Rave review, Club Kinetic 28/05/2004
03 June 2004, 08:43 PM
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Rave review, Club Kinetic 28/05/2004
Getting on board the rave express late has its drawbacks. Principally, you can never relate to those who go on about "How it was ten times better back in the day". To this end I am always up for experiencing events that make a comeback, even if its only in name. Club Kinetic on the other hand has little choice in returning in name only as its orginal home is no longer with us, a new home had to be found. Nation, where Cream used to be held on a weekly basis was a good replacement in my book, especially as I have never been there before. Besides, the lineup looked VERY nice, including old Kinetic regulars like Brisk and Demand as well as guaranteed crowd pullers like Sy and Storm. Getting in some Dutch talent in the shape of DJ Paul Elstak and MC Ruffian didn't hurt either, but if I'm honest, the only reason I was going was so I could say "I have been to a Kinetic" I was even willing to put up with a girly 6am finish to do so.
The biggest problem with attending was getting there. The *******s at Virgin Trains wanted 55 quid to get there, but the coach company wanted 30. All I had to do to save 20 quid was endure a six hour trip from hell in stop start traffic whilst sitting next to two aging rockers who were under the impression that the music industry's finest moment was Def leopard.
Thankfully I spotted a Mixmag reading Liverpool local in the seat in front and after a brief two hour conversation about clubbing, raving and life, managed not only to get much needed directions to the venue, but also a free cab ride there as well!
Cheers love!
Outside the place was Davespice and more than a few others, patiently waiting for the place to open. Shortly after nine the venue opened and after a search free entrance, me and Dave were inside after paying 15quid on the door.
I didnt know what to expect, but I was under the impression that Nation was in the "Superclub" mould. However, it was closer to Bagleys than Home. Right down to its exposed wooden rafters and spartan bare wooden floor, this place was more rave venue than club and as such, made me feel right at home. It also had the advantage of a well set up sound system and subtle but effective decor. The lighting rig was particularly impressive, managing to be both arresting yet still maintain an underground feel to the party.
Of course the music helped as well. Particularly as it was Hardcore from the word go in the main arena. Whilst the venue was filling up nicely, DJ Spinner and MC Mental put in a class warmup set, although the crowd didnt need warming up at all thanks to the serious amounts of lager that the party people were putting away (Seriously, these people can drink for England). All of them were well up for having a good time and it showed. However it was also noticable that a good portion of the ravers in the place were not 18 year olds hell bent on a gurn-a-thon. Not a small amount of the crowd were, shall we say, more "Senior" ravers. I'm not sure whether the event name had prompted them to come out and re-live old times, or the Liverpool party scene has a more mature following, but it was nice not to be the oldest person on the dancefloor for once.
Young and old, the ravers had no problem getting into the party mood and neither did me and Davespice. The first hour set the tone for the evening, with Spinner and Mental making easy work of getting the crowd going. Mental was particularly impressive on the mic, but Spinner also had his skills honed to a tee. Leaning towards the older classics such as "Follow me", "Hand of Destiny", "Set your body free" and finishing with the classic "Jee Haa!". The rave was well underway by the time these two had finished with it.
Next up was another North West Legend, DJ Demand of Compulsion fame took the next set. I have tapes of this guy that are so good that I have just about worn them out so I was expecting great things from him. True to his previous form he pulled a blinder out of the bag. Apart from well known favourites like "You're shining", "Elysium" and "Black magic, Bad magic", one particular tune stood out. A tune which I do not know the name of but love to bits, it had a crazy trance riff which topped off the set nicely, all the time while Demand was shaking the place up, the venue was getting fuller by the minute.
Next up was one of the highlights of the night with Dutch Imports Paul Elstak and MC Ruffian taking the stand for an hour of pure gabba madness. Ever since seeing this guy in action at Masters of Hardcore, I have learnt to appreciate Gabba for what it is and more importantly, dance to it.
Paul Gave the crowd exactly they were expecting as well, dropping tunes like "State of Emergency", "Payback", "Zombie" and my personal favourite "Pull it to the left".
