But well creepy! so if you are meeting your girlfriends there, I suggest you pick her up at the station first to avoid the usual sour face situation later.



We wandered into a little oasis of Psy-Trance culture as we stepped into a club that has two main rooms separated by a connecting, twisting and turning staircase carved out of the masonry like an after thought. Upstairs is the main arch where the action was to be found. It’s big enough to accommodate about 300/400 punters at a guess.
The downstairs was sort of decked in a few old fabrics near the back area where a small bar and chai station was situated, serving up an assortment of cakes. The date cake is particularly recommended to future globetrotting travellers…hmm-nice one! Also there was some chai on offer to stimulate the palate. Miaow!

Every one involved in this event, as well as the security, were charming and there were echoes of Natural Order to be found here with the same set of “hardcore yet chilled out “psy-trancers” that I could trace back over five years if not more.
Zen Mechanics was the lord of the dance floor with a brand of roller-coaster psy that was exhilarating and great fun. And so was Bliss, who got the thumbs up from every one I chilled with after. You have fans mate; and I agree: You rock!

I’d like to also mention DJ Marko who blended a form of industrialised-techno with touches of acid into his psy-trance which I wondered if others had noticed, yet every one was so into their dancing that the quality of his set kept people glued into other dimensions where my words cannot reach, and that goes for most of the DJs there on the night.

Incredibly, the place danced itself into the late hours of the morning and finally died at noon. Downstairs, it reminded me of a really good squat party without the assholes to ruin the night. If you like Psy-Trance, with an underground feel, then yes! this is definitely the place for you.
As an old anarchist wild child, I totally felt at ease in this party, where freedom of _expression and decent behaviour was the norm. Cool people, who know their stuff, and street-wise dudes with a smile, that it was a pleasure to be part of such a psychedelic gathering.

Le Mufti

Loose ramblings by Jam Gorilla

Been going to Happy Jacks, Club Innocence now Jack’s since 1998 and it was a scary venue then. Security there could effortlessly rivaled with infamous Bagleys or Chunnel Club gorillas for the title of the most ruthless and aggressive on the scene. Quite a feat must say.

It was then, now it is a different place but somehow shrunk in the process.
I do vividly remember some Rude not… or Omnipotence parties in spacious 3 rooms.

It would get Einstein or Planck rubbing their eyes in confusion. Ignore the shrinkage though as change is for the better and different space continuum rules apply. Will crack a boson for that ability of going through the walls but the Jacks offers atmosphere one could only have found in Trenz or 266 in a distant past.

Stir some of the most visual effects on da silver screen and pukka crowd with steady flow of kicking Goa and affiliates and you get Pukka label launch. How coincidental?
That’s my 3 pence but next time will bring tripod in my pocket for a bangin’ night out.
Cab is waiting, aloha…

more photos here

more on Acid Monkey

Their massive night at Koko on 8th of October, co-organised with Epidemik crew, hardcore ravers brothers legend on the scene, was a good one cos they are sometimes big ones and they are very bad. But this one was a night of kick ass drum n bass. Nuff said.
The venue was ass kicking too. Large and not too packed first and not too many “gangsta lot, you know who,…
Crowd were friendly but there was a bit of attitude at the start but later they mellowed out and were good and happy as new.
Mcs were pretty amazing with some tongues dancing skill, worth the price of ticket, what a balloon, whachaaa…It was kinda empty first but later got totally rammed.
Humans rolling and twisting everywhere, on balconies, downstairs or upstairs where Epidemik crew ruled with da moody liquid rollers. Yessssssss…

Yet somehow we couldn’t get the feel of bass rushing around till about 2 when all of the sudden I got grabbed by it and flung to the Mcs feet where mystical forces took over my hips. (I wasn’t the only ‘transformed‘ person around).
Lotsa crazy, steamy dudes jumping around me all night long. What!… All the big epics got played till a total crowding of the stage with Nicky Blackmarket. Yes sir!. I am in love but don’t tell anyone or don’t write please…. He played really well and smiled through his set.
What a girl can do?

Later I kinda of found it difficult to gather infos while I am having a bunch of scientist playing on my ears. Cos they are things you should do when time is flowing around you in a spirited way. So I just didn’t fight and stayed bouncing till morning light in the best ever lab: nice one.!
A hot, steamy and reacting concoction of sexy human jumping beings, must go to the next one, But if you want to be there for the next one you better start stressing the living out of whoever finances your leisure time.

