Opel NYE 2009 Fire & Light :: w/ Lee Coombs, Blende & Mephisto Odyssey

New Years Eve is hours away, and we're busy making Mighty into a party atmosphere like you've never seen here before. We hope you join us for a vibe centric celebration in 3 music areas, including an outdoor heated patio, chill bus, hype-tastic NYE countdown with free champagne toast, and lots of treats through the night. Music. Vibe. People. : )

Fire & Light. Opel & Mighty invite you to a special New Years Night. You'll find things you know, and things you don't. Both friends and new faces await, music you've tasted, and new flavors you've not. Rooms you know yet transformed anew. An outdoor green garden, an inside lush landscape of fiery color and white light. Joy sought will be joy fulfilled. The past purged in fire, the future bathed in light.

We have 8 hours of cutting edge music in 3 areas transformed to feel like the special night that it is. The production and party is designed to be a place you can come and know you'll be in the good hands of good vibes in a friendly atmosphere with a range of awesome dance music. The main room will be done up in lush reds, candles and roses with straight ahead prime time electro, tech funk, breaks, and nu-disco. The side room will be transformed into a 'Bubble Lounge' bathed in white, with deeper, headier warmer sounds of head bobbing tech house, minimal tencho, and lush progressive house. The outdoors will be re-created into a garden setting, with heat lamps, weather protection, trees and plants, and a chill bus to take refuge in to hang out amongst a more straight ahead break-beat soundscape.

There will also be a complimentary midnight champagne toast, performance artists, food treats brought out throughout the night, a together moment of a midnight countdown celebration, and more goodies we're working on.

Lee Coombs is as dependable and solid as they come for a quality night of awesome music to celebrate to, and Blende, making his US debut, will bring you new sounds to ring in the new year. Mephisto Odyssey and local heroes will bring their 'A' game as will the production you'll find yourself immersed in.

$25, $35 & $45 ticket tiers are sold out. They are now only $55 HERE.

There will be tix available at the door for $65.

**Or** be a VHP (Very Happy Person) :: $100 w/ top shelf open bar all night long. Be a VHP HERE.

Discounted pre-sale $55 tix HERE.

$65 at the door. (Door price goes down as the night goes on).

**Or** be a VHP (Very Happy Person) :: $100 w/ top shelf open bar all night long. Be a VHP HERE.

Last year we went super big on NYE and joined the Sea of Dreams party. The year before that we essentially did an intimate house party with Kinky Salon. This year we have just the right offering for our mood, with a mid-size party at the most trusted venue in town for a friendly vibe and multiple play options, inside and out. Especially given the state of the nation, we don't think you want to be risking big money on an over hyped show that doesn't deliver the NYE experience. Shop around and compare to those other parties now at $70-$100+ bucks. Ours are at $55. !

Lee Coombs Bio (www.leecoombs.com)

Bending boundaries and ignoring the status quo – where would the Breakbeat scene be today without Lee Coombs. For over a decade this British producer has been at the forefront of it all; releasing groundbreaking mix CDs, remixing the world’s most acclaimed artists and knocking out dancefloor destroying productions that are considered classics years after their release.

A seasoned veteran, Coombs first hit the DJ slopes in 1989, bathing himself in the acid house scene at parties around London and Cambridge. Crucial in shaping his all-encompassing approach to DJing and production, this boundary-less approach would become Coombs’ trademark, mixing up breaks, house, electro, techno and acid with dexterous assurance.

In 1998 Coombs made his first massive strike on the breaks scene as the prized recruit of then ‘up and coming’ label Finger Lickin’, with the man’s acclaimed album of 2001 ‘Future Sound of Retro’ signalling his arrival on the world stage. Such was the impressive nature of Coombs’ debut that respected industry figurehead Pete Tong noted him as the ‘man to watch’. An ‘Essential New Tune’ accolade soon followed courtesy of Tong, with Coombs’ re-rub of Quivver’s ‘One Last Time’ making dance fans weak at the knees the world over.

Such was the demand for Coombs, that luminary Paul Oakenfold was soon knocking at his door, resulting in the critically acclaimed Perfecto Breaks album of 2002. After landing the job of remixing Oakenfold’s ‘Time of your Life’ and then further re-rubs for world class acts such as Moby, New Order, Lamb and Planet Funk, Coombs’ status as one of the industry’s most in-demand artists quickly developed. Even the BBC was under the Coombs spell with them flying him over to Prague in the summer of 2003 to record the theme music for the television program ‘Born to Win’ with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra.

