astraboy

For many people, NYE is the most important night of the year. The combination of most of the country putting its party hat on for the night and only the biggest raves going head to head to out-do each other is often a little intimidating.

This gets so bad that some people prefer not to take any chances on the basis that it could all go wrong and stay in for house parties instead. Others prefer to make informed choices based on musical variety, previous form and most importantly, where most of my mates were going.

Slammin had raised their game from the diabolical performance they displayed at last years NYE with a high quality showing at Shepton Mallet and the promise of a repeat performance complete with man sized soundsystem this time and the same safe security as before.

Futurevibe were plugging the Northern gap with a Rave at The Street in Skegness. Apart from an exclusive showing from Scott Brown, their main feature was a near suicidal endurance contest. 19 hours raving was on offer if you were up for it.

That left Helter Skelter. They were returning to The Leisure Complex in Milton Keynes after their highly successful Energy04 party earlier on this year. A lot of the aspects of this party appealed to me, in particular its sub 1 hour travelling time from my place, as well as it was the events "turn" to be attended after getting myself to all three previously this year and it was time to start again, but if I'm honest, it was nothing more than the musical variety that made me decide where to go.

Not one but TWO HTID Hardcore arenas immediately lept from the flyer. The best thing was the lineup was not "Big names in the main room and smaller ones upstairs" it was spead equally across the two and they both combined to create a sublime mix of near enough every interpretation of the Hardcore sound. Not even the lack of Storm and Whizzkid put me off the promise of that. Looks like I'd found my destination then.

In the event, I found myself anticipating the event more than normal. The combination of loads of time off from work and very little to do left me focusing on the rave and nothing else. Eventually it came around and I drove up to the party more than a little excited about what lay ahead.

When I arrived a large queue was present, but I was meant to be at the one round the corner and it was a lot smaller. After waiting till 7.30, we were let in after being searched selectively and after that we were in.

I wanted to get stuck straight in with the raving, but with the arenas not opening for another hour and a half we had to find other things to do. However, with a full on free funfair and bowling alley on offer, there was plenty to keep us amused. I threw in with some familiar faces and had an enjoyable game and shortly after we finished, the arena opening time was upon us.

No messing about here, straight in the queue for the HTID arenas. There were DJs to see and I wanted to see the people on first. The queue moved forward after a few minutes delay and shortly afterwards, I was inside. Just in time to see Robbie Long and Ham start the evening off.

I was expecting great things from these two. I was still kicking myself that I had missed their full on breakbeat set at HTID so I was determined to see a second outing and made sure by driving up way eariler than necessasary and jacking in my game of bowling early as well.

So it came as a bit of a dissapointment that when I finally got inside and stood there with a "Hit me with those glorious breaks lads" look on my face, very few were forthcoming. Dont get me wrong, the set was very good, but these two, famed for their breakbeat sets, both individually and as a pair, honestly did dissapoint me by going for an upfront set, rather than what I was expecting. Maybe next time eh?

Having said that though, their set was respectable enough for the nights opener. Keeping it upfront and mainstream with tunes such as "Crazy Love" and "Just be Happy" is always the backbone of a dependable set. However this was complimented by the completely MC free environment. Allowing the ravers who were coming in at a not inconsiderable rate to truely appreciate the tunes. Only at the end of the hour did MC Ribbz do the respectable thing and get on the mic to compliment the tunes.

However, that prompted me to leave the arena at warp speed and get my **** upstairs. Mark EG was on next in the main arena, but even though the flyer had promised his "Fastest ever set", I assumed that Marc Smith's would be somewhat faster. This meant leaving the main HTID room and making the first of many visits to the Freeform room upstairs.

When I arrived, Smithy was already on the decks and had been joined by Smiley on the mic. They were entertaining a small but growing band of discerning Hardcore mainiacs on the initmate dancefloor in front of them. I happily joined that crowd.

