Music to include the best (and worst) from the 90′s: TLC, En Vogue, Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys, N Sync, Britney Spears, Biggie, Nirvana, Madonna, Missy Elliott, Ice Cube, ODB, Naughty By Nature, Nelly, and more.

Maskell’s Fridays at Caribbean Breeze: No line, No Cover, No Hype.

Music: 90′s music (duh), plus a little current Pop, Top 40, and Dance.
Crowd: Typical Ballston crowd of young professionals, college/postcollege.
Vibe at the bar: Laid-back, relaxed. Open seating, music volume reasonable.
Vibe on dancefloor: Energetic, with moments of craziness.
Location: Very short walking distance from most apartments in Ballston
Ages: 21+

Drink Specials
• $4 Bud/Miller/Coors lite
• $6 Absolut mixed drinks
• Free shooters on Maskell’s bar tab while they last

Caribbean Breeze is located at 4100 Fairfax Drive in Ballston, Arlington, Virginia, one block from the Ballston Metro.

RSVP to the 90′s Party on Facebook
See pics from Friday nights in Ballston

(Special shoutout to bartender Chris Hart who will be celebrating his last night on the clock before travelling to Norway to freeze his viking ass off in the dark for a few weeks.)

Caribbean Breeze in Ballston, Arlington, Virginia

Maskell has taken over Friday Nights at Caribbean Breeze in Ballston, bringing a slice of DC across the river to VA. You know how we do it: dancing and raging all night, laid-back atmosphere, good drinks… and now its in a better venue. And every week.

Caribbean Breeze is a damn good Restaurant/Bar/Lounge conveniently located less than 1 block from the Ballston Metro on the Orange Line, next door to the IHOP on Fairfax Drive. (For those keeping track, that’s definitely stumbling distance.)

Party features:

• DJ Maskell (Top 40, House, Dance)
• No bullshit at the door
• No cover ALL NIGHT
• No line, no wait, no pointless line-holding
• Sweet outdoor patio
• Lots of open seating
• Solid dancefloor
• *NOTE: Ages 21+*

PLUS:

• Maskell’s buying the drinks till the tab runs dry!

GET ON THE GUESTLIST

• Message Maskell on facebook by 7pm every Friday with the names of people coming with you!

This is what will happen if you DON'T wear a silly hat.

Its simple: Silly hats + Christmas Shooters + DJ Maskell = Blackout.  Plus everyone who wears a stupid had gets a free christmas shooter while they last!

Party features:

• Dozens of stupid hat giveaways!
• DJ Maskell (Top 40, House, Dance)
• No cover, No line, No wait, No pointless line-holding
• Located less than a block from Ballston Metro
• Lots of inebriated young professionals and college kids wearing Santa Hats
• Typical Maskell Dancefloor

*NOTE: Ages 21+*

We're giving away dozens and dozens of stupid hats!

PLUS:

•  Maskell’s buying xmas shooters for everyone who wears a stupid hat ’till we run out!
• $4 Bud/Miller/Coors Lite
• $6 Absolut mixed drinks

GET ON THE GUESTLIST

• Message Maskell on facebook by 7pm Friday, with the names of people coming with you. [Or email 12-23-11guestlist (at) djmaskell (dot) com]

Murphy’s Law is like a five year old kid on a temper tantrum, completely bent on breaking anything you’ve planned to perfection while wearing tiny shoes.  So here’s five sure-fire ways to keep your New Year’s Eve 2012 from turning into a total shitshow.

5. Get tickets early

The world favors those who plan ahead.  Why? Because nobody ever actually does it. That’s why tickets for New year’s eve in DC are dirt cheap in November, then go up in price as the date gets closer.  Of course, this shocking revelation won’t help you today, but perhaps in the future it will.

"It took 10 years, $3 million, and most of my hair, but now I can go back in time and save $14.00 on my New Year's Eve tickets!"

Getting tickets early also makes your life a lot easier because then you can make dinner reservations, book a hotel, and create other fun activities around the night because now the main part of your evil plan is already locked down.  And don’t worry about commitment issues, most people end up going with the first thing they think of anyways, so chances are good that your $30 won’t be spent in vain.

4. Carefully Choose your group

A big part of having a good time is having a good group to party with.  And while most of your friends will be perfect for celebrating New Year’s Eve, you have to recognize the bad apples and weed them out before they cause trouble and ruin your night.

