Venue: The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
Presented by: Liquid Groove

What a great way to start off the New Year! Aside from waiting two hours to get in (who knew there would be hundreds there by 8:00pm?) and nearly freezing to death, I was not disappointed when I got inside!

Before I even got inside, I had already met a few new pals! I haven't met anyone inside a party in a long time, much less in line! The vibe from the kids in line was great and I knew it would be even better inside the venue!

Once I got inside, I made a beeline for Purgatory. You'd think with a name like that, it would be warm. It was cold in Purgatory. Austin was pumping out the beats with ice cold hands! With Ulises upstairs in Heaven, the cold temperature, and an unknown DJ on the decks, the crowd was slow to build. As soon as the basslines started pumping and bodies started moving, it definitely got warmer in Purgatory! I missed the first half of Austin's set, but the second half was anything but disappointing! Despite having no monitor, no lights to see, and being very cold, he did a wonderful job! This was Austin's first party (DJing or attending) in Atlanta! What a great introduction!

When Austin was done in the locals' room, I went over to check out Bobble's set. I haven't heard him since Mirage Massive at Henderson's Arena in the outside chill area. The room was almost packed and everyone seemed to be enjoying his "new" sound. I think he was still on when the clock struck 12..."2001 A Space Odyssey"...fabulous!!!

I was able to make it up into Heaven during Ulises' set. Wow! Great decorations! Huge snowflakes everywhere! The decorating crew did a fabulous job of decorating the entire venue! Oh yeah, Ulises did a pretty good job, too! Heaven was crowded at 10:30...no one wanted to miss his always unpredictable performance!

Back downstairs, Tech Itch and Decoder took over just after midnight and turned Hell upside down! This was my first time hearing them live and I will not forget it anytime soon! Two solid hours of hard, dark, evil beats pumped out, driving the dance floor wild!! That performance alone was well worth any time or money spent to get inside!

I completely missed Chris Fortier's set, and most of Deepsky's, too. (What can I say...? The bar tab was downstairs!) Is cloning still illegal in the U.S.? But what a great set by Mr. C! Everybody was smiling and grooving and have a really good time!! I hope Liquid Groove (or anyone) brings him back soon!!

After two hours of nonstop dancing to Mr. C, I ended up back downstairs in Purgatory to catch a few more locals. ODG was on and the breakers' circle was full on! There are very few girls that have the nerve to get into the circle and when they do, they've gotta prove themselves. A brave lil girl by the name of Melissa showed the boys what it was all about! Props to her for guts, talent, and skills! You go girl!

I couldn't have asked for a better way to start off the millennium! (Yes, it didn't officially start until 2001!) The vibe was great, I met a lot of new people (hello to you all!), the DJ's were incredible, wonderful lighting (thanks to Pulse's new laser and lighting by Active) the decorations...amazing! (Promoters: take cues from Liquid Groove on decorating...it brings an entirely different feel to parties!) I can't wait to see what Liquid Groove has in store for us at the end of this year!

• Lunar interview with Deepsky
• Lunar interview with Chris Fortier