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2004/2005 Afterhour Review
Who am I?
Some of you may know me personally, some of you may have read my last afterhour review and some of you may have no clue who I am. I have been partying in the afterhour/rave scene since 1999 when I was introduced to electronic music by my two mentors Mike and Susan through a journey at Sona. Since then I’ve been attending every big commercial rave in Montreal and on average visiting our local afterhours about once a week; in numbers that means I have gone to afterhours over three hundred times since I first started. For those of you that know me I’m not an individual that will sit in a corner all mashed out, zoned out to hallucinations in my mind. I am there near the start of the night and almost always there at the end of the night. I used to be very “P.L.U.R” with my Vick’s inhalers, glowsticks and white gloves, but I’ve long since changed. Although I enjoy meeting new people it isn’t as important as it was back in the early millennium. I find I just go, enjoy the music and most importantly dance my heart out.
I do my best to give an objective opinion on our afterhour club scene in Montreal but I like to give my own touch of subjectivity. I’ve partied in Vancouver and Toronto and I must say I’m always happy to come back to Montreal; people should truly appreciate the great atmosphere and vibe that we have here. Montreal is one of the few cities where people go out to really get down, not just looking good or hookup.
Feel free to contact me at kendorama@gmail.com or say “Hi” whenever you spot me, I’m always wearing a visor with a playboy insignia and I sometimes wear white gloves but that in itself is a rarity now.
Please remember all my opinions are my own and although I try to state facts based on my knowledge it is possible that some so-called facts within this article are simply untrue. It is important to note that I do not work for –any- of the afterhour clubs, nor am I affiliated in anyway. I would also like to add that I have paid entry for over eighty percent of all my parties: I am a firm believer in supporting the clubs you love. I’d also like to add I work fulltime in the IT industry, studied Bachelor’s Commerce with a major in Management Information Systems; no I’m not a crack head junkie drug dealer. Without further adieu I present to you my 2004 and 2005 Afterhour Review.
Introduction
Last year saw the first year of newcomer Circus on the scene for a full year. Management took an interesting approach during its initial opening by providing guestlist and free passes for the majority of people. This approach ended up being genius since Circus in itself is a beautiful loft-like club and once most of the clientele were able to see it, they became hooked which would be vital to their long-term survival in such a competitive market.
Stereo, the oldest afterhour club in Montreal remained stagnant as far as maintaining their crowd and besides minor renovations to the club; not much change at all. I have noticed some of the regulars at Stereo moving to Circus. I’ve known many promoters come and go, had issues with getting paid, guestlist being messed up. My buddy Turbo would say Stereo is run like a dysfunctional family, I must agree, Stereo is definitely a family.
Aria is probably the club that took the biggest hit from the opening of Circus. In an effort to battle Circus they have established innovative methods of pricing but I personally see Circus coming out on top thus far.
Redlite seems completely un-phased by the introduction of Circus since they definitely have their own niche in the Laval crowd.
Sona V2 is dead and Gravity is used for booking events only so in my eyes, dead too and therefore neither of them will be in my review.
Please note that all my comments do –not- take into account the Hip Hop rooms, if they even exist (Stereo). Hence, my comments about clientele, atmosphere and capacity do not include or take into account the people in Hip Hop.
I will break down the reviews of each club into sections: Introduction, Security, Clientele, Sound, Overall Atmosphere, Pricing, Summary, and Best Nights.
Aria – Big Bookings, Trance and Techno
- comments based on approximately 120 nights
Introduction
Probably the best funded afterhour club in Montreal, Aria has always been the source of great bookings. Aria opened in the early millennium and brought about the first real competition to SONA afterhours. After Sona’s demise in 2002, Aria quickly became the most popular afterhour club located downtown catering to a younger, straighter crowd than that found at Stereo. Since the opening of Circus in 2004, Aria has taken the biggest hit as far as attendance and revenue. Aria is still the best if not only afterhour club to hear Trance and Techno DJs on a weekly basis. Its core success rests in its ability to pack the club for big events and maintain a loyal, yet small, fan base.
