astraboy

Christmas parties dont come better than this. While Freeformation does not throw parties that often, when it does do them no corners are cut. This one was no exception. Freeformation is a product of the Nu Energy Collective thinktank and as far as I can tell has two objectives, to showcase their chosen sound and to put on an absolute kick *** rave while their doing it.

Another aspect which is pretty much unique to Freeformation is the first sylable of the name. I think I have been to more Freeformation parties where its cost nothing to get in than any other rave organisation I can name. This event, their christmas rave, was yet another payback party where all you had to do was email the Nu Energy collective, wait for the reply, then respond when they did and you were in. Gratis.

That was more than enough to get me off my **** to the party, but if you think corners were going to be cut then think again. Three arenas had been promised, each of them showcasing what the Nu Energy Collective do, namely Hard Dance, Hardcore and Old skool thrown in for good measure. It werent up and coming DJs either listed to spin either, no, nothing but the best here, with the likes, of Sharkey, Kevin Energy, Kutski, Gammer, Robbie Long, Devastate (making a rare southern appearence), Druid and last but by no means least, two full on Live PA's from both the NEC themselves and Ephexis.

Not bad for the 0% entry fee, I think you'll agree, I had to get myself down there, I had one of these feelings I get when I'm about to experience something epic.

Walking into the venue, I was pleasently surprised to find it the same as it was different. The complex was still all there, with three arenas spaced in an equal amount railway arches, but every time I go there, there seems to have been another name change and refurbishment. This time the place was called Hidden, and after the friendly door staff and no search (for me anyway) I could see what the next incarnation was like.

Hidden has come a long way since my first encounter with a grubby, bare concrete floored Chunnel club. This time it was posh flooring, tasteful decor, leather sofas and white draping created surroundings almost a little too bling for the rave that was about to go off. Fortunately the most important aspect had been sorted out, namely the sound system, and this was in full tilt when I went into the Hardcore room.

When I arrived, it was AMS and Ethos gracing the decks, not to mention a sizeable crowd of ravers gracing the dancefloor! The rest of the rave had barely gotten going, but the Hardcore arena was well underway. Not surprising with AMS and Ethos going for it like the professionals they are.

True to form (heh) AMS was playing what he is famous for, freeform all the way, with most of it being lost on me, but it definitely making me dance, that much is certain. The few tunes I did recognise though, were absolute stompers, with nowt but highest energy tracks getting dropped, including "Wakey Wakey", "Get ****ed" (which the crowd REALLY enjoyed), and the ever popular "Check this out".

At this point I would have to have been mad to leave, but thats exactly what I did. I left the party on the provision I could return but the reason I left was to keep a promise. That promise was to show my face at Experimental Vs. Jellybeanz which was going off just round the corner. I had timed my departure to coincide with the second hour of a two hour special from Darren Styles and Sy on the decks and MCSquared on the mic. Besides, it would have been rude not to get myself to Whizzkid's birthday rave so after a few minutes of wandering about, I found the vune, which was another railway arched club and went inside.

Like a comfy pair of trainers the sight which greeted me was as welcoming as it was familiar. The musical contrast was matched only by the similarity between the crowds in the respective venues. They may have been seperated by 500 metres of railway arches, but upstairs, they were all on the same wavelength.

Best of all the system was having its **** kicked by two master craftsmen who I have not seen go b2b for quite a while. Sy and Styles were well into their work by the time I had arrived and MCSquared were just as deep into the Hardcore bubble. Giving the assembled ravers one hell of a workout. Usually it takes a bit of time to really get into the music, but this was overwhelming, three tunes after I had arrived and said hello to all the friendly faces, I was raving, hard.

If I'm honest with you, for the second hour, Sy was somewhat eclipsed by Styles being there, what I mean by that is the set had less of his well known trademarks than a solo set, but tbh, that didnt matter too much as elements of each others performances were both evident. Mainly in tune selection.

This is the main reason why I like these unusual b2b pairings, you get used to them going solo, but put them together and you get an very pleasent hybrid indeed. Infact, the only constant throughout the set, was Storm and Whizzkid, in full MCSquared guise and making full use of the 2 hour set on offer. Each of them working like the professionals they are, as well as taking the time to enjoy themselves as well.

