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

For more photos click here

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

For more photos click here
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.

...Twisted, shaken, stirred, seduced and delightfully tantalised! .........

As soon as I entered I was reminded of a classic 'house party'. The kind that only happened about twice a year when all your best mates seemed to come together at once, and at every turn there was someone else that you hadn't seen in ages but felt ecstatic to be seeing them now.

The venue? Nothing flash but I liked its non-pompous friendly feel. Once inside you move through the first room and exit through a door to what was a sheltered outdoor area. This also contributed to the great atmosphere. There's just something about knowing you're partying in the outdoors, and to be able to escape the heat of the up-for-it dancing away inside, gave you the breathe of fresh air you needed here and there.

The distant heat of the day and the gentle breeze, now provided natures air conditioning. Through another door and we're in the second room which then led onto the chill out area along with the bar and cloak room.
The music? I wasn’t able to catch all the DJs but what I did see what impressive. Lots of hands in the air and big smiles from those sweating Chesire Catz (bless the DJs in their little box).

Tom Real, the dirty bugger, supplying us with his regular, filthy, make love not war, get right on down dancin’ style and the headlining DJ, Tim Sheridan, different to what I’m used to but definitely very interesting. Other DJs on the night included Tania Von Pear, Adam Creeger, Mike Monday, Big Daddy G, King Roc and Shane Watcha who all managed to keep the crowd dancing, smiling and there ‘til the end.

The At Night crew have managed to capture a really great vibe with this every so often party. Guess it's ‘cause they're in it for the good times and not for the cash. That makes all the difference in the world. They've got the talent to bring it to you, so they are.

I’m well up for another twisting in the near future. Bring it on boys and girls!!

Intrepid

for more photos from the night click here
more info on Cheshire Catz

Courtesy of Louise & Tony this is the longest running hard house and hard trance night in London and there is no sign of it losing its momentum and the vibe. For they come faithfully, week after week, arriving in drones in early hours of the night.
Shadows of the night, the toughest of the die hard clubbers, some aliens from distant planets, Brixton’s pirates and revellers who just don’t care to go that extra length as work for some of the dedicated is definitely off.

It makes it even more surreal when morning light seeps in through the blinds and you realise that outside world just started the Monday routine.

As they say, you never lived if you haven’t been there

The thing I like the best about Just Groove is that they serve this unique Brixton blend of hard house the likes of which you cannot really find anywhere else bar South London. Kicking, bouncy and uplifting as hell. Yet it shouldn’t come as a surprise at all when you consider it is been presented by long standing residents: Muzz, Roosta, Skol - that already have more than earned their place in gallery of Brixton greats - and the cream of underground DJs with Craig Mac being a constant fixture for quite a time now.
The sound is raw and spontaneous: just what you need to put you in the outer-world where mix can last for hours and there is no time for anything else but kicking the earth and Goddess nature in one spiralling move. The venue itself lends a bit to it with the marble floor in main room – superb for dancing - and spacious and isolated chillout upstairs, not to mention security that is one of best in London. After some time one can just take them for friends and not steroid packed gorillas that scare you.
Still it’s a bloody miracle of some sort that they are still running it and after 520 or more nights still keep them coming. Congratulation!
On the big night 414 opened at 8pm and there was a family reunion upstairs with food served and bits & bobs apart from my usual hot chocolate. Down below it was another Just Groove solid thumping business as usual with some delicious surprise in person of Marc French – my personal favourite since Odyssey and XLR8 days.
Anniversary crew besides residents included: Vinyl Zoo crack team represented by Latex Zebra and RedCat, Swamp big boys: Mattie C and Mad Phil and also Mr T, Matt E and Tony K known for non compromising performances.

Typically for 414 night it was a upstairs/downstairs adventure, sipping hot chocolate in the chill out and swirling down the spiral staircase like a Tarzan or Jam Gorilla no less to hear a favourite tune.
This particular staircase holds dear memories of previous Just Groove’s – and I’d been to couple of hundreds – when it was the Final Obstacle (to the hot chocolate, that is), where the 4th dimension finally rubbed in. I saw many others do the same trip – by back staircase that is. Actually, all of us.

Where is life there is always a staircase….

So here I were polishing old skill all night long – great for your night navigation and fitness, innit?
Bless the divine design that stimulates mind and body simultaneously in equally entangled and emotional ways. Because there is something definitely electric about the moment when one descends into pulsating beat below. Now, talking about DJs, all of them tried to raise to the occasion by kicking huge mixes till the morning dew but in my opinion Muzz was a man of the night, twisting and pumping best out of this outstanding pack.
Good on ya! Keep bangin’
To give credits to all involved, we got Mattie C and Mad Phil for starters. They have been opening the score at Just Groove for some time now and they did it again: sharp and kicking. Latex Zebra, better known for his techno-trancey antics @ Vinyl Zoo, whack it out with some solid hard trance mash up. His sidekick RedCat closely followed him and they were exquisite act together.
Meantime Tony K and Matt E were busy playing musical chairs with Mr. T and kicking at large with the range of classics and modern bangers. As the night rolled on Marc French got up and performed on and off the stage with unmistakable clarity. Secret lies in detail apparently.
Then finally time came for residents to take over and deliver goods yet again and it was Muzz who turned the heat on brilliantly and got all of us going. Almighty Skol in cool partnership with Craig Mac stayed on course and Roosta is a truly banging artist extraordinaire. In short, they played and we danced till the Monday light.
How else?