Throughout the set, MC Ruffian did what Dutch MCs are famed for and hurled abuse at the crowd down the mic. Offensive it might have been, but the place was going hyper so it had to have been effective. At the end of the set i was running out of energy, but I just couldnt stop dancing. Fortunatly the time came for Brisk to take over, but I was spent so I had to do the unthinkable and have a sit down before I collapsed.
Fortunatly I had a good view of the party from where I was sitting so even though I was too wasted to dance, I could see the crowd had no such problems. Brisk mirrored the style of the rest of the evening but also added his own unique flair to proceedings. Tunewise, he kept the bouncy theme alive as well as dropping "Back and forth", "Angel eyes" and the "Earlcoser" remix of "Eyeopener". Vocally he had the foresight to bring MC Wottsee with him. Now a regular feature of Brisk's sets, these two are collaborating in a very effective manner when they go back to back. MC/DJ partnerships can be difficult to pull off but with these two there are no such problems. Pretty much every occasion I have seen them go head to head has seen the set improved because of it. But having a top nothc turntablist and an equally talented MC compete together is never a bad thing. Not least because of the overwhelming compulsion is gives me to get up off my **** and start dancing.
Next set was yet another highlight of the Northern Party circuit, another enjoyable set from Stu Allen. I thought I was in for yet another 95 anthem fest, but after an initial start in that direction with tunes like "Now is the time", he took us on a trip to the darkside with a solid 20 minutes of obscure bouncy tunes, before giving the crowd what they knew was good for them with the likes of "Jee Ha!", "Cold as Ice" and "Sunshine on a cloudy day". During his set, me and Davespice did the respectable thing and got our dayglos on. We were the only people in the building dressed like that, but we didnt care. Neither did anyone else for that matter.
There was only one way to finish off the night and that was with another old Kinetic regular. Sy and Storm took to the stage and gave the ravers and the night a send off to be proud of. As well as dropping upfront tunage like "Yeah Baby", "Free your mind" and "Into the sound" he also leaned heavily on modern remixes of classic Hardcore tunes. The set gave the upfront ravers the modern Hardcore they craved and the old skoolers a trip down memory lane. It was a well thought out set and even though the night was drawing to a close, there was no noticable thinning of the crowd. But would you think about leaving early whilst Storm was going full tilt and Sy was dropping remixes of "Discoland", "Only your love" and "4am"? Exactly.
Things I liked:
Music. It was very different from most other raves I have been to. A well thought out DJ lineup made for a bouncier selection with less trance oriented tunes to slow up the pace. Not to mention an hour of filth from Elstak and Ruffian. It was a refreshing change.
Atmosphere. VERY good atmosphere in the place. Happy party crew in the venue with no aggro that I saw. Me and Davespice had out dayglo vests on and all we got was handshakes from the rest of the ravers. Respect.
Security. Polite and unobtrusive all night. The only time I saw them go for it was to help some lad who had collapsed infront of one of the rear speakers. The rest of the time they were chilled and relaxed. Nice one lads.
Sound System. Seriously loud. My eyeballs were rattling on the bassnotes it was so loud. Nice clarity as well.
Things I liked less:
Toilets. One set, consisting of two cubicles, only one of which had a door, but no lock. When you got down to business you had to do it with no toilet seat as well. Hmm.
3am finish. The party showed no signs of fading at the end, how about a 6am finish next time?
Erm, thats about it really.
I went along to this party on the strength of its name alone. I wanted to see why so many ravers go misty eyed when Club Kinetic is mentioned. I dont know if this party was anything like the orginal raves, but if it was even half as good as its original incarnation then I know exactly what all the fuss is about. It was about two things, music and atmosphere. The former was top notch and the latter was out of this world. It was one of those "Head down and stomp your guts out" jobs where everything comes together in just the right way to create a blinding night out. In fact the only thing I didn't like about it is that its so far away from where I live that its a serious headache getting there from London. Its almost not worth the journey for the experience. Almost, but not quite. If there is any of a chance of repeating this party then believe me its worth every minute of the 12 hours I spent travelling to and from the rave. I so badly want to go to the next one its untrue.
astraboy.
