Club Reports: Independent Bar, L'Allee Club, Gilt Nightclub

It's Wrestlemania weekend in Orlando with the big event taking place tonight at Camping World Stadium. I can hardly contain my excitement but first I had to get myself through Saturday night!

Official merchandise vendor parked along Church Street.

But on with the show! You know by now if it's at all possible, I'm going to begin my Saturday night at Independent Bar!

A mystery DJ (USA) was in the booth but we can't reveal his name!

He was playing the standard Saturday night I-Bar format of early-to-mid 80's New Wave.

The dance floor was filling rapidly!

Spotted wearing SuperDry: Blog-favorite CJ

Spotted in VIP: John & Michelle

Spotted down under: Laurie with friends

Everyone wants to hang-out in an "underground club" and while L'Allee Club is not literally underground, it is hidden in an alley off Pine Street.

DJ Renzo Ruiz (USA) was in the booth during my visit!

The problem of course with hidden clubs is that unless you know it's there, you don't know it's there. Just a small crowd on hand bouncing to the beat.

House music all night long!

Now over to Gilt Nightclub for the event of the weekend!

DJ ATM (USA) on the decks when I first got there. We know him from back in the day at Bliss Ultralounge.

Gilt was packed to the rafters!

Then promptly at 1AM, DJ Morgan Page (USA).

And he would play his catalog of Dance hits!

Including The Longest Road.

The crowd was enthusiastic all night!

It was next to impossible to move about the place!

The peeps want EDM!

Music so good, even a dinosaur was dancing!

Posing for the Blog, Morgan Page with Dance singer Britt Daley (USA) who provides the vocals on the Morgan Page megahit "Running Wild". DJ Scotty B (USA) also appears in this shot.

Crowd reacting to a great EDM remix of 90's Haddaway (TT) hit "What Is Love".
 

 And a Dance version of The Outfield (GB) hit "Your Love" which I had never heard before!

That look you get when listening to great music!

I last saw Morgan Page perform last November at EDC-Orlando!

Confetti explosion!!

"Gonna play an encore, but first, let me take a selfie."
A good time was had by all!

Club Reports: Silly Grape, Vinyl Arts Bar, Bikkuri Lounge

Beginning my Friday night at The Silly Grape in Maitland.

DJ Vitamin C (USA) on stage playing House music.

Great way to start off the weekend!

Only about 10 people in the place but with its location along Keller Road among office buildings, this is mostly a lunch and happy hour place that clears out by 8PM.

Vinyl Arts Bar and Sandwich Bar compete as Orlando venues for great House music presented by touring international DJ's.

Arrived to find that DJ Mahony (RO) had just taken over.

Small club but crowded dance floor!

Coming here fairly often lately, I'm starting to recognize some of the regulars including many that used to populate the short-lived Sound Bar.

Mahony is based in Bucharest.

House music is international and in March alone we've seen Eastern European DJ's in here from Romania, Bulgaria & Croatia!

 Great music! And the legendary DJ Roland Clark (USA) plays here tonight! CANCELLED

Last Friday of the month usually means "Lost In Trancelation" (LIT) at Bikkuri Lounge!

DJ Suzy Solar (USA) on the decks when I arrived!

With DJ UCast (BY) taking over a few minutes later.

For some reason everyone was initially standing around 20ft back from the booth.....except one!

Smaller crowd than we typically see for LIT but we are 1-week post-Miami!

His Trance set included some "138", the "harder, faster" stuff!

Spotted on the patio: DJ Robb Blak (USA) with Harley.

Spotted at the ticket booth: Sage Sappho with Eddie.

Spotted on the dance floor: Sandy, Allison, Jeremy, Alli & Amanda

And the DJ said, "Let there be light"!

Speaking of Eastern Europe, UCast is based in Minsk, Belarus!

Upcoming LIT events include Psytrance specialist Airwave (B) on April 28th and Sean Tyas (CH) on May 12th!

Small crowd but a good time was had by all!

Friday Funny: Hidden Mickey At Disney Springs

Little known to Disney fans, there is actually a hidden Mickey in Disney Springs that is only visible from the sky. It's located within Exposition Park (formerly Food Truck Park). It's plainly visible in this Blog-exclusive SkyCam view of the park during its construction.
Consider this a side profile of Mickey's face. His left eye is in the middle. His smile is that curved area near the right bottom. That circle to the lower left is his nose.  His two ears are at the top! Check it out the next time you're at Disney Springs West Side!

PI Update: Portobello Refurbishment

When Blog reader Troy wrote the other day to tell me about the Orlando Sentinel's article pertaining to Portobello closing for refurbishment, it got me searching the Blog's archives for photos of the place. And you know what, I basically couldn't find any!

Sure, the Blog's exclusive SkyCam did catch glimpses of it from time-to-time, but it was never the subject of any Blog article. No wonder then that it needs to be refurbished and re-themed, because it's apparently just a plain old boring place if it never made the Blog!

Originally called Portobello Yacht Club, it was refurbished a number of years ago and renamed Portobello Country Italian Trattoria. But with its entrance and sign in the corner far away from where all the foot traffic traverses Riverboat Square, few notice the place. Thanks, Troy!

This Weekend In Techno Town

FRIDAY MAR 31:  Another eastern European weekend begins at Bikkuri Lounge with a first American appearance by DJ U-cast (BY). Suzy Solar (USA) opens. Trance.

FRIDAY MAR 31:  The other eastern European DJ playing Friday night is Mahony (RO) taking place at Vinyl Arts Bar. Should be a good one! House/Progressive House.

FRIDAY MAR 31: Jimmy Joslin, John Campisano, Peek Downtown, Free. Enuff said. Breaks.

SATURDAY APR 1: Biggest event of the weekend is DJ Morgan Page (USA) playing at Gilt Nightclub this Saturday night! EDM.

SATURDAY APR 1: A real legend of the original electronic music scene, this Saturday night Vinyl Arts Bar has DJ Roland Clark (USA) along with Ben Finx (USA) & Steven Mestre (USA).  House/Deep House/Techno.CANCELLED

SUNDAY APR 2: The Sunday afternoon music series at Elixir continues this weekend and they've got Brooklyn-based DJ duo Walker & Royce (USA) performing! And it's free!  House.