Yo! Happy anniversary Just Groove and keep them coming!

Jam Gorilla

Due to unforeseen circumstances all of my picks went missing and I would like to extend my eternal gratitude to Pink Kitty and Sexy Minx for use of their photos.

for more photos of the participants click here
more photos from the night by Sexy Minx
more info on 414 and DJs

Kingston Green Fair is one of the longest running and largest of the green fairs and marks the start of the great British festival season, weather permitting! Hundreds of stalls selling a wide range of green, ethnic, hippy and just plain fun stuff from Moon cups (guys – just don’t ask!) and fairy wings to culinary herbs and bric-a-brac. All at such reasonable prices too. Retail therapy that doesn’t require a bank loan, this has to be every girl’s dream. From general bargains galore to items of originality seldom seen outside the festival scene. Why not kit yourself out for Glasto? And what about a glam outfit for Lost Vagueness or maybe the Fairy Ball or perhaps just for a fun summer in the sun.

In true green style, a wide variety of vegan food stalls abounded, much to the disgruntlement of a couple of carnivorous friends who told me that they could have murdered a proper burger. Content in the end though with the tofu burgers that I bought - “see, you can’t even tell the difference” said I. Hmmm, perhaps that was going just a little too far!

Kingston Green is the place to bump into all those mates I haven’t seen for so long. It has become a melting pot of diversity, from the middle aged, middle class “greenies” to the India-bound hippies, all gathered to enjoy this great (and cheap!) day out.

Four music stages rocked until dusk with some great acts from around the globe. It was hard to find time though to relax and enjoy as there really is so much going on. A treat on the world music stage was Pete Ardron’s Orchid Star, a pre-Glastonbury performance from this wonderful and diverse band.
Or perhaps the tranquillity of the healing fields is now called for. A session of Reiki or perhaps a massage, Shiatsu, Swedish, Thai? The choice is yours. Feeling this good whilst listening to some chilled ambient relaxing tunes, guaranteed to make you float back into the sunshine.

What a shame when the sun fell over the horizon and it was time to go home. Broke again but what the hell!

Eli Saikadeli

for more photos click here

We got there early, before it was busy, and worked out where all four rooms were in this huge venue. The Techno room downstairs had the advantage for pulling the crowd, it was the first room you stumbled into, that is if you didn’t stumble into the DJ box by mistake, which I did a couple of times, ooops, just taking photos!!
This room was a good size, and throughout the night, to my ears, pretty hard acidy, rather than minimalist or funky sounds vibrated the air. In a side bar next door, Electro sharply twanged and popped sparse electronic sounds.

Up a few steps at the back of the Techno room, in a darker, grungier space, a constant crowd speed danced to Drum and Bass. Eventually we found the Acid Techno room, or arena more like, this separate room upstairs was massive, it was gunna be a big party!

I’ve been away for over two years and have heard that Techno is pulling a bigger crowd these days than Trance or Hard House, but I imagined that to be in the more underground, free party scene, not in a big venue like this.
Last time I heard Techno and Drum and Bass side by side like that, was at a squat party probably in Hackney somewhere, with a crowd that I’d imagine would be unlikely to frequent a venue like the Rocket, even with a top line up like this. So I was interested to see who would fill the huge spaces.

The spaces did fill, leaving room to stomp, with many beautiful looking Europeans, with Mohawks or Dreadlocks or both, and a fair smattering of more regular clubbers who have maybe emigrated to Techno. It was a much fluffier, loved up vibe than the grungy, squalid atmosphere of a squat party, (I’m not dissing squat parties, I used to really love them, especially Sunday mornings after a non -stop weekend) But it’s good to see dirty, ripping acid sounds, putting smiles on peoples faces, rather than grimaces!
The Techno room climaxed for me with Lenny Dee from New York. He played a storming set. The crowd cheered when he came on, he slowed the final track of the last set down and came flying in, fast and hard. That man loves his music, he went off! Jumping around his box to his dirty, bending, sucking sounds.

Apparently he played his first set at a roller disco, when he was 17, and has been through a range of music styles, from Disco to Electro-Body to High Energy to early House. He did a recording engineering degree, and was production assistant for New Order amongst others. Now he’s way up there with the Techno gurus. He created the sound Hardcore Techno, and became number one international DJ in Germany, France and Switzerland with this sound. In USA, in 1991 he started Industrial Strength Records. Among many releases, he has Techno tracks on the Liberators underground label Maximum/Minimum.

