PI Update: Reopen The Clubs!

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The ever-popular Dopey t-shirts spotted at Pleasure Island!

Is The Wrecking Ball Coming To PI?

PHOTO SOURCE: WIKIPEDIA
If you've been reading Blog comments lately, you know we have differing reports as to whether something is about to happen at Pleasure Island or not. My article last Saturday entitled, PI Update: Rumors Explained, has generated a lot of Comments.

We have the seemingly-informed anonymous commenter at 8:56pm saying: "there is no short term plan to do anything with structures present." And we also have the seemingly-informed PKD last week stating: "Motion and Rock N roll Beach Club are scheduled for demo in October."

Both parties post as though they have inside information. But only one can be right. Either demolition begins in October......or it doesn't. We shall soon know.

DJ Richie Rich at HOB Tonight

Looking for more Techno/House/Dance?. You're in luck as DJ Richie Rich is spinning tonight at House of Blues in Downtown Disney West Side in Lake Buena Vista. It's Service Industry Night (SIN) which means if you're in any service industry, not just the hospitality industry, you get in for free. That's nearly everyone! Show your company ID, business card, paystub, whatever. Prepare for extreme crowds and cheap drinks. Open 10:27pm.

Club Report: The Groove

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The Groove was packed wall-to-wall last night with DJ AJ playing his usual mostly Top 40/Hip Hop mix. Upstairs was open and there were actually a lot of people hanging around up there as well. They have a new bar up there behind the lighting tech. AJ was playing some House/Dance too, perhaps getting people into the mood for the House music party taking place next Sunday night throughout CityWalk. He even played Swedish House Mafia's "One", arguably the techno song of summer 2010 but I've never heard it in TG before. Red Coconut, Bob Marley's, Latin Quarter and Margaritaville all had lines and crowds!

Aahz Reunion Coming In November

Mark you calendars for Wednesday, November 24, 2010. That's the night before Thanksgiving when DJ's Dave Cannalte & Kimball Collins come together to recreate Orlando's greatest night club event ever, Aahz. This takes place in the historic Beacham Theater, now known as Tabu. The music, the lights, the crowd. An incredible experience last year and should be even crazier this year. Details have not been released yet but I'll be posting them!

PI Update: Rumors Explained

This is what an Anonymous reader posted in Blog comments last Sunday night: There is a big meeting this week from what i have heard with cali people coming to orl..not sure what day but rumors are flying. i can tell you there has been heavy talk of making some serious decisions once and for all. the plan will be short term and long term. i say with confidence that we will see 2 clubs open next year. one starts with m and other a number. rrbc is done, motion done and advent will not return as same. rrbc will be the last decision.

Then Friday Blog reader Jason71 posted this on another Disney bulletin board: Hearing building demolition begins in October, only question is whether BET/AdvClub or Beach Club goes first.

That was responded to by someone named PKD who said this: Motion and Rock N roll Beach Club are scheduled for demo in October. The new passage way being created between Raglan Road and Portobello Yacht will also start construction at that time. Construction will then move up the island towards the West Side over the following 12 months being done in phases. Adventures Club and BET will be removed and replaced.

What does all that mean?

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As you know from prior articles here on the Save PI Blog, work has already begun on the PI #1 bridge from Marketplace. That arch truss bridge section on the east side of the bridge (upper left photo) has been completely removed. It appears they are turning a bridge made up of 3 sections into 1 wide bridge as you leave Marketplace. The main path would then cross into this back stage area (upper right photo) which is between Raglan Road and Portobello Yacht Club. Motion, as seen in the photo, would be demolished and the main path would cut through there.

With RRBC and Motion demolished (upper left), the path would come into the main section of the Island via the Funmeister Plaza and proceed up what used to be called Hill Street. The rumored Lighthouse fast food restaurant/waterfront bar would go there. The current main path around and beside Raglan Road would still be there but presumably the goal is to get most foot traffic to go the new way to improve the flow.

I was told long ago from a highly reliable source that the Mannequins/8TRAX building cannot be demolished because the power grid (upper left) for the entire island is located in there. But that does not preclude the complex from being repurposed......or reopened. Finally, that is my new kitten Cody who appears on the Blog today because I needed an even number of photos for this article.

