AHM is Opening on Thursday. Here’s What You Wanna Know
I’m used to chasing down tough leads, but this place was exceptionally hard to crack for quite a while. Many of the awesome people behind this project have been good friends for more than a decade, and were still quite tight-lipped about it, and I must say, I kinda like that. It made things more exciting.
Anyway, meet AHM. AHM is the newest addition to Beirut’s Waterfront. If you’ve driven past O1NE and Music Hall, you’ll probably have seen it being built, a stone’s throw away from the sea.
What is AHM?
The architects and concept designers (Clap Clap and Rabih Geha) took inspiration from the fact the venue would be built on reclaimed parts of the Mediterranean Sea. They also took inspiration from our seafaring ancestors, who would embark on journeys that took them to the ends of the Earth, then always safely back home.
The mast-like design and lighting structures, its proximity to the shore, and its open rooftop kinda emulate a ship on the sea, that more than 1500 people can board and embark on a different journey, 4 times a week….
Schedule
Wednesday: Soul Kitchen
A night of Rhythm and Soul for all the groovy souls out there. You can find out more about the events on the Soul Kitchen Instagram handle here.
Dress code: Electric jungle, island chic (which in human words means kinda colorful, laid back and comfortable)
Thursday: Love Night
Disco lovers and House music revellers will have Thursday all to themselves. You can check out more on Love Night here.
LOVE NIGHT — Disco Fever, Retro Funk, House Reloads.
Dress code: Dress sexy, dress naked (probably not actually naked, just really eccentric?)
Friday: House of Pop
Imagine Factory Fridays, but three times bigger. Glitz, glam and sing-along songs and classics are what you can find on the ship on Fridays. You can find out more here.
Dress code: Gods and goddesses (which is basically glamorous and dressed up, or not)
Saturday: AHM X
Huge names. Huge rooms. Full crowd. That’s the C U NXT SAT night on steroids, and the night I’m most excited about.
Dress Code: Techno Chique (I’m not gonna explain that, you should already feel what it means)
What to Expect
Clubbing in Beirut can sometimes feel like a weekly routine, with one night a week being the “it-party” in each venue. It sometimes becomes about the club, not the experience. People go to X club on that day, Y club on this day, but usually have no idea who the main act is, or what the experience at the party might be like.
It seems AHM is trying to change that. The club’s black color and extremely customizable visual and design elements, means it’ll feel completely different each time you walk in. I expect Wednesday Soul Kitchen nights will be extremely different than AHM X on Saturdays, making it about the experience of each night, not the venue itself.
This is the first time the guys and gals build something from the ground up, instead of intervene in and modify an existing structure or space. It took quite some time to perfect too, so you know they poured their hearts into it, and I cannot wait to dance my ass off in it this week.
It’s opening officially on Thursday night, and AHM is 21+ Oh, and dress codes will also be dependent on the night’s experience, so:
Line-Up Preview
And, because you’re on Gino’s Blog, I wasn’t gonna leave you without a little peek into what’s coming in the next few weeks.
M.A.N.D.Y. and Blond:ish
THIS Saturday. The first ever Saturday will be headlined with two big names that Beirut loves and love Beirut. For the noobs, you’ve heard M.A.N.D.Y.’s classic “Body Language” on probably 12 other tracks since 2005 (it’s been used on more than 100 compilations so far)
Victor Ruiz
Victor Ruiz is the Techno connoisseur who figured out how to finally make Techno sexy and seductive. The Sao Paolo born and raised producer is finally making his Beirut debut, and I can’t wait fucking wait.
Max Cooper
I truly fell in love with Max Cooper’s complex but melodic Techno sound when I was Brooklyn-based for a while. He’s coming back to Beirut. Get ready folks. Here’s one of his earliest masterpieces.
