astraboy

Its become a bit of a tradition for me to go bonkers on a bank holiday weekend. Three nights without work in the morning are all the motivation I need to make sure I attend a rave on all three of those nights. Sleep and recovery can wait till later, three nights, three raves, lets do it.

For reasons best kept to myself I decided not to go for the obvious choice. Uproar and HTID were on Saturday and Sunday, but I was not going to be there. Without those events, I was somewhat limited by choice, especially when it came to Hardcore, so I decided to concentrate on Techno instead.

Two events lept out at me immediately with techno at the forefront. On friday night Nekro's Hardcore Techno and Gabba event Drop the Bomb was set to stage its third incarnation. Having been to all three previous events and enjoyed them a lot, I knew I had to be there for that one, doubly so when I saw Section 63 were hosting the second room for a night of Acid Techno as well as Gabba.

Saturday was another easy choice. I couldnt get to Re-Rave-All's last event, but I had been reliably informed that it was defenitely not to be missed, especially when three rooms of Techno and Old skool were combined with an MC free Drum and Bass room.

And Sunday? Well I have a few sources of information close to me and those in the know told me that there was a multi rig private party. running all weekend. No better way to finish a rave odyssey with how it all began, dancing the night away under the stars in a field.

I had to put the private party at the back of my head for a while as I knew I wouldnt be able to get the information till it was released. Besides, I had more important things to attend to first. Drop the Bomb for one.

Drop the Bomb
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Events dont get much harder than this, let me tell you. This was part III and it was also my third attendance. By now I knew what to expect in the main room. Relentless pounding Techno and Gabba. Even though none but the most obvious names lept out of the flyer at me, I could tell I was in for something special, especially when the headliner "The Mover" had promised only to do two live PA's ever and one of those was going to be on this occasion, as well as that, Simon Underground and the promoter, Nekro were also on the lineup.

Besides which, in the unlikely event of me getting bored, there was also the Section 63 room. usually, as its name implies, you dont have to pay to listen to a night of Section 63 acid techno, but I was willing to do so on this ocassion, especially when D.A.V.E. The Drummer was headlining.

If that weren't enough, then it was also a chance to explore a new london venue! Never been to the arches before, but what with them being 10 minutes from my usual London haunts, well it wouldnt exactly take much effort to get there, would it?

Arriving at about 11pm, the venue did take a bit of finding, seeing as the map directions were a little vague, but once I heard a faint bassline, I knew I was on the right track. Eventually I found the venue by going through a carpark and true to its name, the place was located under the railway arches of the viaduct above it.

After a brief search from security, I was let in and once inside I started to explore. The club, like most railway arch clubs was a series of interlinked arched arenas, in this case, three. The first one was a bar/chillout area which was decked out in lots of chrome/aluminium decor. As well as this, the cloakroom and a small merchandise stand was also in the place.

Enough of that though, the main arena beckoned! Walking through a low archway, I was greeted by the obvious reason why the venue had been chosen. Apart from the ocassional light from the clubs setup the place was very gloomy and dark with a hyperactive smoke machine further reducing visabilty.

The only other thing to catch my attention was the large amount of speakers in the arena, with most of them located infront of the main stage> it should be noted at this point that Crossbones also have a serious sound system, although were it was on the night in question, I wouldnt like to guess.

The second arena was the next arch on from the first. A more conventional setup this time with a DJ stand at the far end from the entrance, with a club sound system in the place. As well as that, the large amount of trippy UV reactant backdrops were on the walls, creating familiar feel in unfamiliar surroundings.

Sod all that though, I was there for the music! Having just come back not 6 days before from th biggest Gabba rave (hell the biggest rave full stop!) I have ever been to, I was ready for more of the same. Thankfully Facehoover was on the decks in the main room and from the way he started his set, he was more than up for the job.

Playing slightly subdued in terms of BPM and pace, 'Hoover nevertheless put in a solid set with many reminders of the reasons why I enjoyed last weeks exodus. As well as that, the inclusion of "You are a sucker" and a rip of Moby's "1000" was also a welcome addition as the characteristic late arrivals joined me and the rest of the party crew in the place.

Next up in the main arena was the man of the moment, not to mention promotor of the night, Nekro. Taking the 12-1 slot, he had the job of moving the night forward now the majority of the pary crew were in the place.

