astraboy

With the amount of events which incorporate Hardcore arenas into their nights on the the increase, particularly within the "Hard Dance" scene, it was only a matter of time before I found myself going to events that I'd never thought I'd willingly go to.

Frantic and Wildchild are near the top of that list. However, their latest rave, named "The Power and the Glory" made me want to be there for one reason only. 2004's biggest success story, Hardcore Till I Die (AKA HTID) had been asked to host a Hardcore arena when the rest of the promotion touched down at my second home, SeOne, on the 27th.

Not that I dont automatically go to anything with the words HTID on the flyer, but when I saw the lineup I knew that I had to be there right from the start. It was both a logical yet unusual lineup with Breeze, Styles, Storm and Whizzkid booked to play as usual, but at the same time bringing in a raft of London based DJs and MCs such as Uplift, Wizbit and Spenno with ChitChat. Hardcore Mainstays such as Sy and CLSM were also booked and out on their own were Cally and Juice, brought in at the last minute to finish off the night. The Jellybeanz crew were also on the card with unnamed DJs and MCs picked to play in the way they usually do.

This sublime mix of solid crowd pullers, innovators and underbooked talent made me even more determined to attend, the rest of the four rooms of the party nonwithstanding. I was under no illusions though, I would be spending the majority of the night rocking it down to the Hardcore to the exclusion of everything else. All I had to do was get to the rave nice and early to appreciate it all. Not that it would be difficult with the whole rave kicking off in central london and not 1 hour from where I lived. Of course I was going to be there.

With the familiar tunnel which houses the entrance to the club hoving into view at around 9.15 on the night, I saw there was very little queue and set about getting in. After sorting out entrance with the friendly laydees armed with lots of clipboards, I was briefly searched by the ever present and ever safe security and then I handed over my ticket. After that I was in.

What can be said about SEOne that hasnt been said before? I'm a regular at this place thanks to numerous high quality events and even more happy memories of good nights out. I knew before I arrived where the Hardcore arena was located and even though its my least favourite arena (Primarily cos of the ever present dodgy sound and excessive heat) it didnt dampen my spirits at all.

After sorting out my earplugs I made my way to the red arch. However, when I opened the door and went in, I was immediatly pushed back out by the bass! I tried again and made it inside this time. I stood there open mouthed for a good 30 seconds, a miracle had happened. It was 9.30 and I was standing in the Hardcore arch, listening to a fully functioning and perfectly EQ'd sound system!.

I was straight round the back of the stacks to get the name of the system responsible. Funktion One had brought its Resolution Four system along and had spent all the time needed to get every tone band out equally. Moreover, it was MASSIVELY loud with a bassline which shook my chest cavity, loose clothing, even my eyeballs were rattling, thats how loud it was. Easily the best system I have EVER heard in this arch, it was almost too loud, but I weren't complaining at all. This was the system I had to listen to all night and it was perfect. I dont use that word lightly either.

If that weren't enough then the decor for the HTID arch had been more than taken care of as well. Numerous spikey inflatables jostled for position on the ceiling with the HTID rave angel at the centre. On the walls were more rave angels with big HTID logos in the middle. Up front were four massive strobes, a powerful green laser and you guessed it, three more big HTID logos. You weren't gonna forget who was hosting this arch, thats for sure.

The icing on the cake for this arena was the DJ behind the decks who also had the privilige of kicking off the party with the opening set. DJ Wizbit was on first and was pumping out his own unique interpretation of the Hardcore sound. The best bit about this set was its also my favoured style as well.

Nice and dark with loads of tangents as he worked through his set, Wizbit gave the early crew in the pace as proper workout with top tunes getting an early airing including the remix of SMD 3, "Delarious", "Just one More" and the awesome "New Zealand Story". Wizbits set was completely MC free and as I knew most of the night would be abely complimented by all the lyrical talent I could handle, this set made a nice change from that and was all the better for it. I weren't the onnly one enjoying myself either, with Wiz frequently going bananas behind the decks as the tunes got the better of him. It got me ready to party all night, thats for sure.

After Wizbit had stepped down, I was well up for more of the same. Luckily the Jellybeanz crew were up next and they took the party to the next level. you never know who you're gonna get when it says "jellybeanz crew" on the flier, but you know that the best DJs and MCs from their ever expanding pool will beused as the situation demands. In this case it was Scottie and Mantra on the decks and MC Scottie B on the mic.