True to form, Marc was going at it like he always does, the perfect blend of freeform and upfront tunage to make the most dancable set of the night. Even though it was only 10pm he was still going full tilt and I was loving every minute of it. Smithy effortlessly had the crowd in the palm of his hand and kept them there with a plethora of top notch tunes like "Are you ready for the ride", "This is Extreme", "Adagio" and finishing on a high with "State of emergency". Smiley was on equal good form with a stong showing of his most popular lyrics. I was a particular fan of him dropping "Bo Selecta" during "Crackwhore".

With 11pm rapidly approaching, I needed to be elsewhere. With Smithy's last tune fading away I dusted sharpish and made my way out of the HTID arenas. The Raindance arena was calling and I couldnt resist the lure of Vibes and Lively any longer.

When I got there, the familiar Raindance setup was once more in the arena. The kick *** soundsystem and potent lighting rig were impressive, but they all paled in comparison to Raindance's best export. Its fully transportable atmosphere.

I dont know what it is about this party, but from the South coast, up past its various venues in london, all the way through to the time they touched down in Skegness, Raindance always brings an atmosphere that engenders a vibe of being somewhere special. I have never seen any bother at a Raindance party, everybody is enjoying themselves far too much for that sort of nonsense. All the party crew in the place are totally focused on having a good time and enjoying the music. NYE at LIFE was no exception. Especially with Vibes and Livelee in the place.

I was expecting a full on Happy Hardcore set from these two, but they gave me something so much better than what I was expecting. When I arrived they were knocking out seriously good early Jungle Techno tunes. Dark underground breakbeats dominated this set and seeing how I missed out on an injection of breaks at the start of the night, I was in my element.

I only remember a smattering of the tunes now that I think about it. Mostly cos of Livelee's performance on the mic. Specifically, I can remember him dropping "Never jodge a book by its cover" over "No retreat, no surrender" and "No Valley too deep" over "See the lite", the rest of the set was dominated by me getting down to the tunes and into the atmosphere along with easily the coolest people in the building.

I didnt want to leave, but there were important things afoot. I knew I had to be in the main arena of the HTID part of the complex when the midnight hour. This meant leaving the Raindance party at quarter too and making all speed to the Hardcore arena.

I got there with a few minutes to spare and Sedders and Rude were just finishing off their set to a packed arena. Literally it was elbow to elbow with virtually no room to dance at all. I gave up trying to get near the front and settled on finding a few friends near the side to spend midnight with.

While this was happening, Sedders was rounding off the night with "I adore" and when that played out, we were mere minutes from 2005. Hixxy and Marley stepped up to see in the new year and everyone was focused on what the last tune of 2004 would be.

Hixxy surprised me and I think quite a few others by dropping "State of Emergency". Didnt see that one coming, let me tell you. I was just getting into it when it was taken down again though. MC Marley counted us into 2005 and with an almighty cheer, the new year was upon us. Glitter cannons fired off all round the arena as everyone wished a happy new year to the ravers around them, whether they knew them or not.

For his part, Hixxy was more predictable for the first tune of 2005 with "Fly away" seeing in the new year. After a few minutes dancing, I realised I needed to be elsewhere. I would be seeing Hixxy tomorrow and besides, the Freeform room was calling me again, who was I to argue?

Upstairs, the Nu Energy collective had taken over for the start of the new year and once again, a crowd of ravers on the dancefloor were making the most of the wicked second room by dancing away like they knew they ought to. Best of all, the wicked MC Ethos was on the mic. This guy is just not booked enough and it was great to see him out and on peak form too.

Tune wise it is always something special with Sharkz and Energy. This time, the highlight of the set was early on with my favourite fun tune of the moment, the Freeform rip of "Badger, Badger, Badger" getting a well deserved airing. Of course it was accompanied by Sharkey's very own imported rave badger taking his place behind the decks.

The rest of the set was just as good with furious BPMs and lots of new tunes dominating the set. As well as the VERY dancable "Overdrive" and Energy's wicked scratching session over the top of it, the set was finished by a tune by the name of "Pig". Its best feature? a steadily rising BPM which increased to sadistic levels. This tune should be sent to Guiness as I seriously feel it could challange Moby for the title of "Fastest tune ever".

