Baby Anne Week!

Hometown favorite DJ Baby Anne (USA) releases her new album 'Bad Baby' tomorrow and it should be available at record stores as well as on-line at places like iTunes. And she'll be playing selections off the new album this Thursday night as she returns to Vintage Lounge.

Club Reports: Touch, Bliss

Had not been to Touch Downtown in awhile so needed to see how it's doing.  The club tends to stay on the Hip Hop side but that's not the case on Saturday nights.

That's when DJ Mark Sparks (Vintage Lounge) oversees the action and he was putting out a nice string of House, Top 40 and even a medley of 90's Dance Classics.  Sparks opens for DJ Baby Anne this coming Thursday over at Vintage.

The name Touch refers to touch screen monitors located at VIP tables where patrons can order drinks.  But that feature seems not to be emphasized much anymore.

A couple of bachelorette parties taking place kept the venue from being empty.  Touch has a nice upscale feel to it but there is very little in the way of club lighting added to a standard drop ceiling.  If you're hopping around downtown it deserves an hour visit.

The best music on Saturday nights though is at Bliss Ultra Lounge.

Opening DJ's included Sebastian Paiza and resident Mickey Bono playing House and Dance.

But the reason for visiting was guest DJ Armand Pena (Nikki Beach Club, Club Space)!

There were no empty spaces!

Did I hear the greatest House set I've ever experienced?

I really think I did!

It was one great song after another that kept the jammed dance floor moving!

The mood inside was incredible!

If you ever get the opportunity to see this guy, definitely check him out!

LOL....hand-held CO₂ spray-downs.

Did drop by I-Bar for a quick visit with friends.  Full but not crowded.

 If you're southbound on Orange Avenue and come across that NO RIGHT TURN sign at Central Blvd, don't do it!  OPD bicycle patrols were handing out tickets by the hundreds!

Club Reports: Vixen Bar, Vintage Lounge, Vain Nightclub, Suite B Lounge

Downtown Orlando on a Friday night, looking for.......EDM!  Visiting the V-clubs first, Vixen, Vintage & Vain.

First stop Vixen Bar, always dedicated to great music. Friday night resident DJ Dominick Morrison (Mannequins, EPCOT China NYE) playing House music.

With Heather providing great drinks and great views!

Adjacent sister-club Vintage Lounge with DJ Freefall (Dragon Room) playing House and Dance.

Decent-crowd on hand but not full like some Fridays. Baby Anne plays here next Thursday!

Over to Vain Nightclub which has been further renovated and is pretty impressive now.  Located where Cairo and Lyrica used to be, Vain continues to drift over to the EDM side more often than not and their Friday night FUK'D nights has brought in some great talent!

Last night it was one of my favorites, DJ/Remixer Mickey Bono (Bliss Ultralounge, K5, Beat Thrillerz, Radio Danz).

Despite really good music by the earlier DJ, no one was dancing until Mickey Bono came on!

Another awesome mix of House and Dance!

Great lighting and effects in Vain plus an entire upstairs with another DJ.

Dance floor stayed full.  Next Friday night is another "don't miss" event here as Canadian DJ's Sultan & Ned Shepard will be playing!

You can hear Bono on Radio Danz on Friday nights at 9pm ET, 2am GMT.

Folks, this is why VIP is worth every penny!

Meanwhile next door at Suite B Lounge, it was the owner's birthday so let's have a party!

Tampa's DJ Davie-D (Davie's Angels) was on the boards.

Taking turns with DJ Chris Gallagher, both playing a continuous stream of House and Progressive.

Mannequins gurl!

The place got really jammed!

 Wall-to-wall people!

There's a pole to practice on!

Good times at Suite B Lounge!

Dutch DJ's Coming To Orlando

Two up-and-coming Dutch DJ's will be playin in Orlando in the near future. On Friday, May 25th at Vain, the 22-year old DJ Nicky Romero will be displaying his breakthrough House/Trance skills. Presented by Smile For Camera; early bird tickets $15.98 at Ticketfly.

On Tuesday, June 12th Afrojack returns to Orlando for a concert at The Beacham. The Dutch House expert first appeared in Orlando in 2010 at Roxy and then returned to a huge crowd last summer at Electric Daisy Carnival. Presented by Insomniac. Tickets not yet available.

Amphitheatre Gives You A Very Mannequins-Like Experience

Couldn't help but notice the similarities between our beloved Mannequins Dance Palace at Pleasure Island and the experience Amphitheatre is giving patrons over in Tampa.  Start off with a multi-million dollar lighting system.

Add CO₂ spray-down cannons!

A high-up DJ perch overlooking the floor.

Occasional stage entertainment dancing to Electronic Dance Music.

And a revolving dance floor!

The Amphitheater dance floor is much smaller than Mannequins and much slower too.  And it often jerks along rather than gliding.  But you still get a very Mannequins-like experience.

This Weekend In Techno Town

THURSDAY APRIL 19: Don't miss the #16 DJ in the world, Sander Van Doorn (NL) who is playing at Roxy Night Club. He mixes various House styles and Trance and was named Breakthrough DJ of the Year by DJMag readers. Tickets now $20 and will be $25 at the door. Also playing at Amphitheatre in Tampa on Saturday night.

SATURDAY APRIL 21: Bliss Ultra Lounge used to bring in bigger name DJ's bi-monthly until about a year ago so it's great to see them doing it again! DJ Armand Pena (Nikki Beach Club, Oxygen, Space Miami, Gryphon) joins resident DJ Mickey Bono (Beat Thrillerz, K5, RadioDanz.com) for House and Progressive. $10.

PI Update: Vast Wasteland

If Newton Minnow was alive today, he'd probably describe Pleasure Island as he once described television, as a "vast wasteland".  Those of us who live here are fortunate enough to experience its vast wastelandness as often as we dare.  But for those of you from out of town, from out of state or even from out of the country, you have to rely on these the Save Pleasure Island Blog to keep you updated!

Last August the Mannequins sign was finally removed from Mannequins Dance Palace, just a few weeks shy of three years from when they closed the doors.  Three years of wasted time.  We still hear that the revolving dance floor is still in there.  Let's reopen it and bring adults back to Disney each night!

At 8TRAX the sign had long been removed but the psychedelic paint job remained.  Last August it too finally got painted over.  It was done to make it more attractive to would-be renters.  But inside it's still very much a 70's/80's dance club that could reopen with just a few weeks notice!  So why not?

Now hidden behind this spring's greenery, Adventurers Club could reopen with fresh drywall and a return of all the artifacts.  We know the cast is still around!

At the end it likely was the least popular of Disney's dance clubs, Soundstage (formerly BET Soundstage) is a large multi-level facility that would make a great Top 40 club, Motion style!

Rock'n'Roll Beach Club and Motion.  RIP.  Replaced with Seed & Mulch.

Harley Davidson moved to the West Side and was replaced with Apricot Lane, a women's clothing store.  PI Live Bar lives on though.

At Celebration Plaza, Laffers Cantina (left) lives on too but Comedy Warehouse (right) is only used for its electrical outlets, needed by the live bands playing outside to plug their equipment into. Otherwise, it remains dark!  So that's our tour of Pleasure Island.  Move along now, there's nothing to see here.