Club Reports: Atlantic Dance & Latin Quarter

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After spending her summer working at Stitch's Club 626 Dance Party at Magic Kingdom, DJ Talie (Motion, Celebrate Tonight) returned to Atlantic Dance Hall last night for the first time in months spinning mostly Top 40 and Hip Hop. The crowd size exceeded my expectations for a Thursday night but overall it was not crowded given the massive size of the venue. A handful of her Motion regulars were on hand. Talie reports that they no longer are employed as Equity DJ's. ADH is located at Disney's Boardwalk Resort. Guys, unless you're in a rock band, please, no skinny jeans!


I then walked into Latin Quarter at Universal CityWalk expecting some Salsa or Bachata but arrived smack dab in the middle of a set of House/Classic Dance! And it wasn't just a few songs, after six or seven in a row I had to go over to DJ Leony (Sirius/XM BPM, RadioDanz, Senso) and tell him "Just because the name of the club is Latin Quarter, who says this can't be a Techno club!" The crowd was actually cheering each time a new House song came on. This continued for awhile longer before he switched back over to more-expected Reggaeton. Incredible!

PI Update: Bridge To Nowhere

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Reconstruction of the Pleasure Island #1 Bridge continues and appears to be much more extensive than I would have otherwise guessed. Work is taking place during the middle of the night. The arch truss on the east side of the bridge has been removed and they are laying a new foundation.

Entertainment remains available in the new Ultra-Lounge at Celebration Plaza. The musical acts "plug-in" with long cords connected inside Comedy Warehouse which created this gap in the bushes and I was able to peek in. Nothing happening in there!

The nostalgic Kungaloosh drink has returned to the menu at Laffer's Cantina as well as to PI Live Bar. No hot dog cart last night; I'm told it only appears on Friday & Saturday nights.

RadioDanz Keeps Getting Better

Since it's really difficult to find techno/dance music on regular radio in the U.S., I would never have survived the Mannequins closure were it not for satellite radio and specifically BPM and Area. Now, thanks to the internet, there are at least a dozen free sources too. And the very best one, the one with the nation's best DJ's, is RadioDanz.com. If you liked Mannequins, check it out. It operates 24/7 but on Friday and Saturday nights a large number of great DJ's spin 1-hour sets. DJ Armando is on nightly with Addiction; he was at Bliss this past weekend. And Orlando DJ's Mickey Bono, Leony and Smooth are in the mix too! The Danz20 Show is a review of the week's Top 20 songs.

WEEKDAYS

5PM EST / 10PM GMT & 8PM EST / 1AM GMT
Addiction with DJ Armando

FRIDAYS

6PM EST / 11PM GMT - Danz 20 with Maxwell House
9PM EST / 2AM GMT - DJ Mickey Bono - Bliss Ultra Lounge
10PM EST / 3AM GMT - DJ Riddler
11PM EST / 4 AM GMT - Mike The Hitman
12AM EST / 5 AM GMT - Johnny Budz
1AM EST / 6AM GMT - Bimbo Jones
2AM EST / 7AM GMT - Peter Luts

SATURDAYS
8PM EST / 1AM GMT - DJ Leony - Latin Quarter & Senso
9PM EST / 2AM GMT - DJ Punzo
10PM EST / 3AM GMT - DJ Smooth - Royal Pacific & Red Coconut
11PM EST / 4 AM GMT - DJ Wesley
12 AM EST / 5 AM GMT - Mike Rizzo
1AM EST / 6 AM GMT - Syke'n'Sugarstarr
2 AM EST / 7 AM GMT - Gino Caporale
3 AM EST / 8 AM GMT - Louie DeVito

SUNDAYS

8PM EST / 1AM GMT - Danz 20 with Maxwell House

Thursday Night Options

OK, so Jersey Shore Night is not for you? What else is happening?
Well, at Atlantic Dance Hall, DJ Talie from Motion and Stitch's Club 626 Dance Party returns for a night of mostly Top 40. And over at The Groove, it's 80's Night with DJ Doc Wells from 8TRAX and Red Coconut Club. There ya go, two really good options!

