This past Saturday night I was invited to a preview of FOMO, Toronto’s new “signature boutique champagne lounge for people who have fear of missing out,” at 270 Adelaide W.

“The intention of FOMO is to do something different, to take things further conceptually than people usually do when it comes to clubs, bars, and lounges,” says co-owner Eve Fiorillo, also creative director, music programmer, and marketer who prefers the term ‘party artist.’ “The idea is that you enter a spaceship that takes you to a place that is at the cutting-edge of now and next, but it’s a concept only you can experience in person.”

FOMO Interior - photo credit:www.martiniboys.com

Fiorillo joined forces with Patrick Hodges, who was the long-time owner of the favourite Up and Down bar that previously held residency at the same address.

The small, narrow space is darkly lit in blue and black light and felt somewhat alien with its sleek, angular black panels to one side and sprawling black and white mural of twisted, morphing, nightmarish creatures. Although, I may have just been disoriented by the stroboscopic effect of the giant TIMEX tv screen showing their promo loop non-stop.

“We will have a strict zero douche door policy. To be perfectly clear, this is not a pretentious dress code. Douchiness is a vibe and a type of obnoxious, unpleasant behavour that we are not down with” explains Fiorillo. “Because it is an intimate environment we are especially conscientious of the quality of people we can bring on board, not the quantity. We want to protect ourselves and our clientele against douchiness.”  Think R.O.A.R. 2010.

As the crowd flowed in I noticed people of all types sporting a variety of fashions and, true to her word, no dress code.  A “zero douche policy” may be hard to maintain especially as FOMO has positioned itself oddly within the douche orbit: high-end champagne and cocktails, exclusivity, and the entertainment district in general tend to attract those with more dollars than sense.

Starting this Thursday FOMO opens its doors to the general public for it’s official launch. On Friday FOMO will showcase its signature night: Cosmic Club with a soundtrack of Italo, Nu-Disco, and Space/Cosmic Disco provided by DJ Filthy Gorgeous.

Although tonight was the preview and every opening has its kinks to work out, I’m not exactly sure what I’m supposed to do here: dance? chill? network?  Right now it’s a little awkward in all 3 respects:  a shortage of dance space and too loud to chill and talk. In time, I’m sure the place will find its groove.  Eve’s got a way of weaving magic in the most unlikely places…

In the meantime, yours truly is happy that there’s finally a venue in the city dedicated to Italo and Disco!