Cloakroom £2 for single item and water bottles being sold with caps off. Whachaa…
Are they taking mickey or what?

Great party and great vibe, just do something about it stupid!
Check in advance

Dr Rocket

more photos click here

www.breakinscience.com
www.epidemik.com

The album launch of “Ambivalent Records” commenced under friendly, capable and sometimes chaotic but always smiling collaboration of new kids on the block: “Elluminate”. Here was the nascent embryo of a new kind of Psy-Trance party, dishing out a light electronic salad of robotic riffs and effects. Acid grooves that teased and stirred the senses of the assembled.
The beat staying consistent, strong, without that heavy thump-thump that often distorts the mix into one continuous drone. Where all the tracks merge into an inaudible, repetitive banging set without reference to the originality of each track being defined for its own sake.

There has recently been structural changes to the to the lay out of the Arches. This club seems genuinely ambitious and concerned in improving it’s facilities with embellishments that have seen the third arch there loose it’s DJ station at ground level for a newer and elevated gantry where DJs can now follow from above the action in a space freed from impediments.
But the arch that rocked the best, on the night, was the one that showcased, in live performance, the three main acts of Ambivalent’s emerging stable: NRS, Scorb and Deviant Species. The latter started proceedings by cranking up the gears as he came to the decks.
Then the night just rocketed into the stratosphere: higher and higher.
Well from midnight onwards as more peeps came through the door; filling what had been for the first couple of hours a relatively unattended party. It’s as if this crew knew when to arrive! So the music being exhibited, so to speak, was in place and the Arches came alive with people expressing themselves in kindness and with a collective generosity that I was well pleased to discover.

Scorb pushed the art of effects, loops and samples that bounced off the walls, whizzed and cajoled the punters into a healthy sweat as the lights and multi-coloured lasers did the rest. To be fair, Carrie and the Elluminate crew they did a grand job for a first outing. The place was well decked-out in backdrops. The main room’s focus was an enormous screen on which were projected discordant computerized images that didn’t detract from the music.

The champagne moment was these two guys who decided to show their juggling prowess with cushions pads that had loads of us in stitches. Wicked! While the lighter, yet also experimental music being delivered, in the other arch, carried on regardless to an often semi-empty room. Special mention to: Carlos, who needed more peeps, to dejay to, but this was indeed a busy night for a launch in London Bridge, with Synergy giving it large down the road. But who cares with Elluminate on the horizon. They will be back for another party on the 5th November so keep your ears to the psy-trance grind stone as the venue awaits to be announced.

Le Mufti

It's now becoming, or should I say, evolving into a forum for lovers of that brand of "old-style" partying: where the people interact via the music on the dance floor. And there is plenty of choice on offer.

There are no pretty pictures on the walls or funny light fittings distracting your attention, as the entertainment is the vibe. It is also the mix of peeps from all over this big estate called Dance-Culture, who are well up for a good rave with no pretensions to hold them back and shit loads of positive attitude; whether they be Chavs or Hardcore geeks or travelling out of town posses out in the big smoke for some Old Skool interaction.
The hardcore was already very busy when I arrived around 11.30. The sweat factor was beyond human...it's tough and I cannot say that I hanged around there for that long, as I go mostly for Old Skool, D'n'B and old-style reminiscing and serious dancing!

Mc's Ice and Strict were at the helm in the main room and the atmosphere was sizzling nicely, reaching its climax with “The RatPack” who rocked the old tunes with an audience sing-along to rival any good rock gig. They treated us to a birthday selection of medleys. Raindance regulars know all those songs by heart and give them their best body moves, whistles hoots and horns. Voices shouted and chanted all through their set accompanied by some really fit babes in Ibiza “razzle” bikinis, who entertained us all the way with their dancing routines. Now, how many of you guys in the crowd actually noticed that they were choreographed?
Hmm, I wonder indeed!

Special mention to Billy Bunter and especially Flashback for making me dance my tits off as we prepared for the Pack.
I really enjoyed the pleasure of some old fashioned House and a sprinkling of late 80’s anthems in the Jenkins Lane room.
Expert scratching and mixing by Nikki Dimension after a wobbly change over that didn’t really fuse with the previous DJ: Jack Bass: arguably, one of the best DJs, that night. But criticism aside, Nikki then geared himself into action; and the ride was awesome.
I wonder how many saw themselves in the films of previous parties that were being projected on two huge screens at the end of that room?
I got nudged "Hey your on!"

