When Intrigue opened at Wynn Las Vegas (on Thursday, April 28th, in the space formerly occupied by Tryst Nightclub), I was rather psyched.  Not only was it my birthday, but I was anointed with playing the opening set in the Private Club.  Technically speaking, I was part of a DJ cooperative – alongside DJs Eddie McDonald and Peter Shalvoy – wherein we consulted each other and took turns playing.  It was delightful.

It should be noted that the music format in the Private Club is exclusively limited to vinyl.  No CDs, no MP3s – just records; and I love it!

It’d been years since I’d spun in a vinyl-only situation, and there were a few things I’d forgotten.  First of all, records are heavy; much heavier certainly than a collection of CDs, and way more so than a zip drive.  Also – and this is where the DJ co-op came in particularly handy – they take up a lot of space, so finding your next few songs involves flipping through the actual records, and not just scrolling down through a playlist.

About the Private Club…  It’s gorgeous.  It’s as though Roger Thomas (EVP of Design, Wynn Design & Development) took a living room from one of Wynn’s luxe Fairway Villas, and glammed it up, into an elegant parlor walled with a library of books cast in alabaster, and rose-tinted mirrors.  There are private bathrooms, as well as a wall of lockers (based on Louis Vuitton steamer trunks), in which guests can store their valuables, and recharge their devices.

The lighting story – cognac hued, on a dimmer – is such that everyone is literally seen in the most flattering light. 

The Private Club's bartender was so good, that by the second night – even amongst all of the VIPs and muckety-mucks – he not only remembered my name, but also my drink preference.  They even use those fabulous oversized spherical ice-cubes that require only one per glass and melt very slowly.

Furthermore, there’s an embargo on social media and photography of any kind, in the Private Club; adding to the allure, as well as embracing its inhabitants in a cocoon of safety; allowing them to enjoy themselves, without the distracting flashbulbs of paparazzi or lookie-loos.

As for the music one might hear; when I was there, we stuck mostly to the ‘70s and ‘80s. For the record (get it?), the ceremonial first song was “Ladies and Gentlemen: Miss Grace Jones” (better known as “Slave to the Rhythm”).  Throughout the night, I seem to recall having played songs by Apollonia 6, Blondie, Kim Carnes, Neneh Cherry, The Clash, Peter Gabriel, Madonna, Rockwell, Shannon, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Vanity 6, and Barry White; but that weekend is really just a blur.  A beautiful, dimly-lit, rose-tinted blur.

The Private Club at Intrigue
Wynn Las Vegas
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