When I say “bad apples” I really mean “bad drunks”.  But because its hard to criticize our friends, we’ll just lay it out straight and tell you to Leave these types of friends at home:

"I love buying expensive and sexy clothes so I can puke all over them at the end of the night"

The hot party girl: She’s a total flirt, rips up the dancefloor at every club, is drop dead gorgeous, and absolutely loves to drink.  Best of all, she’s gained the reputation for getting smashed and hooking up with anything that has a pulse.  Sounds like a winning combination, right?

Don't even think about it.

Well, if you like babysitting unconscious chicks and wiping vomit off 5 inch stilettos, then by all means go right ahead and take her with you.  These girls can’t handle their booze.  Don’t be surprised if your “sure thing” turns out to be the key to perfecting your infant parenting skills.  The rest of us will be partying and celebrating while you brush the puke chunks from your hair.

And then there’s the belligerent drunk…

Not exactly the best drinking buddy. Especially if your enjoy Matzo and Challah.

There’s also the depressed drunk, the disappearing drunk, and the gassy drunk, as well as myriads of others.  The point of all this is know what type of drunk your friends are before inviting them out for a night on the town!

Speaking of which…

3. Know what type of drunk you are

“Judge not, lest ye be judged” So lets take some notes on how to make sure your friends won’t label you Mel Brooks every time you go out drinking and end up driving drunk, fighting with the police, and shouting anti semetic epithets from the backseat of a soiled police cruiser.

Vomiting wouldn't be so bad if all we puked up was sparkles, stars, and fucking rainbows all night.

Pace yourself.  New Year’s Eve is a long night, and if you are drinking the whole time, you will fail in an epic fashion.

Fortunately, you are an experienced drinker and know how much it takes to get yourself to that optimum drunkenness level.  And you also know that alcohol does not immediately take effect the moment you swallow it. You know that 1 beer = 1 wine = 1 booze.  So don’t “conveniently” forget that information the moment you step inside the bar.  Watch yourself.  Know your limits.

You might end up like this winner who passed out while peeing and talking on the phone a couple blocks away from a now-closed DC club.

AND REMEMBER: Even when you’re drunk, you still know that its wrong to touch that girls butt, a bad idea to punch the guy who looked at you, and is probably stupid to hop on a ceiling fan and cluck like a chicken with a bottle in your ass.   Drunk is not actually an excuse for being a douche, and you know it.

2. Be prepared

Lets face it, stuff happens.  You can either be prepared to enjoy life or you can completely fail.  If you want to have a good New Year’s Eve, you’ll make some appropriate preparations.

Y2K preparations not required nor advisable in 2010

Have a backup plan, because you probably didn’t adhere to #5.  And with your luck, the place you want to go will have a huge-ass line and you’ll wait outside all night in the cold listening to your girlfriend kvech about how cold it is.

"Yes, Dear"

Its also good to have:

• Cash and credit card
• The numbers for several different taxi companies (in case one is too busy)
• Condoms, Breath Mints, Barf Bag, and a Freshly Charged Cell Battery
• A good Dinner beforehand, then lots of water after

Dinner is important because food helps to slow down the absorption of alcohol, and water helps you to knock out one of the biggest factors of a hangover: Dehydration.  Well, that, and not drinking so much that you are puking like a freshman well into the next day.

"Boy, I haven't vomited this much since that time we had a drinking contest with ipecac syrup..."

1. Don’t drink and drive

So far you’ve avoided all the potential pitfalls and catastrophes for the night: You got your tickets, you ditched the skank you’ll end up babysitting instead of plowing, you took a good look at yourself in the mirror, and planned your backup.

You’re almost home free, but at the last second, one of those wicked roadside trees jumps out of nowhere and eats the front of your car, causing you and your friends to eat windshield.

"A few hours from now, I'll shit out a tiffany lamp."

Truth is, Drinking and Driving kills, and it will happen to you. Its killed 23 people that I’ve known personally. You don’t even have to be completely trashed to be too impaired to drive.  If there’s even any doubt in your mind that perhaps you’re too buzzed to drive, you should probably call a cab.  And thanks to the wonderful people at WRAP, getting a cab is FREE. Dude. Its free. Why the hell wouldn’t you?

Don’t wan’t to take a cab?  Plan ahead and have a sober friend come pick you up. Get a hotel room. Walk home. Sleep in your car. Hell, you can even take Metro if you’re desperate and have no other options.  They’re open till 3am on New Year’s Eve, and the buses are running on Sunday Schedule.

Granted, Metro has been pretty awful the past couple years, but look at it this way: At least you’ll burn off all those empty beer calories climbing up and down all the broken escalators.

