astraboy

The last Slammin Vinyl on NYE of this year was surrounded by controversy. Not least because of the debacle invloving the queuing system which saw more than 600 ravers stuck outside in the cold at midnight. It would have been more had not a significant proportion of said crowd rushed the fence at 11.45. The fallout from this event was far reaching. Ravers, from both the Hardcore and drum&Bass fraternitys swore never to attend again. Questions were asked about the promoters ability to run an event of that size and Sanctuary Security, through the venue owners, were heavily critisised for their lack of crowd control
For their pennance, Slammin did what they could to make ammends. For those with a legitimate complaint, free VIP tickets were supplied for the next event. To compensate those who did not complain, the ticket price was reduced to 18.50 and the flyer for the next event promised "A new queuing system" to help eliminate the problems of NYE.
However, these promises had nothing to do with my attendence this time. Me turning up was down to one thing. The lineup. For the first time ever at a Hardcore rave, The Nu Energy Collective was due to put on one of their live PAs in the the Fastrack. Having seen this showcase at hard dance events such as Antiworld, Logic and Pendragon and left seriously impressed, this immediately guaranteed a ticket purchase from me. As well as that, an appearence from IMO legend Spinback in the "Eclectic" sweatbox and a chance to see Brisk and Wottsee go b2b all added up to me spending 18.50 at my local record shop and making arrangements to fill up my car to ease the petrol bill.
In the event, I did too good a job and had to nick my sisters roomier Golf to fit everyone in. We set off late from Uxbridge at 9.30 with a carfull of Harrow Slags and Laura up front. A Quick Blitz up the motorway later and we turned into the complex at 10.30 and were met with a shock. No queue. None at all. Not even a little one. Either no-one had turned up (Unlikely) or the promised revisions had worked as planned. I dropped off the laydees and then waved off to park the car. Walking back to the rave ws an "Interesting" experience, what with me being on my own and being confronted by some scallys trying to bust through the perimeter fence. However, when it was clear that I had no beer on me, despite refusing their kind offer to "Take it off me", they went back to trying to get in for free and left me alone.
When I got back to where I started, there was even less of a queue than when I left, if that was possible. I walked straight into the single file fences and nearly got all the way to the ticket office before I encountered othere ravers. This line moved quickly and I handed over my ticket when asked. The search was notable by its absence and after that, I was in.
I was late enough as it was so I headed straight for the Hardcore arena in the Fastrack warehouse. When I got inside, Dougal and Gammer were on the decks and Smiley was controlling things on the mic. I was lucky enough to catch the tail end of their set and even though he werent on the flier, Gammer was given the last half hour and managed to cram in some top tunes in the small amount of time he had. He got my evening off to a perfect start by dropping "Driftin away" by CLSM, then he moved into some Gabba to finish off his set, including the new tune "Boomstick". I'd only been in the arena for less than half an hour and things couldnt get any better.
Next up was a change of pace by master of the Hardstyle, Mark EG. I'm usually well up for a bit of Hardstyle as it breaks up the evening nicely. However, tonight I didnt seem to be able to get into it. Maybe it was the soundsystems fault (It was on the quiet side during his set) but I took a chance and payed a visit to the sweatbox to see if things were better there. In Effect was on the decks and playing an upfront Hardcore set when I arrived. He was doing a good job as well, keeping a sizeable crowd of ravers happy and playing tunes like "Addictions" to do so. This was more than enough to get the floor of the sweatbox bouncing away, always a sign of a good set in that room. On the mic was a familiar sight, someone in a stripy top and tracky bottoms. Yes he was a mic blagger, but he was actually very good. His MC name was Andy L and I'm assuming he was from up north, but his performance on the mic was very professional. He knew when to drop his lyrics and when to shut up and when he did go for it, his delivery and pace were impressive. He also looked relaxed and confident whilst on stage. Together, these two made for an enjoyable set up in the eclectic arena and I only left when their set was up.
When I managed to get back into the Fastrack, Hixxy had taken over proceedings, together with Odyssey and Whizzkid on the mic. The peak time set was, as usual, given over to the raverbaby sound, but I werent complaining. Hixxy dropped a nice set with a few tunes that I didnt recognise, mixed in with well known tracks such as "The one that I adore", the "Eyeopener" remix, "Close your eyes" and finishing with my personal favourite, the upfront remix of "Injected with a poison".
Filling the 1-2 slot, was man of the moment, Scott Brown. I have enjoyed a lot of his sets recently and I was looking forward to this one. Scott played a set filled with tunes that I recognised, Including "This is how we do it", "Let the Beat commence", "Bring me round to love", "Let the Beat drop", "Heartbeatz", "Angel Eyes" and best of all, his new tune, "Boomstick" getting another outing. I was loving every minute of this set and was dancing non stop to it from start to finish. Whizzkid was on the mic and you could tell he was loving it too. I've never seen anyone moonwalk to Scott Brown before