The next set I wanted to see was back in the main arena. It was a relief to leave the newly crowned "hottest room in Hardcore", so I went back downstairs onto the main dancefloor and got ready for the Quosh boys' double pronged attack.

Sy and Unknown took the 1am slot and I was ready for some serious bouncyness. Casper joined them on the mic and together they went for it in a way I could do nothing but dance too. It was so good that tune IDing went straight out the window more or less after they started. I totally lost it during this set and as such the only tunes I can remember are my personal favourites, namely the remixes of "Free your mind", "Discoland" and "Bring me round to Love" and the sets finisher, "Makin me wanna dance". The rest of the set was one of those that are a total kickdrum driven blur and as such I can only tell you it was good.

If that werent enough, then the next set would surely finish me off. Another installment in a partnership that has come on in leaps and bounds in 2004, Brisk and Wottsee stepped up to represent Next Generation at the rave. I have seen these two team up across the counrty and it never fails to impress. NYE seemed to bring out the best in these two and they did the business and then some.

The set was mostly vocally oriented from what I can remember, with what appeared to be a new remix of "Crazy love" to kick off the hour and continuing in a similar vein with "Just be Happy" and "Angel Eyes". These are only the ones I can remember though, so dont take my word for it.

At this point, the dancefloor had thinned a little from the midnight hour and thank god it did. The tunes were meant to be danced to and with a little more room to go around it was exactly what I did. Another hour was sacrificed to the time stealing rave goblin and before I knew it, it was over even though I wanted to continue. Brisk saved the best till last though, with the upfront remix of "No good, start the dance" finishing off the set.

After two hours of relative comfort, it was time to return to the oven upstairs. It was all worth it though, cos the Nu Energy Prodigies, AMS and K-Komplex were going back to back for an hour. I had missed too many of these guy's performances over the year and now I had a chance to see them at last.

As expected of a product of Nu Energy, these guys played an upfront Freeform Hardcore set. From the outset, I could tell they were determined to push the boundaries of their chosen genre as I didnt have a clue what they were playing. I didnt know what they were playing and it was hotter than hell in there, but you know what? I was still dancing. You dont need to be able to ID tunes to know when they are doing it for you and I was right next to the speakers for the majority of the set.

The only time I moved away was to get some more water, otherwise, I was dancing non stop. The only tune I did recognise was "This one's insane, ****ing with your brain". Kind of ironic as not only was that tune insane, but so was the whole time I was there. Really enjoyed it none the less. Looking forward to the next one too.

By this point, the rave was nearing its final few hours. I was happy to stay for the rest of AMS's and K-Komplex's set, but I knew I had other places to be. I couldn't leave the rave without spending at least a few hours in the Technodrome.

Same as last time, the temparature jumped 10 degrees upon entering the sweaty technopit. It was dimly and minimally lit with only a few lights and one laser to call its own. Another thing was scarce, the only people in the place were ravers and two performers. The police and security who were all over the rest of the rave appeared to be too **** scared to go in there. Quite frankly, I can understand why.

The place was heaving with sweating, dancing technoheads. Scorpio and Producer were well into their three hour marathon set and Squdgy B was gracing the mic. The tunes were actually quite subdued by the previous standards they had set in previous performances I had seen, but I knew they were just toying with me and building from a base to really get going later.

It was also the first time I had seen Squidgy B on the mic as well, with a credible and minimalist performance on the mic holding him in good stead with the assembled crowd. The ravers were the real star of the show here. They were on peak form. No trouble at all, but dangerous amounts of energy to expend and a definite ear for the music. Everytime the DJs mixed in a new tune, the place went ballistic all over again and by far the best sight of the night was the formation of the now infamous Techno mosh pit in front of the mainstage. I love it when that happens.

