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Rave review, Raindance/United Dance/Moondance 13/8/05

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Old 18 August 2005, 11:56 PM
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astraboy
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Cool Rave review, Raindance/United Dance/Moondance 13/8/05

Most of my formative years raving to Hardcore were spent in two places, or more specifically two raves. This was back in 2001 so choice was limited to say the least. So its little surpise to know the fact I spent a good amount of time in Bagleys warehouse, at a certain rave called United Dance.

It may have been rose tinted glasses, or it may have been the immense amount of alcohol I used to drink whilst raving in those days (how times change eh?), but I always remember the good times I used to have at United Dance. These (and other) raves were amongst my formost influences when I was developing my love for Hardcore and one thing is for sure, I missed them like crazy when they dissapeared.

It was around the same time Hardcore Heaven re-appeared, so some might say it was no great loss, but, like an old pair of trainers which you cant bear to throw out because they are too comfortable, I can honestly say I would have gone back to UD like a shot if it re-appeared.

As it turned out I was in for quite a wait. The last UD was in September 2003 at the newly converted Canvas complex in Kings Cross. Since then, the Hardcore scene has been UD'less and I have awaited its return. My hopes have been raised and dashed several times, but this year, my patience was finally rewarded with the flyer of my dreams in the bundle I was handed whilst walking out of a rave.

Not only had UD returned, but it was no small gesture either. They may not have been able to go back to Bagleys since it has renamed itself Canvas, followed swiftly by the curious sight of a venue dissapearing up its own ****, but SEOne is the modern equivilant and has better bogs, soundsystems and security to boot. It was the easiest option, not to mention my Favourite London venue so I was more than happy for it to go off there.

As well as that, I was equally happy for UD to Team up with the almighty Moondance and Raindance to supply the Old Skool and a much needed Jenkins Lane Reunion arena, In the past UD had managed the old skool on its own and had a garage arena instead of the Jenkins Lane, but it goes without saying I preffered the Raindance efforts over the flash in the pan Blibble crew. United Dance themselves were responsible for supplying the Hardcore and DnB side of the party.

Curiously enough I actually killed my appreciation of DnB at a United Dance, so the Hardcore arena was my sole focus of the night. In that respect there was no cutting corners. Only the biggest need apply and as such they were all there. Sy headlined, naturally, but Hixxy, Seduction, Dougal, Darren Styles and Breeze were also there. Not to mention Storm, Whizzkid and Odyssey on the mic.

Even though I was going to relive the past in the Hardcore arena, it would be criminal not to spend time in the Moondance and Raindance arenas, especially as I have had so many good times at these parties in their own right. It looked to be a fantastic night out, I couldn't wait.

It all led to me chatting to friends in the Shipwright Arms, the SEOne pre meet for as long as I can remember. A few pints later and we rounded the corner to see an almighty queue stretching back as far as any big SEOne rave that I can remember. I'll be honest and say I did wonder if anyone would remember UD, but my fears evaporated as the queing time to get in stretched to 1 hour plus.

Eventually after being searched (and managing to smuggle my dayglo in this time) I was inside. It was from here on in that a serious gameplan was put into action. I was determined to get as much of all the arenas (bar the DnB) during the night. First stop, Moondance in arena one.

I'm usually first into the Hardcore arena, but this was an opportunity not to pass up. Rob Blake was on the decks when I arrived and I dont get many opportunities to see him play out. This was one occasion where I had the opportunity so I took it.

The ravers in the place were filling the arena by the minute, it weren't full yet, but it was getting there and then some. I joined those lucky enough to be in the main arena from the start.

At this stage in the evening, the proceedings were MC free and all the better for it. The DJ's subdued start to the night needed no additions and the instantly recognisable additions to his set such as "Pump up the Jam", "Bombscare" and "LFO" made for the perfect start to the evening, Not to mention my personal favourite of "We are IE" making me rush hard before my first hour of weekend raving was up.

After Rob Blake's perfect introduction to the evening, there was only one place to be. The United Dance Hardcore arena. As I walked in, DJ Flyin' had already started on his set and was accompanyed by MC Whizzkid on the mic, making my second set of the night a real evolution to the previous one.

Flyin' played out his hour to a similar crowd to Rob Blakes. Of course the main difference was they consisted of Hardcore ravers as opposed to Old skoolers, but the same occurance happened of the arena getting busier and busier as the set progressed was evident, even to me.

This of course, was aided by top notch tune selection, with the DJ busting out tune after tune, whilst leaning heavily on his own work throughout. As such "Free", "Just gotta dance" and a very nice remix of "Come and Follow me" were complimented by Whizzkids usual top end quality vocals. Such as "In the zone" and a tune which crossed the two over which (I think) held the MC's "Free at last" vocals.

By the time Flyin' had finished, the place was packed, rocking and ready for more. Just as well as Breeze was up next and more than happy to oblige, together with Whizzkid putting in another hours work with no complaints from anyone in the place. Least of all me.