In the Deep Blue Arches was the Break Beat crew and every time I was there, to feast on some more nitrous oxide with my mate.
We followed those who seemed to have pitched their tent there for the duration and I don’t blame them the music was uplifting, funny, quirky and as fluffy as you can get at this party.
Drum and Bass, my usual hang out at Raindance, with Nicky Blackmarket playing that night, as one of the highlights, was sort of forgotten during the night, as there were other arches pulling me away…Err, sorry guys!

So many temptations and babes to chase and blah, blah.. with, while desperately trying to remember their names…well, you know.

3 words to sum it all up:

Raindance!... keep coming!

Le Mufti

Photos courtesy of:

bornhardcore

Vinyl Vera

The Bull and Gate is a legendary venue. Many of today's well-known acts played early gigs there. Thus it almost seems as if some of their vital spirit remains. Trapped in the fixtures and fittings, a gauntlet lain down to the new pretenders. Except there's not a lot of pretence in the air tonight. The three acts on show tonight can be equally described as unique and raw.

The unenviable first slot goes to a boy-girl duo called Mitten. Their sound is hard to categorise as it is wildly variable. This is good however -- most bands are horribly derivative. Performance-wise, they take a lot of risks. At times, they are not playing their instruments so much as torturing them. But their charm wins through. They are still a little rough around the edges -- a few months of rehearsal should see them blossom into something wonderful.

Next on are the Rude Mechanicals. Full disclosure here, I have booked this band for my own club a couple of times. But I will try to give an honest appraisal. They rocked! Seriously, this was the first London outing for the newly streamlined band. Having had as many as seven players in the past, they are now down to four. This is reflected in a tight, hard sound with more range in their set than most bands manage in a lifetime. They take in myriad influences such as Frank Zappa and Beefheart, with stabs of punk and funk.

Then, at last, Ted Milton of Blurt! takes the stage wearing a long white jacket. Which would be very "jazz" if it wasn't for the mohican that he sports. Without much ado, he tears into the first number, making the saxophone squeal in a way that John Coltrane would have loved. He is accompanied by just two other players, a lead guitarist and drummer. But the three of them conjure up a big sound, which is bold, funky and frenetic. Milton's rasping vocals add an urgency to the mix.

Recently there's been a resurgence in "punk-funk" - as practised by bands from the 70s such as Gang of Four and A Certain Ratio. There are many new bands that are pretenders to this crown. But Blurt! really do fuse punk and funk. The crowd loves it so much that they end up playing two encores. And you can't get much better than that.

Perhaps their reputation helps, as this crew have been putting on live music events in London for a few years -mainly in the Shoreditch area. They specialise in putting on a weird and wonderful selection of live musicians and DJs.

Weird and wonderful is a good description of the first act on -- a curious combo called Kanako & The Numbskulls, playing what they call 'Folk-Punk'.
The absence of an electric guitar made it more Folk than Punk, but the charismatic and enthusiastic Kanako is an energetic frontwoman for the band.

To follow them in the outdoor garden were several classy acts including truly extraordinaire singer and song writer Jo Griffith from Liverpool, soul and RnB duo Anoraklight and mesmerising and stimulating Carl Smith aka Casa Electro Novo described as a spawn of a car crash involving Vegas-era Elvis and artist Marcel Duchamp.

The rest of the line-up for the event conducted in comfortable lodgins inside was similarly eclectic, taking in such genres as Acoustic Folk, Bossa Nova, Jazz, Soul and RnB and Funk. A choice selection of DJs managed to keep the vibe alive between acts -- all in all, a chilled way to enjoy a laidback Sunday.

Mullah

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We arrived on a gloriously sunny Friday afternoon to a well organised entrance with no queues and no attitude. This was such a very pleasant change from the usual hanging around to get to the gate. Straight into the camping area and up with the tents and gazebo. Fab, that was easy!

Lost Vagueness is at the very height of British middle-class eccentricity. A ballroom and bar equipped with champers, spirits and classy cocktails, not a beer in sight here. None of the usual trance orientated dance music for this lot.

The music ranged from 40s swing to up to date beats, every act so vastly different from the last. Where else in festival land would you shake your stuff to a Rajasthani wedding band? The Jaipur Kawa Brass Band certainly took me back to the land of the fakirs and I was surprised not to see camels waiting on the horizon.
Other musical extravaganzas included the Young Blood Brass Band (traditional brass sounds fused with a mix of jazz and hip hop) and the Priscillas (high kicking rock antics in PVC!).