By 4am, Scorpio and producer could contain themselves no longer. The tunes got noticably harder at the turn of the hour and shortly after, the gabba came on, much to the appreciation of everyone in the place, myself included. For the hour I was there, Me, Spike and DJ Poison were going crazy to the tunes the DJ were supplying. Sod IDing, I was dancing as if my life depended on it. It probably did now that I mention it, I doubt I would have noticed if I had slipped and gone down.

4.30 mercifully came and I left the arena. It was almost a relief to get back to the freeform room upstairs with its heat. At least there was Billy "Daniel" Bunter, CLSM and MC Ethos there to calm my nerves when I arrived. After a hour of fierce Techno, The tunes were almost soothing, quite apart from being excellent.

This small 30 minute set was crammed full of rushworthy tunes. With me arriving as "Reaching out" was in full flow, to the tinglyness that "Dancing the night away" produced right after, I could tell I was going to enjoy this one.

However, even I was not prepared for what was next. Brand new tunage was the order of the day and CLSM came up with a blinder. A brand new remix of one of my favourite tunes (for obvious reasons ), "Drifting away" sounded different with a kick driven backbeat, but no less good. It was ecen better with MC Ethos bang on it by caining "Smooth operator" over the top.

The rest of the set was just as good. From the roar that the crowd produced when John Peels name was checked during the tune of the same name, to the contrasting styles of his closing tune "The Time has come", it was a set that was a definite highlight of the night. Best things come to those who wait eh?

For the last hour of the night, I was torn between seeing DJs I knew were going to smash it, namely Uplift and Lukozade and finishing off the night in the main arena. I decided to stay where I was for the time being and see how I felt later on.

Glad I did as well, joined by MC Scottie B on the mic, the set was a blinder and while the crowd in the second room werent massive, all of them were throroughly appreciative of what the artists had to offer. This included me right from the outset as their first tune was one of my favourites, the upfront remix of "Injected with a poision". It got me dancing and the rest of the set maintained that status quo with tunes like "New Zealand Story" and "This is Extreme" getting another outing.

The two best things about this set? Well the first has to be Luke's very nice scratching over the tunes and the other is definitely Scottie B's most arresting freestyle moments throughout the set. They were definite assets. So much so, I didnt want to leave.

I set myself an ulitmatum. Styles and Breeze downstairs had one chance and one chance only to entice me away from the second room. If the tune they were playing when I entered the main arena weren't something VERY special then I was back upstairs like a shot.

I left the Freeform room and the boys from the south coast were caining the upfront remix of "Follow me". Game, set and match to the RBC I think. I got myself onto the dancefloor asap.

It was the final 30 minutes and I werent wasting any time. Neither were the performers on stage. Breeze and Styles kept it upfront and euphoric and Odyssey was on top form as they both took the rave and put it to bed.

The dancefloor was full of people with the same idea as me, not wanting to waste any time. Even Sallie and Sarah the stage dancers were giving it all they had for the sprint finish as the DJs pumped out tune after tune.

The "History of Syles and Breeze" set was more or less a continuation of what they usually play tbh, but I weren't complaining. Lots of uplifting tunes to finish off the night is always a good way to go so I was there with the rest of the Hardcore surviviors, raving our hardest to tunes that made me rush.

"24-7", "You're Shining", "Heartbeatz" and "Sing me another love song" gives you an idea of what we were raving too and even though the lack of a last tune due to someone going down right at the end of the party didnt detract from a set to send you on your way with a smile on your face. It was just a pity it ended on a whimper instead of a bang, but at least I saw the bloke who collapsed ok and on his phone outside. Could have been a lot worse.

Things I liked:

Musical variety - This was the best thing about this party. Dont like it in the main HTID room? Then there is always the HTID Freeform room upstairs. Then the Raindance room. Then the Technodrome. All of them stuffed with top acts as befitting NYE. You were guaranteed not to get bored at this party.

Sound - Once again it was seriously loud and very well balanced. I particularly liked the speakers on the upper HTID level which precipitated dancing on two floors of the main arena. I also suspect that the standard system had been upgraded somewhat :wink:

Atmosphere - Top notch party atmosphere all night long. Only saw a tiny amount of trouble once during the night, but Bubble and security deserve a huge big up here for being bang on it straight away and sorting it out there and then. Thereafter it was non existant. 8)

Free stuff - Not only free set times on entry, but a free funfair, free bowling and free laserquest as well!

