Le Club Perrier is at the forefront of an interactive YouTube experience with their “Can You Handle the Heat” videos.  As more viewers watch the video, the party gets “sexier, steamier and wilder”.

The video footage begins with a woman walking through a quiet club. As video versions are unlocked, the scenes become more interesting.  More people show up at the club, the temperature rises and the dancing crowd gets increasingly seductive. To show progress, the channel features a thermometer indicating how high the temperature rises.  As the temperature escalates, the party goers get hot, the atmosphere is intense and the entire scene is melting…then BAM! In comes Perrier as the ultimate refreshment. Check out the teaser video here:

Lastly, visitors to Perrier’s YouTube Channel can also enter a sweepstakes with a grand prize of a three-day trip to New York City for the winner and a friend, including VIP access to the “Le Club Perrier” party on Sept. 20.

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Perrier Sparkling Natural Spring Water comes from a source in the south of France, located near the small village of Vergeze, in Provence. The spring’s unique balance of minerals and strong bubbles provides its distinctively unique and refreshing taste experience.  It is this singular blend of gasses and minerals which have made Perrier the world’s most requested carbonated spring water.

Caprice Nightclub will be transformed into a Hollywood / Las Vegas style party. “Complete with a red carpet, photographers, custom decor, exclusive VIP areas, beautiful models, hostesses and classy go-go dancers. It will definitely be a place and night for the exclusive elites of the industry and party goers to see and be seen.”  Get your tickets now from Clubzone for only $20 (earlybird).

For more about this event, read Style By Fire.

For $88 (stupid Ticketmaster charges!!), I had at great time at the Armin Van Buuren concert last night at The Commodore – my second time seeing him live in Vancouver.  1000 people united for the same cause, dancing their Wednesday night away until 2 in the morning.  Wouldn’t expect anything less from the voted #1 Trance DJ of 2008 (by DJMag)!  Doors opened at 9:00pm for DJ Kevin Shui, a local Vancouverite who has previously opened for DJ Tiesto (the former #1 Trance DJ).  He was followed shortly after by DJ Jerome Isma-ae, who was playing his set when my friends and I arrived at around 10:30pm.

Armin Van Buuren opened with “Dust in the Wind” by Arnej [click here for my video] and encored with his own “Communication“.  Other familiar tracks he played included “Lost” by Sunlounger featuring Zara [click here for my video], the Adam K & Soha Remix of “Need to Feel Loved” by Reflekt, and “In and Out of Love” (Richard Durand Remix).  Overall, it was a great show although “general opinion” remarked that Armin Van Buuren should have played more vocal tracks which characterizes the trance genre, instead of  the harder progressive house towards the end.

A lot of MMV readers have previously asked me why I don’t incorporate more music articles onto this website.  But I can only write about what I know about – and I wouldn’t be able to write a “value-added” article about anything other than electronic dance music.  To be honest, I’m waiting for the Vancouver music scene to change towards electronic dance music.  In the past year, we’ve had several big name DJs (and up and coming DJs) play in our city including Tiesto, ATB, Above & Beyond, Deadmau5, Fedde Le Grand (“Put Your Hands Up For Detroit”) … and Kaskade is playing a sold out show tomorrow.  I can’t decide if this scene is getting more mainstream or if I am just more submersed into the culture – a bit of both, I think.  For example,  Deadmau5 was nominated for a Juno Award and his track with Kaskade “Move for Me” was played for a couple of weeks on the radio. Nontheless, the trance/house/electronic scene is still a relatively small community but maybe the exclusivity of this “underground” scene is what makes it all the more fun.

Yesterday evening, I went with my friend Miranda of Style By Fire to Blo Blow Dry Bar‘s Naughty or Nice Block Party in Yaletown in support of the BC Cancer Foundation. When we got there at around 7pm, the patio party was absolutely packed…and for good reason! Event admission was a $5 charity donation, yet its entertainment value exceeded that by far. With great support from local restaurants (including Opus and Cactus Club Cafe) yummy appetizers and drinks were served – from mini burgers to grilled scallops, from mojitos to beer.

On one end of the party, Aziya, a home salon service for girly beautifying sessions, had set up a station with three manicurists to pamper the party guests. On the other end was Brent Ray Fraser putting on an art show. In between was a standing fashion show with local designers. Strangely enough, I ran into a friend from elementary school there and he had an item of clothing from his line Chinamen’s Club up on stage. Stay tuned, I am sure some of the local companies I have mentioned in this entry will appear again in the next few weeks! All in all, it was a very “Yaletown” event – young urban professionals, stylish guests, and, of course, being patrons of Blo: well-groomed hair.

POP OPERA (686 West Hastings) had its grand opening last night. After over an hour of waiting in the guestlist line up (ironically, my guestlist didn’t go through…but that’s a whole other story) the only reason why my group of three made it through the wait was because we outlasted the lineup, contrary to many frustrated party-goers giving up and waving down cabs on the street instead. That being said, the lineup was one of the more enjoyable aspects of my night! The weather was fairly warm with no rain, the people in the line-up were civilized not rowdy, the bouncers were respectful not rude and I had the fantastic opportunity to catch up with two of my friends

Once inside, coat check was $5: a steep price to pay on a summer’s evening, but not atypical of the Donnelly Nightclubs. Pop Opera’s interior had the same architectural structure as the old Club 686 yet modern updates, including lighting and artwork, gave it an upscale feel. This club was made for VIP – with several roped off areas encompassing white couches and rectangular tables, on top of which were menus for bottle service. Regardless, the club felt…cluttered…rather than spacious. True, the wooden dancefloor was large and accommodating, but tables were too close to the bar and more often than not, we had to squeeze past people in the narrowness.

Like any other club, the dancefloor had its moments with a jumping crowd one song and a dwindling, thinning crowd the next. Perhaps this was due to an erratic music choice. The featured DJs were “Flipout and J Swing” from The Beat 94.5 FM yet I found the song selection more appropriate for radio, not for a dancefloor. Perhaps that was the sound Pop Opera was aiming for – with a wide selection of song genres – from grungy hip-hip beats to classic oldskool.

A door to the left of the DJ booth led to a smaller area enclosed in dark glass. (For those of you who have been to the previous Club 686, this would be where the VIP seating was). With a square-ish dance floor and rounded walls with full length mirrors, a completely different set of music was being played absolutely isolated and sound proof from the main room.

Overall, the branding of “POP OPERA” brings to mind Andy Warhol style pop- art and bright bubbly colors (ie. the Friday night posters and guest passes for complimentary colors with its contrasting bright pink and pastels) yet the actual venue was inconsistent with my assumptions. Nonetheless, I am glad I had to opportunity to check out such a hyped-up and anticipated club :)