All for of them made my time at Experimental Vs. Jellybeanz very enjoyable, despite its briefness. Cos even as The DJ's were dropping tunes like "Take control", "Makin me wanna Dance, "Pacific Sun", the remix of "Dropzone" (Which I'm loving atm) and "Discoland" and the MC's were in their element with "Dark Like Vader", "Streetlights" and even the occasional Gabba lyric from Storm (seriously), I knew I only had a limited time left. With the final tune ringing in my ears, I left the venue and made my way back to Hidden.

With good reason too. I would have liked to have stayed, but tbh, I wanted to get back for one reason and one reason only. Druid and Sharkey b2b in the middle arena. Everytime I see these guys go for it they do the business in no uncertain terms. Easily justifying freezing my **** off for the journey from one club to another.

When I got in, it was like I never left. The place was still rammed and the middle room was the place to be. Druid and Sharkey were where they belonged, behind the decks and while there may not have been a mic for Sharkz to perform with, he made up for it by going b2b with the south coast legend and bringing the house down into the bargain.

Its difficult to describe why these performances are as good as they are. On paper, it sounds like any other mid ninties Hardcore set, with "Like this", "Sound of Music", "In effect", "Take me away", "6 Days" and "In Complete Darkness" all forthcoming. However, to just list the tunes and say it was doing it only goes halfway to describe what went on during that hour.

Everyone was having a good time. The DJs, the crowd, the people upstairs, the barstaff, I even saw the security bouncing away while he thought no-one was looking. The music may have been nothing new, but it makes you feel it all the more when you know everyone in the area had a smile on their face and was having a good time. Druid seems to do this everytime he steps up, but with the added bonus of a completely pissed sharkz doing his best to mix (and getting it right. Well, most of the time) to back him up, it just made a good set better.

After Druid had left and Sharkey had fell out of the DJ booth and stumbled towards the bar, I was the only one not moving. Why? cos Robbie Long was up next and I dont get to see him play out often enough. Better still he answered my prayers and played a set that I had hoped for. Upfront Breakbeat Hardcore all the way.

It was fantastic to listen to and even better to dance to. Once again, it was MC free, but I didnt care at this point, I was making the most of the limited time I had to dance to the tunes. Robbie didnt dissapoint and came up with the goods in the form of a dream tracklist. For the 30 minutes I was watching him for, I was in heaven as "Get Hard", "Kinda Funky" and "night to remember" got played out in quick succession.

However good it was, I only had 30 minutes to play with. Why? cos I was due back in the Hardcore room to finish off the night. When I got there, Gammer and Kevin Energy were rounding off their set, with Gammer's latest venture into music, a Gabba based effort this time with "Hood made me" getting played out to an appreciative crowd. Myself included.

However, the next set could not have been more of a switch. Next up was Skampy and Mayhem, for a much awaited Happy Hardcore set. I've heard good results from these guys with Freeform and Gabba, I knew they wouldnt let me down now and I was right.

With MC Odyssey giving all the lyrical accompanyment you could handle on the mic (and you could tell the DJs were just as chuffed about this as I was), the three of them wasted no time in giving the crowd what they wanted. Happy Hardcore was billed and thats what they got.

I was well into it by this point. It may be old hat and nothing new, but quite frankly I couldn't give a damn. This stuff makes me rush like nothing else I've ever known. I dont care how many times I hear the music, it still does it for me and as such I will love it until it stops. Which I dont predict it doing anytime soon.

One things for sure, it was still making me dance like a madman when Skamps, Mayhem and Odyssey were at the wheel. Best of all, they were lending their own particular interpretation to a classic set, but mixing in a few of their (and my) personal favourites in amongst the tunes that the crowd knew and loved.

This was what Freeformation was about. A full on party with tunes like "Eyeopener", "6 Days", "Toytown", "Rainbow Islands" and "Shooting star" full effect, but as well as that, the sly inclusion of tunes like "Hardcore Fever", "Bonkers Theme" and "Together Forever" saw a good set go great. Especially when Rizla Dizla joined Odyssey on the mic and went for it b2b.

