Rave review, Bangface 29, Ravers of The Lost Ark 10/2/6
16 February 2006, 09:28 PM
#1
Scooby Regular
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2000
Posts: 9,368
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Rave review, Bangface 29, Ravers of The Lost Ark 10/2/6
Round about a month ago, after more attempts than were strictly necessesary, I attended a Bangface, the monthly "Neo rave"party, held at the Electrowerkz in Angel, London.
It was an epiphony moment, one that I wont forget in a hurry. I'd wondered why my friends had been going on about how good it was and finally, I knew why.
A night of pure insanity was what I experienced, with hardened, cynical ravers wandering round the place, like it was their first rave all over again. People with 6, 7 and even 11 years raving under their belt, spending a night, open mouthed at what was going on around them and what was being played out over the system.
Quite a bold statement, I think you'll agree, but believe me, it was just as good as my enthusiasm is making it out to be. Best of all, it was and still is a monthly event and that was all the justification I needed to get myself down to the next one.
Each Bangface is a themed party and this one was no different, with the subtitle of "Ravers of the lost Ark" with frequent emails for those on the list, requesting the party people to "Dress Indy Style" gave me a good idea of what to expect and it werent lots of people looking like rejects from and Oasis lookalike agency.
Strangely enough, what I weren't going for was the DJ lineup. It was only after I'd mentioned to Coriolis that I didn't know anyone on the lineup and his five minute rant revolving around "I cant believe you dont know who Andrew Weatherall is" that I knew the credentials of one of the DJs on the flyer. Stamped on the back of it was "Rave alert, DJ Vibes and Hecate also playing" which brought that number up to two, the rest were totally unknown to me. The rave would be a voyage of discovery as well as a night of sensory overload. All for a mere 9 quid as well.
As it turned out, it was going to cost me 18 quid, having bought a ticket for a freind who couldn't make it on the night. Therefore I was quite chuffed to manage to shift the ticket to some ravers who I met when I was within spitting distance of the venue. More money to spend behind the bar was mine, not that I really needed it, mind.
Getting into the place was no problem at all, with the ever present Ozzy letting the party crew in two at a time and after handing over my remaining ticket, I was in.
I couldn't wait anymore, so after getting another can in, I was straight into the main room. Of course, there was 300 or so ravers who had beaten me to it, not to mention a DJ who was already hard at work.
I never did catch his name (I really do wish they would put set times up) and more to the point, I never really did work out what he was playing. The best conclusion I came up with from this set is you can never second guess Bangface's music policy.
Highly experimental minimalist stuff with lots of subbase is probably the best way to describe it. After that, I was just a clueless as the next man. It weren't bad at all, just not as dancable as I would have liked, so I made up for it by drinking heavily whilst the Dj got on with his work. It was a good set, from the bar's profit margin's point of view if nothing else.
Next up was the polar opposite in terms of dancability. Vibes was on next and in a very good turn up for the books, he also brought along MCs Livelee and Strict to liven the place up. This, as well as the DJ's musical direction meant this was one of the better sets of the night.
Even though Vibes is the undisputed king of the classic Happy Hardcore Anthem set, he is also professional enough to know where he is playing at and taylor his set accordingly. I've seen this happen before at an Old Skool Euphoria and he was on the same wavelength tonight. As such, the first half of his set was just as unknown to me as the preceeding DJ, but with one difference, dancability.
The stomping Hardcore was VERY easy on the ear, with the 170bpm kicks giving the crowd (and me) what they clearly wanted, something to dance to. Never one to do things by halfs, the Bangface crew in the place not only got on it like the full time maniacs they are, but also created something you dont see every often, A Hardcore mosh pit in front of the decks.
This was what actually stopped me drinking in the end, with holding a can steady in the middle of the mayhem being an impossible task, I gave up drinking and fell back on what I was there for instead, having the time of my life and stomping like a maniac.
Vibes and Livelee were bang on it throughout, with the first half given way to upfront UK Hardcore in the form of "Heaven on Earth" and classic Hardcore by way of "Techno Wonderland". All the time, Livelee was bringing the atmopshere higher, giving the ravers what they wanted on the lyrical front with "That is what you are" and "Come up like a rocket" being Notable highlights of his contributions.
It was definitely the start I wanted to my evening and I was loving every minute right up until the end, but if a storming set from a trusted DJ was good, an even better set from someone I've never heard play out before was even better.
Enter Andrew Weatherall who took over from Vibes and Livelee, along with the unscheduled (but not unwelcome) appearence from MC Strict on the mic. With two legends in the place, the result was an explosion on the dancefloor.
