astraboy

Always a highlight of the annual round of christmas raves, Elation is as regular as clockwork in the way it touches down with a corker of a party which is notable for a variety of reasons. Most prominent of which is the guarantee of the craziest party you can imagine, coupled with the very best Hardcore Rave music you can find.

As usual, the flyers hit the streets and the notoriously high musical quality was evident. A few of the previous parties had been accused of being a bit too specialised and focused, therefore the lineup had been adjusted to accomodate a number of headliners and crowd pullers, as well as supplying DJs to maintain the diversity Elation is famous for.

Probably the best endorsement of the lineup is the fact it was finalised and released quite some time ago, then a good portion of the lineup were victorious in the 2005 Hardcore Awards! Top of the list was (and this is official now) the number 1 Hardcore jock in the UK, DJ Sy. But joining him were Gammer and Wotsee, fresh from winning "Best breakthrough artist" in their respective DJ and MC specialisms.

Accompanying them were Elation regulars, Uplift, Caine and, of course, the promoters Ponder and HB. But that werent all, not by a long shot. A distinct Scottish influence had been added to the party in the form of Scott Brown and Paul Zykotik, each securing their first Elation bookings and both bringing their unique sound to the party.

Last but not least, the hottest raw talent in the land had been brought to vocally enhance the party in the form of Elmo, RizlaDizla, Chit Chat and the aforementioned Newport veteran, MC Wottsee.

All this and the promise of another off the wall Elation Xmas Live PA mean there was only one place to be and that was in the queue next to the entrance of Elation's longterm home, the Electrowerkz.

I always get there early for this party. I was especially early on this occasion as I knew the set times (cos they were printed on the flyer, big up) and I also knew that Caine would come up with a sublime set to start the party.

Waiting outside and hearing him kick off the night was a little bit of a downer, but security quickly sheperded us in and after handing over a very reasonable tenner, I was in.

No messing about here, straight into the toilets to sort out my earplugs and then straight into the main arena to see what Caine was up to. Sure enough, he was not "warming up" the massing ravers, but giving them a full tilt stomping session in the style I have come to expect from him. Serious Hardcore and serious BPMs as he got the night going with a bang.

His tune selection was as polished as his mixing with plenty of the choice tunes from the more underground labels such as "This world", "Taken Higher", "Mimic" and "Heh". I dont know about anyone else, but by the time Caine was finished I was ready for some serious stomping. Thats the way to start off a rave.

Fortunatly, the next DJ was also one of the "No hands in the air crap, lets go mental" breed. It made for a nice continuation of the theme set by Caine. Taking his long overdue first Elation booking, Paul Zykotik stepped up and played a long awaited bouncy techno set. Its the sort of thing I come to Elation for, I had a feeling I would love this and I did not go away disappointed.

From the outset, the BPMs were sky high and you wanted bouncy? oh boy did you get it. And then some. Paul is not known for backing down or shying away from a musical challange, so when the Elation crew said "We want bouncy" he delivered in shovelloads. The only one who was keeping any kind of order during all this was MC RizlaDizla on the mic. Paul was going as crazy behind the decks as the tunes were on them.

The set was fast, furious and very, very danceable. I cannot name any of the tunes he played, so I cheated and asked him once he had finished. His own personal highlights include "Happy Vibes", "E-creation 95", "Mind of a lunatic" and the aptly named "Bleeding ears".

Sooner or later, the bounce had to stop and when it did, Gammer was more than up for taking things further. You never know what to expect with this guy and the combination of this unpredictability as well as a musically liberated crowd was sure to liven the place up, as was the addition of MC Wottsee on the mic.

At first he kept it strictly mainstream, with only the biggest tunes getting an airing. Not that I was complaining though, cos its always nice to hear "Things are getting better", "3000 cycles" and a new remix of "Crack *****".

However, it was the second half of the set which really stood out. Elation has never been big on techno in any of its forms, so Gammer grabbed the opportunity to innovate and lept into a full on Gabba fest in the second half of the set. "Dedicated to my soldiers on the front line", "However you want it you can have it your way" and an amusing remix of "Kung Fu fighting" were all welcome additions, but they all paled into insignificance compared to his last tune. The BPMs reached terminal velocity as he finished off the set with an unknown, but awesome speedcore tune. Wicked.

