astraboy

A follow up to its first event earlier this year, Raverbaby's first outing was a revalation in many respects. First and foremost, the sheer amount of musical variety on display meant a lot of people went away more than satisfied, whatever their personal favourite was.

Second up, was the heat! The Empire in Milton Keynes was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of heat Hardcore ravers produce when they are dancing. It was a sweaty one and no mistake, but you dont get two arenas boasting numerous interpretations of the Hardcore sound very often, so it was a good one none the less.

Thats why I was more than up for making a return when the second event was announced. In many ways, it was a re-run of the first event, with the RBC taking their residencies in the main arena, both on the mic and the decks. However, the addition of a second AND third arena, hosting another Hardcore arena as well as an up and coming (and running) room respectively, well I knew there was going to be some records played, at any rate.

From the lineup, there was plenty of people that immediatly grabbed my attention. CLSM getting an early set, but making full use of it for a "breaks through to 4 to the floor" set, Ham on at 5am as well, going head to head with Wottsee, whilst Dodgee and Fracus each had their own sets upstairs in room two. Lastly the evening would be finished off in the best was possible, with a good, solid, pumped up "Power Hour" from Sy and Storm.

Best of all though, just like last time, several international artists had been flown in especially to play out at the event. Rush - Dee had been drafted in from Germany, but it was the almighty Neophyte from Holland that really got tounges wagging. Make no mistake, his set was keenly anticipated, not least by me.

Lastly, the flyer had promised "Additional cooling ventilation systems" to make sure the heat was kept to bearable levels.

It all saw a rammed car heading up the M1 for the centre of Milton Keynes. We set off quite early, but that was fo a reason. I had intentionally picked everyone up and left with plenty to make it, with a bit to spare as well. I was NOT going to miss CLSM.

Having parked up and made our way to the venue, we got a bit of a shock when we hit the back of the queue before we could even see the place! Mind you, that was a good sign at least, but with 10 minutes to go before the start of CLSM's set, it would be a close shave.

Once we were in (search free as well), we made our way to the main arena. Despite being here before, there was still something different about the main room at this event. For starters, the in house system had been replaced and a full on Funktion one stack was brought in. One for each side of the stage. Stage? not that wimpy thing thats usually there, but a full on runway, with more than enough space for the MC and Stage Dancers to do their thing. Lastly, this was all flanked by a comprehensive lighting rig, with 8 trackspots being used in a very effective manner, blasting out towards the crowd.

Luckily we got in just as CLSM was getting started, and a good thing too, with the high quality tuneage he was pumping out, it was a perfect start to my night. Why? Cos he was playing upfront Breakbeat Hardcore.

With "MC" CDJay by his side, making himself useful (to me at any rate) by texting the Tune ID's to the shout out screen, I got right down the front, next to the Funktion one Sound rig and let the music wash over me.

Within a few minutes I was dancing like a madman. It normally takes me a while to feel the music enough to dance, but on this occasion, it was no problem at all. Mostly due to the awesome tunes, including "The light", "DJs are dogs", "Something inside so strong", the remix of "In complete darkeness" and "Sensory vision".

All too soon, the breaks were expertly replaced by kicks and the party crew went for it as the closing tunes were too good not to, especially when they were the remix of "Bodyslam", "Drifting away", "feel so real" and best of all, the awesome remix of "Timebomb".

By this point I was noticing I was a bit hot and sweaty, so I made my way to the outside arena to cool down a bit. Whilst I was there I spent quite a bit of time chatting to my friends already in the place before I realised what the time was and I was on my way back in to see Scott Brown take the 11pm kick off set.

It was a set of firsts for more than one reason, Scott and Wottsee's first kick off set, as well as MC Whizzkid make it a b2b MC set. The place was packed out for this one and I was right in there. Scott did the only thing he could and brought in his Triple headed intro tune, comprising of "This is how we do it", "Neckbreaker" and "Boomstick". The Place went bananas and the MCs siezed the moment, buy dropping their favourite lyrics. Whizzkid going for "Pump Pump" and Wotsee opting for "Sattelite City".

Thereafter, it was new tunage all the way from Scott. I only managed to ID one tune of his after his intro and that was "Rock this party", the rest was a complete unknown, albeit, very, very dancable.