Also on offer is the casino, provided that you are dressed appropriately, jeans and trainers just will not do! Blackjack, craps, roulette, whatever is your gambling favourite, all represented here. Purchase your tokens and gamble away whilst watching such astounding acts which ranged from Roxy the seriously sexy pole dancer; the astounding trapezes of the Swinging Elvises to magnificent Lucifire, a Torture Garden regular, with her amazing fire act.

By 1am on Saturday morning, the vicar was on stage, surrounded by the very naughty nuns. It must be time for a mass wedding. Amazingly there were brides everywhere, dressed appropriately with white dresses and veils and those were just the guys! A few minutes later and the vicar had declared the ceremony over and the happy couples were free to celebrate their nuptials in a marriage guaranteed to last at least a day.

Nowhere else in festival land have I seen so many people, and particularly the chaps, getting into the spirit of the occasion and dressing with such panache. Amazingly beautiful people abounded in outfits including tuxedos, ball gowns, flamenco dresses, Victorian corsets and Wellingtons! It could almost have been ladies day at Ascot, but with a distinct twist! It really was such a pleasure to see everyone making such an effort. This is particularly notable as it rained incessantly all day Saturday, luckily breaking around 8pm, in time for the evening festivities to commence. Once again everyone dressed for the occasion and a wild night was had by all.

If you think that sounds bizarre, how about a visit to the Insect Circus? A ride on the carousel? Or watching an elegantly dressed (in white shirt, bow tie & tails) gentleman playing kickin’ break-beat to cocktail drinking clubbers sitting in a converted aeroplane cockpit?

As far as amenities go, Lost Vagueness has made a great effort to go that extra mile to provide home comforts. The toilets, usually the bane of the festival goer, were clean and well stocked with Molton Brown hand wash & hand cream (yes, really!) and hot showers were available (free of charge). There was even an ice-cream van providing ice-creams, Sloggi knickers and other Sloggi freebies (yes, that’s right, free ice cream & knickers!). This certainly is a cut above any other festival that I or my friends have ever been to.

Even the sales outlets were different. At most festivals it seems the stallholders have all been to the same wholesale warehouse full of festive hippy-shit. Here, Stig was showing his amazing fetish furniture made out of reclaimed iron scrap and Georgie her erotic art prints. I can’t remember the name of the lady making (cheap!) clothing out of silk saris, but the skirt I bought is double-sided, different, looks good…and I didn’t need to take out a mortgage to buy it!

Lost Vagueness is weird, wild & wacky. In fact this festival is seriously ludicrous! Would I recommend this to my friends? Yes, most definitely.

But LOST Vagueness? No – I didn’t lose any of mine. Why else do you think it’s taken so long to review?

Eli Saikadeli

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This was the first time I’d been to the George with two rooms pumping. Shining was in the main room and the Hub Sound System, in a funky little room upstairs.
For Hard House lovers the Shining’s line up should not have been missed. Tony K, Skol, Dean Peters, Mark French, Roosta and Craig Mac, what a combo! And they all played a great smattering of classic tunes from a few years ago. There was a point in Roosta’s set when he played Keep Rocking, followed by a string of equally awesome oldies, where I peeked and entered that state of euphoric oblivion, not achieved at every party. The true sign of a good night.

The lighting effects created a dazzling atmosphere. Minimal coloured house lights, with plenty strobe and UV, and laser beams which bounced off glitter balls into every crook and nanny. The laser also projected images onto a screen. The squiggly cartoons were fun to watch and get lost in, but the images of guns and skulls and scary things were a strange thing to project amongst a loved up crowd. A minor point, but I take a lot of notice of backdrops and projections, and I do wonder where the thinking behind the images is coming from sometimes. There’s so much potential to amuse people with funny, cutesy cartoons, trippy, mind bending patterns, or eye watering colours, not guns, please! But the overall effects were stunning.

The main room at the George IV, has a pretty perfect set up, with a good-sized stage, facing the crowd for all us exhibitionists to perform on. Several times throughout the night the music inspired so many podium dancers that the stage became so rammed with raving rompers I thought the records would jump.
I did find it hard to tear myself away from there, but the Hub Sound System created a great vibe upstairs too. Banging out Breaks, Techno and Funky Techno were Dalski, Frisby, Mexitaff, Hutch, G-whizz, Boy Wonder and Scoot.
The night didn’t stop, instead there was a seamless Crossover to the next party at 6am which held the buzzed up crowds attention. That and a reluctance to venture out into the morning drizzle meant that most people stayed put. I did venture down to the 414 where the official after party was. There was plenty of room there to fly around to some more great tunes from Tony K, Craig Mac and Skol, and drink some energising cups of coffee, for a little while anyway, before ending up back at the George, for a bit more Crossover.