Ever the musical innovator, Lee Coombs’ 2004 album release ‘Breakfast of Champions’ signalled a significant evolution in his sound. Collaborating with some of the most respected artists in his field – from Dylan Rhymes to Christian J, Andy Gardner (Plump DJs) and Jem Panufnik (Soul of Man), the album charted the ambitious new territory of Tech Funk, injecting the Breaks sound with butt-shaking elements of House, Electro and Techno. It was a style Coombs would make his own, alongside fellow innovators Meat Katie, Elite Force and Dylan Rhymes. Featured on the acclaimed album was the cracking single ‘Shiver’ (feat. Katherine Ellis) which was snapped up by classic house imprint Azuli and became one of the biggest vocal house anthems of 2005, whilst the ‘Alright All-Night/Dubhead’ and ‘Obsessional Rhythm’ singles went straight to no.1 in the DJ Mag Beats & Breaks Chart.

Departing Finger Lickin’ for new pastures in 2005, Coombs’ focus shifted to releasing music through his own Thrust Recordings imprint as well as Adrift and Meat Katie’s Lot49 (then Whole9Yards). It was at this time that he started his Thrust club nights in San Francisco, with the quarterly events becoming one of the hottest tickets on the West Coast.

Change has further characterised Coombs in recent times. Not only has the recently married Brit relocated to the USA to settle with his new wife, but he also formally joined the Lot49 team and is set to mix the label’s latest compilation due out in February 2008.

If that’s not enough, a groundbreaking new artist album is also on the way. While still dancefloor focused, Coombs views this as his most ambitious project yet with a range of tempo from 100 – 128 bpm and collaborations with the likes of Longrange (Phil Hartnoll from Orbital’s new band), Siobhan Farhey (Bananarama, Shakespears Sister), Meat Katie, Elite Force, Seasunz, Katherine Ellis and many others.

When he is not in the producers chair, Coombs regularly tours all corners of the globe and is a bona-fide fans favourite throughout Europe, the USA, Australia, Asia and of course the UK. His popularity has also ensured his repeat appearance at infamous festival ‘The Burning Man’ in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada.

In an industry that’s so often governed by trends and fads, Coombs’ unwavering ability to simultaneously destroy dancefloors and push musical boundaries almost 20 years since he first touched a pair of turntables is a remarkable achievement in itself. With plans to further spread his production wings to writing music for film and TV, as well as producing bands, there’s little doubt that his impressive sonic skills will be rocking ears for many years to come.

Blende Bio

Blende is young Swedish electro and techno producer and DJ Johan K who's career started in the middle of 2006 when his first EP was released on german label Plasmapool, run by the Dj and Producer Miles Dyson.

Support of his work since his first release has come from a diverse list of artists and DJs such as Klaxons, MSTRKRFT, D.I.M, LA Riots, The Toxic Avenger, Teenage Bad Girl, The Bloody Beetroots, Laurent Garnier, Steve Aoki, Punks Jump up, James Zabiela and even Hollywood celebrity Dj AM.

Klaxons even liked his production skills so much they decided that it was time for him to do a remix for them, which was set for the single "It's not over yet" that came out late summer 2007. Other notable releases include the highly regarded "Get Lost EP" as well as his remixes of Fil OK's "Wink Wink", Lutzenkirchen's "Weasel Groove" and the hit remix of Aaren San's "Osc Low Nyzz".

Set for tours across the world in 2008, he is also gaining a big reputation for his Dj sets, which always contains an unbelievable amount of energy and leaves no dance floor standing still.

Blende has maintained his remix conquering and is set to release an impressive amount of them this year by original acts such as Sweden's bright new indie hope Those Dancing Days, France's harder than hard techno maestro Dilemn and Paris' answer to Bloc Party - Nelson. After also working on side project The Death Kit, he is now set for even bigger things with a Blende album set to be released in 2009.

Mephisto Odyssey Bio:

"As DJs, producers, engineers and songwriters for the Warner Bros. act Mephisto Odyssey, Mikael and Josh gained the reputation of being eclectics, pivotal in defining the nascent San Francisco house sound" (SF Weekly Sept. 6, 2000). After signing to Warner Bros. Records (1998-2002), Mephisto Odyssey (which included Orpheos and UK transplant Barrie Eves of Primal Records), built on this reputation by working with a diverse cross section of bands also signed to the label.