Security
The security at Aria has always been the second weakest out of the afterhour clubs reviewed here. After the killing of an individual in the Hip Hop room security was increased. Upon entry expect a hand held metal detector proceeded by a quick personalized photo, followed by a simple search. The security is generally respectful and not as evasive as some other clubs. Although it has never happened to me, I know people that have been forcibly brought to areas and searched by the bouncers under suspicion that they are dealing drugs, golden rule not to do drugs, right guys? There has been negative media surrounding violence occurring inside or around Aria, I’d like to clarify that to my knowledge there has never been any act of violence that occurred in the Main Room. I was in attendance during one of the stabbing incidents in the Hip Hop Room and I didn’t even know anything happened until one of my friends informed me; it still had absolutely no affect on the party in the Main Room. I would have a major problem if some incident occurred outside the Main Room that ended up ruining the party for us non-violent people.
Clientele
On most given nights Aria definitely has the youngest crowd and also the most “PLUR” or “raver” type crowd. It is one of the few clubs that allows glowsticks, even on Saturdays, for big events. This is the only club, next to maybe Redlite that I would ever see an abundance of glowsticks and glow-stringers. Although the crowd can deviate from the norm on big nights, the constant of youth can be seen among the partiers at Aria. On big nights regulars from other afterhour clubs as well as what I call “regular” clubbers can be found on the dance floor. I despise the “regular” clubbers because they often simply stand around and/or try to pick up women, it’s easy to stand around a bar at a club where you can drink alcohol or pretend to drink, but it’s a whole different story when all you can really drink is water and energy drinks Every club has it’s sketchy clients from individuals that shake glowsticks in front of their eyes all night, bang them against the wall or simply do tai-chi on the main dance floor, I find Aria has the most of these sketch-type people. I know I’m going to get flamed for the following comment but over the past couple years one of the major problems with Aria is their lack of women and even with women there, the lack of quality. If you go to party or pick up women, especially hot women, Aria is definitely not the club for you.
Sound
An off the shelf highly expensive Meyer sound system fuels Aria’s main dance floor. Definitely one of the best sound systems in Montreal, Aria’s system is able to pound out a wide range of beats and is rumored to be the best system for hitting higher pitch sounds that can be found in Trance and Techno music. In the debate on whether Stereo or Aria has the best sound system, there is no clear winner. But I would argue that Aria definitely has a sound system that is better than Stereo at pumping out digital sounds found outside of House music. Whether it’s a Techno/Trance night or House, Aria’s sound system will definitely blow you away.
Overall Atmosphere
Aria has high ceilings and is usually well-conditioned so dehydration isn’t a major problem on most nights. The light system is highly effective with a large fixture, able to lower and raise itself, from the ceiling. There are also circles on the floor from which light can shine through which provides quite a unique lighting effect. The room itself is generally a large rectangle with the DJ booth at the end of the room and glass surrounding back of the booth which allows individuals to get an up-close personal look at DJs and their mixing skills. A VIP section is located near the DJ booth at the back corner of the club. The main room itself is quite large and good for large venues since there is a second floor which can view the whole room from above. As I mentioned in the clientele section there are really two different types of crowds and thus two different types of atmosphere that you will find at Aria. It can be very sketchy on many nights since Aria has been more on the empty side recently, when it’s not empty you can be sure to have a good time if you go with a group of friends. Most of the people that go to Aria are there to have a good time and dance.
