Industry Fifth Anniversary Party
Posted 31-Jan-2011 to Reviews
4 out of 5 bottles of water
by Richard Henry Thomas
San Francisco
Industry celebrated its fifth anniversary on the first fifth Saturday of the year at Club Mighty, which I like to refer to as “The Log Cabin.” For some reason, the wooden interior reminds me of a log cabin. Tony Moran returned to spin, which is great because we never got to hear Tony play during last year’s Industry on Folsom Weekend due to a power outage. (I guess even the powers that be didn’t want that weekend to be completely perfect. Industry followed by Aftershock and Real Bad XXII would have been a Holy Trinity of Circuit Parties.) Luke Johnstone and Jamie J Sanchez spun a special opening set.
If it’s one thing that I’ve noticed about Luke Johnstone, it’s that he really enjoys opening for the headliner DJ. Opening is not always easy, because you have to set the mood for the audience. Add in the fact that you have to spin with another DJ back-to-back increases the difficulty and rewards. Luckily, Luke and Jamie have known each other for quite a while, so they understand each others’ musical style and technique. Jamie delivered Industry styled hard hitting music of tribal house beats and uplifting vocals. Luke’s sensitivities refined the flow and kept it multi-layered and interesting. It was a combination of Edson Pride tribal, Antoine Clamaran house with the funkiness of Jerry Ropero & Denis The Menace. New songs were introduced as well such as the Mitomi Tokoto Remix of Daishi Dance’s Sax@Arena, but more importantly, Luke and Jamie spun together as a team. They complemented each other really well and pleased the crowd. It was a fusion of the classic SF sound with flair. By midnight the dance floor would be packed with sexy muscle men and bears, reminding me why I like to think of Industry as The Log Cabin other than its wooden interior.
At around 1:30 a.m., Marcia Juell came onto stage and performed her song “Fly Away.” My friends asked me, “Who is that? Who is she?” I actually wish I didn’t know, because Marcia Juell was not good. She had taken the route of grand lip synctress Erika Jayne, except Erika Jayne can actually dance along with her lip syncing. When Marcia Juell attempted to sing every now and then, it was off-key… and she tried to dance she could hardly keep up with the rhythm of go-go boys Christian Owen and Craig Reynolds. Luckily, she flew away with her song within a few minutes and Tony Moran descended to take charge of the dance floor.
Ah, Tony Moran. He has buffed up — a lot. I mean, hot damn, look at those pecs in that grey v-neck! Now Tony Moran has an effect on a venue which I like to call “The Tony Moran Effect.” His pecs are simply too hot to handle for most. Just kidding. His music can be really overwhelming. It makes you feel like you’ve never felt before. Not everyone can handle it. During White Party 2010, he spun for the closing party. The music heightened everybody’s emotions so much that a fight broke out between some lesbians and some gays, which caused the party to shut down early. During last year’s Industry on Folsom Weekend, he was supposed to spin, but I guess his set was going to be too hot to handle since the power went out.
This year Tony Moran presented us with the East Coast/Ibiza sound. It was tribal-house as only Tony Moran could have it. This was not music for the faint of heart. There were lots and lots of drums, indigenous musical percussion, powerful thumping bass and that super catchy synthesized horn that Mr. Moran has perfected. There were a few uplifting vocals sprinkled here and there, but perhaps not enough to please the entire SF crowd. One person next to me asked, “Can we have at least five minutes of singing?” Whether you like to call this music pots and pans or the arrival of Alegria in San Francisco’s Industry as evidenced by the song “Universo Alegria,” it was aggressive music that got everyone to dance like if they were informed that the Allure 2011 Cruise was canceled. Seriously people, the Tony Moran Effect strikes again. Dance floor madness ensued with lots and lots of sexy masculine body rhythm. People were venting out their own brands of frustrations. It would have been nice if Tony Moran played a few breather songs, because people were trying to just keep up with him, but Tony Moran burned the decks up just for Industry’s Fifth Anniversary. He introduced new songs such as what I would think is his own exclusive remix of Britney Spears’ “Hold It Against Me.” He wanted us to show him love. In one track a diva kept singing “Show Me Love” as the song climaxed to audio eargasm proportions.
It must be noted that there were indeed parts of Tony Moran’s set that were slightly different than his usual sets. Some parts were actually somewhat lighthearted as opposed to the conventional after-hours dark sound, but it was really subtle and made it all the more refreshing. You see, I think San Francisco really likes their vocals sometimes because it’s easier to distinguish songs with different lyrics as opposed to songs with different musical instruments. Vocals have a directional quality that guide in the circuit boot camp whereas all the tribal house sounds can easily fall into the category of “it all sounds the same.” When you’re dancing it’s easier to make out the vocals as opposed to the fine details outside of the main beat. Tony Moran has found a way to make out all these little sounds stand out to create a successful tribal-house atmosphere. There were times where you really felt like you were in a crimson lit jungle.
People really wanted to find the secret treasure in this jungle and some were simply overwhelmed by The Tony Moran effect. The party ended early at around 4:30 a.m. as a result. While I would like to say that I wish Tony had played a few breather tracks so that his dance floor fans could keep up with him, it really isn’t about that. Do not ask what the party can do for you, but what you can do for the party. The promoters for Industry put so much work into making this party happen, the least we can do is respect a few club rules. Yes, it is the fifth anniversary and people have the tendency to go overboard during these big celebrations, but you guys know what I’m talking about. Before we enter the jungle of tribal house (or any jungle really), it is absolutely important that we at least have a guide to our own limits and behavior. Don’t ruin the fun for everyone! Anyways, enough of my preaching. This was truly an unforgettable Industry that can only get better next month: ROSABEL on President’s Day Weekend!
Tags: Industry, Jamie J Sanchez, Luke Johnstone, Marcia Juell, Tony Moran
You forgot to mention the Exclusive track (and I think it’s fair to note here) that Tony did for Industry (track to what he opened). And yes, this was a very different Tony Moran set, and it was a combination between Ibiza/Brazil – while earlier in the night he was banging out the progressive/tech house w/ his very own tribalish infusions, through out the night he dropped those hot tribal beats which define’s Tony’s unique Sound.
On the contrary, I feel like for that time of the night- vocals were not needed (based on the set that Tony was having) (but then, at the end – everyone likes their coffee in different ways). It’s good when a DJ decides to show his proposal (not fitting with what everyone should be playing or what’s good to hear) and let him lead the night as he did, keeping us all very interested to what was to come next.
Great way to kick off 2011 for Industry. Congrats guys!!