These three then went to work on the ever increasing crowd of ravers on the dancefloor with a set to be proud of. Mixing in tunes i haven't heard before with unashamed crowdpleasers like "Get ****ed" and "Died oh R.I.P." as well as the increasingly popular "Crack *****" and "Where the music plays". Scottie MC'd his lungs out while all this was going on behind the decks, making full use of the atmosphere which was being generated by the now nearly full arena. Lastly Scottie and Mantra finished off their set with a wicked drum and bass tune which I later learned was called "Scorned"

Next up was another London based DJ who I have a lot of time for, DJ Uplift. His underground tune selection which combines roughness and danceability always leaves me impressed. This was no exception. It was a doubly good set cos MC Spenno, though not on the flyer was able to step in to MC where it was needed. This was just such an occassion. By this time the rave was going off in a VERY Compulsive manner with a near as dammit full arena raving hard to the tunes Uplift was supplying.

Another high quality set from the man himself, he included "Midnight resistance", "This is Extreme", "Crack *****", the new remix of "genreate electricity" and lastly he finished off with the awesome upfront remix of "Injected with a poison" I really enjoyed this set and by the time it had finished I was even more of a sweaty mess than I was when I started. Not that I was complaining though, cos I had raved hard throughout Uplift and Spenno's time on stage. Spenno was in his element during this set, especially when he cained "Back to Reality" during "Crack *****" I was raving hard when those two joined forces.

For the next set, it was the turn of the HTID residents to play. with Styles and Storm on the decks and mic for the next hour. The place was in full swing with the Hardcore faithful you see week in week out mixing it up with Frantic and Wildchild's usual crowd, all of them ready for what was on offer.

To start off, Styles bucked the trend by playing an unusual remix of "Feels so real" before moving into the nitty gritty of his set which was firmly entrenched in the most popular upfront sounds of UK Hardcore. Dropping "Cutting Deep", "Shining down", "Heartbeatz" and a curious tune which contained a feisty "Suck my dick" vocal, Styles kept his end up while Storm took care of the lyrical side of things for his first performance of the evening. I particularly liked his own interpretation of DJ Future's old skool track when he dropped "I bring you the future" during "Shining Down". He was also in the zone when he busted out ""Why Oh Why" during "Heartbeatz".

For the peak time set, it was the turn of the CLSM to make their presence felt in the Hardcore arena. They were up next and due to put on another live PA of which they are famous. In a kind gesture, this next hour was dedicated to the late great John peel and after the crew had finished setting up, they raised their hands in the air and began the PA with a lengthy vocal tribute to the man "Who broke more bands than any other Radio DJ in the UK". After that, and a small pause so the ravers could reflect, they got on with business at hand. Busting out quality tunes and Weirding people out.

Jon Doe handled the musical side of things and Chit Chat the Mic related stuff. In a deliberate ploy to entice the Hard Dance ravers into the arena, he kept it minimalist yet fast paced with "y-Not", "Desolation" "D1B" and "I need you" all getting a look in. Thereafter, he returned to the labels familiar tunes which were welcomed with open arms by the Hardcore Ravers in the arena. In this second half the DJ dropped "Musica Maquina", "Reaching out", "Wicked MC", "Drifting away" and "Where the music plays". The Ravers know and love these tunes and this translated into lots and lots of dancing within the arena.

While this was going on, Ned and Eric were also busy. But what they were busy with was constructing a goat out of the various lengths of wood and power tools they brought with them How they managed to smuggle a 22" rip saw into the club is anyones guess but it was necessasary for goat construction so they did it anyway. As the final antler was being nailed to the rest of the goat "Need your emotion" came out of the system and Chit Chat was bang on it like he'd been throughout the enitre set to finish off the PA The CLSM took a bow and made their way off stage. Leaving the goat where it was.

No time for a rest though, cos the next star of the show was due up and i weren't missing him for nothing Sy got himself behind the decks and Storm busied himself removing various goat related debris from the stage. After he was finished, the two of them got on with doing what they do best.

I never get tired of these two going back to back. The way they have got it down to a well practised art always seems to motivate me to dance, even if I am totally wasted. This is the main reason that Sy and Storm are best suited to finishing off a rave. Even though they were playing a set in the middle of the night on this occassion, no corners were cut in pace, tempo and and sheer energy, both on the decks and the mic.

This was the set of the night for me. Loads of top tunes, loads of award winning lyrics and loads of energy to expend on my part. It was a winning combination and I was loving every minute of it. As usual, Sy was going full tilt on the bouncy selection and I was following suit on the dancefloor. Tunes like "Into the sound", "Ultimate High", "I feel the energy" and best of all the remix of "Free your mind" I was rushing hard when this one came on.

After Sy and Storm had torn the place a new ****, I was offski. Hardcore was what I was there for, but it would have been rude of me not to have a least a little dance in the rest of the rave. Fortunately, D.A.V.E. The Drummer was playing next door and I was in the mood for some techno so I got myself to the front and got on with enjoying his set.