Pricing – may vary and change over time
Friday - $10 for everyone
Saturday - $15 for men, free for women
- prices for special events usually vary
Drinks - $5
Coat Check - $2
Summary
Aria has suffered after the arrival of Circus and thus lost its monopoly on being the only “straight” afterhour club in downtown Montreal. Although it has suffered Aria is still the number one club for bringing in Techno and Trance DJs and for that I will personally always be very grateful. Definitely the home of the most PLUR and youngest crowd of all afterhour clubs, due to its clientele Aria has a very young feeling about it. During big nights Aria definitely shines through as a premiere club with excellent music and a fun dancing crowd. If you play with glowsticks or enjoy lightshows, Aria is usually the place for you on big nights or Fridays. Aria definitely has a niche market with the Techno, Trance and young crowd. Unfortunately I personally think it is usually a sausage fest and what few girls that do attend are not nearly as attractive as the ones you can find at the other afterhour clubs. Luckily I don’t go to afterhour clubs specifically for the women so I always have a good time since usually I have room to dance in an overall good atmosphere.
Circus - Novelty, Hype, Beauty, Women - www.circusafterhours.com
.comments based on approximately 40 nights
Introduction
Voted the number one afterhour club in Montreal by the voters of Mirror magazine, Circus definitely made a lasting impression after their entry into the afterhour scene in 2004 or some might say end of 2003. Now even though Circus was voted number one, take that vote with a grain of salt. As Louis (King Louis/FunkenLouis) once said, “Who voted?” I am paraphrasing what he said but basically you have to think about who actually voted, does it matter? I don’t really think so. I can tell you why Circus ranked #1 as an afterhour club and simply said it is due to the fact it is a new, beautiful club with beautiful clientele. There’s a certain novelty about new clubs and Circus definitely wins out as far as being a beautiful club. In fall 2004 I remember a span of a couple months when it seemed –every- week there was a change in the architectural setup of the club; new rooms were added, booths for food, massage room, chill room. I personally never go into the Hip Hop area, I’ve ventured down there maybe five times and each time it was empty since it was the start of the night and I was basically giving a tour to friends. For a few months the original main room of Circus became a new Deep Room and a new area was opened as the main dance floor; this is the current main dance floor. This “Two Room” concept lasted only a few months and for a period of time the Deep Room was under Uzi’s (Ousmane Lee) management. Although a very interesting concept, the idea never survived the winter. I believe Circus’ huge success lies in a simple mix: they opened their doors to the public through relatively free entry, maintained the hype surrounding their club and maintained the quality and quantity of beautiful women.
Security
There was a time when I thought Redlite’s security was by far the worst type of entry security among all the clubs and there was a time when it was even more severe than big raves. Now, Circus wins hands down. Not only is Circus’ security severe, it can be highly intrusive. I know many people, among myself, that have been –violated- by security during search. If you’re a male expect them to slip their hands between the elastic of your underwear and body, thoroughly search your whole body and your genital area. I know individuals that have had their balls grabbed –hard- to the point of pain. If you’re a female expect at least the bra snap and I also know of a scenario where a female security guard actually pressured a friend’s vaginal area to the point she felt violated since the guard’s finger was actually pressing –into- her vagina. Hands down, the search at Circus can leave you feeling completely violated and distraught. Beware. If you are to consume any medication I suggest you do it before the search process.
Clientele
Anyone remember the Sona days? In our current afterhour scene, Circus comes closest to the good ole days of Sona. Although it does so in a few categories the one I’m talking about is women. Day in, day out: No where will you find such a good ratio of attractive women to men at an afterhour club in Montreal. All the attractive women I’ve met at Circus receive free entry either through guestlist or VIP passes. A little bird once told me a rumor that Circus actually distributed free passes to strippers at certain clubs; that of course is all hearsay. I often see attractive females at the cashiers ahead of me provide some form of card and enter without paying, the rest of the clientele always paying the full or reduced entry. Besides the gorgeous women the crowd is definitely the most commercial and “clubber-like” crowd amongst all the afterhour clubs. A good majority of the crowd looks good and tends to make that a priority over other things such as dancing. I often see large congregations of men standing around together leaning against the bar, no there is no alcohol served at the bar but hell I guess they don’t know how to or care to dance. Females beware! I find a minority of the male clientele –very- aggressive when it comes to pursuing their targets, that of course being you. Sometimes I blame the fact there is a Hip Hop room but to be honest I’ve seen this type of behavior at all clubs, including Stereo.