If you think it was just the music that was doing it then you are very much mistaken. Another thing that deserves a mention is the serious amounts of money which had been spent on production a decor. The stage was almost too full, with lighting gantries surrounding the DJs on all sides, video screens above them, large stone statues behind them and a huge green laser, right where it should be, above the DJ box. The massive fluro ceiling (My favourite Fastrack decor) and serious lighting rigs had been hoisted skyward too. I liked the way this party had been put together from this standpoint. Very much indeed.
By this time, the 2-3 set had was upon us and Raverbaby regular DJ Breeze teamed up with MC Storm. When these two get together they do exactly what they say on the tin. Or at the very least, play loads of tunes that I like. Best of all, they played that tune with Storm's "I'm a raver" vocals in it. I really like this tune. Its got a crazy acidline in it, the vocals are nice and distorted and I'm not afraid to say it makes me rush like a barsteward when I hear it. Deffo the best part of the set and thats aside from Breeze playing "Forever Autumn Beats" to finish.
Next up was the highlight of the night for me. 3-4 was exclusively for the Nu energy collective to perform for the first time at a Hardcore rave. It also meant me having to make a very hard decision. Spinback was on in the sweatbox at the same time and I really wanted to see him play out. If it was ANY other DJ, then I would have sacked it off straight away, but this guy was responsible for getting me into Hardcore and as such it would have been rude not to see him at a rare Slammin appearence.
Only one thing for it, split the sets 50/50 and hope I dont miss anything important. Sharkey was doing his best boxing MC impression when I left the fastrack, I would be back in 30 minutes and no more.
Running across the complex and getting upstairs quicksmart, I got into the sweatbox just in time for Spinbacks set. Whilst not going for the full on Dream FM set that I had hoped for, he played an enjoyable 94-95 set, including tunes like "Loosing control", "Taking me higher", and the classic "Sweet Harmony". The Sweatbox filled up nicely with the floor bouncing away and me dancing with a small bunch of dayglo vest wearing ravers. I really enjoyed the brief time I spent up there and I didnt want to leave, but half pas three came round all too quickly and I left Spinback for the Fastrack.
I walked in and noticed a couple of differences. The BPMs were noticably higher and the crowd was going crazy. As I walked to the front, some random raver threw up on my shoes. She had just turned away from the stage where Vinny the stage dancer was peeling off his green skin. Well at least I know where to send the cleaning bill
The rest of the PA was just as intense with the collective not letting the raver catch their breath throughout the set. I gave up trying to ID tunes as they were hammering through them so fast, I just couldnt keep up. Up on the video screens, the Nu Energy logo flashed and faded as Kev Energy scratched up tune after tune over the music coing from the fingers of AMS, K-Komplex and Sharkey before moving back into the live performance again. There seemed to be no set places for the four making the music, they all reguarly swapped places and changed roles during the performance, but not once did the music change in terms of speed, pace and quality. In fact, the only person to remain where he was throughout the PA was Vinny and he werent exactly standing still. On the Contrary, he was tearing round the stage , stomping like a madman, letting off glitter cannons, tearing off his green skin and best of all, playing table tennis with the crowd. It was a funny sight, a man with horns, pointy ears, ragged green skin and a table tennis bat, firing ***** into the crowd and baiting them to return them so he could blast em back out
All too soon, the PA came to an end and finishing on "Funked Hardcore" was the best way to do it. The Collective took a bow and left the stage While Storm demanded the ravers give the artists the respect that the PA rightfully deserved.
Storm was then joined on stage by his usual partner, DJ Sy. With these two going back to back you know what to expect. Its called the "Power Hour" for a good reason and I enjoy it every time I see it. Even if I usually see it every weekend. This hour was no different with Sy spinning a practised blend of classic tunes like "It takes me away", remixes of raver's favourites like "Discoland" and the awesome remix of "Free your mind". Upfront crowdpleasers such as "Yeah Baby" and stuff which I hadn't heard before like the tune he finished on. Top set, another to add to the long list of blinding sets by Sy.
For the final hour, there was a treat in store. Not only was Styles finishing the night, but Whizzkid and Storm were back to back on the mic too. One of the better sets of the night, this was a cracking way to finish off the night, particularly when Styles played a load of tunes I hadn't heard before, along with tunes like "A Dream Away", the "Electric" remix, giving "I'm a raver" another welcome outing and finishing of "Forever Autumn Beats". The tunes were good, not doubt about it was the MCs accompanying them. Storm and Whizzkid were on fire during the last set and it showed. The mic performances really enhanced the music and I was going mental right till the end of the last tune.