Once the Drum and Bass room had filled up, it held on to its speedily, jigging crowd. It always amazes me how fast this music is, how talented the MC’s are, and how it makes your bones vibrate! It doesn’t matter how many times I hear it, it always takes me by surprise, and I usually end up in front of a speaker, being overwhelmed by bass and morphed into a vibration, all with a strange sense of deja vous.
The huge Acid Techno room had started to fill by the time Chemical Warfare’s promoter Mark Axel came on. He turned out to be one of those beautiful Europeans! Born in Italy, moved to London in 1995 and started playing in 1999. Mark plays a mixture of Minimal/Acid/Uplifting/Techno. His main influence and favourite DJ is Chris Liberator. He’s played at several parties around Europe, including Italy, Czech Republic, Spain and Portugal. In 2002 he created MFM Sound. Well he’s come a long way in a relatively short time!

In this room the DJ’s played on a large stage, surrounded by two huge projected, hypnotic mirror images, which went nicely with the massive drape which spanned the room from the centre, like a web.
In true Techno style, the whole party became awesomely and overwhelmingly relentless, every space was filled with sound, and for the rest of the night, as I oscillated between rooms, all my hairs vibrated non stop to a strong acid cocktail of Animatek, D.A.V.E. The Drummer, Darc Marc and Chris Liberator.

Sarah Dancing Décor.

for more photos click here

1. Take one spacious building.
2. Add a hundred trance thirsty lunatics
3. Put in a lovely large system, not too large though (Which sounded as good as any other I’ve heard this year)
4. Mix an eclectic mix of tunes slowly for about 4 hours, throw in a live band with Violin, xylophone and guitar backed up by pumping base lines and funky percussion, the band were great!!!
5. So… about 2am once all your guests have met each other, sat by the fire in the garden, had a few reasonably priced drinks and talked to each other your party should have risen to a new level where all the smiles and human interaction have built into a big fat squishy vibe…perfect!!!

6. Now add some pumping trance tunes, dare to be different, allow your DJ’s to play psy trance, uplifting and techno in the same set if they like…in fact they can play Patagonian harp music for all we care as long as it kicks and the bass is pumping. We had DJ Peace and his own mix of trance styles…he played 2 1⁄2 hours of which 90% was his own material and the place rocked. It really made the night special for us…90% of the people there had never heard a note of Paolo’s music (Peace) before last night but the crowd loved it, the place rocked…you can’t beat the first time you hear new music right? …The excitement and anticipation as the sounds wash over you; you can understand why the Beatles spent all that time sorting out the blue meanies …

A massive thank you to all at the 491, they are the magic ingredient that you can’t buy in the shops…a creative bunch of lovely people who set up a perfect space because they love it!!!! For us lucky people to party in…Thank You All!!!!

I’m excited about going back already!!!
You can keep your top ten DJ’s and your early bird savers…this is where the Spacedout tribe wanna be. If you love your music, you should come on down and check it out. As I fuzzily recollect, one of the first sets was played by DJ X…(names!!! - sorry). He played great and had the room pumping with some nice uplifting melodic trance. Get in touch and we’ll add your name to the review!!!

So…a perfect night…I loved it…10 out of 10 apart from when I got home and found one of our Spacedout Kats had knocked over a glass of milk, which then poured through our modem. Oh! Well, I thought I may be cut off from the world but I can listen to my tunes still…tried switching on my new lovely speakers and nothing… the switch was broken!!!

So it’s headphones for a few days, my neighbours are going to be so pleased!!!!

That’s it…no internet, no speakers, the only thing left for any self respecting space cat to do is to climb into his oxygen tent, plug in the intravenous drip and have some groovy psychedelic dreams… hey and don’t forget take your positive energy from your party and infect the world with it through the week…why not!!!!

Till next time Space Kats

Smokey Beckham the Spacedout Kat

There are a few pics from the night on http://www.spacedout.us/

More on 491 Gallery at http://www.491gallery.com/

God bless all of you "seasoned festival ravers" and all of you lovers of parties for putting this on. With, as they chosen to accept, the mission to rejuvenate and electrify energies recently done to death in this field of Psy-Trance. And what an appropriate time to do so when the festie season is just around the corner and 6am doesn't feel like Antarctica anymore.

Some of you may know Studio 33 for "Milk", the Saturday after party, amongst other events that have been staged there. Well, it’s had a paint job and seems to have had some alterations done to the space, since my last visit. Also some of the decor added to the original layout was reminiscent of Bar Cairo in style with its exotic and well thought out layering of rich fabrics. Understandably, some people compared Studio 33 to a cleaner Imperial Gardens, but that's not difficult, isn’t it?
Special mention must be given to Crunchymole's chill-out gallery: completed with trippy soft toys and a wacky tree-man (don't ask!).

A place very friendly, which I could describe as a space to hangout for a pause and a natter, while looking down at the action downstairs.

