used to go as a child with my family every now and then. It’s a place where I spent Valentine’s Day last year. It’s a place where I went on dates, farewell parties, welcome back gatherings and virtually any meaningful, sentimental occasion you could think of.

Alas, in a matter of days, La Creperie is closing shop. This majestic structure perched on the cliff overlooking the magical Gulf of Jounieh, is a folksy, family-owned restaurant. It’s a traditional Lebanese mansion, with beautiful floors, walls and ceilings decorated with tapestries and colorful tiles with intricate designs.

It’s tables are very close to each other, its chairs are the same one your grandparents sit on, its waitress is like your aunt and the valet like your cousin. In other words, it’s a really awesome place where you’re not brutally reminded you’re just another customer and that they want you paying that check and out the door as fast as humanly possible.

Alas, as with everything awesome, it has succumbed to greedy people with deeper pockets (which are related to the current owners). La Creperie has been bought out by wealthy investors (which I won’t name for liability purposes, but I’ll give you a hint, I’ve blacklisted another one of their venues =P) and they plan on “revamping” the place and reopening it in the spring of 2012.

So, if you’ve never been to La Creperie, or haven’t been there in a while, pass by and bid it farewell. I certainly will. And let’s cross our fingers and hope the future plans for La Creperie will keep some of the spirit and sentimental value this mutli-generational restaurant sits on today.

Filed Under: Leaks

FASHAL – Introducing The Nike Calvin Klein Thong

August 24, 2011 By Gino Leave a Comment

Taken by Lori Kharpoutlian and Patil Bolian

Filed Under: Fail Tagged With: fail loubnan, fashal, lebanon fail

Internet Speeds to Octuple, Prices to be Slashed 80% by September 24th, 2011

August 24, 2011 By Gino 18 Comments

The Goods

Everyone will be automatically switched up to 1mbps (previous maximum) speed by next month, after which you can choose to go up as high as 8mbps (current maximum)
The price of 1mbps per month was 115,000 LBP but under the new law, it will be for as little as 24,000 LBP (around 79% reduction)

The Bads

The limits. For a 1mbps plan, you get 4GB upload and 4GB download. For an 8mbps plan, you get 30GB for up and another 30GB for down. This might be more than what we have now (4GB total for example). But, fairly limited for the kind of speeds we’re getting.
Ogero and the MoT are controlled by different political parties, with Ogero being loyal to 14 March and the MoT Nicolas Sehnaoui from the FPM camp. The inescapably possible scenario is that Ogero won’t like the idea an FPM minister got the job done and will seek to sabotage it (only in Lebanon *sigh*)
We’re still somewhat retarded compared to neighboring countries, who are on 13 terrabit per second cables, while we’re still at 330 megabit per second ones. Still, astronomical compared to the embarrassing 3 megabit per second one we had.

EDIT: The Price List

Filed Under: Leb Tagged With: lebanon internet

The Weekly Leaks: Always the Sun at White Beirut on September 4th!

August 24, 2011 By Gino 2 Comments

White Beirut is the only Lebanese megaclub that caters for the electronic music connoisseurs as well as the other more commonplace music lovers. Vocalists are the main attraction in Beirut this summer, with the voices behind many beloved hits gracing Beirut’s clubbers with their presence.

White Beirut has already brought two heavyweight DJs this year, Fedde le Grand and Steve Angello (Swedish House Mafia). Now, it’s time for some beautiful Progressive and Melodic Trance with Richard Durand, the man behind the “Always the Sun” anthem (which I’ve embedded above).

Richard Durand will be in White on Sunday September 4th, and you can be 100% sure that’s where I’m spending the night!

Others bring the voice behind a song, White brings the creator of the song and that’s awesome for two reasons. The first is you get the creator himself/herself which means you’ll get a full-fledged set of beautiful music, not just 5-8 minutes of lip-syncing. The second reason is that musically uneducated clubbers drool only over the vocalists, making sure that those present for the DJ sets know their music.

Filed Under: Leaks

FASHAL – CNN Tripoli FAIL

August 23, 2011 By Gino 9 Comments

Filed Under: Uncategorized

AUCTION: A Black Nokia E6 (Proceeds go to SJS Scouts Colonie)

August 20, 2011 By Gino 41 Comments

My Dearest Readers,

After consultations with Nokia Lebanon, we agreed that the device I get to try out should not lie in an office drawer, getting old and being useless. Instead, and based on their very generous recommendation, I’m going to auction it off here on the blog, and will donate it to charity.

The charity I’ve chosen is one dear to my heart, The SJS Colonie 2011. It is a 10-day summer camp for 100 severely abused and underprivileged children which my scouts group organizes every four years. Since we’re a non-profit volunteer NGO, we need all the help we can get. To find out more about the Colonie, check out the FB page

AUCTIONING WILL START AT 10$ AS OF NOW!

The auctioning will happen via comments, use a valid email address!

The auction will end tonite, at 9:30 PM SHARP.

Remember, the market price of a brand new Nokia E6 is 420-450 USD. The phone is in excellent condition and I even downloaded a few nice apps for you =P

Thank you for our help =)

Filed Under: Uncategorized

A Handful of Lebanese Apps for Android Users

August 19, 2011 By Gino 3 Comments

As Android users, we often jump to the conclusion that most companies and developers based in Lebanon seek to develop apps for iOS. After all, it’s the “in” thing nowadays. However, loads of developers and establishments are acknowledging the rapidly growing Android community in Lebanon, and here are a few apps that make my life easier.

