Unsurprisingly for the Big Chill bar, the music was all on the ambient side. DJ Void, for example, abandoned his usual dark and heavy drum & bass style in favour of a seamless mix of liquid D&B. Also, he had enough tunes in the bag to squeeze in 2 sets that night.

Another good set, this time a live one, came from Jason Dowling. His tunes started out very chilled, with the tempo rising as the night went on, until he finished off getting people up dancing with some extremely funky breakbeat tracks. When he’s not producing and playing out live, he runs an organisation called Creative Union, which encourages and promotes music by disabled people. www.creativeunion.org.uk

Still on the funky vibe was Andy from the Wild Bunch, playing house music. There’s no getting away from helpful people tonight, as the Wild Bunch run a club night for people with learning difficulties.
Next on was an excellent composer called Lyn Levett, Her set ran on two speeds; from uplifting house music to melancholic haunting rock-influenced tracks. When she finished her set, the whole place cheered. I found it particularly inspirational because the people cheering at the back probably didn’t notice that she could not move her arms and hands, and played music by nudging a keyboard with her nose! When I went up and congratulated her, she keyed in the word ‘thank you’.
I remember watching her before she came on; wondering who that person was in the bright tights and skirt, who looked like she was struggling, sitting there shaking. I remember hoping she was OK. Then, after hearing her set, I thought, “I’m also disabled, but if she can get her act together, then I’ve got no excuse!” It was one of those rare “Damascus” moments.

Like the others playing that night, she’s also online, at www.lynlevett.co.uk.
Go there, and you’ll learn that, apart from the music, she’s a dancer and filmmaker, with years of involvement in arts workshops for disabled people. She also happens to be a transsexual.

One thing that really struck me was that, unlike many of their able-bodied counterparts, nearly all the performers were also involved in projects helping other people in some way. Maybe there’s something about being disabled that makes you more aware of other’s suffering.
Actually, there’s a bit of subversion going on here: all Attitude on the Decks and Club Attitude nights involve disabled performers, and have a regular crowd of disabled people going there. Anyone with an open mind is welcome at Attitude nights, so, hopefully, it will become more and more normal for disabled and able-bodied people to socialise together, just as it is now quite normal for gays and straights to drink together, or black people and white people, or even men and women – yes folks, when I was a kid, it was considered strange for a woman to drink alone in a pub, can you believe that!? I do hope I’m not just being hopelessly idealistic – no, I’m not – we’re out there now, and we’re taking over!!!

Minnie, the wheelchair mouse