Not to mention the temptation of mushroom chai from the small cafe. It's very civilised to have that option of a hot drink, with the added bonus of fungal beverages to boot! And that tea was off the scale...err… Well I have never usually felt anything from that sort of chai, so I’ve chosen the stronger dose, and you can guess the rest. I wasn't the only one!
The Goblin's Chamber saw the main action on the night. Good visuals combined with active video-collage and imagery-pokery from the VJ crew, who were exceeding themselves with brilliant improvisation. Special mention to DJs Menog and Dark Angel as well as to Aeon's (produced) set

Wickedly-whizzing Wizards of the decks. Yeah! The main room could still do with major refurbishment of the roof to cushion and pad-out the sound distribution better. The most successful room was by far The Crystal Labyrinth. It offered a wide range of styles with lots of eclecticism and circus music and wholesome quirkiness. The whole vibe of the room was one of the best environments I can recall shaking my old bones to. Fantastic lighting with matching vibe, which probably helped to attract the nicest clubbers you would ever want to take back to meet the parents. Yeah! Psy-Trancers frenetically joyful with uplifting dancing hands held high to the cosmos.

Some of this can be blamed on that mushroom tea but bravo to the hippy guy at the urn for adding to an overall set of elements that made this night one to remember for a long time.
I should praise the lighting production again, with some of the most powerful strobe-light effects I have yet experienced. I had to close my eyes, but that made no difference. Intensity of the very fast flash repetitions was so powerful, that they seemed to form a curtain of silver-white in an overwhelming display. I remain impressed.

Now, I have one real issue with Studio 33 which, caused an enormous amount of consternation and bewilderment on the night. It is the matter...groan... of "Re-filling the water bottles". It is raising its ugly head again. Huh? I hear you cry! Rant: Firstly, they had the ubiquitous geezer selling shampoos and hair gel etc, at the washbasins, who directed people with empty water bottles toward a "bend-over" water fountain. Now that's not an easy way of filling up, I dare say, but bearable for argument's sake, until later in the evening, when the club posted a security guy there with the sole purpose of blocking any attempts bar being chucked out of re-filling... I am surprised this didn't cause a riot. It will happen eventually without a doubt... yeah, let's see how a hardcore/Garage crowd or the cocaine-fuelled Housey brigade reacts when denied a basic, fundamental need: Water. It's the law. I rest my case.
Now I am not sure exactly if this party will come back or not, as I write this. I have heard some positive feedback on the grapevine for a future event in the Summer. But I would honestly say to The Labyrinth crew: "We need you at a party any time near us! Ok?" For this could be a new beginning to a lovely journey on the Psy-Trance path.

Le Mufti

for more photos from the night click here

There is one major difference, though, and that is in the music: the Warp had trance and live bands, but I always felt that the music was a secondary thing: at Synergy, there seems to be more emphasis on music, with a greater diversity of sounds.

There were two rooms of live music: one showing global music bands with belly dancers, the other, which I immersed myself in, was a room where two MC’s called Double Negative – an Asian guy and a white girl, who sang positive lyrics about unity. They went down well with the crowd, and, personally, they were my faves on that night.
Every room seemed to be dedicated to a particular cause – that room featured artists involved in the Peace Not War campaign. Check http://www.peace.fm
There was a chillout area run by BinglyBongly; and on the main dancefloor, Dark Angel, Liquid Ross, and pumped out psy-trance. Earlier, Whirlygig resident DJ Monkey Pilot made a rare outside appearance, playing global trance rhythms.

In the main room, the visuals are always worth a look. This time, Survival for Tribal Peoples had taken over the projector, and images of tribesmen were mixed with distorted photos of George Bush. There was also a show by tribal drummers from Ghana, which went well with the vibe generated by the friendly crowd of hippies and traveller-types rockin’ to the beats.
For me, parties are as much about people as the music: there’s a crowd of people who go to Whirlygig and Planet Angel, then there is another lot who go to Raindance and Resonance, as well, of course, lots of other people from the underground scene. And they all seem to bump into each other at Synergy.

As the name suggests, the Synergy Project is more than just a party, it is a gathering of various groups involved with the underground scene.
What makes it unique is the sheer variety of things on offer: you can listen to poetry, or see films, look at artwork, or meet activists from groups such as Campaign against the Arms Trade, the Green party and others. All the organisations represented there come from the green/left political spectrum. As well as the bar, you can also get a cuppa and a bite to eat, or you can have a massage, buy some new tunes, or check out the ubiquitous fluorescent clothing and jewellery stalls.

