Dude, come on! Centro is in Batroun, that's over 50 KMs away from Beirut. Your set starts at 11ish, so you should leave Beirut at... you do the math! On second thought, don't, if the math is gonna be like yesterday's
Here's Johnny, last night, at 10:45 PM:
*Dio's phone rings*
Dio: Doufis?
Johnny: Bro, I need a HUGE favor!
Dio: *puts half-eaten burger down* What's up?
Johnny: My car wouldn't ignite so I need you to run to Centro and start DJing until I get there!
Dio: Where are you?
Johnny: Ashrafyeh.
Dio: What in God's name are you still doing in Beirut at this time?! By the time I drive home to get my CDs you'll probably be already ahead of me!
Johnny: I was eating knefeh from Sea Sweet and I spilled some 2ater on the engine... please don't tell Raneem!
(nah, I just made that last one up
)
Anyways, I left that uneaten burger on the spot (on second thought I could've taken it with me to eat on the road) and drove home like a madman to snatch my CD case and headset, but luckily by the time I left home Johnny's car was back on track and we ended up arriving there at the same time, to find TranceFusion and Xplod waiting for us. We all helped Johnny out carrying his toys (he brought along decks and a monitor) then positioned ourselves on our uber-l33t table while Johnny was installing the gear. Then the alcohol started to flow right in time for Johnny's set to officially start, fashionably late like all good DJs... NOT!
Reason #2: "I have to start with some House!"
Yeah, right. All week long he's justifying himself to us how he'll have to go a bit housey at first before switching to ProgTrance, and what did we end up getting? Like 2 House tracks? 3 max? Not that we're complaining!
Reason #3: Great sound system.
Not quite Johnny's credits there, but it needed to be mentioned that Centro's sound was TIGHT! Excellent distribution and ideal power level, perfect for hearing those elements loud AND clear. But what the hell, since Johnny brought along the mixer, we're safe to add this as a reason!
Reason #4: The buildup.
Johnny kicked it off with some mellow ProgTrance while the club was gradually filling up with the crowd. As the dancefloor packed up, the music built up in energy and tempo, and it didn't really take Johnny too long to peak. Once he peaked, it became more of an alternation between ProgTrance and TechTrance, with the bigger emphasis on the latter.
Reason #5: The taste.
You know, sometimes I wonder why we pay large amounts of cash to go hear out a foreign DJ with a crowd that's constantly suffocating us, while we've got such local DJs as Johnny capable of delivering the same quality taste (if not better) in a more intimate space and for much cheaper! This is the first impression that I'm sure others shared with me last night, because Johnny managed to pull out one bloody MAD set! Dancefloor-destruction taste on this lad, keeping the crowd on their toes throughout the night, which was not quite the easiest of tasks even if it appeared as such (refer to Reason #7). A careful blend of older material, the latest releases, and some exclusive promos (Richard Durand's revival of Toca's Miracle!) bound to satisfy anyone and everyone, from the Trance loyalist to the regular clubber.
Reason #6: The mixing.
Flawless. I'm not really talking about the lack of mistakes, all DJs reach a certain skill level where the typical mistakes are virtually inexistant (putting aside the occasional human error), so what I'm talking about here is the smooth, energy-preserving, and well-managed transitions. The mixing skills Johnny displayed last night were that of any international A-Class DJ that promoters pay big money to import, and that's no overstatement. Pair that with the taste described above and you've got yourself a winning combination all around, one asserting Johnny's status as among the nation's most talented DJs.
Reason #7: The crowd.
At a first glance you'd say "just like the sound, this isn't really Johnny's category"... oh but it is. No, it wasn't Johnny's sweeping reputation and intensive radio ads that got him the crowd, but it was his clear understanding of crowd psychology that EARNED him the crowd. If playing for a well-educated is challenging enough for the DJ given their insatiability, then playing for a non-Trance-loyalists crowd is perhaps just as challenging given their lack of acquaintence with the music, and thus it becomes tough on the DJ to keep them interested. I don't know if it was tough or not on Johnny, but I do know that he did satisfy the Trance listeners in the house, just as he did keep the rest of crowd interested, hyped up, and raving all over the club! The more they could eat up, the more Johnny fed them, which only proves that Johnny is not only capable of feeding himself, but a hungry crowd as well.