Shouts to: Davespice, Jay Hughes (Legend!), Lee UHF, Strike, Sy, Storm, Paul_o, Jeff (Aka, DJ Power) and the rest of the safe party crew in the venue. Cheers lads, it was an education.
The biggest problem with attending was getting there. The *******s at Virgin Trains wanted 55 quid to get there, but the coach company wanted 30. All I had to do to save 20 quid was endure a six hour trip from hell in stop start traffic whilst sitting next to two aging rockers who were under the impression that the music industry's finest moment was Def leopard.
Thankfully I spotted a Mixmag reading Liverpool local in the seat in front and after a brief two hour conversation about clubbing, raving and life, managed not only to get much needed directions to the venue, but also a free cab ride there as well!
Cheers love!
Outside the place was Davespice and more than a few others, patiently waiting for the place to open. Shortly after nine the venue opened and after a search free entrance, me and Dave were inside after paying 15quid on the door.
I didnt know what to expect, but I was under the impression that Nation was in the "Superclub" mould. However, it was closer to Bagleys than Home. Right down to its exposed wooden rafters and spartan bare wooden floor, this place was more rave venue than club and as such, made me feel right at home. It also had the advantage of a well set up sound system and subtle but effective decor. The lighting rig was particularly impressive, managing to be both arresting yet still maintain an underground feel to the party.
Of course the music helped as well. Particularly as it was Hardcore from the word go in the main arena. Whilst the venue was filling up nicely, DJ Spinner and MC Mental put in a class warmup set, although the crowd didnt need warming up at all thanks to the serious amounts of lager that the party people were putting away (Seriously, these people can drink for England). All of them were well up for having a good time and it showed. However it was also noticable that a good portion of the ravers in the place were not 18 year olds hell bent on a gurn-a-thon. Not a small amount of the crowd were, shall we say, more "Senior" ravers. I'm not sure whether the event name had prompted them to come out and re-live old times, or the Liverpool party scene has a more mature following, but it was nice not to be the oldest person on the dancefloor for once.
Young and old, the ravers had no problem getting into the party mood and neither did me and Davespice. The first hour set the tone for the evening, with Spinner and Mental making easy work of getting the crowd going. Mental was particularly impressive on the mic, but Spinner also had his skills honed to a tee. Leaning towards the older classics such as "Follow me", "Hand of Destiny", "Set your body free" and finishing with the classic "Jee Haa!". The rave was well underway by the time these two had finished with it.
Next up was another North West Legend, DJ Demand of Compulsion fame took the next set. I have tapes of this guy that are so good that I have just about worn them out so I was expecting great things from him. True to his previous form he pulled a blinder out of the bag. Apart from well known favourites like "You're shining", "Elysium" and "Black magic, Bad magic", one particular tune stood out. A tune which I do not know the name of but love to bits, it had a crazy trance riff which topped off the set nicely, all the time while Demand was shaking the place up, the venue was getting fuller by the minute.
Next up was one of the highlights of the night with Dutch Imports Paul Elstak and MC Ruffian taking the stand for an hour of pure gabba madness. Ever since seeing this guy in action at Masters of Hardcore, I have learnt to appreciate Gabba for what it is and more importantly, dance to it.
Paul Gave the crowd exactly they were expecting as well, dropping tunes like "State of Emergency", "Payback", "Zombie" and my personal favourite "Pull it to the left".
Throughout the set, MC Ruffian did what Dutch MCs are famed for and hurled abuse at the crowd down the mic. Offensive it might have been, but the place was going hyper so it had to have been effective. At the end of the set i was running out of energy, but I just couldnt stop dancing. Fortunatly the time came for Brisk to take over, but I was spent so I had to do the unthinkable and have a sit down before I collapsed.