All in all, Synergy is a great place to take those friends who don’t normally like clubbing, as well as the diehard ravers in the family! For info on the next party check
http://www.thesynergyproject.org

Minnie Mouse

It all started off rather quiet, but by midnight this small friendly venue had a good sized crowd rockin’ to the Gobfathers, who came on at the beginning, and did a half hour set between the bands.
They were two MC’s – one of them was a human beatboxer who did it in a DnB style really well. He made convincing musical noises in other genres too. The other Gobfather was a regular, but good, MC, who really played for the crowd. Along with a lot of their own songs, they did a Prince cover ‘Kiss’, which was a helluva lot better than the original.
They invited people to name a subject for them to sing about. Somebody said his girlfriend was gonna give him a massage, so they did a song about that. “I wanna massage –I’ll even pay for it!” The Gobfathers’ set was like a sharp, funny, DnB version of ‘Who’s Line Is It Anyway’
Sub Source, the first band on, were good when they were fast, but when they were slow, they didn’t quite do it for me. I just wanted to dance. They rocked after Lady MC came on “None of that electronic shit – this is live Drum & Bass, that’s what we feel” Go there, girl!

DeadSilence Syndicate, who despite the name are actually bloody loud- followed and got people right into the groove. Towards the end, they diversified a bit from heavy DnB, to punk - yes, punk! They did an excellent punk track at the end of their set. Deep, fat dirty bass, fast drums, powerful vocals- they’ve got it sorted.
DJ Haze followed, aided and abetted by MC Wrec, a big, friendly ted of a geezer, who kept jumping off the stage to dance with us punters.

Y’know, musical instruments are getting very surreal these days. In Sub Source, there was this guy playing what I think was a double bass, but it looked like a modern art sculpture. Same with Dead Silence Syndicate –there was someone playing a fiddle that didn’t look like any fiddle I’d seen before. Whatever –it was a good night; the music and the MC’s were excellent, and very original. It’s good to see musical boundaries being pushed, especially when it actually works.

Minnie Mouse

Having been away for the last two years, I was relieved to hear that kinda sound was still around. I'd been told by several old clubbing friends, some of whom have eased off the clubbing thing, and some have slid sideways on the scene, that the music's changed and the crowd is different. I guess it depends where you look.

So for my first all night London club party in two years I decided to go to SKWOSH, it seemed like a pretty safe bet music wise, as it is Rob Kane’s party, and it's described as Happy Hard House. Third Base at Mass wasn't going when I was around before. First impressions are that it's a great venue for this scale of party. Very relaxed, friendly atmosphere, cool security and staff, great lighting by Club Tek, and a banging Turbo Sound System, there was even a toilet canteen!

I came in on Alex Parsons set, and both his and Rob's set took me back to when I was a novice clubber in '99/2000. They played cheeky, beeye-boongy bouncy ball sounds with jibberish lyrics and cartoon scribbles, which turned people into playful, dancing animations.

Most peeps bounced non-stop through both sets, such happy, silly music, can't help but create an elated vibe. Sneaky Dave’s final set didn't quite have the bounce of the rest, he played far more vocally tunes, but for me by then it was time to sit and talk shit anyway.
Then realising I wanted more, ended up at George 4th, which did suggest that some aspects of the scene have changed a bit!

Sarah Dancing Decor

see more photos here

So who was it in the media that waxed lyrical about the demise of Dance music culture last year? Huh? Let the culprit stand in the dock and bring on the 3000 or so punters that sweated with senses buzzing on overload. Yes, bring them on: one by one for the prosecutor to contest those misguided assertions, those statements of gloom and doom in every way...hmm.
So it did sell more papers and why we should care?

Dance in it's harder, uncut expression is… well…glorious. Basic and seemingly untouched; it challenges stereotypes as well.

This is the expression of the ghettoes, the inner cities. A forum of diverse urban scenes coming together and all of them bringing in good vibes regardless who they are: straight, chavs, hippies, piss heads, bimbos, travellers, anarchists and activists.

They were all there and they all mixed with the same pursuit of release; getting it all out of their systems and dancing hard with the promptings of the MCs. special mention to MC Strict who was in fine form and DJs like Squirrel - an old Raindance favourite who hasn't lost his grip on proceeding and read the crowd's mood, pushing them ever further onwards.

None of these DJs fears anthems either, so you could get them peppered throughout the night. An hour of Drum & Bass or was it three? Yep!

It was so good and so upliftingly fresh, with amazing new material that my body wouldn't leave the room under any pretext for ages. And so was the Hardcore and Old Skool.

Everything pumping to a hypnotic beat that had me glued to the dances floors all night. Do not bother going there to socialize. OK? - cos you will not get a chance unless you do meet up beforehand at a pub!
My head is still in a blurr... And I'd love to have all the mixes of all those styles staying with me for a long time.
It was that good.

Le Mufti

More pics at
http://www.raindanceravefestival.com

Saturday 4th December 2005

For around two years, Little Princess Orchestra (LPO) have cut a swathe through London's moribund live music circuit. Polarising opinion wherever they go, simultaneously feted as the best band in the world and castigated as the worst.

LPO defy convention as much as possible by never writing songs or rehearsing, but always improvising on the spot. Between a group of musicians who know each other well, improvising can become the worst kind of navel-gazing. LPO have warded off this ennui by having a constantly shifting line-up.