Reason #8: THerz.
It's funny how even when as little as a handful of THerz unite, it's always a blast! From racing to identify the next track before someone else does (nerds, we know), to abusing whatever alcohol is available on the table (or on the neighbouring tables), to responding to Johnny's natural crowd interaction, to embarassing ourselves with our psychotic dancing, it's always, always a blast! Not to mention the cherry on top: ZIZI! That guy alone (TRANCExual) is enough to have a great time wherever you are, let alone if you're trancing it up with a fine DJ! Man, you still crack me up like no other...
Reason #9: TAX.
No, not the financial tax, but our own member TAX, whose birthday bash it was last night, and who single-handedly packed up the entire club's capacity! He is indeed one of the reasons why Johnny is a good DJ because he was wise enough to assign Johnny as the sole DJ of the night, giving him his biggest break yet in order to shine and show the world what he's made of. Other than that, the guy's such a party animal he puts us to shame, and such a generous host beyond our ability to express gratitude! Marc, a big, big thank you for everything you did last night, from throwing this KARAZY party, to all the perks that THers were priviliged with... It really wasn't necessary man, we appreciate it so much and can't possibly thank you enough!
Reason #10: The tracklist.
As usual, THers' combined efforts result in decyphering most of the tracklist. The big list below are the ones we identified and are listed in order of play, while the small list under it are the missing ones that Johnny just told me, but since I'm not sure about their order of placement I'll just put them aside.
Leama & Moor feat Jan Johnston - Waiting (Cats & Sieja remix)
Regia feat Scala - I Fail (Filterheadz remix)
Aurosonic - Missing You
Oliver Prime - Hesitated
Radiohead - Street Spirit (Funkagenda remix)
Chakra - I Am (Markus Schulz remix)
Aalto - 5
Kirsty Hawkshaw meets Tenishia - Outsiders (Cosmic Gate remix)
Wamdue Project - King Of My Castle (Sander van Doorn remix)
Summer Sessions feat Tiff Lacey - By My Side (Signalrunners club mix)
Above & Beyond + Andy Moor - Air For Life
Filo & Peri feat Eric Lumiere - Anthem (John O'Callagnan remix)
Armin van Buuren feat Justine Suissa - Wall Of Sound (Airbase pres Parc remix)
Tiesto - Lethal Industry (Richard Durand remix)
Albert Vorne - Formentera What (Gareth Emery remix)
Leon Bolier - Summernight Confessions
Shy Brothers - Feeling Like (Stoneface & Terminal remix)
Joop - The Future
Alex Morph & Rank 1 - Life Less Ordinary
Fragma - Toca's Miracle (Richard Durand remix)
Shy Brothers - Human Design (Scot Project remix)
Jochen Miller - Vanity
Cosmic Gate - Analog Feel
Leon Bolier & Astrid - Crazy People (alternative mix)
Paul van Dyk - Crush (vandit club mix)
Oceanlab - Satellite
Andain - Beautiful Things (Photon Project remix)
Three Drives On A Vinyl - Greece 2000
Randy Katana pres Nick Larson - FDV 6 (Randy Katana edit)
Pierre Pienaar - Daybreak (Original Mix)
Freek Geuze pres Spliscreen - Boomblasta (Leon Bolier vs Joop remix)
Ronski Speed + Stoneface & Terminal - Soulseeker
Manual Addicts - Siberian Dawn
Alex Bartlett & Andy Guess - Universe Inside (Talla 2XLC instrumental mix)
\o/
)
and everyone, would love to have you in Lebanon soon my friend! the occasion will come soon and we would party like crazy 