I was, once again, soaked in sweat when I left the main arena about midway through Scott's set. Why was I leaving? Well I had gone halfers for a good reason, so I could see what Fracus could come up with in the second arena.

Never seen this geezer play out before, but that was about to change. When I went into the second arena, I knew it was going to be good, partly due to the up for it bunch of ravers on the dancefloor and a partly due to the fact it was a tad cooler in there!

Fracus was doing his utmost to raise the temparature though, with and upfront and euphoric set already well underway, as well as all the assistance he needed in the shape of the legend that is MC Ribbz on the mic, not to mention an appreciative crowd of Hardcore ravers giving it everything in front of him.

Once again, it was a voyage of discovery with regard to the music, with the set being completely unknown to me from the moment I walked in till Fracus lifted the needle on his final tune. However, I know I was loving not knowing what I was dancing to but for the sake of completeness, Fracus' personal highlights inlcude "Mirage", "Wildstyles", "Through me" and "Open your eyes to Love".

After Fracus had finished, it was straight down the stairs again for another highlight of the evening. Hixxy and Storm were just starting up as I negotiated the packed arena and once I had settled in, they gave me what I had come for.

Hixxy's sets these days are designed to get the ravers moving and little else, it was the perfect foil to the progression session I had winessed upstairs as I, and the rest of the crowd went for it as one, with Hixxy making them dance and Storm motivating in his own inimatiable way.

This was underlined as the first tune from Hixxy let rip was a remix of "Angel eyes". This coupled with Storm's classic "Bass, fire!" lyric saw my first legitimate rush of the evening appear. From that moment on, I was having the time of my life.

Dancing as hard as those around me, I didn't care how hot I was getting and neither did anyone else, the heat was enough to melt plastic, but I didn't see anyone leaving to have a rest, the night was in full swing and no-one wanted to miss it.

If anyone had walked off, they would have missed a VERY dancealble set, with remixes of "Let me be you're fantasy", "Edge1" and "Taking me higher" all forthcoming, as well as plenty of original tunage, such as "Dark like vader", "The Underworld" and best of all "Come with me" to finish off with.

No time to lose again, cos as soon as Hixxy had finished downstairs, then I needed to be up as em as soon as possible. Why? cos another DJ who's playouts are notoriously inverse to his talent, DJ Dodgee was on in the second arena.

Another DJ who I had not seen out before, Dodgee was kicking up something special in that back room and I wa there to see it. With Odyssey and a second showing from Wottsee on the mic, the three of them played out to a sizeable crowd of ravers. I got myself amongst them as soon as I could.

The best thing about Dodgee's set was the energy he put into it. You can forget all this "hands in the air" business, Dodgee's set was about non stop stomping and his music selection reflected this. Odyssey and Wottsee, the two Jedi masters of high BPM micwork were in their element as Dodgee worked his way through his set.

And what a set it was. As Odyssey and Wottsee inserted their favourite lyrics such as "Gods from above" and "Wanna be a star" respectively, Dodgee's contribution to the set's greatness included the awesome "Hardcore Machine", the equally good "So damaging" and "Sensory Vision".

For once, I didnt have to move anywhere to see the next set. All I had to do was stay where I was and watch Scorpio and Ribbz take over from the vacating DJ and MCs, then they could make the switch from Hardcore to Techno and I could stomp like a maniac to it.

Even though it was the switchover set, if you think Scorps was going to take it easy then you have another thing coming. This guy plays Hard and this set was no exception. With no complaints from me at all, he did what he did best, playing dark and doomy, I particularly liked the way he gave the ravers quiet interludes, which were just a feint as the mayhem was just round the corner.

Although I'm not sure about it, I think he may have dropped some breakcore in at one point, but I'm hardly an authority on these things. What I am sure about was the way the dancefloor packed out with techno maniacs, most of which had their tops off, all of them going for it like theiy should.

When Scorpio had finished, it turned out to be the perfect warmup for what was to come. We had had the UK definition of Hardcore Techno, one trip down the stairs and you would get the Dutch version.

I was down them like a shot to see Neophyte. The best part of this set was not the music, but the crowd's reaction to it. Half of them were offski pretty bloody sharpish when the next DJ was announced, the rest of them (myself included) stayed right where they were as Ribbz and Odyssey joined each other on stage. Odyssey to hype the crowd with his lyrics, Ribbz to do the same just by being up there.