Tonight is the birthday party for LPO instigator Hugo. Lead vocalists Hugo & Carmel vent everything on their minds through their lyrics. There is no rock and roll sophistry here. The soundsystem is too good to allow cheap glossolalia of kind favoured by ex-pat Japanese rock singers, no names mentioned, OK, yes I mean Damo Suzuki.

The only possible word that can describe the interaction between Hugo and Carmel is 'psychodrama'. Modern music is all about release. That element is there in LPO, in all it's life-affirming glory. But they won't allow you this release until they've delivered a large package of tension first.

Standing on stage in front of a rock band, facing an enthusiastic crowd, singing their hearts out - this isn't therapy, this is catharsis. But don't be fooled by all this psychobabble. Remember, this is showbusiness.

Hugo's stage persona puts me in mind of some Greek god floating on a cloud far above the world. Seeing these puny humans, he feels a momentary pang of concer and airily deigns to intervene in the affairs of man.

Carmel is harder to categorise. The first few performances I saw by her were marked by a frenetic style of dancing that makes David Byrne in the video for Once In A Lifetime look calm and composed. At times, I wondered if she was communicating in some secret sign language. Later performances saw a more spritely and puckish sense of humour emerging.

If you haven't caught LPO, you've probably won't. Hugo has stated that his mission to inject some much needed energy into improvisation has been accomplished.

With the imminent demise of LPO, there is no danger of their music become stale or cliched. In the end, it isn't a corpse they leave behind. It is more like a butterfly chrysalis hatching.

Whatever emerges remains to be discovered ...

_______________________________

Stardate: 222 Day 2005

Captain Hiker from a time capsule somewhere between Alpha Centauri and Uranus:

HITCH TO EARTH, COME IN…
HITCH TO EARTH, COME IN?…

Just cleared the Rings of Uranus and are well on the way to the moons of Alpha Centauri in search of Squidgy Bits.

The crew (The Garrik Twins, Audio/Vis. Engineer Mescal, and the ships nurse Miss Chief) have been tingling with excitement since receiving reports of psychedelic Squidgy Bits on the Third and seventh moons of Alpha Centauri. Our plan on reaching the Star is to fly A. Garrick onto the third moon and drop silly sideburns thru the hatch at seven. I am sure it will be all good with Mescal in the observation centre and Miss Chief in the wings in case it goes pear-shaped. With thorough research the Garrick Twins have unearthed some very strange goings on conserving certain red and white toadstool variety and it is with this in mind I give you my next Tip…

Tip 2

No matter what anyone says:
Don’t drink your own urine! Or anyone else’s for that matter!

It has come to my attention that early psychedelic explorers from the Nordic States observed reindeer eating fly agaric mushrooms then sometime after drink each others piss - for a second hit it is assumed… hmm…
Call me a prude, but the thought of this made me off a bit or more and remember, no matter what the psycho shamen says to the fragile,

DON’T DO IT!

U could flush your love life down the toilet 2.
In afterthought if you ever holiday in Lapland and are lucky enough to meet Santa, think twice if he offers you Rudolph’s Special Brew and make sure he runs the tap for the mushroom tea.

WHATS HOT!

Chichime, Fairytales and Brazil

WHATS NOT!

Anchorage, Rudolph’s Special Brew

______________________

Well, that just about brings this communication to an end. There are matters this end that need my attention. It appears Miss Chief accidentally knocked the invert switch on the teleport machine and Tony Blair just arrived with his arse on his face and his face on the arse. This might not sound too serious as we all used to him talking out of his arse, but he has a bit of the a head cold and when he sneezed the shit hit the fan. Not a pretty picture.
Anyway… Have fun, Keep up the good work and don’t let the fuckers get you down.

Hitch out

The Synergy Project is probably the only party where you can learn about spiritual issues such as Buddhism, buy a book on the mysteries of the ancient runes, listen to live percussion bands and move your body and dance to some stompingly good psy-trance. Each room is so different, from the shoeless & smoke free area of pure relaxation that is the White Tara Temple, the Forced Out room hosting live music, poetry and art, to the Latin influenced tunes of the Costa Urbana area, to the full-on psy-trance of Project Ozma and back to the Gallery, brought to us by Art Nation, showcasing the works of talented but yet unknown artists. Synergy truly is London’s ripest underground festival.

This particular party was dedicated to “Operation Hope”, which was set up by the British Indian Ocean Territory Islanders Movement in 2004. You may recall from the news that the Diego Garcia islanders, who are British Citizens, were forcibly moved from their homeland in the 1960s and deported to Mauritius. The islanders are now struggling for justice and the right to return to their homeland and it is Operation Hope’s objective is to support these poor and vulnerable displaced islanders and their descendants. At this particular Synergy, Project Ozma was responsible for hosting the main dance area. Particularly remembered were the plethora of wonderful VJs performing through the night to ensure that the sights were as impressive as the sounds.

DJs on the night included Project Ozma residents Zzbing, Kaleiodosonic & Shafnu, Dark Angel and guests. A packed party of 3,000+ revellers, crowded but still comfortable enough to wander about, dance unhindered and find a spot to park when the legs are getting wobbly!