First of, I have no idea what he played. I know it was, once again, Hardcore Techno and Gabba, but thats where my knowledge of his set ends. One thing was for sure, it was getting me moving, more accurately I was right in front of the left hand speaker, letting the pounding bassline under Nekro's control pummel me as I finally got into the night.

A set of unknown (to me anyway) tunes does not bring it down in the slightest. Principally because the componants of his music were VERY simlilar to the Gabba I was listening to last weekend in Holland.

Complicated riffs, accompanied the endless distorted bassline. This and a pleasent alternation between gratifying melodies and unadultarated filth all combined to an hour where I totally lost it on the dancefloor. Finally, the only part of the set I can remember with distinction was a tune towards the end of his set with the "This is master control" sample from (correct me if I'm wrong) the film Tron.

After Nekro was finished, I realised I had not been next door yet. Seeing as I am a BIG fan of Acid Techno, I switched rooms asap and found I was just about to see D.A.V.E. the Drummer take over from G13 and More Energy.

As the two going b2b finished off their high energy set D.A.V.E stepped up and the dancefloor welcomed him with a cheer. This was what it was all about. I knew this room would do the business and in no way did it let me down. playing Acid Techno at its very best, it might not have been that fast, but I quickly lost it within the Acid lines and riffs and that was is. Thereafter, my only memory of the set was loving every minute of it.

That was, until D.A.V.E. played his final tune. It might be a bit anthemic (in techno terms anyways) but I dont care cos I love it when it gets played out. Even though on this occasion I didnt recognise it until the vocals gave it away with "What sort of music will be playing?... TECHNO." and I rushed like a barsteward as "One Night in Hackney" came out of the system and washed over me. Yummy. Worth the trip there in itself.

It was another room change after that, for another headliner. Simon Underground is a bit of a hit and miss affair with my personal preferences as while the man is undoubtably talented at what he does, the last few sets I've seen have been a bit too experimental, principally in the absence of a steady beat to dance to. Maybe I am missing something everyone else gets, but for this set at least, he concentrated on getting the tunes out and not experimenting, I was more than happy with this setup.

However, this is not to say his set was without innovation. It was there in bucketloads as apart from the gabba which formed the backbone of his set, he also mixed in the odd Drum and Bass interlude (which the crowd went mental to) and seeing as the system had been turned up (and then some) at this point, the crowd could feel the music as well as hear it. I know I was. I was dancing like a man posessed.

As well as that, the glorious mixing, the sublime hopping between breaks and kicks and not forgetting (how the hell could we) the full on speedcore at the end of the set, meant it was an exhausted astraboy which left the arena when Mr. Underground had finished with me.

I was so defeated, I had to do the unthinkable. Chlling with my mates for a little bit was not an option, it was forced upon me, it was doubly noticable when Wobblyegg said "I dont think I've ever seen you sit down", but lets face it, I had a good excuse, I had just been Undergrounded

However, while I was sitting down I was regaining my energy and listening to Kai_1 and Rhythm Logistics on the decks in the Section 63 room. Playing toward the tail end of the night, but not letting up in terms of pace and delivery, more glorious techno was forthcoming and eventually I could resist it no longer.

Leaving my mates on the sofa, I got up and spent the rest of the night raving to Acid techno in the Section 63 room. I have no idea what tunes were played and I didnt care to be honest. My attention span was limited to inevitability of the next kickdrum and that didnt let up till security arrived at the end of the night and told the DJs "1 more".

I was happy though, I walked away after the final tune and even what sounded like someone firing a machine gun in the main arena as "Extreme Terror" pumped out couldnt tempt me. I was gone having had a great night, but two more to go.

Things I liked:

System - Oh my god. Loud doesn't even begin to describe it. Deafening comes close, but I dont think a word exists to describe how loud the system was. You could tell the way it was tickling my innards and sucking the air out of my lungs that it was a serious bit of kit and well set up too. The bassline was painful in places, dont even talk to me about the percussion.

Production, decor and venue - Perfect choice of venue for theis type of music, nice and underground with a bare concrete floor, as well as the futuristic bits, they complemented the music nicely. As well as that, the gloom in the main arena was suited to the Gabba and the backdrops and UV in the Section 63 room was just what was needed for Acid techno all night. Speaking of which...

