Venue: Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
Presented by: Vinyl Boy

First I want to say that the Playhouse is the best thing Atlanta has going for it right now. Chad [the promoter] has managed to bring in not only "big" DJs, but GOOD DJs on a regular basis. Slacker, Quivver, Sandra Collins (to name a few), and now Nick Warren. The Playhouse has become the lifeforce of the Atlanta scene.

Nick Warren graced us with his presence (again) on December 10th for the Playhouse's 1/2 year anniversary party. Yeah, Nick Warren. You remember, the guy who saved us when Sasha didn't come? That night (the Liquid Groove Halloween party) could have been a disaster had Nick not cancelled his Los Angeles perfomance to play for us. Nick should be more popular than Sasha here. That's why I expected more people to show up than they did to show their support for Nick Warren.

Even though as many people didn't show up as I expected, the Masquerade was still packed from wall to wall. The lights were the best they've ever been at the Playhouse. The sound system was exceptional. It was definitely the best night Masquerade has ever seen.

Luckily, most people arrived in time to see Kevin O. (the talented house DJ) and Logic (a great local progressive DJ). Both already had the crowd going before Nick Warren even got there.

Once Nick did start his set, the crowd instinctively knew, and their spirits soared. Everyone still had his awe-inspiring set from the Liquid Groove party engrained in their minds. We were eager to hear Nick blow us away once again. And knowing that Nick doesn't come to Atlanta that often, we savored every moment of his music.

EVERYONE loved Nick Warren that night. When you pay to hear this British DJ, you know you're going to hear some of the best tracks out there. Not only does he have an uncanny ability to pick the best records out there (the ones that will get the crowd moving), he also does a phenomenal job of constucting his set. He makes everyone eager to hear what he's going to throw on the tables next.

He threw one everything from Evolution's "The Phoenix" (Breeder mix) to one of the best tracks of the night, Tilt's "Angry Skies>" He also played familiar tracks like the ever-so-popular "Space Manouvers" and a Natious track (Christian West remix) that's not quite out yet.

Aside from being an amazing DJ, he's also the kindest one in the business. He signed autographs even while he was concentrating on his mix...and he did it with a smile. He took pictures with anybody that wanted one and seemed delighted to meet everyone he shook hands with. He was even nice to the trainspotters of the night. If you ever get a chance to meet this guy please do it...his humbleness will change you.

And the highlight of the night...the track that EVERYONE was talking about for days...the last song of that amazing night...Nick Warren's remix of a This Mortal Coil song. He put the next-to-the-last record to a halt. There was silence. Then the This Mortal Coil singer's heavenly voice filled the air. I think each and every person souls and hearts melted right there in the club. It was the most beautiful thing in the world. "Oh God! How can I get that track!? I must have it!" you may be screaming to yourself. But in the immortal words of Nick Warren, "Nobody's getting that one."

I can only hope the rest of you that didn't come to the Playhouse on the 10th, make time to see Nick when he comes back, whenever that may be.

Thanks go out to Darryl Windham of Red Shift for contributing to this review.