On Oct. 12 the multi-million dollar Moda nightclub opened its doors for the first time to a rush of young, rich Clevelanders dressed in nothing but Gucci and Versace, as well as a couple of dirty Obies. The dirty Obies were Greg Teves, Ben Alschuler and I. Under the name “The Elder Brothers,” Ben and I have been spinning tribal and progressive House here at Oberlin College, in Boston and elsewhere for a couple of years now. When we heard that a new club was opening in Cleveland bringing in the most talented DJs from all over the world we were overjoyed, especially when we learned their slogan — “We’re all about the music.” Unfortunately Moda is not “all about the music.” Its very name means “style” in Italian. However, the club still has the prestige and the money to attract the greatest DJs in the world and for that we should all be grateful. No longer will Oberlin, and Cleveland for that matter, be hell for the House lover.
The club is impressive. Modeled after the South Beach venue Spin, Moda is an aesthetically beautiful club. The state-of-the-art sound system was supplied by NEXO and the lights (primarily Trackspot and Martin brands) are excellent as well. A small web of green lasers shoots out of the front of the DJ booth and a large projector shines images and messages onto a sidewall. Perhaps the most exciting effect in the club is the six-jet nitrogen gas system that turns the dance floor into an impenetrable cloud of freezing cold air. The jets can change the dance floor’s temperature from 78 degrees F to 20 degrees F in three seconds and while it’s happening you can’t see anyone more than a foot away from your face.
The wait staff was more competent the second time I visited but they were always very nice. Drinks are expensive for Cleveland but cheap for the rest of the world and are mixed well and served in glasses, not just cups. Unlike many bars and clubs, if you don’t call your liquor they’ll serve you something good; for instance, gin and tonics ($6.00 a piece) that are not called are automatically served with Tanqueray – not bad.
A very extensive V.I.P. section is located on a mezzanine overlooking the dance floor. V.I.P. passes are not limited to industry people and celebrities but are open to anyone who wants to pay $200 for a booth and a free bottle of Moet. I can’t comment on the upstairs because I never set foot inside it (they didn’t buy my “I work for The Oberlin Review bit).
For the Grand Opening, Moda cut the ribbon with Behrouz and Deep Dish opened by the resident DJ, DJ Shell. Behrouz, an up and coming DJ from San Francisco, started off the night with his blend of deep smooth grooves and tribal drums sprinkled with sampled voices and effects. Among a whole collection of unreleased gems, Behrouz played his remix of the Winter Music Conference anthem “Safe From Harm” by Narcotic Thrust and the beautiful Cuba Computers track “Haunting Me.”
The Grammy Award winning DJ duo Deep Dish took over to finish the night with their eclectic mix of grooves that ranged from tribal House and chunky tech-House to electro and from funk House to crystalline progressive House with fat bass lines underneath and everything in between. Obviously they didn’t entirely trust the musical tastes of the Cleveland crowd as they played (to our dismay) three remixes of various Michael Jackson tunes. However, most of their choices were excellent and the mixing was flawless.
We returned three days later to see the D.C.-based DJ duo Saeed and Palash. Once again we were blown off our feet. The owners had made a few important changes that greatly improved the atmosphere. Aside from the nitrogen freezers they added a hazer that made beams visible from the lights and improved the lightshow tenfold. They also reduced the amount of light that leaked onto the dance floor from the bars on the sides.
Saeed started the show with his banging, tribal House style with a touch of main room sensibility. During his fairly short but incredibly exciting set he played the classic “A Little Bit Paranoid” by Different Gear. Palash then took over for the rest of the night and played a wide range of tracks from “My Heart” by Althea McQueen to the Ibiza summer anthem “Shiny Disco Balls” by Who Da Funk to “Space” by Sub Project to Danny Howells’ remix of “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer to “Everything She Wants” by Wham. It was truly a trainspotter’s workout. Palash’s set was more edgy and demanding but well worth the attention as it was a rollercoaster of various moods and intensities.
Moda is essentially a contradiction. While the slogan and their DJ roster suggests that their objective was to create a great venue for music, their name, crowd, hype and door policies – not to mention the fact that over half the club is set aside for V.I.P. areas – suggest that their objective was to provide a space to fill a growing void, a space for the new, young, rich Cleveland residents to spend their money fashionably. Although the crowd may be a little ridiculous, the club is all we’ve got. And it is exciting. I’d recommend it to any House fanatic.
However, if you’re not willing to put up with a bunch of high-class “hotties” and slick young businessman, steer clear.

Moda opens at 9 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and closes at 2:30 a.m. and 4 a.m. respectively. The cover is $10. (which is dirt-cheap for a club with as much to offer as this one) The club requires excellent attire, i.e. no ball caps, sneakers or sports apparel, and the club is 21+.