Neophyte, on the other hand was wasting no time at all. Hard, hard music and lots of memorable tunes made this a set to remember, but once again, it was the crowd's reaction which really said volumes. As the DJ played no nonsense stompers such as "State of Emergency", "Cold Days", "I am a god" and "They just strut", the place went bonkers, the arena was a sea of movement as those with an ear for the music immersed themselves in what they loved.

Sallie is proabably the best example of this, You could tell she was loving her work as she never stopped moving throughout the set. Lots of stomping, not to mention plenty of acrobatics when the MCs were out of her way, whilst Sarah was notable for the way she had a go at the Haake, which I had taught her a little while before.

Finally, conscious that a UK DJ would have to follow him, Neophyte dropped a tasteful selection of old skool bouncy techno in the closing moments of his set, even letting slip a snippet of "Discoland" right at the end. Monster Hardness, plenty of energy and forethought for the next DJ too. Top set, I stomped right the way through it from start to finish.

That was a disadvantage. I must be getting old or somthing, cos I was utterly destroyed after Neophyte's set! Under normal circumstances I would have made another trip to the chill out area, but I stayed right where I was, cos Ham and Wottsee were up next.

I stayed where I was cos I like the way Ham puts his sets together. I had learnt a long time ago that breakbeats were out of the question at this time of the night, but his kick oriented selection was still very infectious, even if I lacked the energy to dance to it.

I skulked round the back of the stage, collecting my thoughts and recharging my batteries as Ham worked through his set. After about 15 minutes of this I had had enough, the music was calling me again and I went back to the front to dance to it.

For his troubles, Ham went for a bouncy, euphoric and feel good set, playing the exact opposite of the darkness that preceeded him and that won him a lot of ravers on the night. Dropping "In your life", the remix of "Higher Love", "angel eyes" and the remix of "Sweet Child of mine" during his set. Even though I was still recovering from being "Neophyted", I could tell he was doing a good job up there.

All of a sudden the final set seemed to leap out of nowhere! Where had the evening gone again? Not that it mattered, Sy and Storm were on next and most of the ravers knew this as those still standing got into the main arena for the "Power hour" as well as the "morning glory" set.

In another upset to the plan, Sy started up his usual party set from a different angle. New (to me at any rate) Tunage quickly got me going as Storm kept it to a minimum for a few tunes before he could resist it no longer. By the third tune their trademark scratchbattle was in full effect.

Thereafter, it was business as usual. Storm hyping the ravers to the max for the final hour, Sy dropping nothing unless it was designed to do the same as Storm's efforts and the crowd stomping their guts out.

Remixes? **** loads of em. "Pacific sun", "D.E.V.I.L", as well as a new remix of "Rock Ya Hardcore" just to upset the applecart. Speaking of which another new tune was another MC Marley oriented effort, which I dont know the name of, but as it seemed to namecheck every notable person in the scene, might as well be called the "Bigupathon"

As well as that, the originality flowed from the speakers, with "Making me wanna dance" being the undesputed highlight for no other reason than every raver in the place shouting out the lyrics and producing a rush that near took my head clean off my shoulders.

I just didnt want it to end, I was having too much of a good time. Surrounded by my friends, all of them rocking non stop till the remix of "I'm Ravin I'm Ravin" came in to signal the end of the night. I and a couple thousand good friends turned away at the end to face the flyer massive whilst soaked to the skin.



Things I liked:

Musical variety - Once again, I got more than I bargained for at Raverbaby. Breakbeat, Upfront, Freeform, Techno and best of all, Dutch Gabba. Nice one.

MC's - Did their job and hyped the crowd as well as telling the party crew to take a breather and drink water at regular intervals. Double nice one.

System - Even though the mic was a little loud on occasions, the rest of the system was absolutely kicking. Funktion one does it again.

Main stage - Size does matter and a proper stage to suit a proper rave matters too. I also like the way those platforms at the side had gone too.

Outdoor area - Very welcome at times, especially when I was steaming when I left the building on more than one occasion. Even though I didnt go for one, the ice cream van was a nice idea too.