Second room - Whilst not as full on in terms of volume and hardness, the Section 63 acid techno room had a wicked party vibe going on. Lots of acid lines, lots of top quality music and lots of ravers having it. What more can you ask for?

Attendance - This night has built a nice following after three events. A good mix of people from Gabba anoraks to the seriously scary lifestylers. I was expecting it to be less full than it was, especially in the Sec 63 room. I was wrong though, it was nice and full till the end.

Atmosphere - Particularly in the Sec 63 room, but also in the main room (and then some), I really liked the party vibe in the place. No trouble of any kind that I saw, just lots of enthusiasts going for it to a rare example of the music at its best.

Things I liked less -

Directions - Better directions to the place might have helped. I spent 15 minutes finding the place.

Simon Underground - Exhausting me during his set and making me sit down to have a girly rest. It will NOT happen again!

Another Drop the Bomb and whilst it was not as impressive as last weeks gabba outing (which lets face it is a little bit of an unfair comparison), it was still well worth going out to and stomping it down all over again. The music, system and atmosphere (especially in the Sec 63 room) was top notch all night and as a rare chance to listen to REAL examples of Gabba and Acid techno at its finest, you really cant fault it at all.

I really liked this event. Something different, at a different venue, with a different crowd, when the principle moan of most Hardcore ravers is the lack of variety at events, then I reckon you could do a lot worse than get yourself down to the fourth instalment of Drop the Bomb when it comes round. Cos I have every intention of going to the next one, I suggest you do the same.

After getting back home, I got my head down as quickly as possible. My rave clothes were washed by the time I woke up and dry a few hours later. Smething quick to eat and then it was back into London as quickly as possible. This time I headed towards Hackney and Mass, for the middle part of the weekender.

Re-Rave-All
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A lot of my friends went to the first one of these. I couldnt make it as I was elsewhere, but I definitely took on board what they said about it. A lot of "Awesomes" and a few "Savages" thrown in for good measure.

But what really made me sit up and take notice was the way the event had been set out. I have not seen many raves with Techno in the main room, Old Skool in the second and DnB in the third. It was doubly pleasing when i saw the DnB room was 100% MC free. This alone made me feel like it was an event I wanted to get to. Three genres I liked and the worst part of one absent. Sounded like a winner to me.

If that werent good enough, it meant another visit to Mass in Brixton. I like this venue. Well appointed in terms of systems, lighting rigs and facilities, its main selling points are a unique layout (its a converted chruch and everything centres round a big spiral staircase and central lift shaft) and ultra safe and discreet security. you start bother and they are bang on it. Well I assume they will be as I have never seen bother in Mass, but when they are not needed they melt into the background and are practically invisible.

I was well up for returning too and after meeting up with a large proportion of the same crew I was out with last night in a nearby pub, we made our way to the party. A sizeable queue was already outside and soon after the later start time of 11pm, we steadily moved towards the front of it.

After a reasonable search by security and talking to the girlies behind the counter on the left, we were in. You need strong legs to get around Mass, you are either going upstairs or downstairs, but on this occasion I was straight into the second arena. Not spent too much time in this one before tonight, but I was happy to do so now, especially with Flashback and MC Strict in the area.

These two always impress when I see them play out. The main reason is because its not often enough! However thats compensated by the two of them smashing it when they are booked. This was no exception.

A lot of Old Skool DJs are content to play only the biggest and best tunes of yesterday. Flash displayed a deeper understanding by going beyond that and delving into the murky world of the tunes that rocked the raves back in the day, but are forgotten now.

The first half of his set was the best example of this. Dont ask me to name tunes cos I cant, they were too obscure and dark. I was loving every minute though. I particularly liked the genre hops as he alternated between classic Jungle and into Piano breakbeats. One of the REAL highlights was the interludes of calmness that is a particular favourite componant of tunes from that era.