Eddie H and Mickey Fallout were B2B in full flight when I got back there three hours later, and the dance floor was still rammed and jumping to yet more great Hard House. Danny, the last DJ to play, changed the flavour a bit, by playing tunes far more on the Techno side. I do like my Techno, but I have to say that being played after Hard House doesn’t do it any favours. It has a whole different feel. It’s generally slower, and builds very gradually and subtly, there are less predominant tunes and it doesn’t have the same up-lift of Hard House. And I think the crowd reacted to this. You could see the euphoria return when tracks like Revolution were thrown in. But I still danced right till the bitter end, and jigged and twitched for a few hours after that, in true ‘that was a great 13 hours’ after glow.

Sarah Dancing Decor

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What ACR lacked in commercial success, they made up for in critical acclaim. They've been cited as one of the most influential acts to come out of the punk years -- moving a luminary like Andrew Weatherall to allegedly describe them as his favourite band of all time.

Their influence can be keenly felt in the output of bands such as The Rapture, LCD Soundsystem, Radio 4 and Franz Ferdinand. The peculiar appeal of ACR is best summed up by Peter York (co-author of the Sloane Ranger Handbook, so he knows a thing or two about trends). His take on ACR is that 'they were just so damn...early'. One instance where being ahead of your time is not necessarily a positive thing.

But the passage of time has vindicated the difficult path that ACR trod for so long. Tonight they are playing their first date in London for over two years and a large crowd of old-timers is joined by some fans who were probably at nursery when ACR started out.

Time has been kind to ACR -- clearly Manchester isn't the worst place in the world to eke out the days. As soon as the band launches into the first number, it's clear that they've still got it. They choose to begin with a medley that leads into one of their strongest ever numbers, their cover of Shack Up by the Banbarras -- a track sampled incessantly, meaning that you'll know it even if you've never heard it in it's entirety.

ACR are joined on stage tonight by Denise Johnson, a legend to those who know -- she provided the soaring vocals on Don't Fight It Feel It by Primal Scream, an anthem for early 90's clubbers. She was vocalist for the latter part of ACR's career, meaning we don't get to hear a lot of the early material. Original vocalist Martha Tilson's style could be charitably described as fey, like a proto-Beth Orton -- obviously ACR decided that it would be hard to make these work with Denise Johnson's powerful soul stylings.

Initially she seems to be slightly nervous -- perhaps with good cause, as the live room at Cargo is full to the rafters. She begins by singing to the band as much as the crowd, seeking some non-verbal reassurance from other band members. But once the initial nerves pass, she realises that she is amongst friends and clearly some of this new found confidence rubs off on the rest of the band.

The band treads a fine line between keeping the crowd happy with old favourites and trying out what sound like new compositions. This recent material seems to combine the two phases of ACR's career: the later and more soulful style they adopted when signed to A&M with occasional flourishes from the Factory era. Their forthcoming download-only album "And You, Forgotten" should afford die-hard fans the opportunity to become more familiar with their new sound.

As their set climaxes, I turn to my companion for the evening and say 'This is just like being back at the Hacienda in the 1980's'. Admittedly I was never there the first time around, so only have the fake nostalgia engendered through watching films like 24 Hour Party People.

But the penny has dropped for me -- I can finally understand where ACR fit into the history of dance music in Britain. They didn't really know what they were doing at the time. It's only now in the fullness of time that their contribution can be fully appreciated.

Not bad for a band that once claimed that they were crap, but weren’t sure why.

Weatherall has been around for as long as there's been something that could be tagged as dance culture in Britain. Like Woody Allen's Zelig, he's been a constant presence in various guises. He's been responsible for some of Primal Scream's finest moments on vinyl, credited as an early mover in the Balearic house scene, as well as pioneering live dance music with Sabres of Paradise.

But his travels in the dance music scene appear to have taken him back to the punk and post-punk sounds that started him off in the first place. Two Lone Swordsmen has grown out of his partnership with studio wizard Keith Tenniswood AKA Radioactive Man. It now comprises a full live band with guitar, bass, drums, live keyboard and Weatherall on lead vocals.

The role of vocalist is something he clearly relishes -- perhaps it's the fulfilment of a long held ambition. Perhaps it's the sensation of staring out at a crowd of appreciative punters. Who knows -- except God and Andrew himself?