Wottsee b2b Odyssey - These blokes work well together. Dodgee's set was a perfect example. More please.

Things I liked less:

The Heat - The flyer had promised a new ventilation and cooling system, which, going on the extra holes in the ceiling had to be true. Maybe next time the place might do us the courtesy of turning it on, I was soaked to the skin when I left in the morning. I werent the only one either.

Toilets - No locks on the doors. Again.

Despite the heat in the place, this was a fantastic night out. It was one of those times when you didnt care about a little bit of discomfort cos you were enjoying yourself way too much. I know I had a great time, I always seemed to be on my way to see a DJ I really wanted to see and another varient of the music.

Big name DJs, mixed it right up with lesser known and up and coming DJs. Okay, the headliners may have dominated the main arena, but its nothing a bit of leg power and using the stairs didnt solve. I know I made the effort to see as many different DJs as possible, this was not an opportunity to pass up and my night was all the better for it.

As well as that, the night absolutely shot past, and I couldn't stop dancing to the music that was on offer, which is always the mark of a rave to remember. This is getting to be a regular thing, going to Raverbaby to experience the full spectrum of Hardcore. I cant wait to go back for this reason alone.
See you at the next one,
astraboy.

astraboy

Shouts to:
Everyone who was there. I'd like to go into more details, but frankly it can wait. I'm off the to Glade festival!
astraboy.

Chip Sengravy

That sounds like a good do, are you taking a plug-in or an aerosol?

Jap2Scrap

You wanna get a fookin job sunshine.

Dick Cheese

Big up yourself

I'm off to the Third Annual Knitting Convention this evening if anyone is interested. A full report on every knit, slip, purl, loop, repeat, yarn and stitch will follow

EXSCOOBY

whilst me, mixmaster mongo , flipmaster pom and the incredible stixxy are off down the local b&q to score some wall plugs an electric shower and a blind for the upstairs window
we have our essential raving tackle ie car keys, shopping list, credit card , stupid damn dayglo vest and white gloves. Im laying down some slammin hardcore wibbling beats whilst mongo rips it up with some essential lyrics. the man can rhyme ............

"from front to back feel the bass like a heartattack!!!!!!!""

"coming at ya like a glass collecter"

advance shouts out to the girl on the checkout !! peace !!,
the guy i saw last time who showed me where the shower mats are (keep it real brother)
my mum for making me a packed lunch to keep me moshing at full capacity
mongos mum for the lucozade drinks maximum drinkage and last but not least the lloyds bank posse for providing the funds for our little road trip

more random nonsense to follow...................

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

LMAO

I used to igone these thread but now the replies are priceless!

Aaron C. Reskew

Only if you want a shoeing


Yo wass 'appening? ACR is in da house bass heads and it's slaaaaaming!

Whoops! Almost forgot to give a few Big Shout Outs.

Big shout outs to the following happening crews.
Mork & Mindy
Barbie and Cindy
Itchy& Scratchy -the 2 hippest DJ's this side of Trowbridge
Penny-because she drops
Bill, Will, Phil & Jill
Dick,Rick,Mick & Vic
Dave
Trigger
Delboy and Rodders
Long John Silver
Big John Holmes
Hairy Mary
Shaven Haven
Little Dick
Big Fanny
Aunt Flo, Uncle Mo, Cousin Bo & Cotton Eyed Joe
Midnight Raver
Arnold Laver
Kwik Saver
Bearded Lady-not a shaver
Dirty Tramp
Naughty Scamp
Sam & dave
Chas & Dave
Dave & Dave- lovely couple
Double Dee
John at Halfords for keeping me Nova going
Dr Jones
Dr Feelgood
Dr Dre
Dr Pepper
Lilt
Fanta
Coke

Sorry to anybody I've forgotten but you weren't memorable enough.

EXSCOOBY

pmsl
awesome

Patt@firstime

and me, to the shoutouts!!!