Justifiably so as well, cos after strict had introduced "One of the pioneers of the scene" an early acid techno set of exceptional quality was produced. The atmosphere in the rave changed in an instant.
Gone was the overexcited mosh pit from the previous set, it was replaced with everyone getting themselves on order and raving to the music. Thing is though, even though the atmosphere and energy from the crowd was different, it was still the same ravers who were producing it. They stood their ground and adjusted the way they were getting on it in accordance to the tunes.
Strict and Andrew Weatherall on the other hand, were in their element . Even though it was the first time I had seen him, it was obvious the DJs set was the restult of years worth of practice and an instinctive ability to read what a crowd wanted. Strict on the other hand, was well into his effortless understated host of the evening persona. Plenty of confidence and mic presence as you would expect to come from a seasoned pro such as himself, this meant he could take it easy on the lyrical front, saying nothing when it was not needed and going for it when it was. Best of all, he was also feeling the vibe in the place, a fact made plain when he grabbed a smiley off the wall, saying "This was how it used to be! Acieeeeed!, Acieeeeed!" whailst waving it about. A definite plus to a set of dark, murky set of underground old skool techno.
I could have easily coped with the two of them staying put and rinsing it out till dawn, but all too soon, Remac stepped up and took over from Mr. Weatherall. I ws convinced things couldn't get any better, but once again I was wrong. In another case of rave ignorance, I didn't know what was coming next. As a result, I got VERY excited when Remarc's MC free Old Skool Jungle set started up.
Another hour, another genre hop, another change in the crowds response. Once again, the same people in the place, but this time, it was nothing but the finest jungle brock out for the lot of them. No aggro, no bling, just the most up for it crowd in the UK giving everything they had to the set they were enjoying.
And what a set it was, with a real trip down memory lane courtesy of Remarc's tune selection, making it one of the definite highlights of the evening. I dont get to do this very often and as a result, I was making the most of the opportunity to rave to Jungle in an aggro free environment (mosh pit nonwithstanding) and I was giving it everything I had amongst my fellow ravers. This was easily done when the tunes included "The licence", "Ganga man", "We must unite" (Tuuuune!), "Arsonist", "Super Sharp Shooter" and "Danger". Fantastic set.
Next up was another set of extreme experiementation. I think the DJs name was Hecate although at the time I thought it was "headcase". With hindsight, I can see why. I weren't even sure of what she was actually playing, but the best way to discribe it was machine gun speed, with interludes consisting of the DJ getting on the mic to hurl abuse at the crowd.
It was so upfront, it was pretty hard to actually dance to. Broken beats and plenty of stopping and starting took care of that, but it started to mellow out at around 4.30 with the tunes getting dangerously close to being somewhat dancable. Right at the end, there was even some vocals on one of the tracks, even if they I.D'd the tune as "Welcome to the House of Satan".
Things I liked:
Once again, Bangface leads the way. Despite being sandwiched between two sets which were a bit to experimental (even for me), the three hours which saw Vibes, Andrew Weatherall and Remarc touch down took the party through Happy Hardcore, 88 Acid Techno and Old Skool Jungle. Fantastic.
Crowd - If the music was the the best part of the rave, the crowd came a very close second. Three hours and three very different sets saw every last one of them stand their ground throughout. I'm positive its the first time I've seen Vibes play out while a mosh pit went off in front of him too.
Atmosphere - Five words here: How it used to be. I might not have been there the first time round, but people from all walks of life all going (and I mean REALLY going) for it to the music dont happen too often these days. Happened twice recently though, both time at Bangface.
Decor - The rave was subtitled "Ravers of the Lost Ark" and boy did the decor reflect this. Everything from Short Round to that melting Gestapo bloke from was on the walls. Of course, "Mullered", "Chinstroker" and "Media" corners were in full effect once again.
Things I liked less:
Some of the sets blurred the boundaries of what is music a bit too much. Normally I'm well up for pushing the boundaries, but when it stops the crowd from dancing then maybe its going a step too far.
Going back for more of the same when you have had the time of your life at the last one always carries a risk. The chances are that it could have been a one off and you go away dissapointed are always a possibility.
Not this time though, desipte being put either side of sets which are not at all danceable, the three hours of Vibes, Andrew Weatherall and Remarc compensated. For compensated, read "went off the chart".
Why? well it was all down to the crowd. The corwd is the real reason I keep going back to Bangface and this was a perfect example of why. Happy Hardcore, Early Acid Techno and Old Skool Jungle. Three very different genres with even more different followings. However, the crowd stayed put and got on it. Not some of them, all of em. They were there to rave and have a party, not to get all snobbish and only dance to one style to the exclusion of everything else.