Aircon - Last time the Main arena was roasting hot. This time it was nice and chilled out there. Yum.

Entrance queues - Didnt have to queue long to get in at all. Okay I was in the side queue, but I didnt hear anyone else complaining either.

Things I liked less:

Aircon - The main arena was as cold as the second room was hot. I spent most of my time upstairs and I lost a stone during the course of the night. It cant be healthy.

Food prices - I know food is not the biggest seller at a rave, but charging 5 quid for burger and chips is bordering on criminal.

Laserquest - For some reason this was closed on the night. Probably for the best TBH cos as soon as the lasers started flying, the game would grind to a halt as everyone would probably have started reaching for them.

Gurn.net arena - I feel so sorry for these guys, twice they have had their party at Milton Keynes shut down by environment officers for being too noisy. I was reliably informed that once they had pulled Gurn's licence they then went back to their offices and spent the rest of the evening raping small furry animals. Then smearing their naked bodies with the entrails. Allegedly.

This was an excellent night out. I know a lot of people pin a lot of expectations to a night like this, for no other reason than its NYE. However, Helter Skelter and all its individual arena organisers excelled themselves. Apart from a few (very) minor niggles, they were bang on target for the entire night.

Music, atmosphere and sound are the three most important componants of any rave and these were all at 100% for the entire night in every arena I went in. Hell, the Technodrome had a full on mosh pit going for most of the time I was in there and in my experience, only the very best parties generate those.

For a night with such high expectations, LIFE delivered in every way they were expected to and then some. Dangerous levels of planning and organisation showed why these people have a reputation for being this good at what they do. If nothing else is meant I knew I had made the right decision about where to spend my NYE. A party cant get much better if you reach the conclusion that there is nowhere you'd rather be can it? Bring on the next one as well, I can't wait.
astraboy.

EXSCOOBY

just asking as i thought no one over the age of 15 listened to this breakbeaty piano stuff anyway. Perhaps you might get more of a response if you cut and pasted the whole thing on www.maxpower.co.uk or www.barryboys.co.uk
Im glad you enjoyed yourself mind, but the idea of standing in a cold arena/field/warehouse at my age makes me shudder and reach for the horlicks.

Patt@firstime

Each to there own and all that

Mitchy260

Couldn't be bothered reading

ScoobyDriverWannabe

a highly detailed review as ever astraboy, i think you need to apply for a job writing for a magazine your write ups are wasted on here.

King RA

These are reviews that go in a magazine.

Why even tell us this???

Patt@firstime

AB - You lost a stone in weight is that true ?

EXSCOOBY

ive got to be honest here i used to be arsed about what djs play at parties etc but now realise that im so upfront that i have almost every tune anyway.
good djng is a dying art and unless you count the beat manipulation using cd turn tables ie editing beats and time juggling there is literally nothing new in 20 yrs of djng. I have played most of the BIG venues in europe and im bored of it to tell the truth. I make more money from 1 remix than i do from 4 gigs
happy hardcore is frankly embarassing and has been off the rader of dance mags now for 4 yrs for good reason. I could mix better without headphones than any hardcore jock except maybe stu allen, micky fiin, grooverider who can actually play. the others are spotty chancers

King RA

what about Sy, and force and styles?? Ez and hype are also excellent.

D&B dj's are always of a higher caliber.

astraboy

EXScooby, I am 28 years old. Thank you for your honest opinion about my musical taste, but tbh, you second post makes you sound like your one of these people who are bored of the entire thing.
Your arguement that "happy" Hardcore is embarrassing and the yardstick of "None of the dance music mags feature it so it must be crap" you use is tired and predictable. The very fact you are still calling it "happy" Hardcore when that term was dropped more than 6 years ago shows how out of touch you are.
The dance music mags are there to make money and not to feature every facet of the dance music scene. Besides which I also know for a fact that a certain big name Hardcore DJ has been repeatedly asked to do a feature for a certain dance music publication. Every single time he tells them to go **** themselves as quite frankly, we dont need them.
Let me furnish you with a few facts.
Heard of Air in Birmingham? Want to know what the busiest night down there during 2004 was? HTID. Also known as Hardcore Til I Die.

