Bingly delivered its tried and tested mix of eclectic grooves. Strong bouncy rhythms punctuated by the constant invention of beats drawn from a global palette of sounds. These beats take you through the musical memory of travel. A journey into far flung places. Into many cultures that keep the mind buzzing with associations as well as feet tapping.

A real brick-a-brack of soulful beats best illustrated by Bingly Jon himself while on the decks, or later still, performing on drums, part of a trio whose lively mix of progressive soulful drum and bass warmed many to the dance floor.
Indeed drummers jammed while DJ Vicky kicked ass! Paygan cruised the brake beats highway while Pete Ardron glided with his own ethereal compositions.

All the while a constant moving gallery of images flowed continuously round all the walls of the main room whilst upstairs some strange and organic balloon creations by Hippy were there to greet unsuspecting hedonists. Wicked!
© Le Mufti
Photo Gallery by PixieLix

Their music is in the tradition of chamber music -- so called as it is performed by a small group of musicians who could fit into a palace chamber, rather than a full orchestra. Chamber music is also often performed without a conductor and has an intimate quality that is lacking in orchestral performances.

The North Sea Radio Orchestra were formed in London in the summer of 2002 and many of their early concerts were held in churches. Many of their songs consist of poetry set to music by the likes of Tennyson and Yeats, as well as new poet Daniel Dundas Maitland. Seeing them perform at the Spitz was not unlike being at a church service or a poetry recital -- the crowd were completely rapt and utterly silent. An unusual experience at a gig when usually there are one or two ignorant people who insist on talking over the music.

A modest ensemble consisting of piano, organ, clarinet, oboe, cello, violin, and guitar were complimented by two female vocalists and a male vocalist. Lead vocalist Sharron Fortnam has a voice that has been described as 'pure' and it harmonises beautifully with the instruments, as well as the other vocalists. For an all too brief time, they evoke an atmosphere of timeless beauty in the otherwise harsh environs of the East End.

If I met an extra-terrestrial and wanted to communicate the concept of Englishness quickly and easily, I could do a lot worse than to play them the music of the North Sea Radio Orchestra.

The Spoonful in the title relates to a certain Vis The Spoon, frontman of punk rockers Electricity Comes From Other Planets. As well as promoting bands at the Rhythm Factory, Spoon bills himself as the 'Sweary Pam Ayres' -- he's performed his poetry at all kinds of gigs and festivals. He claims to have retired as a poet to make room for new talent -- but ply him with enough booze and he might reconsider.

Spoon has nurtured A Spoonful of Poison into a great showcase for brand new talents who are finding their way. Playing your debut gig to a room filled with hundreds is an intimidating prospect at the best of times. Monday night however is a less stressful time, as the chances of the venue being packed out are slim. Another bonus of an open-mic night is that much of the audience is composed of other performers, who are usually respectful of their colleagues.

In typical style, the Mullah breached this particular covenant by heckling one of the poets. Not only did the poet give as good as he got, I think the adrenaline thrill of sparring verbally with me inspired him to new heights. Alas, he didn't hang around long enough to heckle me in return, in spite of my offer to let him do so later. Maybe approved heckling just doesn't have the same buzz.

So finally it came my turn to get up on the stage. The first thing that struck me was the lights -- they were shining in my eyes! Which was initially disorientating, but once acclimatised it was nice not being able to see the audience as there was less pressure!

I did hear a heckle early on in my pre-poem banter, but I rambled on and no more heckles came thankfully. The Mullah likes the sound of his own voice, so he was spending more time listening to it booming through the speakers than paying any attention to the invisible audience!

After ranting on for a while, I announced that I wasn't here to perform stand-up comedy but poetry. I launched into my performance and completely messed up the end of the first verse with an ill-advised bit of improvisation. But no-one knew the true verse, so I just sailed on and doubt that anyone even noticed.

Before I knew it, it was all over and the crowd were very generous with their praise, as was Mine Host. I'd definitely come back for another Spoonful -- and if you're a new poet or musician, I'd commend it to you too.

A Spoonful of Poison is at the Rhythm Factory every Monday, 8pm-Midnight.

Early arrival was obligatory so as not to miss any of what couldn’t really fail to be a blinder of a night. Did you see the line-up on the flyer? I nearly swallowed my own tongue when I got handed it the week before, vowing not to miss it for neither love nor money (although either would be nice) Full attendance is obligatory when Dave The Drummer and Chris Liberator, the people’s favourite DJ, play the people’s favourite music especially both at the same event! I’m lucky I can still walk!


Most of the beat seekers that descended on the Electrowerkz that night had been there for the special line up. Pretty nice bunch too! Very European and all soaking up the intense, aural entertainment laid on by the promoters who done themselves proud.

The Electrowerkz is a good choice for the tunes. It suited the musical mayhem that is Techno well. The gloomy staircase and steel platforms really complimented the amazing sounds. A hands-off security and a more-than-fair entry price seemingly appealed to the people.

Some of the revellers who introduced themselves were familiar with the underground scene. Techno sessions did indeed have that feel to it, as if it were some of the nicest things taken out of a 3 day, legally questionable warehouse event and compressed into a suitable time frame.

No stray dogs, nor (too) crazy characters or sketchiness. Just music, a hard-edged atmosphere and the right amount of darkness blending in nicely. A couple of extra days of it wouldn’t have gone amiss which is probably why it seemed to go so fast.

I even got the opportunity to ask Chris Lib about his preference to over-ground and under-ground events. Without wanting to show any favouritism he mentioned that he loved them both the same although underground events allow more opportunities to experiment. No need to experiment with the set given that night.

It flicked all the right switches and floated all the boats more than adequately.

It’s not good to write an article with nothing negative in. Readers would assume there was some negotiation going on between the writer and the promoter but I’m hard pressed to find anything bad. I’ll only grumble that it could have lasted a few more days but I am, to be fair, bias. I know and love my techno and I wouldn’t highly recommend anything if it didn’t reach my well toned, acidic techno standards.

Hopefully see you all Autumn Techno Sessions?

© Psymon

Photo Gallery

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

I have been going to Happy Jacks, Club Innocence now Jack’s since 1998 and it was a scary venue then. Security there once effortlessly rivalled the 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 Jacks offers now an 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

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

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

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/

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

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.