The Juice Box

Rating: 3.0 out of 5 bottles of water

by Jim ‘Juicy Fruit’ Hauck

This weekend Gus and Industry launched a new collaboration called Ceremony, and the buzz about going seemed pretty good, so even being tired and a little worn out from some crazy work week activities, I mustered up the energy to get myself out. I arrived at the party with co-reviewer Leif Wauters around 11PM.  The crowd was light, the DNA lounge was cold, but the music of Luke Johnstone was promising.  We did the usual rounds, checked coats and got downstairs for some hellos and to stake a space out on the moderately sized dance floor of DNA Lounge.

A few flaggers were already in place using the stage, but sadly no black light provided, meant that their craft was very hard to see in the very dimly lit dance space.  Luke was putting down some very danceable tracks, with a sound that is really all Luke Johnston – fun, danceable, and drawing you out to the floor to start the evening.  Soon more friends arrived and by midnight the floor was pretty full.  It seemed that the bear crowd made it out to have some dancing fun at the club that has hosted other great bear dance parties like PLAY and Bearracuda Magnum.

Luke held the decks until 2AM, keeping the floor full and dancing and fun. He kept a solid and steady build and the crowd practically jumped up to the DJ booth when he dropped on “Release Me”. I ventured upstairs as well to get some time listening to DJ Don Tix as he played a lighter set up music in the upper room to a smaller but very enthusiastic crowd.  So the crowd was in full throttle, the dance energy really good, people happy, huggy, smiley – what more could a promoter or DJ ask for.  At about 2AM, DJ Manny Lehman came on the decks and the first few tracks showed promise and interest, and I was prepared to enjoy a bit more fun before calling it a night.  However, about 30 minutes into the set, my favorite mix of “Shoes and silverware in the dryer” by that group the Pots and Pans came on and it seemed to want to hold court on the dance floor.  It felt early for such a hard sound, and it seemed to drive a portion of the crowd off the floor and many more up to listen to Don Tix, who was still playing a more energetic sound upstairs. I long for the days years ago where the music Manny played was a little more interesting and a little less predictable. As I roamed the club I could see many people looking at their watches, chatting about being tired and ready to go, and starting to consider it a complete night, so I did the same.  The music of the main floor had lost my interest, the bars were closed, and I was not up for any other libations for the night.

Overall, it was a good start for a new party, a bit of a turn key operations, that with a little polish, some black light for the flaggers (who will come out in large numbers for that stage – as they do at the PLAY dances), and some simple little decor or maybe a fruit table, this 5th saturday party at DNA Lounge should hold promise to be a hit for the future.

Tags: Ceremony, DNA Lounge, Juicy Fruit, Manny Lehman