It's Saturday night in the main dance tent at the Glade Festival, an outdoor festival specialising in electronic dance music. The Swordsmen have gone on straight after Speedy J, another well known name that's been on the scene for a long time. But the contrast couldn't be any greater.

This is illustrated best by a young dreadlocked woman who's stayed behind after Speedy J and starts off trying to throw shapes to the Swordsmen. Clearly it isn't working for her and after a couple of numbers, she gives up in search of something with a more electronic feel to it.

Those of use brave enough to stay and pogo however are in for a surprise. The first couple of numbers see the Swordsmen attempt something akin to a fusion of dance and rock. It isn't quite happening though.

Just as I'm beginning to lose faith, Weatherall tears into a cover of punk anthem Sex Beat, originally performed by The Gun Club. This is one of the standout tracks from his 2004 album From The Double Gone Chapel. The studio version is laden with gothic doom, but the live version is far punkier with Weatherall putting his all in the vocals.

With the crowd now behind him, he keeps the assault up and abandons the pretence of fusion. The rest of the set is good old fashioned rock and roll with a twist. When he announces that the next number is Tiny Reminders, from the 2000 album of that name, cheers go up from the crowd.

Deservedly so, as the band delivers a live version with gusto. Another highlight is a version of another track from the Double Gone Chapel entitled Faux -- the mordant quality of the lyrics reassuring us that even though he's looking the pop star, he hasn't gone LA and lost his edge.

Long term Weatherall watchers may wonder if he's mellowing as he gets older. Well, anyone that can go to a festival of electronic dance music and blast out punk rock still has a keen sense of irony and humour.

Anyway here we were, Jam Gorilla, Prosiak & Le Mufti (a superb motley crew) going to SEOne on 23 July in a minicab and discussing rather explosive topics connected to recent bombings in London and wondering where is it going to happen next? This subject seems to be taboo in the clubbing environment where, it seems, they all live in a kind of bubble pretending that the outside world doesn’t exist or has no bearing on the weekend’s madness. Perish the thought but another question is looming; what is actually happening in the Middle East and who is liberating whom? We were however on a completely different mission altogether to liberate some sounds and experience some moods at “Break The System Down” so the subject was somehow quickly forgotten.

Security at the venue was reasonably apprehensive given circumstances but cool and efficient nevertheless. Perhaps the ban on bringing bags to the venue had something to do with it or maybe the conscious public was on its best behaviour but who cares as long as the door check is quick and intelligent.

Inside a rollercoaster just begun and this Indoor Festival 2nd Birthday– a creation of ES Collective (read Antiworld, Psygate amd Technoworld) promotion – was indeed a one hell of that.
Have been going to SEOne for ages now – starting with the infamous Warp Experience in 1999 and also been to many other festivals or mega events taking place in this enormous space. And have learned there is only one thing in common between them. They are neither better nor cooler nor bigger, they are just…different.

When it comes to Antiworld Indoor Festival it has been consistently offering, over it’s two years of existence, exhilarating and psychedelic to the heart journey through 5 sumptuous rooms of baroqueness deco, vision and sound. There was no change in quality or letting down the pressure on punters with “Break The System Down”.

In fact I will remember it as the one of the best Antiworld parties I have ever been to.
The vibe was nothing but fantastic –maybe it was the present danger that brought people together. Or maybe it was the fact that all light-hearted clubbers stayed home leaving space for true partygoers to flourish. And they were having a hell of the good time banging in every single room including Clockwork Prism’s chill out. Hey good on ya!
It was a high quality crowd making an extra effort to dress up and impress with surreal outfits and trippy hairdos. Glowing in the dark, shining in the open they added extra dimension to the party in full swing. And it was a swing in ways more than one.

Firstly it was truly a festival of light of any kind you could imagine or fancied. There were several rooms packed with exquisite visual effects but two main rooms, Psygate and Upfront, were exceedingly good in throwing blizzards of multi coloured smoke mixed with powerful scanner stabs and sprinkled with fluorescent, luminous and ultra violet toppings.