Minimalist funky techno is very different to Upfront UK Hardcore but its a testiment to how good a job D.A.V.E. was doing that I quickly got into the music. In no time I was dancing away with the rest of the packed arena. Techo being as minimalist as it is, I only recognised one tune, but what I tune it was. The vocals gave it away before they told me the title of the tune "What kind of music will there be?" "TECHNO". All too soon the awesome vocals to "One night in Hackney" were pumping out the system and I was in my element. Finally I've heard this tune played out at a rave and I was raving in the middle of the crowd when it came on. Excellent.

I can only take techno on small doses, so at 4am, when D.A.V.E's set was up, I returned to the Hardcore room. Breeze was about halfway through his set at this point and compared to the techno
I had been listening to it was sooooooo fast! The MCs were a nice addition too, with Spenno and Newport legend Wottsee going for it like there was no tomorrow.

Breeze was bang on it too, and as I had slowed myself down in the other room, I was going bananas when he dropped the best tunes in his set including "Crack *****", the awesome "Crazy Love", "You're my angel", "You're shining" and finishing his set on "Feel so real".

For the final set of the night was given over to South Wales boys Cally and Juice. They also had the foresight to bring along MC Shocker for the party crew as well. The flyer hype had promised their first ever 100% Hardcore set and I was interested with what they could come up with.

As it turned out, it was a set heavily influenced by their Hard Dance background. Most of the tunes were completely unknown to me, but the BPMs were up near 160-170 so I was a happy bunny. Variation was the key here with the tunes alternating between fast and acidy, to vocal and uplifting. Next minute there were breakbeats to be enjoyed, and then finally one tune I could recognise, one that I hadn't heard for years, an early Trancecore tune with the vocals repeating "D'ya want it?" over and over.

It may have been different, but it got me dancing thats for sure, I werent the only one either. I thought the crowd would thin out somewhat after the last "Name" had finished, but the boys stuck to their guns and the crowd stuck to their spot on the dancefloor and were joined by many others as well. I wouldnt have chosen it to finish the night myself, but i couldnt deny it was effective.

Things I liked:

Sound system - OMG what a system. Proof positive that with the right system in there, good sound is possible. In this case it was a reality. The person responsible for bringing Funktion One in deserves a huge cigar for their efforts.

Decor - Lots of branding which I always like, as well as the spikey inflatables, This party was complimented well in the decor department.

Production - I always like lasers, but this one was especially good. Tony Res comes up trumps again with his Res laser doing the do all night long. I am less fond of strobes, but these were kept minimal and when they were used they were kept at a high flash frequency. The party suffered no-one dropping as a result.

Lineup - Awesome mix of DJs including London talent, Crowd pullers, Live PAs and unusual bookings. Its nice to see such variation in a DJ card. More nights should experiment like this.

Music - A benefit of a varied lineup means varied music. The only genre which was underepresented was gabba, but everything else was out in full force. Even Trancecore was given a shot. Respect.

Things I liked less:

Heat - Another reason to hate the red arch, it gets too hot in there. I left the rave soaked to the skin in my own sweat and I werent the only one either. Fans were at the front to cool the party crew down, but they werent enough to stop the crowd wilting because of the heat and the atmosphere suffered as a result. Maybe next time the fans can be placed inside the tubes of the air movement system above the doors of the arena. one sucking cold air in from the second arena and one blowing warm air out into the Main arena.

9.30 start, 5.30 finish - I didn't like this at all. I, like a lot people, were there for the Hardcore alone and didnt want to spend the final half hour of the party in any other arena. It was weird leaving the arena with the rest of the rave still going and I would have much preferred an extra DJ to be brought in to bring the start and finish times in line with the other arenas.

A Whizzkidless rave is never good. It did feel like something was missing if I'm honest with you.

Politics. Nuff said.

These were only minor niggles though cos on the whole, my first Frantic and Wildchild was a great night out. It werent my first HTID though (far from it) and its safe to say that the promoters have maintained their unbroken track record of consistant blinding parties, wherever they choose to pitch up on the night of the rave. Awesome music, tearing sound, safe ravers, high production values and familiar surroundings combined to make a thoroughly enjoyable night out.

What was most apparant though was the careful thought that had gone into the party. Someone had noted the shortcomings of previous parties at the SeOne and pulled out all the stops to sort them out. From this you can tell the promoters want to create the perfect rave and damn it was close. Okay it was too hot, but EVERY other aspect had been sorted, including musically, aurally, visually and, of course the top end DJs and MCs booked on the night.

This was another of a long line of Hard Dance raves with Hardcore rooms I have attended. It was also dangerously close to the best one I have attended too. Here's to the next one, ideally with HTID at the forefront of the equation.
astraboy.