Sound
Over the past couple years the structure of Circus’ rooms and sound system has evolved, generally improving over time. I was told that before the “Tiesto” event in November Circus did some upgrades to their sound system. I couldn’t tell that much difference but apparently there is one, none the less the quality of sound at Circus is definitely sufficient for the average partier. Personally it meets the needs of most clientele and although you can notice a big difference when club hopping to a club like Stereo from Circus, to the common ear it won’t matter as much. Point finale: It meets most people’s needs to have a good time.
Overall Atmosphere
Circus has the largest capacity amongst all the afterhour clubs in Montreal. People describe it as a huge loft-style club surrounded by brick walls and illuminated by futuristic blue lights all throughout the club. There are several rooms besides the main room that can satisfy anyone’s desire for specific pleasures. There is a large room dedicated to massages and always staffed by a variety of beautiful women. Another gigantic dimly lit room is filled with couches for people to relax while still able to look upon the dance floor from a distance. The foyer before the washrooms is home to a cool guy named Mike and his assortment of toys that provide clients with a psychedelic mixture of touch and sight sensations. A major complaint about Circus by people in the “We Hate Circus” crowd are the low ceilings, this used to cause severe ventilation problems and generally created a low quality of air. Personally I haven’t experienced any of these types of problems but I’m not really that picky about it, it’s probably due to the fact the sheer size of Circus, which has increased since its conception when most people formulated their opinions about it, allows air circulation.
Pricing – may vary and change over time
Thursdays - $15, no guestlist
Friday - $25, reduced list or passes results in $20 entry, guestlist exists
Saturday - $35, reduced list or passes results in $25 entry, guestlist exists
Sunday - $15, no guestlist
Massages - $20 for 15 minutes
Oxygen - $15 for 5 minutes
“Stimulate Your Senses” – $20 for 15 minutes
Drinks - $5
Coat Check - $3
Summary
Circus has definitely made their mark in the Montreal afterhour scene. It’s true that many people in the scene and their competitors despise the club but I must admit it does have its own niche market. On a weekend with no headliners at any afterhour club, the best bet for a fun night out is Circus. The key attributes that Circus possess over other downtown Afterhours is that it is usually packed without any need for big name DJs and it attracts a beautiful female clientele. I must warn you that if it bothers you that the crowd is not particularly super friendly and perhaps even a “stand around-looking-good” crowd – Circus is definitely not for you. If you can have a good time in a beautiful club that is packed, with your own room to dance, a decent sound system and hot women all around you – Circus is definitely the club for you.
Best Nights – Definitely Saturdays
Mondo House - Loco Fern and Bruno Brown spin some intensive tribal house music that will make your booty shake. These nights, as most Saturdays at Circus, are packed with hot luscious women that make your mouth water. I’ve been following Loco Fern since his first set at Stereo and I’ve missed maybe one of his sets ever since then. This night is a monthly event at Circus and sometimes features live dancing, acts and bongo beats by Rafael Artigliere.
Stefane Lippe – Definitely one of my favorite Montreal DJs Mr. Lippe never plays it soft or half assed. Lippe mixes up his House music with a Hard-Tech edge that gets you moving from the minute you walk in the door. I’ve never experienced what I call “half-assed lounge-type” music whenever he’s been on the decks. His buildups are amazing and he throws down those tracks in a way that makes people stomp on the dance floor over bopping their heads on the sidelines. He usually spins on the last Saturday of the month and various Sundays.
