PI Update: One Year Ago

 

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)  It was one year ago this week when Disney work crews spent several nights obliterating references to club names at the buildings that remained on Pleasure Island.  When the PI clubs were closed in 2008, many of the buildings kept their names posted in some form including the Adventurers Club which very much remained the Adventurers Club. It was so untouched (top photo) that Disney was able to host  Adventurers Club Reunions on the first anniversary of the closing.  But one year ago the crews came in and removed all of the remaining outside historical relics, concreted over the imbedded club name and all other traces of what it was. That statue-guy holding up the entrance is all that remains (lower photo).  Regardless, everybody knows....it's still the Adventurers Club!  Congaloosh!!   

PI Update: One Year Ago

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)  It was one year ago this week when Disney work crews spent several nights obliterating references to club names at the buildings that remained on Pleasure Island.  When the PI clubs were closed in 2008, many of the buildings kept their names posted in some form but 8TRAX was not one of them.  The name was immediately painted over with that wide black stripe as shown in the top photo. In that photo you can see the 8TRAX name bleeding through anyway but that was taken care of later with more paint a few days later. For 3 more years the Disco paint-job remained on the building.  Until one year ago when overnight crews gave the building its new beige coating.  The bottom photo shows how 8TRAX looks today.

PI Update: One Year Ago

(CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE)  It was one year ago this week when Disney work crews spent several nights obliterating references to club names at the buildings that remained on Pleasure Island.  When the PI clubs were closed in 2008, many of the buildings kept their names posted in some form.  At Mannequins (top photo), the Mannequins name was removed from the two side panels of the marquee however the vertical Mannequins name remained. And at the front of the marquee, the neon Dance Palace words remained.  One year ago this week the crews literally pried the letters that spelled Mannequins of the metal grid plus removed Dance Palace (lower photo). This is how Mannequins Dance Palace looks today.

This Weekend In Techno Town

THURSDAY AUG 30
Thursday night is jammed with EDM activity so you'll have to choose.  At Vain Nightclub DJ Laidback Luke (NL) returns to Orlando for a unique set of Dance, House and Trance!     ($20)

At Roxy Nightclub, DJ Steve Aoki (USA) returns to produce his musical blend of bedlam.  He had played earlier this year at Vain.  This show was scheduled for the Plaza Live but due to renovations was moved to Roxy.  ($30)

Back downtown, DJ Baby Anne (USA) is at Vintage Lounge for "Bang! Thursdays." Known for taking Breakbeats to the next level, I'm told her last show at Vintage featured a lot of Old Skool/Classic Dance songs.   ($5)  POSTPONED TO 06SEP

FRIDAY AUG 31
Speaking of Old Skool, time to roundout August with Evolv vs Soul, Old Skool vs Nu Skool, DJ JDub vs M@.  All at Suite B Lounge, the home of EDM!  (FREE until 11pm, then $5)

SATURDAY-SUNDAY SEP 1-2
The last big music festival before EDC-Orlando, Electric Sunfest in Jacksonville features 2 big days & nites of great DJ action!
Saturday: Tiësto (NL), John Dahlbäck (S), Cedric Gervais (F), Oscar G (USA), Starkillers (USA), DJ Icey (USA), George Acosta (USA) & others. 
Sunday:  Robbie Rivera, BT, Gabriel & Dresden, 12th Planet, Baby Anne, John Debo (all USA) plus Mat Zo (GB) & others. 1-day & 2-day tickets available.

SUNDAY SEP 2
The Sunday night of Labor Day weekend always means Techno Night on the CityWalk plaza and inside The Groove. I've not been able to locate a flyer for this year's event but CityWalk management informs me the event is on!  Always 10-15 local EDM DJ's inside and out.  (Contact CW Ticket Office for pricing.)   

Party 95 v. Party 93

Back in the early 00's Orlando had a great Dance music radio station called 95.3Party (WPYO - Apopka/Orlando.  Owned and operated by Cox Radio and known as "Orlando's Pure Dance Channel", the station was re-imaged in 2005 as Power95.3 and went the Hop Hop/Reggaeton route which remains true today.  A few years ago rights to the Party95 name were purchased and an internet radio station was created at Party95.com.  Based in downtown Orlando, that station features music sets of mostly local DJ's including Andy Hughes, Baby Anne, Mickey Bono, DJ Smooth, Jennifer Marley, Social Menace and others! Each set is unique and features the style of that particular DJ.