I went to Skelter this time, but Slammin Vinyl was also running on NYE. I know that they only got 3000 people through the door. Where were 2400 of them? In the Hardcore Arena.

The late, great John Peel was a big fan of Hardcore, frequently playing 30 minute mixes from the likes of Hixxy and Sharkey and then following them up with comments like (and I quote) "Just majestic", "Simply the best thing we've ever had on this show" and "Something to be immensely proud of"

As a result of John Peels fantastic support, a two hour "John Peel is not enough" special show was commissioned. The result of which was (and this is confirmed) the MOST amount of download requests EVER received on the Radio 1 website and the MOST amount of calls and texts EVER received for a single show.

While its widely acknowledged that the Dance music scene is in a state of decline, want to know which genre is the only one which is growing? Thats right, the Hardcore scene.

Your statement of "I could mix better without headphones than any hardcore jock except maybe stu allen, micky fiin, grooverider who can actually play. the others are spotty chancers" is infantile and pathetic. You sound like a fairly big name DJ yourself, but if you got that status through belittling other DJs talents then that is no great acheivement.
Besides which Micky Finn and Grooverider are DnB jocks, not Hardcore. If you want a REAL challange, try going up against the real craftsmen our scene boasts like Brisk and Sy. You would struggle. Care to give us your DJ name so they can know where to send the challange to?
I'll leave you rolling round on your pile of cash you make from one remix. I'm sure its more rewarding than making a roomful of ravers dance.
astraboy.
P.S. Pat, yes I did lose a stone in weight, not the most I've lost in one night by a long shot though.

Cyberevo

iTrader: (1)

AB - I think you'll find Micky Finn and the rider himself were actually palying hardcore many years before Drumm and Bass came out, hell, I should know, I was at donn Park in 94 when Groovrider was slamming hardcore tunes.

Daz34

AB, what did you think of the Polysexual night at Air on 1st Jan? Did you go to Blackpool as well on the 2nd?

Darren

astraboy

you'll find the review here mate
http://bbs.scoobynet.co.uk/showthrea...23#post4165023
Didnt go to blackpool, I lost a stone at LIFE, another one at Air, I dont think I could have coped with losing another!
astraboy.

astraboy

Point taken, but I think EXSCOOBY was talking about contemporary styles, in which case DnB definitely belongs to Grooverider.
astraboy.

EXSCOOBY

well as someone whos played with a lot of hardcore djs ie nicky blackmarket, grooverider, and of course the mighty carl *** before he saw the light and crossed over to house i think i know a fair bit about the house scene!!!!
the name happy hardcore was dropped because it is just infantile!
and as for matching myself against brisk or sy hahahahaha
i am dmc trained !! i have forgotten more about scratching than the mighty sy will ever know
yes some of them can scratch but it isnt patterns just simple transformer stuff
i can actually match records by key due to classical training on the piano so that each track sounds like an elongated re edit. this would mean nothing to a hardcore dj who simply ques up a track and belts the beats over the top bugger subtlety!!!!
If you want to hear a real craftsman listen to eric morales playing on 4 decks and using a sampler and a cd turntable. Ive been in the booth with him when at Pascha he spun 6 copies of a bt track in perfectly triple tracking with just a slight pulse echo creating a wonderful shimmering effect. Im good but damn hes on another planet. I played the world in warringtom with giaanii bianni from fathers of sound and watched him transform with an inverted crossfader making a stuttering effect over the staccato vocal then he wound all the base out of the track with the kill switches elininated the vocal down to a whisper and then full on triple tracked the base groove back in making the roof come off
fair play to you for liking your scene but dont ever compare these chavs to real turntable masters

King RA

I'd love to hear some of your mixes EXSCOOBY, I'm not saying this in a 'I don't beleive you, prove it' way. It's just from what you say it sounds like your mixes would be excellent.

