Tales from the SINdustry: Party blackout with DJ Michael Toast

Greg Kaplan

DJ Michael Toast and the Fire n Ice dancers at VooDoo Lounge

By Deanna Rilling

Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2010 | 7:45 p.m.

Vegas is all about pretty lights. Outdoors, indoors and even as a piece of attire on occasion. In town for a lucky 13 years now, native New Yorker and beloved DJ Michael Toast has seen ’em all. But what happens when the dance floor goes dark?

“Vanity had just opened and Louis the light man had been bragging to me about the LED touch-screen controller,” says the eyeliner-wearing/multicolored Mohawk-sporting Toast, who headed over with DJ/VJ CB Shaw to see what all the fuss was about. “Out of nowhere this girl comes into the DJ booth and decides to get involved in the action and starts moshing.” She bodychecked Shaw into the light controller screen, washing the club not in color, but complete darkness. Coincidentally, DJ Eric D-Lux had just dropped a Deadmau5 track and clubbers thought it was planned, prompting them to bust out the lighters and cell phones. “Everything in Vegas is a show and people don’t know the difference,” laughs Toast. “Even a tragedy can turn into something epic.”