All in all, Synergy Project is a unique concept on the London Party scene and thoroughly deserves its ever-increasing fan base. So, when’s the next one?

© Eli Saikadeli

see more photos here

Well, this pre-Halloween extravaganza worked because of the people.
Well, you the Muppets were in fine form and if truth is to be told, as I journeyed in a chemically fuelled state under the vaults of SEOne,
I was pleased. Brilliant! I applaud you all who ventured out that night for bringing such a good vibe with you. This excellent feeling permeated everything, even the vagaries of the persistent cock-handed organisation of the security outside, which I would have expected by now to have finally got their act together.
Yet with the cold autumnal breeze wafting up the road, you just wanted to get inside quickly and not piss fart around. And I'm just talking about the guest list/concessions queue here, let alone you lovelies who had to fork out nearly 20 squid for da privilege! Once inside, however, the security was non-existent, invisible and chilled so the night unravelled as a stress free relaxing night for all.

As I schmoozed around the venue, the Techno room, with DJ Beamish at the helm and pumping it up with his well thought out layering of electronica sucked me in immediately. The highlights there, by far, were Aaron Liberators and Mark EG's sets, whose obvious quality filled a room that had been lacking in atmosphere for most of the night, due to the lack of presence of on average - to keep the sex proportions up to current trends - 50 blokes and 4 chicks.
Yeah, just a handful of hardcore protagonists up to that point and loadsa peeps passing through. But when the above dejays were in action, these "cruisers" ceased cruising, stopped wandering, looked up, listened, and danced their tits off! Suddenly there were women in there, which in my advanced condition made me stop and do a double take. Amazing what a few hours of chemistry can do to the soma of the soul innit?! Still those of you who braved the Techno room were treated to some excellent stuff. Now while I am on this subject: "What's the difference between Techno and Detroit Techno?" Huh? How the fuck do I know what the difference is! And frankly, can you?The Psy Trance and especially the Nu-Nrg Trance rooms were by far the best places to be all night.

Special mention to Juno, who read the crowd well and feed them back her enthusiasm in a really banging uplifting set. Raymondo, excellent as ever. I'm always fascinated by his consistency after all these years. I also heard good feedback about Marc Sinclair's set, which I have missed altogether, as I alternated between the chill out and Techno areas at that point in the night. Funnily some French ravers confused me with him! But I left them uncorrected as they were too happy and I was too messed up to be pedantic.

In the Chill-out we were entertained by: "Friends, Lovers and Family" who reminded me of Kamel Nitrate in style. Unfortunately they were badly served by the worst sound engineer in living memory, who delivered this pea soup of discordant noises and reverberated it with frightening consistency as they courageously trudged through their excellent material. Alas, they were not helped by one of their singers either, who persisted in singing off-key for most of the set. Yet to their credit they grooved along, regardless, supported by a faithful audience, cheering them all the way.

The truly champagne moment was to be found there in the guise of the "Sonic Sisters" in their cassocks - that's nun's outfits to the uninitiated but better known as Anarcho Funkeeters.
They Rocked da place! Can't say that the chill-out room was very chilled for all this mayhem, but no one seem to moan about it too much. I did get loads of complaints though, especially from "sweaties" who just wanted a break from the Trance and Techno when the band was playing. To be honest the seating was a bit poor, or should I describe it as lacking: that would be a fairer appraisal.Tucked away at the end of this room was a treatment bed with one healer/masseur. Yep, that was the healing space, not impressed, guys!

Well it's like they remembered at the last minute during planning that they were going to need something to fit the blurb on the flyer. It felt like an afterthought, hurriedly put together, shoved in a corner with no appropriate or soothing decor to give it some semblance of being a healing space; awful (sic!)
Now the decor wasn't great, apart from one in Techno room, with its mushroom sculptures framing the DJs area, the rest of SEOne was hit and miss. Individual pictures placed side by side in different sizes, up the walls and under the vaults, had little effect or impact and looked haphazard with no particular visual effort to make them work.

Overall "Imagine" was a groovy good night. And with a bit of fine-tuning, if it returns again to rave us beyond the cosmic rainbow; we are in for another quality night. The music and the people made it. That's for sure, and with Pickle and Pendragon, it always has potential to rock your dreary weeks away into a higher plane of upliftment.

© Le Mufti

click for more photos here

Unity crew thrives on joint projects with other promotions, in words of DJ Graham Ward, Unitys co-organiser, in a paranoia-free environment and by breaking the established genre and predictability of other events, which often result in creative stagnation.
Unity is putting this approach into practice by mixing up and coming talent with established performers so as to improve confidence and add fresh touch to the overall performance.

491 have multiple environments on offer, and I cruised through the night in discovery mode. Some amazing moments I shared with the mellow and friendly crowd. These people sure know how to party, without the stress of security or rules to spoil the feel of the place, as everyone looks after their own and newcomers like me. The vibe hits you at the door when you arrive, the welcome, as well as the environment has a subliminal quality that transcends every facet or aspect of it Gee I could live here form many years!!