1- Beirut Airport 5/5

You might know this app from iOS platforms, and it’s awesome for people like me. Most of my family and friends live abroad, and every other week, I’m picking up or dropping off someone at the Beirut International Airport. NOTHING sucks more than a delayed flight, where you have to spend hours waiting at the airport, or paying a fortune in their “cafes”. This app is as simple as it is sexy. You can see a full listing of all departing and arriving flights, their statuses and their ETAs. You can also activate notifications for specific flights, so you don’t forget to pick up your parents from their second honeymoon =P

I give it a 5 out of 5 because it does what it’s supposed to do marvelously and fast.

2- Lebanon Movies Guide 3/5

I often open Cineklik.com. But, Opera Mini isn’t the sleekest solution and using other browsers will drain your life, and megabytes, away. This fairly new app is a neat one which allows you to check out the movies available, what each theater is offering and of course what times each movie is screened. You also get a brief description of the movie, and can reserve a seat using the app (automatically dials the theater’s number)

I give it a 3 out of 5 because it’s sluggish sometimes and needs to load everything every single time, even though its updated just twice a week. Offline viewing of this app would be a massive plus.

3- Beirut.com 5/5

This is one of the most beautifully designed apps on all three platforms. Even the limited, sluggish Blackberry OS, has a fantastic Beirut.com app.

Beirut.com is a comprehensive directory of EVERYTHING that has to do with Beirut. It’s neatly organized by day, week, type, venue, etc. Hotels, shops, clubs, restaurants and everything you need to know about Beirut. You can also search for almost everything else, including this blog! Other perks include the realtime weather, a beautiful gallery at the bottom of upcoming events as well as a colorful, vibrant and sleek navigation between categories and

I give this app full marks, because it truly is awesome.

4- MTV Lebanon 5/5

This station is by far my absolute favorite, and their Android app really put them on TOP! Most of us will not view the streaming live feed, but the app is useful for several other reasons.

For one, you have the full schedule, description and sneak peak for every show. Also, you have a written live news feed which has minute-by-minute updates which you pull down to refresh. Third, and most impressive for me, is a citizen-journalism functionality where you can report a breaking story, a violation or other interesting events and topics MTV Lebanon follows closely. This functionality alone wins this app my utmost love and respect.

Filed Under: Tech Tagged With: best android apps, lebanon apps

Poll of the Week: For or Against the Smoking Ban? + Last Week’s Results: 58% Prefer Crepaway

August 19, 2011 By Gino 5 Comments

The indoor smoking ban law, along with other incentives to curb smoking in Lebanon, was past last Wednesday in parliament. It’s already 6 years late and needs 12 months to come into full effect, making Lebanon 7 years behind most other nations (with asphalt at least) in the world.

The opinions are strongly polarized and we’d like to try to settle this once and for all. Personally, I am for the ban for reasons that to me seem painfully obvious. Your feedback is much appreciated.

Last Week’s Results

I honestly cannot believe an Rd vs Crepaway poll would generate over 2500 votes, over 120 comments and thousands of views in a matter of days. The emotionally charged comments, BBM broadcasts and fuss was turly unexpected.

Unfortunately, the results were not to my liking, for I voted Roadster. However, my spirits were lifted up when I read the dozens of comments pro-Roadster compared to a shy retaliation from the Crepaway side. All in all, it seems both diners have a pretty loyal following, and perhaps Crepaway’s wider franchise escapades, have earned it the top spot on this list

Filed Under: Polls

FASHAL – Why Not Spend the Night at Hotel Ayri?

August 18, 2011 By Gino 5 Comments

I stumbled upon this on Facebook, that’s why didn’t watermark it ginosblog.com =P

Filed Under: Fail

The Weekly Leaks: Victoria’s Secret Is Coming to Beirut City Centre Mall

August 17, 2011 By Gino 12 Comments

I don’t know a lot of details about the actual project (yet *evil grin*) so here’s an excerpt from Skyscrapercity.com’s Hassoun. It’s a project by Majid Al Futtaym, the same group behind the Waterfront City.

Beirut City Centre is a 158,000sqm shopping mall, strategically located in Hazmieh, a suburb of Beirut. The site is encircled by Damascus Road, Chiyah Boulevard, Camille Chammoun Boulevard. The shopping mall design comprises 3 basement level car park decks, 3 levels of retail plus roof top leisure and entertainment area which includes cinemas and restaurant precinct. The shape of the mall is traditional dumbbell anchord at the northern and southern ends with the main anchor being a two level Carrefour. Beirut City Centre will provide a relaxing daytime ambience incorporating a leisure and entertainment area that will also activate the mall predominantly after hours by creating a vibrant place for the people of Beirut to spend their leisure time.
GLA 62,000sqm – More than 180 shops – Opening in 2013 (Q3)

The above is currently under construction and should be up and running in the 3rd quarter of 21013. However, my source suggests the project is ahead of schedule, and could be fully completed in little over a year (Q4 of 2012).

ANYWAY, the leak is that Victoria’s Secret, the extremely hot lingerie brand, is coming to Lebanon. It’s going to open up a massive 1500 sqm in City Centre Beirut. That’s awesome news if you like women dressed like this…

…if not, tough luck =P

American Eagle is also setting up shop in Hazmieh’s new super-mall (700 sqm shop) and Carrefour supermarket, which is popular in Gulf countries like the UAE and Qatar, is planning a 6000 sqm branch in Lebanon.

Regardless of whether or not you think more malls is healthy, this mall is going to be massive. 11 cranes are working on it round-the-clock, and it is introducing massive international brands that are not yet available in Lebanon (officially). I’ll keep following this, and hopefully have a good leak about the progress of the construction works.