Buzz is Back... Like, for Real This Time
July 16, 2006 was a very sad day for the D.C. nightlife scene. After one final kick-ass party, the club known as Nation (and before that, The Capital Ballroom), closed its doors to make room for (sniff) more office buildings. Home to the industrial party Alchemy on Thursdays, the electronic party Cubik on Fridays and the gay party Velvet Nation on Saturdays, Nation drew in a very diverse crowd over the course of any given weekend.
Alchemy changed its name to Chronos and moved on over to Five. Velvet Nation decided to quietly fade into the night. Buzzlife Productions, the company behind Cubik, spent the next year throwing occasional parties at various venues including Avenue, the 9:30 Club, Five, RnR Bar & Lounge and Fur.
Although rumblings and rumors had been ongoing for quite sometime, Buzzlife unexpectedly announced last week that it had finally worked out a deal with Fur to once again kick off weekly Friday parties under the moniker “Buzz” starting September 21.
At first sight, Fur doesn’t necessarily seem suited for Buzz parties, but it seems as though the company was well aware of the potential backlash by its faithful fans and worked out a surprisingly relaxed contract with Fur. The normally dress-to-impress club will slacken (but not fully eliminate) its dress code to accommodate the often wildly-decorated Buzz fans. The deal also gives Buzz full access to every room on Friday nights, unlike many multi-level clubs where different floors can lead to vastly different genres of music. Buzz promises to be all-EDM in every room.
Another interesting retooling of the Fur infrastructure will be the front door. Buzz promises to streamline the process of admission, good news to anyone who has ever experienced Fur’s infamous 30-minute wait.
Fur has undergone some revamping of its weekend entertainment in recent weeks after Panorama Productions’ Glow party moved across the street into the recently opened Ibiza Night Club. Some Buzzboarders (members of Buzzlife’s messageboard) were a bit cynical of how the deal came about, but agreed with the majority of posters that Buzz is the one party-throwing company that could overcome any apprehensions about Fur.
“I knew this was coming for a while, especially after Glow bailed on Fur,” posted Buzzboarder Utopium. “Given that you probably have some leverage with the loss of Glow and the fact that things sounded like they went well at Firecracker, I think I'll finally lift my boycott (of Fur) and come out for this.”
Overall, however, the announcement has garnered immense praise from the Buzz community.
“Good god, this MAY be enough to get me out of rave retirement,” said member BuzzCat.
Buzz Opening Party featuring Moby, Sander Van Doorn, and Scott Henry
9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Sept. 21
Fur Nightclub
33 Patterson St. NE
Tickets are $25 - purchase online at www.groovetickets.com/buzz.