Stereo – The Temple of Sound and House
.comments based on approximately 140 nights
Introduction
Stereo has been around the longest among current Montreal afterhour clubs. It’s undergone various changes in management, renovations and improvements to the sound system over the last seven years. Also branded as a “gay” club by many people, usually ignorant, Stereo is home to a large variety of clientele. Over the last couple years the quality of bookings and residencies at Stereo has taken a slow decline in comparison to the early 2000s. Although Stereo tries a variety of music genres on Friday, it is Internationally known as an amazing venue for House music and parties, it is definitely the home of House in Montreal.
Security
Probably due to the fact there is no Hip Hop section and thus rarely any violence at Stereo, the search is the least violating here. Normally any frisking is brisk and not very invasive, there was a particular individual that violated a couple of my female friends and was generally an idiot but I only saw him working for a month or two at Stereo so my assumption is management ensures Stereo’s staff meets a high quality standard. Through my experiences at Stereo I’ve seen the security react quickly and professional to any problems that occur and although I haven’t seen either Bills recently they are definitely cool guys.
Clientele
As far as sexual preference, half the club is generally gay and the other half is heterosexual. For those of you that are looking for women that means only about 20-25% of the club are women, and some of those are gay. Personally this means absolutely nothing to me since I love gay people, they know how to get down, and that’s what the crowd at Stereo is all about : GETTING DOWN! Due to the fact there’s no Hip Hop section and the gay clientele keeps away any ignorant, close-minded, homophobic people, the clientele are all adventurous, open-minded, fun loving people with the common goal of coming to DANCE. On some special big night DJs, John Digweed for example, you get a clientele that normally isn’t at Stereo; those annoying people that stand around and take up your dance floor space trying to look cool. Normally, especially on Saturdays, the crowd is there to dance and dance we do. Stereo is the one afterhours which maintain the most regulars week in and week out which truly gives you a sense of family. I’ve known many people from staff to regulars that refer to Stereo as a “Family”.
Sound
At its conception, Stereo was known to have a unique sound system that was one of a kind in Montreal. Over the last few years, Craig (soundmanshorty) has evolved the system into a “Beast” known Internationally as one of the best Analog sound systems in the world. One can truly tell the difference in sound when club hopping from Circus or a major event such as Celebration. I recommend you check Stereo out if not only once to experience the sound system that’s been custom developed for its space. I could probably write a whole page about the sound system at Stereo but instead I’ll simply recommend you check Stereo out, if not only once, to experience the sound system that’s been custom developed for its space.
Overall Atmosphere
One word: Vibe. I know people hate tossing this word around because it’s hard to define it and it’s something that can exist at any of the afterhour clubs. I find 80% of the time there’s always Vibe @ Stereo; it’s a mixture of the gay crowd with the straight open-minded crowd all there to have a good time. Very few people are there to be cool or pick up; almost everyone is there to party. Stereo is probably the best club to go if you’re alone and want to have a good time, maybe meet some people. It is definitely the friendliest club of all the afterhours. There are moments you can just sit near the top of the stairs or back platform at Stereo, looking at the whole crowd and realize that you are part of something so very special. Definitely a fun place to be.
Pricing – may vary and change over time
Friday - $25-30, reduced or pre-sale results in $10 off
Saturday - $35, reduced or pre-sale results in $10 off
Coat Check - $1.50
Water - $5
Gatorade - $6
Summary
I’ve mentioned this a few times but it is the only place that really has a family-like atmosphere. I don’t see Stereo going away anytime soon. A simple summation of Stereo would be: Go for the Sound, Go for the Vibe, Go for the People, Go for the Party. Just go.
Best Nights
David Morales - There are some regulars @ Stereo that despise these nights but I find there’s something special about David Morales nights at the end of each month, something magical. It’s true that he sometimes plays louder to some people’s liking but I like how he really pushes the system. The greatest thing about his nights is he plays into the afternoon and sometimes evening; he truly loves his music and his home – Stereo. There are lots of beautiful women that come out for this night so if you’re looking for that, it’s a good place for you. A word of advice, usually it is super packed, hot and sweaty until 8-10am, there can be long lines outside at the start of the night, especially in August for his Birthday Bash.