The result was a party which was refreshingly openminded and all the better for it. Not as good as the first one? no chance. My second bangface and it was every bit as good as the first. I'd best make it three for three just to make sure though, I'll see you there.
astraboy.
It was an epiphony moment, one that I wont forget in a hurry. I'd wondered why my friends had been going on about how good it was and finally, I knew why.
A night of pure insanity was what I experienced, with hardened, cynical ravers wandering round the place, like it was their first rave all over again. People with 6, 7 and even 11 years raving under their belt, spending a night, open mouthed at what was going on around them and what was being played out over the system.
Quite a bold statement, I think you'll agree, but believe me, it was just as good as my enthusiasm is making it out to be. Best of all, it was and still is a monthly event and that was all the justification I needed to get myself down to the next one.
Each Bangface is a themed party and this one was no different, with the subtitle of "Ravers of the lost Ark" with frequent emails for those on the list, requesting the party people to "Dress Indy Style" gave me a good idea of what to expect and it werent lots of people looking like rejects from and Oasis lookalike agency.
Strangely enough, what I weren't going for was the DJ lineup. It was only after I'd mentioned to Coriolis that I didn't know anyone on the lineup and his five minute rant revolving around "I cant believe you dont know who Andrew Weatherall is" that I knew the credentials of one of the DJs on the flyer. Stamped on the back of it was "Rave alert, DJ Vibes and Hecate also playing" which brought that number up to two, the rest were totally unknown to me. The rave would be a voyage of discovery as well as a night of sensory overload. All for a mere 9 quid as well.
As it turned out, it was going to cost me 18 quid, having bought a ticket for a freind who couldn't make it on the night. Therefore I was quite chuffed to manage to shift the ticket to some ravers who I met when I was within spitting distance of the venue. More money to spend behind the bar was mine, not that I really needed it, mind.
Getting into the place was no problem at all, with the ever present Ozzy letting the party crew in two at a time and after handing over my remaining ticket, I was in.
I couldn't wait anymore, so after getting another can in, I was straight into the main room. Of course, there was 300 or so ravers who had beaten me to it, not to mention a DJ who was already hard at work.
I never did catch his name (I really do wish they would put set times up) and more to the point, I never really did work out what he was playing. The best conclusion I came up with from this set is you can never second guess Bangface's music policy.
Highly experimental minimalist stuff with lots of subbase is probably the best way to describe it. After that, I was just a clueless as the next man. It weren't bad at all, just not as dancable as I would have liked, so I made up for it by drinking heavily whilst the Dj got on with his work. It was a good set, from the bar's profit margin's point of view if nothing else.
Next up was the polar opposite in terms of dancability. Vibes was on next and in a very good turn up for the books, he also brought along MCs Livelee and Strict to liven the place up. This, as well as the DJ's musical direction meant this was one of the better sets of the night.
Even though Vibes is the undisputed king of the classic Happy Hardcore Anthem set, he is also professional enough to know where he is playing at and taylor his set accordingly. I've seen this happen before at an Old Skool Euphoria and he was on the same wavelength tonight. As such, the first half of his set was just as unknown to me as the preceeding DJ, but with one difference, dancability.
The stomping Hardcore was VERY easy on the ear, with the 170bpm kicks giving the crowd (and me) what they clearly wanted, something to dance to. Never one to do things by halfs, the Bangface crew in the place not only got on it like the full time maniacs they are, but also created something you dont see every often, A Hardcore mosh pit in front of the decks.
This was what actually stopped me drinking in the end, with holding a can steady in the middle of the mayhem being an impossible task, I gave up drinking and fell back on what I was there for instead, having the time of my life and stomping like a maniac.
Vibes and Livelee were bang on it throughout, with the first half given way to upfront UK Hardcore in the form of "Heaven on Earth" and classic Hardcore by way of "Techno Wonderland". All the time, Livelee was bringing the atmopshere higher, giving the ravers what they wanted on the lyrical front with "That is what you are" and "Come up like a rocket" being Notable highlights of his contributions.
It was definitely the start I wanted to my evening and I was loving every minute right up until the end, but if a storming set from a trusted DJ was good, an even better set from someone I've never heard play out before was even better.
Enter Andrew Weatherall who took over from Vibes and Livelee, along with the unscheduled (but not unwelcome) appearence from MC Strict on the mic. With two legends in the place, the result was an explosion on the dancefloor.
Justifiably so as well, cos after strict had introduced "One of the pioneers of the scene" an early acid techno set of exceptional quality was produced. The atmosphere in the rave changed in an instant.