Things I liked:

Sound System - Vast improvement over the last Slammin I attended. There was only one set where it was quiet, for the rest of the night it was on full tilt and it was crystal clear too. Yummy.

Production and Decor - Seriously impressed with this lot. The stage was groaning under the weight of lighting rigs, video screens, stone statues and lasers. No expense was obiviously spared.

Lineup - Amongst the regulars there was Brisk, Spinback, and best of all, the Nu Energy Collective. It was something a little bit different and was the reason I was at the party.

The music - Very nice indeed. The amount of times I said "It was a tune I didnt recognise" indicates the amount of new material that was played out on the night. Not forgetting the hour long live experience that was long overdue at a Hardcore rave.

Chillout tent - Somewhere warm and dry (Handy on the night in question) complete with its own soundsystem, chairs and sofas too.

Queue - Not sure why I'm adding this. How can you like something that didnt exist? No queue at all and I got there late. Punctual ravers told me of being let in before the music started and Brisk playing first to a full arena because of that.

The last three hours - Worth the entrance fee in itself. Nuff Said.

Things I liked less:

Set times - Put together by Stevie Wonder whilst on crack. Brisk on first, Mark EG playing where Brisk should have and Spinback on at the same time as the Nu Energy PA. Whoever came up with the idea of putting two acts who dont appear at many Slammins on at the same time needs their head looking at.

Production and Decor - More Specifically, those two big strobes either side of the decks. Its odd that the two people that collapsed, did so right at the same time as said strobes were being overused isnt it?

Security - There was a complete lack of security and paramedics in the Fastrack. The amount of time it took to get to the first person that went down was unacceptable. The second time it happened they were on it straight away, but most of the time security and paramedics were notable by their absence. Lack of security also gave carte blance to:

Scallys - Making a nuisence of themselves all night. Jumping up on stage, barging into people and starting fights. Anyone remember that fight that Whizzkid shut down the rave to stop? It was because some scally had got his **** out and pissed on a ravers leg. Totally unacceptable. These people should not be made welcome at a hardcore rave and deffo should have been thrown out when they started acting the big man.

Water - If I wanted to fill my water bottle up I had to leave the Fastrack, walk to the opposite end of the Sanctuary, go to the toilets, fillup, leave by the main entrance and return to the fastrack. Often I didnt have a choice as the bar had been drunk dry on numerous occasions. Not only was this a bad thing, but it was dangerous as well. What happened to that water barrel which was at the last slammin I went to?

Despite ite numerous problems, it has to be said that this event was a vast improvement over the last Slammin I attended. The few problems that were not ironed out at this event (Unchecked troublemakers, water shortages, set clashage) were eclipsed by the obivious improvements that had been made (No queuing, crisp sound, varied lineup, cracking music). I got the impression that the promoters had gotten their fingers out and had made changes that were needed to improve the party. All it needs now is for two big security geezers and a paramedic inbetween the ravers and the stage all night, a waterfountain at the back of the fastrack, a similarly varied lineup and a music policy to match and bingo, a cracking rave will be had by all at the final Slammin at the Sanctuary complex before its pulled down in July.
I cant wait.
astraboy.

StickyMicky

sounds good, ive never been to a slamming vinal, cos as ive said before im getting on a tad, but my G/F whos only 18 has been to a few, although its a bit harder as she has to get a train down and make plans to sleep at her mates (were fooken miles away)

shes always enjoyed them

King RA

I went to Slammin Vinyl VS Hardcore Heaven once and there was the same problems with chavs then. Like you say it starts in the car parks around sanctuary with 14/15 year olds trying to sell you pills and then once inside the whole place is just full of em.

Unfortunatley due to the sanctuarys location chavs are unavoidable.