Darn Metro

Party smart this year.

Mark Maskell

New Years Eve DC 2011

New Year’s Eve in Washington DC is going to be incredible at the MASSIVE Big Night DC extravaganza, held at the gigantic Gaylord National Resort on the National Harbor!  There are 15 themed party areas, five dance floors, open bar all night, big bands, big DJs, thousands of people, and of course, DJ Maskell!  This is the biggest New Years Eve event in Washington DC by a very wide margin.

Maskell will be headlining in the Electronic DJ room from 9pm – 2am, which means you get to experience the fire at the peak of the night in ways you’ve never seen before!  The set will feature the most bangin’ hits in Dance, Electro, Top 40, and House, guaranteed to rip the roof off when the clock strikes midnight and the crowd goes nuts.  Check out how insane it was last year at midnight, video below!

Get your tickets to New Years Eve in DC now at bignightdc.com before they sell out!  (and YES they will sell out weeks before New Years Eve)

PICTURES FROM MASKELL’S ROOM LAST YEAR

Its fully DMX controlled with sound responsive programs, and utilizes wireless DMX to minimize cord runs. The 4,200 watt sound system is carefully EQ’ed and limited to maximize power and sound without distortion or blasting.

And of course, the DJ is a seasoned nightclub professional, playing every week in major nightclubs in Washington DC, which means this is NOT your typical lame-ass hired party DJ. This is more like a mobile nightclub.

LIGHTING EQUIPMENT USED
8x Martin Mania SCX 500 scanners
10x ADJ P36 LED
3x Chauvet D-Fi wireless DMX transmitter/recievers
2x Chauvet Colorstrip LED
1x Elektralite Turbohazer
1x Elation DMX Operator Pro

LIGHTING EQUIPMENT PRESENT BUT NOT ACTIVE IN THIS VIDEO
2x ADJ XMove LED moving heads
1x Chauvet Scorpion Storm Laser
1x Chauvet RG-55 Laser
1x 750w DMX controlled strobe

SOUND EQUIPMENT USED
2x Wharfedale LA-15 @ 500w
2x Comm MVP-15 @ 600w
2x RCF ART 905-AS 1000w subs

DJ EQUIPMENT USED
2x Pioneer CDJ 1000 mk iii Turntables
1x Pioneer DJM-600 Mixer

DJ Maskell at Shamrockfest 2011 at RFK Stadium

DJ Maskell’s pics from Pauly D’s VIP DJ Stage at Shamrockfest 2011 at RFK Stadium Fairgrounds are now UP!  Tag your friends!

SEE THE PICS: Shamrockfest 2011 Pictures

DJ Maskell to open for Pauly D at Shamrockfest 2011!

For the Fifth year in a row, DJ Maskell has been asked to headline once again at the largest yearly music festival in Washington DC, Shamrockfest!  It is quite a high honor to be asked to return year-after-year to such a prestigious event, and very few have had the privilege of doing so even once, let alone on a recurring basis.

This year, Maskell will be opening for none other than DJ Pauly D on the VIP DJ stage from 6-7!  The Jersey Shore legend will be back in the Nation’s Capital, ready to rock out harder than ever before!  (NOTE: Pauly plays once on the Miller Lite stage in the late afternoon, and again on the VIP DJ stage at 7)

This massive music festival draws an average of 40,000+ DC area concertgoers to see amazing performers performing on a dozen stages spanning across the RFK Stadium Festival Fairgrounds.   With dozens of attractions, entertainment areas, games, rides, food vendors, and of course a never-ending supply of BEER, this Saint Patrick’s day celebration is like none other in the region.  The Festival Fairgrounds are filled with happy St. Patties Day revelers and partygoers in a sea of green that’s not to be mistaken for the nearby Anacostia River.

Maskell will be throwing down a signature set of house, dance, electro, and live mashups that is sure to tear up the crowd like no other DJ can.  As Maskell says, “I’m not satisfied with my performance until I hear people spontaneously shouting ‘wooo!’.  That’s when you know you’ve got something good.”

Historically, Maskell has electrified the crowd at Shamrockfest with pounding bass, ripping beats, compelling melodies, and driving rhythms that force people to dance whether they like it or not.   Renowned local heavy metal music enthusiast and shock jock Michael Swinburne was in attendance at Shamrockfest 2009, and candidly remarked “God I hate this techno shit, but I just can’t help but dance to it when Maskell’s playing.  He’s really damn good.”