Matt

Aaron C. Reskew

Do the Shake 'n Vac, and put the freshness back
Do the Shake 'n Vac and put the freshness back
When your carpet smells fresh, your room does too
Every time you vacuum, remember what to do
Do the Shake 'n Vac and put the freshness back

Big shout out to Julie at number 12 for leaving your curtains open while you got undressed. Sorted.
The makers of Kleenex
KY jelly
Rohypnol
Red Bull- without you I'd be nothing
High Wycombe Fire Crew- Thanks Dads
Burberry
Kappa
Elizabeth Duke
McDonald's
Billy "goat" Gruff
Humpty Dumpty
Jack and Jill
I love you Mum- regularly
Izzy
Wizzy
Lets get busy

EXSCOOBY

I ACTUALLY HOPE ASSBOY KEEPS POSTING THIS NONSENSE
so heres a few shoutouts to the essential massive
hello peter, hello paul
saints and sinners, welcome all
tommy cannon and bobby ball
hello, hello, hello, hello

little richard, little nell
***** wonka and william tell
salman rushdie and kym mazelle
hello, hello, hello, hello...

mork and mindy, brian hayes
barry humphries and paris grey
little neepsie, chris and do
hello, hello, hello, hello...
billy corkhill, vince hilaire
freddie flintstone, fred astaire
desmond tutu, steve and claire
hello, hello, hello, hello...

charlie parker, charlie brown
leslie crowther, come on down
mary wilson, di and flo
hello, hello, hello, hello...

sir bufton tufton, jean paul sartre
zippy, bungle, jeffrey archer
andre previn and the lso
hello, hello, hello, hello...

Aaron C. Reskew

Wibble me dibble, we've got the biggest shout out for ya! Face it bass heads it's time for a new dawn. Big up yaself and give maximum respect to

Harry Truman, Doris Day, Red China, Johnnie Ray
South Pacific, Walter Winchell, Joe DiMaggio

Joe McCarthy, Richard Nixon, Studebaker, television

North Korea, South Korea, Marilyn Monroe

Rosenbergs, H-bomb, Sugar Ray, Panmunjom

Brando, "The King and I" and "The Catcher in the Rye"

Eisenhower, vaccine, England's got a new queen

Marciano, Liberace, Santayana goodbye

Joseph Stalin, Malenkov, Nasser and Prokofiev

Rockefeller, Campanella, Communist Bloc

Roy Cohn, Juan Peron, Toscanini, Dacron

Dien Bien Phu falls, "Rock Around the Clock"

Einstein, James Dean, Brooklyn's got a winning team

Davy Crockett, Peter Pan, Elvis Presley, Disneyland

Bardot, Budapest, Alabama, Krushchev

Princess Grace, "Peyton Place", trouble in the Suez

Little Rock, Pasternak, Mickey Mantle, Kerouac

Sputnik, Chou En-Lai, "Bridge on the River Kwai"

Lebanon, Charlse de Gaulle, California baseball

Starkweather homicide, children of thalidomide

Buddy Holly, "Ben Hur", space monkey, Mafia

Hula hoops, Castro, Edsel is a no-go

U-2, Syngman Rhee, Payola and Kennedy

Chubby Checker, "Psycho", Belgians in the Congo

Hemingway, Eichmann, "Stranger in a Strange Land"

Dylan, Berlin, Bay of Pigs invasion

"Lawrence of Arabia", British Beatlemania

Ole Miss, John Glenn, Liston beats Patterson

Pope Paul, Malcolm X, British politician sex

JFK blown away, what else do I have to say

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again

Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock

Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline

Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan

"Wheel of Fortune", Sally Ride, heavy metal, suicide

Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz

Hypodermics on the shores, China's under martial law

Rock and roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore

We didn't start the fire

It was always burning

Since the world's been turning

We didn't start the fire

No we didn't light it

But we tried to fight it

EXSCOOBY

and thats the real truth!!!!!!!!!!!
bring it assboy
lets see some pics of you fully togged up in rave mode redbulled to the max with your dayglo vest gleaming and you doing the big fish little fish dance
you knows it you trainee accountant warrior you!

AndyP2005

EXSCOOBY is cool, the other one aint.

Dick Cheese

Big shout out to this guy: (and everyone else in the pic of course )

AndyP2005

Spazz alert. Nice MJ gloves mind.

sti-04!!

EXSCOOBY

hold the phone
it looks like assboy and his merry pranksters have managed to bother pslewis with their repetitive beats
although how pete heard them with his ear trumpet is anyones guess

shout outs to
milly molly moo
kangeroo
sniffing glue
and an electricboogeloo