Fortunatly I had a good view of the party from where I was sitting so even though I was too wasted to dance, I could see the crowd had no such problems. Brisk mirrored the style of the rest of the evening but also added his own unique flair to proceedings. Tunewise, he kept the bouncy theme alive as well as dropping "Back and forth", "Angel eyes" and the "Earlcoser" remix of "Eyeopener". Vocally he had the foresight to bring MC Wottsee with him. Now a regular feature of Brisk's sets, these two are collaborating in a very effective manner when they go back to back. MC/DJ partnerships can be difficult to pull off but with these two there are no such problems. Pretty much every occasion I have seen them go head to head has seen the set improved because of it. But having a top nothc turntablist and an equally talented MC compete together is never a bad thing. Not least because of the overwhelming compulsion is gives me to get up off my **** and start dancing.
Next set was yet another highlight of the Northern Party circuit, another enjoyable set from Stu Allen. I thought I was in for yet another 95 anthem fest, but after an initial start in that direction with tunes like "Now is the time", he took us on a trip to the darkside with a solid 20 minutes of obscure bouncy tunes, before giving the crowd what they knew was good for them with the likes of "Jee Ha!", "Cold as Ice" and "Sunshine on a cloudy day". During his set, me and Davespice did the respectable thing and got our dayglos on. We were the only people in the building dressed like that, but we didnt care. Neither did anyone else for that matter.
There was only one way to finish off the night and that was with another old Kinetic regular. Sy and Storm took to the stage and gave the ravers and the night a send off to be proud of. As well as dropping upfront tunage like "Yeah Baby", "Free your mind" and "Into the sound" he also leaned heavily on modern remixes of classic Hardcore tunes. The set gave the upfront ravers the modern Hardcore they craved and the old skoolers a trip down memory lane. It was a well thought out set and even though the night was drawing to a close, there was no noticable thinning of the crowd. But would you think about leaving early whilst Storm was going full tilt and Sy was dropping remixes of "Discoland", "Only your love" and "4am"? Exactly.
Things I liked:
Music. It was very different from most other raves I have been to. A well thought out DJ lineup made for a bouncier selection with less trance oriented tunes to slow up the pace. Not to mention an hour of filth from Elstak and Ruffian. It was a refreshing change.
Atmosphere. VERY good atmosphere in the place. Happy party crew in the venue with no aggro that I saw. Me and Davespice had out dayglo vests on and all we got was handshakes from the rest of the ravers. Respect.
Security. Polite and unobtrusive all night. The only time I saw them go for it was to help some lad who had collapsed infront of one of the rear speakers. The rest of the time they were chilled and relaxed. Nice one lads.
Sound System. Seriously loud. My eyeballs were rattling on the bassnotes it was so loud. Nice clarity as well.
Things I liked less:
Toilets. One set, consisting of two cubicles, only one of which had a door, but no lock. When you got down to business you had to do it with no toilet seat as well. Hmm.
3am finish. The party showed no signs of fading at the end, how about a 6am finish next time?
Erm, thats about it really.
I went along to this party on the strength of its name alone. I wanted to see why so many ravers go misty eyed when Club Kinetic is mentioned. I dont know if this party was anything like the orginal raves, but if it was even half as good as its original incarnation then I know exactly what all the fuss is about. It was about two things, music and atmosphere. The former was top notch and the latter was out of this world. It was one of those "Head down and stomp your guts out" jobs where everything comes together in just the right way to create a blinding night out. In fact the only thing I didn't like about it is that its so far away from where I live that its a serious headache getting there from London. Its almost not worth the journey for the experience. Almost, but not quite. If there is any of a chance of repeating this party then believe me its worth every minute of the 12 hours I spent travelling to and from the rave. I so badly want to go to the next one its untrue.
astraboy.
Shouts to: Davespice, Jay Hughes (Legend!), Lee UHF, Strike, Sy, Storm, Paul_o, Jeff (Aka, DJ Power) and the rest of the safe party crew in the venue. Cheers lads, it was an education.
04 June 2004, 01:26 AM
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wow that brings back memories seeing the name "kinetic" used to love my trips!! to LONGTON S-O-T, used to love brisk and MC connie... can you remember DJ Daz Willet..?
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