The second half was more well known in terms of tune ID's but a good selection none the less. Not going for an out and out ID-a-thon, but mixing in an ocassional well placed classic like "Edge 1" and "in Complete Darkness" whilst selecting the fruit of well known tunes which are classics, but not played so much, like "Shine on", "Rushing the House" (Tuuuune!!!) and finishing off with "Gotta Believe"

Next set saw me stay right where I was. No other reason than another underbooked but highly talented Old Skool DJ was next after Flashback. DJ Ratty of none other than Ratty and Tango fame stepped up and together with Strict going for a second hour on the mic, tore the place apart with tunes he is famous for.

This was when the rave took on a darker tone. Just like back in the day Ratty took the party down a jungle tip, but not too dark that it correspondingly moody on the dancefloor, quite the opposite in fact, I had a lot of fun during this set.

Best of all, the tunes were absoloute classics. I dont get to hear many old skool jungle sets these days, but in an action replay of the last time I was at a rave with Ratty playing, I was well away in no time, dancing like a man posessed to the top notch tunes on offer.

Starting off early with "When the lion awakes", then moving on to the immortal "Valley of the Shadows" which got a deserved rewind and taken from the top again. As well as that, the sound of Strict momentarily forgetting his trademark minimalism and going for it in a full on DnB style made me nothing if not impressed by his versatility. All of the above combined for a blinder of a set by Ratty Dark Old Skool Jungle, played by a real craftsman, does it get any better?

Not for me it didnt, thats was why I was out of the door when Ratty's set was over and into the Techno arena. This was for one reason and one reason only, The British Murder Boys were on and I wanted to see them. Personally recommended to me by person or persons unknown , it was set to be another techno education session, with no compaints from me at all.

It was fair to say that the start of their set was more than a little subdued. They were not content with making a contuniation from the previous DJs efforts, they wanted to build up the pace and response of the crowd all by themselves. This was reflected by a relatively calm first hour in which the tunes were gradually wound up in preperation for the second.

However if the first hour was underwhelming then the second was the exact opposite. With the buildup out of the way they concentrated on getting the crowd moving. They did this by dropping my firm favourite. Awesome Acid Techno all the way.

The crowd responded to this with a noticable increase in movement and the party crew reacted to the awesome riffs, thumping bassline and upsurge in BPM by getting up and dancing. I was right behind them as well. Loving every minute of it.

The final part of their set was even better, mixing in rolling basslines as well as the kicks was all I needed to ignore the pain and go for it harder than ever as the Boys brought their set to the close. It did take a while to get there, believe me it was worth the wait.

After the BMB had finished, it was back into the Old skool room for the next DJ I wanted to see. Topp Buzz were in the place when I arrived and were playing more of what I wanted. Obscure old skool. No IDs at all on this one. I hadn't a clue what he was playing at all, but the tunes were good, it was just a pity the mic was too loud to appreciate them.

Still, obscurity is what I was looking for and I went away happy in that respect. Top Buzz tailored his tunes towards his subsequent garage success by dropping tunes which were obviously the precursor of what became modern UK garage. This continued all the way through his set till he finished at 5am and as he left the building, so did I.

Things I liked:

Music policy - A distinct leaning towards underground rather than mainstream and the the rave's lineups reflected this. I failed to recognise the majority of the lineup on names alone and those I did (mainly in the old skool room) were not the anthem bashers that are usually at the forefront.

Stacks - In the main room were a healthy addition to the clubs system in the form of large rectangular stacks either side of the main stairs. Once again loud is not sufficent. Thats twice in two days now

Production and decor - Mainly production this one, Tony Res doing what he does best. Not one but two green lasers in the old skool room. Nicely.

Venue - I always enjoy going to Mass, nice venue, with safe security and good facilities. I like to think of it as a small version of SEOne.

Face painting - A couple of the UV crew were running round doing free facepainting. I got a spiral sun drawn on the back of my neck for my troubles. All good fun

MC Strict - The guy just gets better and better every time I see him. He has nothing to prove or demand from the crowd. Instead he does his job with the understated air of a professional who knows he is good at what he does and then gets on with it. This what seperates a Master of Ceremony from an MC. And yes there is a difference.

Things I liked less:

MCs in the Old skool room - with the DnB room being MC free, they decided to move into the old skool room and ruin that instead. Principally during Top Buzz's set and mostly by three of them going b2b2 non stop and not shutting up. Ever. I cannot stand MCs who are there to big themselves up rather than hype the crowd at the best of times, but MC Strict being in Masterful Control of the night for the first half of the evening just emphasised how annoying they were. Ruined the set. I was that close to leaving, going round Strict's place to drag him out of bed and bring him back to the rave.