Next up was meant to be a promoters special of Ponder & HB going b2b, but the lack of DJ Lukozade on the night gave them the opportunity to play solo. HB would close the night, and Ponder would take the peak time set.

And what a set he played. In a polar opposite of the Dutch madness, Ponder took the ravers on a Breakbeat Hardcore expedition, calling at all stops in and around this favoured genre of mine. Elmo was equally at home, taking his Elation Residency once again and obiviously enjoying his work.

He leaned on the more obscure (for me anyway) tunes and the set was all the better for it. Its nice to be educated while you're raving and Ponder came up with the goods. Playing "Hooligans anthem", "Virus", " Midnight Air" and "One Way" which were all very easy on the ear, as was his better known effort "New Zeland Story", but the tune of the set had to be Grob Le Frog's very own "DJs are Dogs" and the place, along with myself, went crazy all over again. Top set.

Up next was another Elation regular. DJ Uplift had promised a highly anticipated 95 Hardcore set and I made sure I was on the dancefloor when he stepped up to perform. Right from the start it was a killer of a set. 95 business always goes down well, but when its fed to a full dancefloor of dancing ravers, its even better. I was loving this set like I knew I would.

Tunes, ah yes the tunes, they were of course, better known tunes amongst the underplayed classics. However, as I cannot name them you'll have to make do with the better known tunes as the basis of his set. But it dont matter when they are tunes like "6Days", "Take me away", "Rock this place", "I feel the friction" and the awesome "Let it lift you".

During all the, the one and only MC Chit Chat was on the mic, cementing his repuatation as one of the best crowd hypers in the business. He really was in the zone for this set and the heards of dancing ravers in front of his was all the proof he needed.

With the night wearing on, it was the turn of the mainstays to take over from the innovators. DJ Sy took his place behind the decks and what followed was a pleasent surprise. Taking advanage of a broad minded audience, he showcased a lot of tunes I have not heard before to gague their reaction. Favourable, by all accounts, including mine.

Further into his set, he moved into what has made him such a popular DJ. Lots and lots of bouncy tunes, designed to make the ravers dance. Elmo had made a welcome return to the mic at this point and he and the DJ went for it as one. I was enjoying myself so much that tune IDing went out the window and I just got on raving as hard as I could. The only one I caught was "makin me wanna dance" which Sy used to close another winner of a set.

The next DJ was one a lot of people had made the journey soley to see. Scott Brown took over proceedings and by this time I was more than up for what he had to offer. Wottsee was also on hand to ensure the lyrical aspect of the rave did not go wanting and together they busted out tune after tune and made the ravers go bananas.

This was the set that really got me going. I had reached the point where the music had started speaking to me on a number of levels. Simple riffs took on sublime meanings and I was loving every minute of them. In particular, the rush that overtook me when "This is how we do it" nearly took my head clean off my shoulders it was so powerful and the rest of the set was just as good.

Dropping tunes like "Rock your Body", "Cos we're dropping this", the awesome "I became Harcore" and "Back and Forth" were all present and correct, However the tasty Gabba mix of "Neckbreaker" was particularly good. But I think the most appreciated portion of his set was the ever present Gabba selection at the end. I utterly failed to name any of the tunes, but Scott usually favours the obscure side of his Gabba tunes so theres no shame there. I know I was dancing throughout and most especially to his final tune, the dance frenzy that is "Boomstick"

After Scott had finished, it was time for another Genre jump with 15 minutes of strangeness, courtesy of the Elation Christmas PA.

What can be said about these things? If you saw 2003's effort you were guaranteed to go away smiling, but this one set new boundaries in daftness. I'm listening to the free CD that was handed out on the night as I write this and I'm smiling right now.

The PA centred around horrific mutilations of christmas carols and songs such as "All I want for christmas", "We three Kings" and "I wish it could be christmas every day" What they did to "Silent night" was particularly traumatic, with its vocals interruped with a full on Drum and Bass breakdown, not to mention the first ever time I have listened to "Stay" at a rave.