It feels like entering a time capsule; a fluffy bubble floating in a haze of sensations. Theres always an assortment of different kinds of healing to be experienced in a well thought-out dcor with healers of Reiki, to massage and Tarot to refresh the body or soul.
Disco Patrick entertained us with 212 hours of exhilarating funky break-beats and trance, increasing the tempo as he became more and more up lifted by the overall vibe of the party goers. or is that nutters? I was aware that if you stay with him for his set you uncover gradually and subliminally that Disco element that gave him his name. He somehow seems to sandwich it in between the banging, and it works!

Dolly, was equally impressive as if riding the wave of that vibe with much joy and love of the craft. Yet she dwells in a harder _expression favouring the likes of Slipknot and Marilyn Manson and is a busy bee promoting her own nights in North London called "Rock the Dolly Rock! (Avant-garde/Nu Wave/ Punk/Rock)but that is a different scene as far as I am concerned. What she gave us on the night was more in keeping with the overall flow, thanks God!

DJ Graham was on hand to cool the night out, with his cleverly thought out mix of eclectic tunes from Under World to Nittin Sawney with a hint of classical thrown in. Weird? Well not really! It does work. A rich tapestry of sounds to drape yourself in.

At the back there is a sort of the garden and waste ground that combines a big enough space to have several bonfires. One is in a circular stepped pit. The last time I was there, I spent nearly all night socialising in the synergy of the pagan gathering around the fires, under a ceiling of the open star-lit sky to our communion of spirit.

I say, who can beat that? Well, invite me and I will come and check you out, whoever you are! To put it bluntly it wins over outdoor raves and and their unpredictable scenarios. It beats bollocks and inconveniences involved in trudging in the dark avoiding cows vomit, holes, hawthorns, rogue trees, and the local Bill prowling in the shrubs and stuff Know What I Mean! Ok, Ok! It can be fun as I hasten to add.

Along side 491 is Vertigo; a place with the tradition of staging acoustic sets and jamming bacchanalia. This time they had put on an eclectic mix of films through the night, like some early pieces from the Lumiere Brothers: the forefathers and pioneers of film making. Also they had cosy living room to chill out by the fireplace and linger in the mesmeric pull of the flames.
The evening has surreal elements to it. For instance, we were fortunate to be entertained by Jack the resident dog with his doggy accomplices. I never found out what he carried in these little red saddle bags that stayed glued to his back all night but he was well used to the shenanigans and well friendly. All they need now is a moody cat to sneer at everyone! Anyway next time you hear on da cosmic grapevine that there is a ting going on at 491, I recommend that you get round there sharpish! Otherwise Ill unleash the hounds! Alright?

The cold streets of lONdON, at times, can be far from welcoming. So, in my infinite wisdom, I thought id knock up a quick guide about what’s hot and what’s not in the psychedelic circus we know as LonDon.

…I think the best way for this to work would be an interactive guide.

I let you know what I’ve heard about and U keep me posted about psycho-active events that are worth a look. Hopefully this way we will be able to navigate safely through the minefield of psychedelic non events we can sometimes find ourselves thrown into and, more importantly, we will all be able to congregate on the birth of stars and share in psychedelic trickery your chemistry teacher could only dream of. Don’t be shy, drop me a line at anon@bubblejam.net

To start, lets cover What’s Not!

Travelling halfway across the city, getting cold, wet and extremely thirsty, only to find that the party Bob told u about isn’t really a party afterall. It’s a narcotics anonymous ‘introduction to Morris dancing’ session, don’t you just hate it when that happens!

Tip 1.

If you want to get to the party before it closes, don’t hitch hike! Get an AtoZ, find exactly where u have to go and hire a limo, if you can stop chain smoking spliffs for a while there is the budget option of public transport (underground). If money’s a problem, recycle last weeks travel card (cover the date with your finger, hold the card high and walk thru like u own the joint. Use the force Luke and don’t give up), alternatively you could sell your granny or get a fuckin job! I wouldn’t advise the last two because grannies are good for socks at Christmas and ‘a fuckin job’, sounds like prostitution, which is still illegal and you might have to suck a policeman’s dick if you get caught.)

What’s Hot!

FairyTales 2nd Birthday Party. 11/12/2004 @ The Coronet. New Kent Road. Elephant and Castle.
Stupendous venue!! The last 1 was awesome. Super, smashin, gr8 music and loads of lovelies-). Don’t u just love d Fairies. I always say, “Look after d Fairies and d fairies will look after u.” So come along and sprinkle fairy dust on your Saturday nite, see u dare.

Crystal Fields. Psycho Kinetik n Munkey Magik Birthday Bash 11/12/2004 Tel.07950 341459
Personally I’m going to start the nite off with Fairytales and go Psycho Kinetik afterwards. One of my most fav. Djs on d planet is playing dare (Mr. Gobi) so I hope I catch his set.