Breeze had a hyped arena full of ravers to entertain and in that regard, he excelled himself. Throughout his set, full on party tunes dominated and the place went off accordingly. The only fly in the ointment was the slightly subdued system, but I just stood right in front of the main speakers and everything was fine, especially with Breeze knocking out tunes such as "Feel so real", "Dark like vader" and "Getting better", not to mention another play out of MC Marley's namecheck-a-thon which I really need to find out the name of.

After Beeze had done what he does best, it was time for another room change. Straight back into the Moondance arena for Snypa's old skool set. I have seen previous efforts from this guy before and have gone away impressed with his unorthadox tune selection. I wanted more and appartantly so did the heaving mass that I faught my way through to get near the front.

By the time I got there, Snypa was well underway and alongside an MC whos name I did not catch, proceeded to tear the place apart. Like I said, the occasional anthem, mixed in with underplayed darkness is what I was there for and in no way did Snypa let me down. Everything from "living in darkeness" to the Immortal "The Slammer" was dropped and everything in between. However, it was a cheeky tune request which brought the toughest breakbeat into the rave and I threw my head back and rushed hard when "Pennywise" came in. Wonderful tune.

Thereafter it was a tangent into old skool jungle to finish off his set. A nice progression saw "SMD 2" come and go, then "Champion Sound" and finally a full on stompathon as "Chopper", "Twist em out" and an uncorrupted play out of "Original nuttah" to finish off with. Great set.

No time to hang around though, cos it was straight back into the Hardcore room for the next set I wanted to see. I'd seen one quarter of the RBC play out, it was time to make it a half with Darren Styles up next, alongside the recent arrival of MC Storm on the mic.

Starting off his set with a barrage of new tunes, Styles made sure he got the ravers attention with turning over a good proportion of his hour to lots and lots of music I have not heard before. As such, most of it has been lost in the mists of time, but what I do remember is being particularly impressed with "Sound without a name". I hope I hear this tune out some more as I liked it.

As well as that, the rest of his set (that I did recognise) was just as good as the new stuff, with the remix of "Rock ya Hardcore" getting played out to an appreciative crowd, as well as "I will be that one". But best of all was my personal favourite remix of the moment, "24-7". I really, really like this tune so when it was coupled with Storm's lifestyle affirmation statement of "The rush is that good", I was doing my best not to let it take my head off my shoulders.

The next set was a tough decision. I wanted to see what dougal could come up with, but it was 4am at this point and I knew I had to spend time in the Jenkins Lane room at the other end of the rave. I figured I would spend a better last hour in the Hardcore room, so reluctantly left Dougal and Odyssey to it and made my way to the "Deep Blue" arches.

When I got there I discovered Billy "Daniel" Bunter was on the mic and was accompanied by the one and only MC Strict on the mic. Strict weren't listed on the flyer, but his understated and easygoing style was a more than welcome addition to the night and I wouldn't have had it any other way.

Bunter on the other hand was seriously in the zine by this time, with a near on perfect tune selection for the arena and the way I was feeling. As a consequence, bucketloads of underplayed and cool tunes were forthcoming with "Everybody, all over the world", "Narra mine", "Shine eye" and best of all, the awesome, AWESOME "Made in two minutes" getting played out.

The coolest people in the venue spent the hours set with me, getting down to the tunes that counted, while Strict kept it minimalist and Bunter occasionally got on the mic to make his presence felt. All of this, coupled with the fantastic decor, made for a real highlight of my night. More than worth braving a sea of Junglists to get to.

This was also the reason why I went back through them for the final set of the night. There was only one place to be and that was the Hardcore room. Sy was due on the decks and so was another performance from Storm. I had no intention of missing it.

As it turned out, Sy was not meant to happen on this occasion. He was listed to turn up, but never did. However this was not too much of a bad thing as it meant I could get down to Dougal instead. Odyssey was on the mic for the first segment, but Storm took over to take the crowd home. Together the DJ and the MC provided the sprint finish I was looking for and all three of us went for it till 6am. The rest of the crowd were with me every step of the way too.

Dougal gladly took hold of proceedings and put in a two hour performance for the ravers, its been a while since I've seen Dougal finish off a rave and on this occasion, he did himself proud with an energy filled set which got me dancing like a madman, especially when "I adore", "Extreme", "Still the one" and my personal favourite, the upfront remix of "Timebomb" got dropped.

Finally, Dougal dropped his final tune, the remix of "Angel eyes" and after apologising for the lack of Sy and asking the ravers to show their respect for Dougals efforts over the previous 120 minutes, Storm told the party crew to have a safe journey home and the UD Odyssey that I had waited for so long was over.

Things I liked:

UD's return - It had been too long coming, I knew it would smack it when it did and I was right. it was great to be back at United dance.

