Club Reports: Dirtybass Cookout @ Broken Strings Brewery; EPYKLANDIA @ Opal Hotel and Suites

 

After spending all of Friday at EDC, we decided to take a break and visit the two events that were created for the Breaks scene which EDC chose to completely ignore this year. We began at Broken Strings Brewery, located on Church Street just a few blocks from the festival entrance.

When we arrived DJ Suspense (USA) had just completed his set and was on the way out.

Up next, DJ Soltek (USA).....

Along with DJ HiCue (USA).....

Put them together and you get DJ duo Dropzone (USA).

Their set consisted of mostly Breaks at the beginning followed by Drum & Bass towards the end. Not many people here at this early hour though.

Broken Strings is a brew pub with large vats in the back making the liquid gold. Up front, these two hostesses with the mostesses. 

We spotted a number of people there from the local music scene.

We saw photos from last night and from about 10PM onward, as throngs of people departed the nearby EDC grounds, this place got packed!

Miami-based DJ Sel.6 (USA) continuing with more DnB. We first met her a few months ago in Miami when she played between DJ Icey (USA) and Egyptian Lover (USA).

In the 10PM time slot, DJ Robotic (USA). 

He would switch it back to mostly Breaks.

DJ duo Brothers of Funk (USA) arrived early for their 11PM set, seen here with HiCue. We sadly needed to get out of there before the post-EDC traffic made the streets impassable.

We next headed to Opal Hotel & Suites in Altamonte Springs. It's operated under a number of names the past decade or so but it was originally constructed as the Holiday Inn - Altamonte Springs. And this weekend, home to the Epyklandia Hotel Takeover.

Outside the lobby, the official check-in desk operated by Kelly

Followed by the official Security check operated by Mo.

There are four areas of music at Epyklandia with the first one right inside the front doors of the hotel lobby. He we spotted DJ Spark-D (USA) going mostly Breaks on us.

Small crowd gathered to watch him play.

Spotted in VIP: This guy stayed on that sofa all evening. He probably spent Friday at EDC and we can appreciate how tired he was.

The hotel's main room was titled "Daddy's Cabaret" this weekend and is located where one of Orlando's most-famous clubs once operated: The Why Not Lounge.

We did get to catch DJ Suspense here since we had just missed him at Broken Strings.

There was always a good-sized crowd here dancing.

A few years after Why Not closed, this space was heavily renovated and reopened as Rayn Nightclub. It never caught on and it too shuttered, operating now only as a bar for the hotel pool.

This bar at the back of Rayn has sliding doors and faces the pool deck. All the bars on the property stayed pretty active last night.

A third area of music was in an adjacent conference room and had surprisingly good sound quality. It had the nickname this weekend as the "Dirty Disco" and was home exclusively to DnB.

DJ Pope John (USA) was delivering his brand of religion!

Finally, the fourth area of music was out at the Epyk Pool deck.

On the stage, DJ Neuroziz (USA) and DJ G$Montana (USA) together are.....

DJ duo GN (USA).

Trying to get a drink from Sarah at theVIP pool bar was like pulling teeth.

Not sure what was going on up there on the waterfall, lol.

Big crowd dancing to the GN mostly Breaks set.

Epyklandia was also an art show with numerous pieces on display and for sale around the property.

Dana was showing off......one of her pieces of art.

Carla was doing the same!

♬"Wie viele Hände hat der Oktopus?"♬

The Bubble Room.

Back to the main room.

DJ Jonathan Stewart (USA) and DJ Zak Davis (USA) are DJ duo Essential Freaks (USA).

And they would deliver a great House & EDM set! So fun!

We walked back into the Dirty Disco.

DJ Shinobi (USA) 

Drum & Bass in this room, of course.

Large room so it never looked that crowded in there, even when there was quite a few people.

We ran into so many peeps from the music scene. Most we knew but some were new.

Apologies to DJ Supagroover (USA).

You were moving so fast during your loud Breaks set out at the pool that we could never get a decent picture of you.

There was a crowd on the floor though.

We checked out the lobby one more time and found DJ @Hooker (USA).

The lobby was more of a coming and going place but it was also a popular place to just take a break.

Inside the Why Not Lounge, DJ Keith Mackenzie (USA) had taken over.

Probably the largest crowd of the evening in here for his set.

And he had the club bouncing.

More peeps from last night!

Spotted backstage: DJ Flurk (USA) & illDJ Chris B (USA)

Spotted backstage: DJ Guau (E)

One more visit to the DnB room for a tag team set from DJ Kadilak (USA).....

.....and the legendary DJ AK1200 (USA).

Day 3 of EDC is underway as are the third and final days of Dirtybass Cookout and Epyklandia. It was close to 3AM and realized we needed to get home. But one more time back to the Why Not, where a good time was had by all.