I’m in London and it’s fancy dress time! I flew in last week for a birthday party of an old client and dear friend. Every year, the hostess spends weeks decorating her house in preparation for what has become one of the most eagerly anticipated private parties in London.

The Circus was this year’s theme, which inevitably meant a very colorful and whimsical evening. The house and garden had been transformed into a “Big-Top” extravaganza. The highlight was my DJ booth housed in an enormous cage with large glaring signs warning partygoers: “Do Not Feed The Animal!”

Without exception, all the guests had made an extraordinary effort with their circus-themed outfits. Upon arrival, they were led through a Hall Of Mirrors into the drawing room, which formed the main tented area. Beyond that the garden was filled with a whole spectrum of stalls and carnival-like attractions to amuse and entertain the guests.

I had settled on what was supposed to be a circus knife-thrower costume, although as it turned out, everyone mistook me for either Zorro or Don Juan de Marco, both rather dashing comparisons that I was more than happy to accept. Had they confused me with McDonald’s Hamburglar however, I may not have been as good humoured!

Aside from the obvious circus sounds, I had prepared a selection of Balkan and Oriental-infused songs to begin the evening, giving the atmosphere of a typical Gypsy style circus. Once the dinner buffet was over, it was time to get the party into full swing so I cranked up the volume and within minutes the whole house (and probably the rest of the neighborhood) was rocking.

There was also a number of smoke and bubble-making machines which added to the fun and frolics. For the rest of the evening I played a mixed set of house, electro, disco, hip hop, Latin and Arabic tracks with plenty of surprise numbers thrown in for good measure. The selection certainly hit the right note with the guests who boogied the night away amid the smoke and bubbles until 6am, meaning I had played for nine hours straight!

Fortunately I was still on LA time so for once the jet lag from my long flight the night before was working in my favour! Having said that, when I finally pulled the plug, I was on the verge of total collapse! Good thing birthdays only happen once a year; it’ll take me that long to recover!

Finally, here’s a little number from Analog People In A Digital World, which pretty much says it all!

Circus – ANALOG PEOPLE IN A DIGITAL WORLD