Gone was the overexcited mosh pit from the previous set, it was replaced with everyone getting themselves on order and raving to the music. Thing is though, even though the atmosphere and energy from the crowd was different, it was still the same ravers who were producing it. They stood their ground and adjusted the way they were getting on it in accordance to the tunes.
Strict and Andrew Weatherall on the other hand, were in their element . Even though it was the first time I had seen him, it was obvious the DJs set was the restult of years worth of practice and an instinctive ability to read what a crowd wanted. Strict on the other hand, was well into his effortless understated host of the evening persona. Plenty of confidence and mic presence as you would expect to come from a seasoned pro such as himself, this meant he could take it easy on the lyrical front, saying nothing when it was not needed and going for it when it was. Best of all, he was also feeling the vibe in the place, a fact made plain when he grabbed a smiley off the wall, saying "This was how it used to be! Acieeeeed!, Acieeeeed!" whailst waving it about. A definite plus to a set of dark, murky set of underground old skool techno.
I could have easily coped with the two of them staying put and rinsing it out till dawn, but all too soon, Remac stepped up and took over from Mr. Weatherall. I ws convinced things couldn't get any better, but once again I was wrong. In another case of rave ignorance, I didn't know what was coming next. As a result, I got VERY excited when Remarc's MC free Old Skool Jungle set started up.
Another hour, another genre hop, another change in the crowds response. Once again, the same people in the place, but this time, it was nothing but the finest jungle brock out for the lot of them. No aggro, no bling, just the most up for it crowd in the UK giving everything they had to the set they were enjoying.
And what a set it was, with a real trip down memory lane courtesy of Remarc's tune selection, making it one of the definite highlights of the evening. I dont get to do this very often and as a result, I was making the most of the opportunity to rave to Jungle in an aggro free environment (mosh pit nonwithstanding) and I was giving it everything I had amongst my fellow ravers. This was easily done when the tunes included "The licence", "Ganga man", "We must unite" (Tuuuune!), "Arsonist", "Super Sharp Shooter" and "Danger". Fantastic set.
Next up was another set of extreme experiementation. I think the DJs name was Hecate although at the time I thought it was "headcase". With hindsight, I can see why. I weren't even sure of what she was actually playing, but the best way to discribe it was machine gun speed, with interludes consisting of the DJ getting on the mic to hurl abuse at the crowd.
It was so upfront, it was pretty hard to actually dance to. Broken beats and plenty of stopping and starting took care of that, but it started to mellow out at around 4.30 with the tunes getting dangerously close to being somewhat dancable. Right at the end, there was even some vocals on one of the tracks, even if they I.D'd the tune as "Welcome to the House of Satan".
Things I liked:
Once again, Bangface leads the way. Despite being sandwiched between two sets which were a bit to experimental (even for me), the three hours which saw Vibes, Andrew Weatherall and Remarc touch down took the party through Happy Hardcore, 88 Acid Techno and Old Skool Jungle. Fantastic.
Crowd - If the music was the the best part of the rave, the crowd came a very close second. Three hours and three very different sets saw every last one of them stand their ground throughout. I'm positive its the first time I've seen Vibes play out while a mosh pit went off in front of him too.
Atmosphere - Five words here: How it used to be. I might not have been there the first time round, but people from all walks of life all going (and I mean REALLY going) for it to the music dont happen too often these days. Happened twice recently though, both time at Bangface.
Decor - The rave was subtitled "Ravers of the Lost Ark" and boy did the decor reflect this. Everything from Short Round to that melting Gestapo bloke from was on the walls. Of course, "Mullered", "Chinstroker" and "Media" corners were in full effect once again.
Things I liked less:
Some of the sets blurred the boundaries of what is music a bit too much. Normally I'm well up for pushing the boundaries, but when it stops the crowd from dancing then maybe its going a step too far.
Going back for more of the same when you have had the time of your life at the last one always carries a risk. The chances are that it could have been a one off and you go away dissapointed are always a possibility.
Not this time though, desipte being put either side of sets which are not at all danceable, the three hours of Vibes, Andrew Weatherall and Remarc compensated. For compensated, read "went off the chart".
Why? well it was all down to the crowd. The corwd is the real reason I keep going back to Bangface and this was a perfect example of why. Happy Hardcore, Early Acid Techno and Old Skool Jungle. Three very different genres with even more different followings. However, the crowd stayed put and got on it. Not some of them, all of em. They were there to rave and have a party, not to get all snobbish and only dance to one style to the exclusion of everything else.
The result was a party which was refreshingly openminded and all the better for it. Not as good as the first one? no chance. My second bangface and it was every bit as good as the first. I'd best make it three for three just to make sure though, I'll see you there.
astraboy.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post