Raindance arena - More raves should have a Raindance Jenkins lane arena. The atmosphere, the tunes and the feeling that no-one else can come up with what they do is unique. I REALLY liked the original banners from previous raindance events on the walls too. Nice touch and gave a real sense of nostalgia.

Atmosphere - Someone once said to me that London Hardcore raves have little or no atmosphere. I know they weren't at UD on saturday, but if they were, they would have eaten their words. Cracking atmosphere all night.

Room choice - For once, Hardcore was not put in the middle red arch. As such its usual flaws of sky high temparature and notoriously difficult system balance were not forthcoming. The Grey arch had nice sofas too. Not that I used them of course.

DJ choice - Once again, in a similar vein to the UD's of old, the biggest names of the Hardcore scene such as Breeze and Styles rubbed shoulders with up and running talent of the Flyin' ilk on the lineup. This was one of my favourite aspects of the of UD parties and it was great to see it continue.

Branding - Loads of UD logos everywhere, except in the Raindance room where there were loads of Raindance banners. Always nice to see a rave stamping its name accross the venue on the night.

Things I liked less:

Sound - The first half of the night was punctuated by a wheezy sound system in the Hardcore arena. It must have been just warming up as later on it was kicking out serious DB, but I had to stand right next to the speaker to really enjoy Flyin's set.

Smell - The Hardcore and old skool arenas smelt of puke all night long. I dont have much of a sense of smell, but I pity those who do. Maybe some Dettol next time?

No shows - Sy didn't turn up for his set which was a pisser as I was looking forward to it. However Dougal's two hour set did make up for it.

Set times - Couldn't find any apart from in the Jenkins lane arena.

To be frank, you can shove the "Things I liked less" up your **** for all I care. They were minor things, things that cleared up and things that were compensated for as the night progressed. But the main reason you can kick em in the head was the sheer unadulterated enjoyment I had of this event.

By accident or design, the "feel" of the old United Dance parties back at Bagleys was faithfully recreated at SEOne last saturday. The Rectangular room with the DJ stand on the longer wall, just like Room 3 at Bagleys before the refurb. The minimalist yet effective decor and production, just like back then. I usually complain about no lasers, but not this time.

But it was the ravers that really topped it off for me. Once again it was a faithful recreation of what I remember back then. Okay thats not exactly much but still. Picture the scene, a rectagonal room with the whole place a seething mass of ravers, but on this occasion they weren't all people I know. Lots of randoms in fact, but all loving the music. It was exactly how it was back in the UD's of old and best part of the night for me. couple that with the music (which was out of this world) and I had a fantastic night.

I want to go to another UD. As soon as possible please. Next week if possible. Thanks.
astraboy.
Old 19 August 2005, 12:05 AM
  #2  
paul-s
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ah that brings back memories of united dance @ stevenage arts and leisure centre in 98, back when happy hardcore was happy hardcore.
and slammin at bagleys in 98/99. aaah
Old 19 August 2005, 12:12 AM
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you write a lot for a raver,man! May be you do coz you are a raver!
Old 19 August 2005, 12:13 AM
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astraboy
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Cool

Cheers lads, much appreciated
Shouts to:
Charlie and Kas, Nikki, Ronnie, Johnny G, Gareth, Moron, Nicola (sorted, wicked), Dave, Pete, Rich Illicit, Doc-E (high 5 crew), Disrupta (birthday crew), Sallie (fast asleep behind the decks crew), Barticle, Mark-E, Breeze, Styles, Flyin, Bunter, Snypa, Robbie D (Cheers very much), Nicky Blackmarket, Storm, Strict, Whizzkid, Odyssey, Spenno, Chit Chat, Richard Raindance, Mike Slammer STS Dave for sorting us out (tomorrow dude) and anyone else who I forgot.

Last edited by astraboy; 19 August 2005 at 12:17 AM.
Old 19 August 2005, 09:16 AM
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monty baber
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Originally Posted by astraboy
Cheers lads, much appreciated
Shouts to:
Charlie and Kas, Nikki, Ronnie, Johnny G, Gareth, Moron, Nicola (sorted, wicked), Dave, Pete, Rich Illicit, Doc-E (high 5 crew), Disrupta (birthday crew), Sallie (fast asleep behind the decks crew), Barticle, Mark-E, Breeze, Styles, Flyin, Bunter, Snypa, Robbie D (Cheers very much), Nicky Blackmarket, Storm, Strict, Whizzkid, Odyssey, Spenno, Chit Chat, Richard Raindance, Mike Slammer STS Dave for sorting us out (tomorrow dude) and anyone else who I forgot.
Not taking the p*ss but is there really a 'fast asleep behind the decks crew'? that sounds like a boring 'crew' to me
Old 19 August 2005, 10:25 AM
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astraboy
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Well I met Sallie when we were leaving the venue. I hadn't seen her all night and when I asked why she said she'd been fast asleep behind the decks, hence "fast asleep behind the decks" crew.
astraboy.
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