I'll keep an eye out for some eric morales mixes.

astraboy

The above means very little to me. I am not a DJ. It is obvious that you are a DJ, albeit a very bigoted one. However, I see you are still refusing to give us your DJ name.
Give us your DJ name. If you've got the apptitude, put your money where your mouth is. Give us your DJ name. I dare you.
astraboy.

EXSCOOBY

ill hook a dat up or an ipod next time i play a bigger club and send you the mix or put it online
i play back rooms now as more of a hobby. I found that i was bringing my work home with me (drink drugs etc) and after a frank sharing of views with my wife to be have cut down a lot on my djng, hence the remixing. I have remixed for AATW, Pornkings, rozalla, Data recs, FFRR
I think the obsession with dj names is a bit tired but call my bluff if you like. My friends run Power promotions (steve stimpson) and hyperactive (adam carter)
I ran Flying records in the 90s (import section) then moved to be a buyer in a big northwest chain. I am going to choose to hide behind an alias for a few reasons. But will gladly send you a mix

EXSCOOBY

ill post this weeks chart return when ive done it tommorow

astraboy

feel free to send me a mix. I would be interested to hear it.
astraboy_uk@yahoo.co.uk
Ta very much,
astraboy.

RS2 JIM

iTrader: (5)

AB,

Great review. I'm amazed how you can remember the evening in such detail!!
When i used to go to similar events i could never remember the previous track let alone the first one and i was sober in every sense, just drunk on the atmosphere!
I know what you mean about the weight loss. I used to lose a good few kilos every night out and as i was competitive swimmer i didn't have all that much to lose!
Tell me, and i understand if you're not wanting to answer openly about it, but do you drink alcohol (or otherwise) when you're at one of these? Most of my friends were drinking and necking anything they could and i always had a better night than them, especially as i could hop in the car and drive home after! I couldn't quite see the point in the pills myself and as i was such a dedicated althelete there wasn't even a temptation to try.
It's been about 4 years since i was at a proper event and haven't even been to any clubs in the meantime but i popped into a wee club here in Abz on fri night and picked up right where i left off again!! The beats were great and the atmosphere was superb. A few too many pill monsters around but didn't bother me too badly.
I'm getting tempted to go find another largeish event and see how i get on! Shame is that there are hardly any up here in Abz area.

Anyway, happy raving and i look forward to the next review.

Cheers

James

Cyberevo

iTrader: (1)

I'm very against pill popping in this day and age (something to do with growing up), but if you have never been to a warehouse rave in the very early nighties on an M25 or New Yorker, well it's an experience to be had.

Don't do it! it's bad for you...

astraboy

Well you and I are in the same boat then. I have never done an illegal substance either during or before I started raving. Dont think I'll be starting soon either, at my age I'll probably do myself permanant damage

What I did do was Caffiene tablets and lots of lucozade and redbull. However I have recently stopped doing that since it was starting to have too much of an effect on me.

These days I do Ephedrine. This has the advantage of being 100% legal and 100% effective. Just one capsule and one bottle of lucozade to wash it down sees me raving all night. If I want to go out the following night, the residule amounts left in my system are enough to see me raving all night again with just another bottle of lucozade inside of me, no need to take another.

Strangly enough, compared to all the caffiene and sugar I used to do, the ephedrine is actually milder. I can sleep in the morning and it dont string me out like caffine does. No horrible caffiene comedown either.

Well keep your ear to the ground then, cos I am reliably informed Rezerection will be returning this year. If I have 1/2 a chance, I will be there too cos I've always wanted to go to one of those. Fantazia is making noises about returning too.
I'll let you know when Rez's return date is mate, I remember meeting Cryptwalk at Tribal Gathering's 2003 secret warehouse party, a Scoobynet meet at Rez would be good fun too
Take care,
astraboy.