Couple that with tongs of silk flames enveloped in screens of visuals and lasers slashing through and playing with your retinas. It was a visual and aesthetic feast that will stay a long time with me. Extra mention goes to Electro Breaks room deco designers for creating a superbly cool and suave optics. Bravo…
Secondly musically it was a kaleidoscope of all shades of psytrance, hard dance, techno, breaks and old skool. You name the style and it was there, well…apart from jungle and garage, but my uneducated guess is there wasn’t enough room to accommodate them or they demanded a completely different crowd.
Labelled as “back to the underground party” the line-up indeed included well-known and established artists together with DJ’s playing in squats or semi-legal underground venues in London. And they delivered fantastic performance, full of verve and bite. There is no point to list them all here, as it would be a long list and some of them are walking legends of the scene demanding more than just a mention…
Lastly there were people and they were absolutely unique, international mish mash of high order,

So again here I were as many times in the past schmoozing through the maze of SEOne - leaving poor Mufti completely in awe of Clockwork Prism chill out and Mandie More delicious mix, and deservedly so. Dropping my meagre belongings under the care of Prism crew – consistently in top form and to their credit voted the best room in Alexandra Palace enterprise, ahoy!.. – I went awol into the masses.

Thanks God place wasn’t rammed – otherwise everything turns into the nightmare of queuing up everywhere – and doing continuous rounds presented no problems. First room in my continuous voyage – nomen omen – was Frequency, tech house specialists extraordinaire. Cheerful and busy grooving with dirty twisted bits and bobs lead by Moni, Alek and Mikki between others. For best result go and see them @ Alhambra as this place provides unrivalled underground feel.
They offered housey refuge for many seeking respite from the unleashed furies just next door, and that was Psygate hosted by Antiworld in collaboration with BNE & HOMmega Records – completely different kettle of fish altogether.

What can I say? …Psygate room was a high quality and kicking psytrance spectacle, illuminated by surreal deco, steaming with visuals and heaving with the buoyant crowd, the busiest room of them all and in my humble view most entertaining on the night. There is no friendlier bunch than psytrance peeps and I sampled it at Fairy Tales, Symbiosis (where are they hiding now?), Synergy Project etc… or psy gigs downtown with Mr Horoscope at the helm. Wherever they go they bring something special with them. No question about it. The same goes to the DJs and on the night I was impressed with Marcello Vor, Oforia and Delirious driving psychedelic waves through receptive audience. There is indeed something to behold when the tune hits the nerve and the crowd moves like a giant serpent stretching and reaching out beyond. Psychedelic force I say. As a consequence stayed there longer making occasional forays into surrounding domains.

Upfront Room was as mentioned before an orgy of special effects supported by strong hard dance line up. To be completely frank, I don’t really care about headliners since it’s all in the vibe and the people – they are the true creators of the bangin party - I seen many a venue emptied or staying empty despite booking big names but surprise, surprise Lab 4 banged it out loud and clear. Locked in the cage they manically rattled space around them with highly powered mix. Got everyone dancing and even muppets in the stalls area were bouncing. Weeked.
Matt Handy had an excellent entrée earlier on and things went smoothly on and according to plan if there was any plan, that is. I missed all other acts simply for being somewhere else and enjoying different buzz.

I was probably in Teknoworld – interesting combination of ascetic deco and gloomy lights, to be in techno mood I presume but it worked just fine. Excellent performances, especially from D.A.M Mast Vs Fabio Spezzaferri. An absolutely not to be missed class act and playing harder than nails techno full stop - they kept me glued for at least half hour before I realised its time to move. Damn reviewing 5 room’s bash, there is never time to stop and savour the music anymore. Yet I revisited Teknoworld again and again simply drawn to the rawness of the sound and it’s squat appeal and watched Mike Smeglett and Chris Liberator spinning out hardened magic.

Electro and Breaks room hosted by Neon And Silverback Records was a very pleasurable ultra violet experience. Took time to fill up but the sound was great and slowly place got rocking in its sublime electro ways. It was also surprise to hear Lisa Lashes chopping out the breaks and she was great by all accounts. Change of career on cards,.. maybe?
Personally I think it suits her better because her hard house mixing doesn’t do much to me. Suppose I am just spoiled and hard to please hardcore, innit?

Blissfully tired and worn out I ended up eventually like at any past Antiworld’s event @ SEOne in Clockwork Prism room, rearranging myself and having a chat with Matt Harder Faster about good old days. Or maybe it was a bright future. Whatever….
With one last round and deep into after party time I found myself listening to Eduardo Herrera finishing still up for it crowd – mad cap he is indeed. But unable to move due to over exposure to party elements and after 13 hours I finally gave in. Go home muppet. Zzzzzzz……

All in all it was awesome experience and perfect example of working harmony between different styles. Thick walls of SEOne are mainly responsible here for keeping entities of separate environments intact and the place still keep this old underground vibe going. Yes sir!.
Autumn edition of Indoor Festival will soon hit you in October at secret location in London. The party is as good as the last one so I honestly recommend it. Just go…