Whilst this was eminating from the speakers, the Elation boys were all on stage in christmas hats, attending to their instruments. Ponder on Keyboards, HB on the mic and Tom was on Inflatable guitar. The whole thing was utterly ridiculous and highly entertaining, especially MC Happy Spaz's 100% live vocals.

For the final set of the night, HB put down the mic and took his place behind the decks. Chit Chat took over the mic work and HB went for it to finish off the night. Keeping it upfront and danceable for the final hour, the crowd were fading, but the REAL hardcore ravers stood their ground and danced till the end.

I found it easy with the top tunage that Mr. Bounce was coming up with. Easily recognisable and danceable tunes such as "Midnight resistance", "New Zealand Story" and "Ultimate High" were a perfect way to draw Elation's 2004 season to a close. Chit Chat was in his element on the mic too, with what was left of the crowd enjoying everything they had to offer. Finally the last tune was dropped, the aptly named "After all is said and done" I danced till it faded out and then asked for one more to be on the safe side.

Things I liked:

Elation - I love this party. Its my most attended event and I wouldn't have it any other way. However the last couple of parties were lacking in attendence and atmosphere. This was different though. This was Elation back at its best. I had a great time.

Music - There was literally something for everybody at this party. Whatever you preferred, you would have gone away happy. Upfront, Bouncy, Breakbeat, Freeform, 95, and bouncy techno. Of course, cheap and easy to please ***** like me were dancing all night long because of the fantastic music on offer.

Atmosphere - Its baaaack! The permanant grin on my face all night and my feet ready to drop off when the music faded out is all the proof that I needed.

Randomness - The PA being weird, funny and different, Elmo turning up looking like he had just come from a job interview, someone throwing up all over the toilets despite the venue only being open for 20 minutes, the gas monsters, the list goes on and on. It was a top night out in every respect.

Security - Ozzy and the boys were there as always and were as ubersafe as normal.

Things I liked less:

6am finish - Time and tide wait for no man, but I still didnt want it to end.

This was, without doubt, one of the Raves of the year. I couldnt believe how much of a good time I had. It was one of those nights where everything comes together in the best possible way and you're just really happy to be there so you can experience it all.

All the things that Elation is famous for were out in full force for this party and it showed. Best music in the UK? Check. Best atmosphere bar none? Check. Scarily up for it party crew in the place? Check (and then some). The only thing that was noticable by its absence was anything that even remotely brought down my night. There is usually something that pisses me off (however small it may be) but there was nothing at all I could gripe about.

Once again, Elation leads the way when it comes to the best parties. They saved the best till last and pulled a cracker out the bag with their last party of the year. These guys are at the forefront of Hardcore Rave promoting. Its also the reason why I am at the forefront of the queues to get in when the raves occur. I'm there regular as you like. See you there too.
astraboy.

Shouts to: Kaylene (x!), Grob, Rainbow Drops, Slammin Sam, Mikey B (ouch!) Kev V, Jordan Lost soul, Ed-E and Mrs Ed-E, Dave Skywalker, Dave Matusi (Hoooooooob!) Dan Desire, Cris-E-Manic, Lord Peter, Adey "Gabba1" - this guy IS Hardcore, Matt Wildcard and Lauren, Charles, Dj Poison, Koz, Lul, Slammin Sam, CDJay, Bag, Gurning Girly, Carl, Elliot, Darkmatter, Curly, Kazzer & Mrs Kazzer, Immz, Lady Angelic, Luna-C, Emma Marajade, Moonlight raver, Slimjim, Coriolis, Aste, Paul USH and Carol, Moron, Josh Emotion, Venetian Baztard, Ozzy and the rest of security, Grant and the Epidemik crew, Jamie, Lianne, Nitechild, Sy, Scott Brown, Paul Z, Caine, HB, Ponder, Tom U4EA, Uplift, Chit Chat, Elmo, Smiley, Wottsee, Rizla Dizla, the one and only Tony Res, and anyone else who I may have forgotten.