Day two of the weekender over and despite the poor finish (left totally disheartened at 5am because of what the MC's were doing to Top Buzz's set if I'm honest with you) it was still a good night out. The diverse and interesting music policy, coupled with a lack of anthem bashing from the Old Skool jocks, as well as the real education in the Techno arena made the night out more than worth it.

Couple this with the storming systems in both rooms, the real effort that had been put into production and the large amount of close friends I was raving with meant I went away happy, even though I did leave early.

After leaving all I had to do was follow Paul Z and Sawyer back to Camden, get my head down for a few hours, then head off home once the trains and tubes started. Thereafter it was another wash of my raveclothes and then chill out whilst waiting for the third and final part of the weekender to start.

The following part of the review is a 100% accurate account of my evenings activities. It may seem a little odd, but there is a reason for this. What happened below is the truth though. Honest.


Tempest, Gush, Olmec, 2CI and ABRACADABRA! private party, Murmansk, Russia.
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After two days of raving at night and sleeping during the day, i was not actually feeling too bad. Perhaps it was because I knew the best was yet to come. There is only one way to finish off a rave weekender and that is with a private party. For this weekend I knew there were several organisations who were planning activities, I just had to find one that was close to me.

On this occasion, the astral plane was strangely quite when it came to party information. However I knew I could rely on reading fish entrails and regular as clockwork they came through for me yet again. "Private party. Murmansk, Russia. Saturday night till whenever, multiple systems, get there asap". Well if a rotten fishes guts tells me to, who am I to argue?

If that weren't enough then for once I werent going to attend on my own. In a similar burst of energy, Paul Z was there to meet me on the docks at a little after 10. Why the docks? Well the quickest way to Murmansk is via the Polyarny Inlet North of the Arctic circle and my newly aquired Akula attack submarine had just been delivered. We dived to a depth of 200ft once we cleared port and put the reactor on 110% to get there as soon as possible.

The Fish entrails had gven detailed directions and despite forgetting my navigator, we managed to get there ourselves with no problem at all. Took two hours, give or take 15 minutes trying to dock the *******.

Once we were in the area we knew we were in the right place. the long winding track to the party was about 2 miles long and we had to make frequent use of the passing places to let cars past. Eventually we found somewhere to park and headed towards the music.

It was at this point the sheer scale of the party was aparant. We had parked a good 1/4 of a mile away from the actual rigs yet we walked past a solid mass of parked cars to get to where we ere going. In this case the Tempest/Gush rig.

Christ it was big, I mean barn door, monolith out of 2001 big. The stack was about 11 foot high, 15 foot wide and of course a gaggle of ravers in front of it. Of course it does of course beg the question why ravers were at a private party, doesn't it? Perhaps someone left the back door open.

Not only was it big, but it was, again, 'kin loud. I was wearing earplugs and it was still blasting me. I darent go within 3 feet of it all night it was that loud, but of course those braver than me got a lot closer.

It was most likely due to the awesome tunes that were being played. From the moment we popped the hatch on the sub we were listening to, once again, glorious acid techno. Best of all about 15 minutes after we got there, the DJ took the exectuive decision to play my tune of the moment, "1 night in Hackney".

I didnt care that I had heard it not 48 hours earlier, cos the main difference this time was the reaction of the crowd. They knew the tune well and responded to the questions like they were being asked themselves. The vocal asked "What kind of music do they play there?" and the first three rows screamed out as loud as they could "TECHNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!". Then the place descended into a seething mass of movement. Awesome moment. Worth every minute of the journey just for that bit.

But the DJ on the decks didnt rest on his laurels, no way. He continued in the vocal techno theme with tune after tune which kept the ravers on the dancefloor, not to mention me. "Fingers on the trigger, gotta pull it", "Thats for fuking with me" and even a rip of "Get fresh at the weekend" for the party crew's enjoyment.

However, I knew I couldn't stay there all night, I knew I was missing the rest of the party. Me and paul went for an explore of the site. This was one of the best aspects of the party. I really enjoy searching the place for new rigs and whenever you spot one, the shout of "Theres another one!" goes up and off you go to have a look.