There’s no question about Maskell’s talent.  From his roots working the nightlife scene in DC as a flyerboy to starting his own nightclub and gaining residencies at radio stations, music festivals, nightclubs, and major events, Maskell has made an impressive career for himself.  He’s even headlined at one of the most famed weekly electronic events in the world, GLOW, which brings the biggest names in electronic dance music to the heart of Washington DC.  Glow is an event that is of the same caliber as Gatecrasher and Ministry of Sound, which have been the key pillars in establishing and maintaining the electronic music scene around the world.

So get ready for an insane performance this year at Shamrockfest, because rain or shine, its going to be out-of-this-world!

Shamrockfest is a major yearly music festival held in on the RFK Stadium Festival Fairgrounds in Washington DC. The lineup this year includes such artists as: DROPKICK MURPHYS, CARBON LEAF, LOST IN PARIS, LOVE SEED MAMA JUMP, SCYTHIAN, ICE WAGON FLU, HOTSPUR, DR FU, PUBCRAWLERS, NIKI BARR BAND, THE ROVERS, ALONG THOSE LINES, CHARM CITY SAINTS, 3AM, BARE KNUCKLE BOXERS, LETHAL PEANUT, THE MIGHTY REGIS, FIGHT THE LION, THE GOBSHITES, ONCE OK TWICE, CROWDED STREETS, BARLEYJUICE, THE SILENT CRITICS, WHITE FORD BRONCO, JEFE SOLO, THE BLUE LINE, JUSTIN …TRAWICK GROUP, SCOTT’S NEW BAND

and DJs DJ PAULY D, PLAYBOY MODEL DJ KAYJAY, DJ PAT PREMIER, DAVE RUSSELL (Flipside), DJ MASKELL, DJ STYLES, DJ LIL FOS, DJ NEEKOLA, DJ 2NUTZ, DJ OLDER SKOOL, DJ KWEST, DJ RENE, DJ FLOUNDER, DJ2NUTZ, DJ FLOW

NOTE! Shamrockfest 2010 will go on rain or shine, so dress appropriately! Shamrockfest rain has happened in the past and has not slowed people down at all.  Its still just as packed and crazy!  So bring an umbrella just-in-case it rains at Shamrockfest this year because the show WILL GO ON!

Ultrabar/Glow resident DJ Maskell throws down a hybrid set of Pop Dance and Pop EDM that’s guaranteed to light up any DC Nightclub dancefloor!

Its the type of mix that hooks normal people into the electronic music world by blending the familiar Top 40 Dance tracks they know with the very best EDM hits that they might not know yet, but will definitely enjoy.  Its a combination of Pop Nightlife DC and Club Glow, all in a single two hour badass mix.  Enjoy.

Catch DJ Maskell every Friday at POP at Ultrabar Nightclub DC in the infamous Ultrabar Vault!

Axwell – Nothing but love for you
Ne-Yo – Beautiful Monster (Mixin Marc & Tony Svejda Remix Extended)
Taio Cruz w/Ke$sha – Take a Picture
Katy Perry – Teenage Dream (Kaskade Mix)
Rihanna – Only Girl in the World
Robyn – Hang with me (Avicii remix)
Martin Solveig & Dragonette – Hello
Enrique Iglesias – I Like It (Chuckie Remix)
Swedish House Mafia feat. Pharrell – One (Your Name) (Spencer Hill Remix)
Swedish House Mafia – Miami 2 Ibiza
Far East Movement – Like a G6
Usher – OMG (DJ Class Remix)
Flo Rida and David Guetta – Club Can’t Handle Me
Taio Cruz – Dynamite
Rihanna – Rockstar (Chew Fu Remix)
Usher ft Pitbull – DJ Got Us Fallin In Love
Black Eyed Peas – Rock That Body
Ke$ha – Take It Off
Duck Sauce – Barbara Streisand
Wolfgang Gartner – Illmerica
Afrojack – Pasha on Acid
BSOD – Game Over
David Guetta & Afrojack – Louder than Words
Coolio – Gangsta’s Paradise 2010 (Bernasconi & Farenthide Remix)
Reel 2 Real feat Sean Paul, Pitbull, Flo Rida & T Pain – I Like To Move It (Electro Urban Remix)
Afrojack ft Eva Simons – Take Over Control
Kid Cudi – Pursuit of Happiness (Steve Aoki Mix)
Chris Kaeser – Who’s In The House (Chuckie Remix)
Wynter Gordon – Dirty Talk (Laidback Luke Mix)
Tiesto & Diplo – C’mon