This is the one I've been waiting to write.... and been thinking about all week.

I wasn't planning on going to cozo until ERIC ENTRENA FEB 18 but Leap was going, and I really didn't want her going solo without a personal body guard. Since you all know how absolutely stacked with muscular awesomeness I am, I figured it made perfect sense to body-guard Leap and Miss_Sweetness and all other unbelievably hot chikeetahs who go to the zone. It was my task, and I was up for it.

So, after dropping cat off, i drove back down to college & spadina to wait. I parked the car in the underground parking lot and looked around, alert, to scope out the area. a few moments later, I was asleep. ZZZzzzzzz

What can I say? A warm car, comfy seats, nice Paolo chill out beats playing on the stereo...and allergy meds that made me drowsy all night @ Mastiksoul (footwork, put on by Carlo Lio) put me under. Then i heard thump thump and was roused out of my darkened slumber, and was greeted with something i think is a pretty cool phenomena that i think that occurs every Sunday morning.

at 5 am, the underground parking lot is empty... 5:30, a car shows up... 5:45, more cars slowly pull up... all filled with people, and softly thumping beats of varying qualities of stereo systems... the people emerg, but they aren't going anywhere--they have Tim Hortons and McDonalds, and are dancing around the cars to the beats coming out of the now open doors. One car pulls up with a good stereo, and Matt (from another car) runs up to them 'i have a track you HAVE to play on your stereo!!!' the people park, indulge him, and promptly all get out and dance. Meanwhile, people are opening trunks and changing their shirts, girls are changing in the cars (too cold to change in the garage). One guy is eating this huge breakfast quesadilla or something, losing bits as he dances around fueling up for a morning of dancing. This is the phenomena of comfort zone peeps getting ready to go dancing....AFTER a full night of dancing. Anyone familiar with the zone is familiar with this ritual of preparation.

I smile in spite of myself, I feel tired--i should be going home; i feel alert--because I'm about to hear some of the sic-est beats in Canada (yes, hear me: Canada), and i feel exhilarated because i know a lot of good friends will be there who hear the same call. I'm insane.



I hop out of my car and join some of the random people (soon to be life-long friends) in dancing around their cars. I see Leap and Miss_sweetness drive in from the north country and they park beside. They bring me a change of clothes, and a pack of insta-meals in a can. Guys... for anyone who does marathon partying, i highly recommend these--get yourself some. Especially when on the go, and you just want something to drink, down a meal replacement or two, and stay healthy! I changed into my new clothes, out of the used-clothes from a long night at footwork, and we head to the line up to await to get in.

Inside, time turns to mush. You have no idea what time it is, or how fast or slow time is passing. All you know is, its dark, the beats are slamming, and the vibe around you is making you feel more alive than you've ever felt on a Sunday morning. The best thing is, some of your friends are here too; unlikely as it may seen, the vibe has come with them, and you're jamming, looking at each other and can't believe the beats are pounding out, and you're STILL dancing.

Sydney blu was on first...i was afraid it'd be solid electro, but it was damn solid. She slammed me into the walls, as i aquainted myself with the darkness and the beats...there was room to dance, it was 7 am.

by 8:30, the club was completely packed. All the night clubers had arrived to continue their dancing marathon and the smiles were unmistakable as people waited for MASS with Deko-Ze to begin.

Deko-Ze didn't let them down, but a few thought he lacked symetry as his set bopped from one style to another, and didn't seem to find common ground--he added to the insanity that developed. .... his extended set until 1 pm hammered the crowd, letting them know that in this place, at that time, "This is my house." The crowd exploded with approval.

I sat, resting, feeling the vibe, feeling deko-ze struggling to keep the path; was he really struggling? It could be my perception... could be that my tastes weren't in line with his...the brassy babes belting it out, not chiming with my inner tribal spirit...

The afternoon was blissful, the aspect of socialization came into being. You don't go to the zone for the day and just dance. If you do, you shouldn't. Stop, look around, make a friend. Go up to someone you get a good vibe from and THANK them. Ask them what they do in the real world. Bring it up a notch or down a notch with them. That's your mission--make a new random zone friend, and then tell people about your zone friend.

More food, more rest, and back to the zone; the play all day pass is a blessing and a curse, you head back to that door, the bouncer nods for you to go by without getting searched---they know you already--is that a good sign? hmmm

Suddenly, I hear some familiar chords.... and I'm thrown back. The DJ is dropping a tune that still blows my mind!! Raining Again [Steve Angelo's Vocal Mix] - Moby. I couldn't believe my ears, i started hopping around like my feet were on fire, dancing around the pacific rim, singing along with the music:

Oh and it's raining again
Loud on my car, Like bullets on Tin
Sadness like water....raining down....raining down...

And it's at this time, in this place, that i know for one moment, I'm in the right moment at the right time. Know what I mean? Everything just clicks into place. And now, I realize, that I've discovered the secret to this scene: things clicking into place. The music. The friends. The strangers we've yet to meet. The pounding bass. The gatorade and red bull. Don't we love it all? Isn't incomplete without the other? I'm startled in my realization.

We spend the afternoon dancing and singing and meeting new people.

Let's be real...this scene is filled with two-faced people. People with their own agendas...using the scene for $$, for drugs, for women, for popularity. You know what? f*ck them. THey're part of it sure, but they're not the center of it. We are, you know? The ones that love the music, the ones that love the underground. Don't get me wrong, we all have our dark moments, are failings, and i'm sure the scene brings out the best..and the worst... but those that don't have the music at heart--let's push them out, shall we? Let's concentrate on what really moves this thing called House... the music.

We waited for our favourite DJ to hit the decks. And for whatever it is worth, I truly believe this man is the best DJ in Toronto right now as far as track selection and mixing goes. I don't know his personal life, i don't know if he's a good person, i dont' know if his friends like him or not, but i know this: he knows how to lay down house tracks like no one else. Nathan Barato was the first DJ i really focused on in this scene... and I swear, I've never heard a set by him I didn't like. I've tried to find one, to prove he has an achilles heal..but thus far, nothing.

The truth of the matter is, the DJ has a job to do, and we measure him or her based on that job... do we measure them on their life outside the decks (sure, they gotta be nice...if they piss ppl off, not much of a following), or do we truly measure them by their spinning abilities? And when we measure, are we educated in doing so?

All I know is when the beats come out, it sounds RIGHT, and the tracks that are produced, that Nathan throws down, are some of the sicest my ears have heard... and I danced it up hard with my friends, whose hearts are in it for the right reasons: for the music.

And on a closing note: because i have this review thing going, and because i'm feeling particularly feisty tonight... here's an online slam of sorts: to that girl who, during Nathan's set, when I was joking with David A about someone mistaking Nathan for Carlo Lio, and said "That isn't Carlo Lio, that's Nathan Barato you f*cking retard" first of all: be nicer to the retards. Secondly, you'll solve more with sugar than salt, my dear. And when you told my buddy to stand aside and tried to teach him how to dance, well, no one teaches disco to dance. Hope to see you on the dance floor soon under nicer circumstances.

Here's some vids i caught that night, even though Nathan thought I was creepy for taking them.

Click here to download, use Quick Time to view