PI Update: Kungaloosh Drink Returning To Island

Loyal reader 71Jason71 sent me a message yesterday to inform us that the world-famous Kungaloosh drink is returning to Pleasure Island. Both Laffers and PI Live Bar will soon be receiving “slushee” type machines to make this sweet, pink drink with. The price will be $10.25. Apparently PI management thinks this will draw former Adventurers Club fans back to the Island to have their old drink. But the return of the drink does not mean the return of the Club. So yes, some may return to give their old drink a try but unless there is something to keep them on the Island or bring them back additional times, how many do they expect to sell? Most of the people currently on the Island are just passing through. Some do stop to have a cold drink while they watch the new Ultra Lounge entertainment options however I can’t see many paying $10.25 for a drink that they have no attachment to. Still, it’s great to hear something like this is returning. It keeps the spirit of Adventurers Club alive. And that’s a good thing. Thanks for the info, Jason! Hoooopla!!

Mannequins Memories

Faithful reader Ken is constantly scanning the internet in order to share Pleasure Island memories with Blog readers. Today he reports three new Mannequins videos posted onto YouTube by their member DamiensMagic. This one is the best of the three, in my opinion:

This was filmed on a Wednesday night in 1991 yet you can see how crowded it was. The music was cutting-edge Techno back then, something we'd now call Classic Dance. Hip Hop did not exist so no Hip Hop remixes! The lighting and sound systems in Mannequins were incredible. How about reopening the place!! Thanks, Ken!

PI Update: Are Mannequins & 8TRAX Reopening?

With Pleasure Island rumors swirling out there again I thought it would be a good idea to run my every once-in-awhile Rumor Summary. Remember, these are just rumors:

RRBC: Latest rumor was that it was back at the top of the list to be demolished. Once down, a lighthouse style bar and restaurant would be built on Village Lake. Rumor is that it's coming down this October.

MOTION: Continues to be available for rental as a banquet facility and dance club. Not used very often though. No new rumors. Old rumor was that it will be torn down so that a new main walkway from Downtown Disney Marketplace can be routed through there. However, as it is the only facility with a kitchen and given Disney's desire to put in 3rd party restaurants, would they really demolish it?

ADVENTURERS CLUB/BET SOUNDSTAGE: Although they don't look like it, these two venues were in the same building. Someone recently stated that artifacts were being reinstalled onto the wall. That is absolutely not true. One of our sources was inside AC last week and there is nothing new on the walls. Source says only things remaining inside besides the chandelier are the Yakoose, Babylona and Zeus. I've already reported that a new AC will be built as part of a new Land at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I've heard nothing further regarding that information. As for the current AC/BET building, it may be coming down in October along with RRBC and some rumors put it coming down before RRBC.

MANNEQUINS & 8TRAX: We know these are in one building as well and that the power grid for the entire island is located here. So this building can't be demolished. As you likely saw, someone in the Comments section of Saturday's PI Update article is reporting that these two clubs will reopen next year. That would be incredible if they really did but don't hold your breath. This past January one of my other sources was inside Mannequins and found that the revolving dance floor appeared to still be in there. But other than that new rumor, there are zero rumors about these venues except that they were declared "off limits" according to one Island employee.

COMEDY WAREHOUSE: The rumor a few weeks ago was that a level floor was going to be installed so that the upstairs could be made available for retail. A rumor a few months ago was that comedy was returning to the Island. So there was some hope that CW would return. I have no other information.

ULTRA-LOUNGE: Just a temporary venue until permanent changes come to the Island.

Thanks to all the sources who contribute information about Pleasure Island to the Blog. I could not do this without you all.

Club Reports: Bliss, Lyrica, Suite B, I-Bar

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The music was absolutely sick at Bliss Ultra Lounge in downtown Orlando last night as DJ Armando from RadioDanz and satellite's BPM (Sirius 36, XM81) brought his Addiction show format to town! Resident DJ Mickey Bono was on the decks until around 12:30am which is when Armando took over. The music was 100% Dance which kept the dance floor jammed. You can hear Armando for yourself weeknights at 5pm repeated at 8pm (ET) on RadioDanz.com. It was very difficult to leave and I actually stayed a lot longer than I had planned to. The place was incredible!

Lyrica was having a SoBe night but unfortunately I missed House music of DJ Pride and ended up with a Hip Hop DJ. Not all that many people in there considering $10 admission got you an open bar. People just don't know the place is there. Also did a quick pass through of Suite B Lounge which is also House on Saturday nights. Very crowded in this small club although no one was dancing.


And it's always crazy-crowded in Independent Bar, home of 80's Old Wave. The DJ usually plays the best stuff near the end of the evening but he was playing a lot of good songs early-on. This is where I began my evening and also ended it, the lights coming-on way too soon!