Back in the early 00's Miami had a great Dance music radio station called Party93.1 (WPYM - Miami). Owned and operated by Cox Radio and known as "South Florida's Pure Dance Channel", the station was re-imaged in 2005 to a Rock station and in 2010 to an Easy Listening /Adult Contemporary station. In 2008 Cox relaunched Party93.1 on its HD2 subchannel which can be heard in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties if your car has HD Radio.  Based in Hollywood, they also relaunched their internet radio station Party931.com.  This station runs closer to it's tagline of "Pure Dance".  Both stations are absolutely FREE so enjoy!

PI Update: Downtown Disney Roundup

It's been awhile since I visited that place where the palm trees sway, gentle waves lap up upon the rocky shore and the fun never seems to end.....beautiful Pleasure Island!

At Celebration Plaza and Nicholas Marks on the Green Stage with his gypsy guitar!

The unique sound he produces stops nearly all passersby to check it out.

Who says there's no dancing on Pleasure Island!

Over on the Purple Stage, it's the Andre Caram Band feat. Drey-C.

The music is all EDM/Top 40/Dance and sounds great!

DJ Andrew Michael provides the songs....

.....while drummer Trey-G provides the beats!

Who says there's no dancing on Pleasure Island!

Not to miss out on the outdoor music craze, Raglan Road had a duo playing Irish songs out on their west patio.

Serving frosty cold brews from the Raglan beer cart in the shadow of Mannequins Dance Palace, Stephany hails from the Colombian section of Dublin!  Éirinn go Brách girl!

While Mannequins stands proudly and ready!

8TRAX looks a bit sad though.

Trying to appear more downtown-like, Downtown Disney added a food truck this weekend to the West Side about midway between Planet Hollywood and the No. 4 Bridge to Pleasure Island.

Well they did promise us new and bold, didn't they?  Not sure what to make of this though.  While I doubt lobster rolls are sold elsewhere in DTD, every meal sold here is potentially one less meal sold elsewhere.

Over at Wetzel's Pretzels Plaza, the band La Calle was playing Pop and Classics to a large crowd.

The music of Moises Espinal and Shaun Fisher surprisingly did not interfere with the music over on the Island nor v.v.

A Splitsville update, the upper portion of the building is now completely covered in construction tarps and the advertising banners have been removed.

Future home of 30 upscale bowling lanes, Pleasure Island fans anxiously await the promised Lounge which will be home to "live music" and "dancing".

Peeking inside, views of construction blocks and sand.  Have said this before and will say it again: no way this place opens by the advertised Fall, 2012.

Club Report: Suite B Lounge

Had a nice visit to beautiful Pleasure Island last night and that article (which includes a food truck!) will post tomorrow (Monday) morning.  Meanwhile, a fun visit to Suite B Lounge for Bassgasm.

The NLP DJ-group was back including DJ Matrix killing it with his Breaks mix!

The dance floor was kept busy and Mannequins was well-represented.

DJ Funkbaby (left) chatting to Official NLP Announcer Marybeth.

You can never go wrong with Go-Go dancers!

Mannequins!

DJ Beni Hill getting ready to kick Matrix out of the booth.

Beni Hill continuing the Breakbeats!

Headliner DJ Hero (Party95.com) from Denver came on last.

Mostly Breaks but he was mixing-in other music genres too.  I really liked it!

Everybody wants to be a Go-Go dancer nowadays!

NLP has a devoted following.

And a good time was had by all!

Club Report: Star Wars Dance Party

In conjunction with this year's Star Wars Convention at the Orange County Convention Center, the 501st Legion held their mega-dance party last night at the Rosen Center Hotel.

DJ Nelson Flux was spinning mostly 80's hits ranging from music you'd hear on Saturday nights at I-Bar to music you'd hear on Friday nights at Venue 13.

And some pre-mixed Promo Only-like mash-up mixes you'd hear at The Groove.  On the far right, Jabba the Hutt was in the house too!

Interesting characters attending!

The dance floor stayed packed all night!  Party like a Hutt!

The Save Pleasure Island Blog supports the "green" movement!

Star Wars everywhere!

Not sure who this guy was but whenever I'd get ready to snap a picture of Star Wars characters he would come out of nowhere and jump into it!  Reminded me of some guy doing the same thing to me at Zombie Prom in Atlanta last year!

You can never have too many Slave Leia's!

Only one Yoda.

No shortage of storm troopers!

The blue people were part of a contingent visiting from Belgium.  A good time was had by all!