Mephisto Odyssey's first single, the self-released "Dream of the Black Dahlia" (1993), earned kudos from Bay Area promoters and the international underground scene including DJ Garth of Greyhound Recordings. Mephisto Odyssey continued to release singles on their own label and in 1996 were signed to the progressive West Coast label City of Angels. At COA, they shared the talent roster with Uberzone, Simply Jeff, Christopher Lawrence, and future break beat kings, The Crystal Method, until eventually signing to Warner Bros.

While at Warner, Mikael co-wrote, produced and engineered the single "Crash" with the platinum-selling metal band Static-X.The track was featured in the full-length animated film Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker. The music video, helmed by Underworld director Len Wiseman, aired on MTV2 and MTV-X. The band also did extensive remixing for Los Amigos Invisibles, Static-X, and Soul Coughing and also found considerable success as co-producers, engineers, and re-mixers of the Jane's Addiction maxi-single "So What" from the album Kettle Whistle. The four Mephisto Odyssey remixes charted on the Billboard maxi-singles chart for six weeks and remain the only remixes ever sanctioned and released by Jane's
Addiction.

Mephisto also continued to release their own successful singles such as "Sexy Dancer", selling over 10,000 copies on vinyl. At the end of 2001, Mephisto Odyssey left Warner Brothers, at which time Barrie and Orpheos decided to leave Mephisto to pursue their own ventures.

Mikael and Josh continue to work on an eclectic and varied group of projects. Josh djs at the hottest clubs both in the Bay Area and around the world.Mikael's
recent engineering credits include work for The Matches, Smash Mouth, and I Am The World Trade Center.He also did a live mix of Rose Hill Drive for San Francisco's 107.7 FM and co-engineered the latest album from The Sounds, Dying To Say This To You.

Concurrently, Mephisto Odyssey's music continues to appear in various film and TV productions. In 2006, the song "Some Kinda Freak" was featured in the Quentin Tarantino-produced "Hostel", while "Crash" was licensed for the MTV show 'I Want A Famous Face.' In 2008 Mephisto continues to enjoy licensing deals for shows such as "Cane" on CBS, MTV Exposed and the upcoming Paris Hilton Show BFF.

After rapid fire releases in 2007-2008 of new singles on their label "Groove Quest" Mephisto odyssey have garnered huge reactions from their production contemporaries and massive club play from their fellow djs, including DJ Dan, Elite Force and The Crystal Method. 2008 and beyond looks bright for the duo as the odyssey continues...

Syd Gris Bio:

He's been called a Renaissance man of the West Coast scene, and with good reason. A community based licensed clinical psychologist, one of SF's biggest event producers, a social activist and blogger, a transpersonal psychology researcher, Board Member and key producer of San Francisco LoveFest, and the founder and organizer of arguably Burning Man's biggest sound camp production ever -Opulent Temple. And of course ... a DJ.

Syd has been organizing events since 2001 when he started throwing underground 'intentional' parties with Radiance, as well as benefit events for different charities with Spundae, before starting his own production company under the name Opel Productions, intended to be parties with purpose showcasing a range of forward thinking underground dance music with a dash of social activism thrown in the party message. In 2003, he finished his Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, (completing an extensive thesis on Ken Wilber's theory of spiritual development). He also founded the Opulent Temple, and joined the Board of Directors of the San Francisco LoveFest, (formerly Loveparade San Francisco). For San Francisco LoveFest, he heads up the Promotions and Marketing Team, and Floats & Entertainment Team.

In his current 'day job', he works out of a community clinic in the Bayview Hunter Point area in San Francisco, providing child and family psychotherapy and assessment to clients in the foster care system.

On the DJ tip, Syd is one of the West Coast's top talents, consistently being voted in the Top 10 San Francisco Dream Team poll, and playing the biggest events in California party land. Playing a versatile range of electro house and breaks, to progressive and tech-trance, he's been personally tapped to open and close for the varied likes of Tiesto, Moby, Stanton Warriors, Paul Oakenfold, Underworld, Armin Van Burren, Adam Freeland, Meat Katie, Markus Schultz, Ferry Corsten, and the list goes on... From the biggest sound camps at Burning Man, to the Opel float at San Francisco LoveFest, to the How Weird St. Faire, Burning Man Decompression, Sea of Dreams NYE, Spundae L.A. and other other huge dance events, Syd knows what to do in any situation to bring the universal vibe of dance music. His sets are known for walking the fine line between the gritty and the pretty, and he has a range seldom scene in the West Coast scene.