Jam Gorilla

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Logic’s 6th birthday and Oblivion’s 3rd birthday was my first time at the Fridge since 2002. (I’ve not been slacking; I lived in beautiful South Africa for a couple of years in-between.) I used to get a huge rush, coming down from upstairs, and pushing open the doors leading to the dance floor. After the starkness of the corridor, being suddenly confronted by hundreds of flying clubbers, intense lights, and overwhelming sound, used to give me a massive buzz. Walking in to Logic on Friday, I braced myself for the initial impact. It put a gaping grin on my face and I was blasted back to my early days. Could it be more glittery and colourful than before? The number of lasers made an immediate impression, creating an awesome eye banquet, the wall of high-energy sound and the very into it, vibrant crowd were just how I remembered, ahhhh… the Fridge!

I weaved through the crowds of chillers and chatterers, to take a look at the dance floor, which was ram packed full of waving arms and cheesy grins, and all facing the DJ, who’s much more visible now, just how it should be. Eduardo Herrera had the enthusiastic, logical crowd, jumping. The bar area seemed more colourful and sparkled with glitter balls and lights as I wondered through, heading for what used to be the restaurant/chill out, to see how it worked as a second room. I always thought the only thing missing at the Fridge was a second sound system, and now it’s got one. In this great sized space with sofas and a handy perch for surveying the scene, Oblivion was warming up nicely to the tunes of Andy T.

The Logic line up was impressive, featuring two of my old favourite DJ’s, MC Dry Weave and Proteus, as hard and highly energised as ever. No pyrotechnics tonight, instead Proteus scaled the heights as part of his show. Ting exuded extreme energy, and injected it into the crowd, while spinning some quite different ‘hard, hi energy, metal house’. And Alek Szahala’s live set was very fast and powerful.

The Oblivion room had a great vibe with a dose of bounce, and full of the good old familiar, friendly Fridge fraternising. I met lots of lovely peeps in here, full of fresh-faced enthusiasm; so glad to see it’s still there!

By the end of the night I was illogically oblivious and found myself at the George for the after party, a good move, I love the George when it pumps like this, the perfect way to get even more when you’re not ready to stop!

Sarah Dancing Decor

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or here

This all happened at Riva de Greci, a resort near Metaponto, a village on the southern Italian Ionian coast. Around the village, there are caves, and ancient Greek ruins, but the main reason for the convergence of 100 or so ravers from London, and the rest of Italy, was the combination of warm sunny weather, and the rig set up on the beach by Unsound.

On the Friday of the weekend I was there, drum n bass DJ, Rowan from Megabitch cut her tunes up like mad – playing some meaty b-lines, then cutting out the bass to play just the treble. There were also more vocals than I’d heard her play before, though her set was still not for the faint-hearted. Still on the heavy dnb tip, DJ Deadlock did a good set that night backed up by I-Shu on vocals.

The b-lines kept comin’ when Hugh Jah Fink followed with an excellent set of funky cuts, remixed into new tracks: it was truly impossible not to dance to his set.

Saturday was a happy, hazy, blur, with only vague recollections of the music - sorry!

Bands on the Sunday included Krikka, a Bob Marley sound alike reggae band, whose tunes, unsurprisingly, blended very well with beach and sea.
Following them was a solo vocal set from Fil, ex Back to the Planet. Some people there loved her, and she does have a sweet voice, but her set would’ve had a lot more oomph if she had a live band playing her songs, instead of flat-sounding pre-recorded backing tracks from a Karaoke machine.

At this point, I should mention that I’m in a wheelchair. This next bit is for the benefit of other wheelchair users: folks, you need to know that the place is a bit challenging. The beach is accessible via a stony road, and I needed the help of two people to carry me in my chair over the sand.
Despite that, I still had a great time, buggin’ out to the music, chatting with people, and generally having a laugh. Email me at withcurrysauce@hotmail.com if you’d like more detailed info on disabled access.
This was Unsound’s first Italian beach party. Despite the lack of big crowds, the vibe was fantastic. People were dancing, swimming, half buried in the sand while sleeping, wrestling with blow-up dolphins, and god knows what else!
The previous day, at sunrise, wild dolphins jumped out of the sea chasing fish, as landlubber ravers cheered them on. And the sunrises were beautiful.

Minnie Mouse

Check www.unsound-system.org for info on upcoming festival @ Metaponto this September.