It all went a bit mad at DV8 Birmingham on Saturday 31 March as people queued around the block for the launch of the new weekly Saturday nighter, Mint.
By showcasing the best DJs from the UK’s gay scene - including DV8’s very own Chad Lewis, who's won the coveted title of Best Midland’s Gay DJ for three years running - Mint is able to treat us Birmingham Gayers to fresh new sounds from outside town. And, although still in its infancy, Mint should be the new highlight of your disco dolly calendar.
The mixed, up-for-it crowd - that ranged from 18-year old schoolboys to (allegedly) 40-something couples - were all getting down to DV8’s brand of up for it house and r‘n’b from 10pm-6am. It was some night!
The man famous for reviving DV8, Chad Lewis, played a set mixing classic house beats with a good dose of dirty underground electro.
Feel good music that’s easy to dance to was the order of the day, kicking off with some disco classics before moving on to some new electro anthems, such as Exceeder and Micky Slim’s ‘Jump’.
Vocals are definitely back in dance music and Lewis was unafraid to play tracks with lots of soulful vocal on top of the dirty baseline. In stark contrast to the minimalism that seems to be sweeping clubland right now, Lewis is all about funky, dirty electro tunes that you can bounce along to – and this is not to deny his technical abilities as his mixes were flawless, with continual builds, drops and sudden switching of tracks that now characterise his set.
Classic tracks were expertly mixed to give them a fresh edge and Lewis was certainly the one to watch as he brought the decks alight with his eclectic, spunking, twisted horny house sounds across a nubile grinding and gurning dancefloor. By the look on some people’s faces and the large numbers on the floor, Lewis certainly knew how to work-the-crowd.
As the music got even better we ventured in to the main room, where upbeat electro and r‘n’b was order of the day - think Mason, Fedde le Grand and 50 Cent. Madonna’s ‘Hung Up’ made an appearance and was so skilfully blended into the set that the night didn’t seem cheesy in the least.
With support from Alex Schmitz, Sidders and Rachel White the music did not disappoint and kept us moving and sweating along with the other 1,000 horny clubbers.
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While the music was spot-on, DV8 the venue can sometimes disappoint - but not this time. The night was advertised everywhere at £12, but on the door we found it was £12 including all your drinks – bargain!
After several Archers and Lemonade, I could say I was a little worse for wear. With its new interior we found DV8 to be a great place to come and have a giggle and dance to some up front house, with half naked sexy males dancing alongside us. What more could you ask for?
Mint on a Saturday is defiantly my new favourite place to be. The music was unbeatable, the crowd up-for-it, the atmosphere electric and the night definitely recommended. Check it out.
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Mint, Club DV8: Saturdays, 10pm-6am16 Lower Essex Street, Birmingham, B5 6RD, 0121 666 6366, www.clubdv8.co.ukLove queer culture? Then buy
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