Blended Events – JF and crew do excellent bookings and promotion to the extent their nights usually have an abundance of fun party people and an influx of beautiful women.
Conclusion
I didn’t post any new review for Redlite since I venture all the way out to Laval anymore. I find Circus can offer similar things as Redlite exempt the crazy amounts of glowsticks and lasers. I want to stress the fact that I appreciate any feedback and don’t mind people approaching me when they see me. I find everyone I meet that posts online has read my reviews and make some comment to me after they are introduced to me by someone else. Feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns about my review or about which nights I suggest for you based on your musical tastes. I will be coming back from my 2 year hiatus of posting nightly reviews by posting them all on my website. Check it out: www.ouestkendo.com
Shoutouts
Brian Hamburg (Turbo) – A super energetic party fiend. Turbo’s online posts entertain the hell out of me and his in person antics are hilarious. I basically write these reviews because of him. Keep on trucking playa.
Ousmane Lee (Uzi) – The man in charge of the best non-afterhours House club, Salon Daome, has always treated me with respect and came through for me whenever he said he would. Check him and his crew out at Salon Daome. 141 Mont-Royal E
King Louis (funkenlouis) – I met him in 2002 when he was an up and coming promoter. He’s always been an honest promoter, never trying to steal from his peers and always reliable with me. It’s nice to see him moving up in the club scene to Aria Manager and resident DJ @ Aria and many other clubs. Congratulations Louis! www.djkinglouis.com
Fernando (Loco Fern) – One of my favorite local tribal DJs ever since I met him @ Stereo after he was spinning, he gave me a mix CD of his and I was hooked ever since. It’s always a pleasure to hear him spin @ Circus during Mondo House nights.
Malek Racho – Malek was one of the first people I met through Aria, even though I always saw him as staff, he is not. He is an extremely generous, friendly person that always has a big smile on his face. www.edmm.ca
Ian Huggins (Huggs) – The founder of MTLNIGHTs, the first MTL party forum that I ever signed onto. It’s always a pleasure to see him out and about, a funny charismatic guy. www.mtlnights.com
Elie – Even though I only really met Elie at the end of 2005, he’s one of the most fun people to party with. A bundle of positive energy that pushes my limits to dance... and dance… and dance… and go from Circus to Stereo... and dance when I’m already dead.
Amin (2deep/industry_in_stereo) - For being kind enough to dig into his own pocket to get a complete stranger something he really wanted. Thanks!
Kendo’s Ranking System
My personal favorite club for 2004-2005
1. Circus (this shocks everyone that knows me in the scene)
2. Stereo
3. Aria
4. Redlite
Best Looking Women
1. Circus
2. Redlite
3. Stereo
4. Aria
Ratio of Women to Men
1. Circus
2. Redlite
3. Stereo
4. Aria
Hottest Bartenders/Barmaids
1. Redlite
2. Circus
3. Aria
4. Stereo
Best Staff (Coat Check, Promoters, Security)
1. Aria
2. Stereo
3. Redlite
4. Circus
Best Sound
1. Stereo
2. Aria
3. Redlite
4. Circus
Best Lighting
1. Redlite (even though I hate lasers)
2. Aria
3. Circus
4. Stereo
Full on a resident night
1. Redlite
2. Circus
3. Stereo
4. Aria
Best Big Name DJs/Headliners
1. Aria
2. Stereo
3. Circus
4. Redlite
Best Dancers
1. Stereo
2. Aria
3. Redlite
4. Circus
Friendliest Crowd
1. Stereo
2. Aria
3. Redlite
4. Circus
Most Hawkers (males that pursue females aggressively)
1. Circus
2. Redlite
3. Aria
4. Stereo
Prettiest Club (decorative wise)
1. Circus
2. Redlite
3. Aria
4. Stereo
Last edited by Kendo on Mar-12-2006 at 02:25
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