For the last set of the evening, it was another unusual pairing I hadn't seen before. Continuing the unusual theme for the evening right up to the final set, Sharkey and Kutski. Two Radio One featured DJs for the final set. I had a feeling this was going to be good.

It started off really good and continued in the same vein. "Accending Angels" (the first tune on Bonks 15) and from then on went all over the shop. The backbone of the set was, as you'd expect, cutting edge Freeform all the way, but every now and again, one of the DJs would make a random tangent off to say, Drum and Bass when a mix of "Champion Sound" or the Pendulum Remix of "Voodoo people" was slipped in. It got more random as well, with Kutski Scratching it up all the way through and Sharkz relieving Odyssey and Rizla of the mic at various intervals to increase the richness and eclectic nature of the set.

And so on it went. For a solid hour and a half, they were at it, both of them, if the cheshire cat grins were anything to go on, Having the time of their lives as well as entertaining the crowd while they were doing it. I was feeling the burn towards the end though and in a moment of weakness chose to sit out the final half hour and chat with some friends. I know one thing for sure, judging by the huge roar that went up at the end of the final tune, those with more endurance than me were entertained to the last.

Things I liked:

Venue - The Chunnel club was the name of the venue when I first set foot in there, near 5 years ago now. Back then it was a bit grotty and had bare brick walls, this time it was called hidden and had some serious refurbishments. I was a particlar fan of the raised seating areas above each dancefloor and the other nice touches like the draping which covered the ceiling.

Lineup - So let me get this straight, its a free party, yet the lineup is what I'd happily pay 20 quid to see. I dont get it, whats the catch?

Music - Seriously refreshing music was played out at this rave. Okay I admit I didnt go into the Hard Dance arena much, but the Hardcore and old skool arenas were kicking every time I was in there. I particularly liked the way freeform was showcased, but did not dominate, with varying styles getting a look in throughout the night AS WELL as the music everyone was there for.

Attendance - Okay, the getting in for free aspect might have had something to do with this, but the fact remains the venue was damn near capacity. Seriously friendly people too, with the Hardcore faithful that show up week in week out making a welcome appearence amongst the unfamiliar, yet easygoing faces.

Atmosphere - This was especially notable in the Hardcore room, but more than evident elsewhere too. The club may have been amongst the arches, but the atmosphere was way above where the ceiling curved in on itself. This was the main reason why I had such a good time at this rave.

Sarah's Pretty Dress. And lovely shoes.

Things I liked less:

In all honesty, the only gripe I had was with the lineup being so good, that it often meant making sacrifices to see one DJ at the expense of missing another. Missing Robbie Long and Devastate is a prime example cos I know it will be a while before I'll see it again. Grr.

Not that it matters though, cos I still had a great time at this rave. A lot is pinned on the christmas season of parties and I often like to save the best till last. Seeing as this one was just 2 days before christmas day, I can honestly say I felt I had done just that.

Awesome music, tearing atmosphere and an entry fee of precisely nothing are exactly what I look for when I go out. Okay, I dont get all three that often, but that just makes it all the better when I do. Best of all, I usually have to go to a field in the middle of nowhere, outmanouver the police and break the law to do it. Not tonight.

Tonight I went to a really nice club, stomped till 6am and had the time of my life and it was all at the invitation of the Freeformation crew. Even if the night weren't all that I could still say it was worth it cos it was FOC, so that just makes it all the better when I walked out of the venue, soaked in my own sweat and just experienced one of the parties of the year. I dont know when the next one is, but I'm gonna be there when its announced. You try and stop me.
astraboy.

astraboy

Random picture time, me acheiving the rare state of "Hardcore Enlightenment" at Freeformation

astraboy.

paulr

Sounds like you had a great time....

Markus

Shock horror! No white gloves or hi vis clothing, EXSCOOBY will be upset

Another top review, keep em coming

Hey, anyone want to start the AB fan club

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The Astraboy Fan Club Thread