Monday, February 20, 11:40 p.m. It's nipply and blustery out on the Foundation Room's patio 54 stories above the Strip but men continue to sweep past me in full satiny, bedtime regalia. "Where is this fabled pajama party?" I wonder, unable to locate the source of the civilly undressed. Inside, it's a completely different story, with a roaring fire, strong drinks and a pretty hot crowd.
There's an unprecedented amount of celebration going on—tonight and this whole month. In the Main Room, Om record execs, DJs and associates honor the label's 10-year anniversary, while in the Media Room, a Mandalay dealer and apparent phenomenon who goes by the nickname "Bam Bam" fetes his birthday with an annual and infamous pajama party. The undercurrent to all of this is the knowledge that this very month, the Foundation Room enters its seventh year, with promoter/DJ/businessman Michael Fuller's event Godspeed Monday turning the ripe, old age of 5. She never looked better!
The secret appears to be Fuller's willingness to adapt and change. With the onset of 2006's new campaign and slogan, "Be Born Again," the folks behind Godspeed have made it known they're going to try some things they bet you'll enjoy. Three new monthly promotions began in January. Trifecta features a top-name DJ spinning three styles of music in three rooms, one after the other—a turntable triathlon of sorts. Higher Ground celebrates the music of the Martinez Brothers, and Aurajin and John Doe of the Get Back First Friday after-party, spinning funk, soul, disco and "rare grooves." Finally on the third Monday of every month, Om Records will ship out a star from its lineup. Rithma's here tonight and look for Chuck Love on March 20.
Elsewhere, Mark Stylz spins in Shangri-La, the hip-hop room, with its wide, roped-off VIP sections, panoramic view of the northwest and college-style dance floor in the middle of the room. As with many of Godspeed's talent, Stylz does triple duty, also appearing at Tao and Ice. In the Main Room, Rithma spins a catchy set with Marques Wyatt up next. I've missed DJ Fluid's opening set, Fluid also being Chris Smith, one of Om Record's two owners, the other being John Cornett. Together they started the San Francisco label with dance, house, hip-hop and even acid jazz. The duo has since expanded their artists' residencies into Dubai, Sydney, London, Tokyo and now here.
"Vegas is important," says Smith. "So many people from all over the world come here. It's a very important city for us. And it's fun!" Posing with Smith for a photo—taken by his mother—I feel honored on Vegas' behalf to be included in that impressive municipal lineup.
Rithma bounces nonstop, spinning big, round, bass-heavy sounds still danceable enough to keep the large crowd in front of him moving. Being a gentleman, he keeps a few purses behind his rig to free up the ladies' hands to grope each other. He later returns them with a flourish and a bow, never missing a beat in his set. With his baggy Dickies, Polynesian-inspired short-sleeve dress shirt and long ponytail, he is the picture of a high-schooler—except for how damn good he is.
More than merely looking like an old mansion fashioned and decorated by a slightly senile millionaire with a proclivity for collecting wildly expensive Indian art, the Foundation Room even has secret passageways. Through an unmarked door and down a drafty hallway, I marvel that a 30-foot section of glass facing out on the wild, wild west is wasted on industrial racks of grapefruit juice, water and check presenters. Delivered into the Media Room, I feel like Miss Scarlet in Clue. It is here that I finally meet "Bam Bam" in all of his satin-robed glory, the perfect picture of a host—if you're at the Playboy Mansion.
Whether it's established nightlife players such as Fuller and VIP host Brian Klimaski, the space's versatile design or the mass appeal of the entertainment, Godspeed has kept a death-grip on Monday nights, even in the face of multiple attempts from other clubs to target its crowd. You could argue that the crew of the Titanic boasted they were unsinkable. Then again, this is Vegas and there isn't an iceberg in sight.
Xania Woodman thinks globally and parties locally. And frequently. E-mail her at
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