At this party (private of course), there were two other systems in the area. ABRACADABRA! was on its own in the middle of a small copse of trees and Olmec had linked up with 2CI back on the main track with a very loud and clear set up which was well decorated for an outdoor party (In Russia)

We were drawn back to the Tempest/Gush rig though, and it was a good job we did, as one of the biggest surprises of the night was about to take place. We were expecting nothing but savage techno all night long and going on previous experiences we had nothing to worry about. But as the tunes got taken down we had the shock of our lives. Classic Reggae!

I kid you not. we were in the middle of nowhere, listening to classic tune from a couple of Reggae CDs the DJ had brought along! He werent even mixing them in, he was taking the tune down as it finished then selecting another and bringing it back up. It was an unforgettable moment, **** bleed techno to Dub Reggae and the crowd lapped it up. The dancing stopped as the party people started noddin heads to the tunes. Immortal tunes like "Israelite", "Natty Dredlocks", "Oh Carolina", even "By the rivers of Babylon" By Boney M got a look in.

Even though it was worth it for the novelty value alone, we rapidly cooled down cos we werent dancing, so after about 1/2 an hour we repaired to the sub and got some food down us so we continue when we got back.

Thereafter, it was a case of splitting up and loosing ourselves in the mess of the various systems. There was no staying to see what the DJ was playing as I had no idea who the DJs were, you went to one Tempest/Gush and they were playing gabba so you stayed for a bit, then you moved onto Olmec/2CI and they were playing Acid techno, so you got on it there. Then when it changed to Hardtrance, you swung by ABRACADABRA! and they were playing Jungle to an appreciative crowd.

And so it went on. Its a different attitude at private parties, you dont stay for a set, you stay till you're bored then you move on. The crowd were all doing it and it was sight to see a crowd in front of a stack build up then dissapate within the space of 15 minutes or so. Even more refreshing to take part though, especially when it involved stumbing up a very muddy path or negotiating a 4 foot ditch in the pitch dark to do it.

However as the evening neared 5am there was only one place to be. My favourite time of the party was fast approacing and I was determined to be in the right place for it. Its nice to dance under the stars, but even better to rave as hard as you can as dawn breaks and night turns into day.

I chose the Tempest/Gush rig for this time, mostly cos they had moved back into spanking out the techno like there was no tomorrow. I knew I was nearing the end of the weekender so I went for it without hesitation. There is nothing that motivates you to dance to the music you love more than the knowledge that soon you wont be able to do it for another week. I was right in front of the stack amongst like minded people and there I stayed till night became day.

Once dawn had broken I realised how tired I was, not to mention how much my feet hurt. We had one last walk round the site taking a few photos to remember the party, but the weekender was over and we knew it. 15 minutes later we were back on the sub heading home.

Things I liked:

Absolutely everything - This one was a definite highlight of the weekend and most definitely a case of saving the best till last. The music was awesome, the location was out of the way, the atmosphere was crackling and I was loving every minute of it. I had an fantastic time.

Water - 1 quid a bottle. Nice one.

Poi and performance art - Nice to see it making a return.

The Reggae!

Things I liked less:

That chilly west wind - Made dancing a necessity to keep warm, but god help you if you broke a sweat!

Another May day weekend, another May day weekender. This one, despite the distinct lack of Hardcore was another one to remember, especially from the aspect of doing something different to the norm, not to mention having the energy to get to everywhere I wanted to.

If nothing else a three day Techno Exodus has taught me, its that despite going out for near on every weekend for the previous 4 years, I can still go to new venues, still go to new raves and still be surprised at what I hear when I am at them.

This is what makes it all worthwhile, not to mention the endless succession of the coolest people in the land I met on the way.

Here's to the next weekender (in about 20 days in all likelyhood )
astraboy.

astraboy

Shouts to: Paul Zykotik (with me all the way!), Lianne & Jamie, Grob & Lisa, Venetian Baztard, Moonlight Sparrow, Ben (haha!), Barticle, Dez and Emma, Sawyerbean, Moron & Wobblyegg, Richie Rich, Dave Skywalker, Strict, Nekro, Louise plus one (thanks!) and anyone else I have forgotten.
astraboy.