Thursday, April 26, 2001

World Music Hits Chelsea ~ by Gina Larson

Music-lovers got quite an earful on Thursday night, April 26, as D.J. Ravin spun at a private warehouse in the back of Chelsea Markets. The event was a celebration for the DJ's new album, Buddha Bar III, named for the infamous Parisian club that is sponsoring the two-CD collection.

Skinny models, music big-wigs and their fans jammed the space, which was decked out in the kind of red regalia found in the Chinatown markets of Grand Street. Raymond Vison, the owner of Buddha Bar and its sister Restaurant, The Barfly in Los Angeles, told me that he is planning on opening his third destination club here in New York City. While he did divulge that the new club would open in June, he politely refused to reveal the exact location of the soon-to-be scene spot. Our conversation was interrupted by friends of Raymond, who barraged the restaurateur with kisses on both cheeks. I made my way to the bar, which was serving free glasses of Moet champagne, and found Mark Jarzabek, vice president of Musicrama, and his boys taking in the dancers who were gyrating on stage to the Arabic beats. Musicrama is importing Ravin's disc from France to U.S. record stores. According to the album's press kit, Buddha Bar is already the number-one seller at Tower Records ... no wonder Jarzabek was having such a good time.