Rave review, Planet Hardcore Hard Dance Carnival 17/4/4
22 April 2004, 10:09 AM
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Rave review, Planet Hardcore Hard Dance Carnival 17/4/4
Carnival. The most evocative word in any party promoters aresnal. Tel someone you are going to a carnival and its usually prefixed with the words "Notting" and "Hill" and coujours up images of non stop partying, more music than your ears can stand and hoards of dancing people, having the time of their lives. You go to a carnival and you can expect a wide spctrum of music, you go to a "Hard Dance Carnival" and it pretty much limits it to what it says on the tin. Thankfully, the Planet Harcore team are among a growing band of promoters who can be trusted to put together a party lineup which pushes all the right musical switches. The flyer promised much with the main room catering for the most popular sounds of upfront hardcore, a Freeformation tour room offering its usual excellence of talented artists and last but not least, an up and coming room for the scene's raw talent to shine. The only thing not totally hardcore was the girly 5am finish, but that werent going to stop me from turning up. The lineup as a whole made me dribble with anticipation, specific DJs being eclipsed byt the collective appeal of them all. Always the sign of a good lineup.
It also saw me making a welcome return to Bristols crackling party scene. My last rave down there was too long ago and even though its close on 100 miles away, its always a pleasure to make the journey. Having said that, we still arrived late due to some of my passengers work commitments, but once we arrived in town and after only a couple of "Where the hell is it?" moments, we found the club. I dropped Paul Zykotik, Emma, Tansy and Laura off and parked round the corner. When we got through the door, there was no search, with friendly and relaxed security waving us through. We had to do was hand over our tickets and we were in.
Having never been to the Depot before, I had to have a bit of a nose around to get my bearings. In many ways, it is similar to the the Lounge, a previous PH haunt, with three floors, including the basement, incorporating building wide arenas with the main and the Freeformation room being of similar size.Up top there was a bar, complete with pool tables, but you werent going to catch me in there. It was a rave and that meant the only place I was going to be was on the dancefloor.
I spent a long time wandering round the venue, taking in the atmosphere and saying hello to all the friendly and familiar faces who were there. Thi meant that the first set I took notice of was Impacts downstairs in the second room. Unfortunatly I only caught the tail end of his set, but what I did see was deffo consistant with his usual standards, both on the decks and production wise.
From this point onward, the evening was spent working out the best way to see everybody I wanted to see. Set clashing was a real problem on this occasion and my only option was to split the sets 50 / 50 to fit everybody in. The next DJ was a prime example of why I had to do this. For one reason only. Stompy is not booked enough. His happy hardcore sets are the stuff of legend and I werent going to miss a rare opportunity to see him play out. From the start, he delivered exactly what he was famous for, wall to wall happy hardcore. Having said that, he also mixed in tunes which were totally new to me as the only tune I recognised was his opener and even that is lost in a blur of rave euphoria. This is the best indicator I have of it being a good set, I cant remember a thing about it, but I know I was having it all the way up until I had to leave. I didnt want to, but I had better get used to it, cos CLSM were on downstairs and I had to see their set.
When I got downstairs, Their set was well on the way, with the familiar figures of Jon Doe behind the decks and Jimmygoat looning about on the dancefloor. There was a third figure too, a skinny guy who kept hovering round the decks. The set was just what I wanted, recently, CLSM has consistantly produced tunes which I have loved and Jon Doe played a slew of them. "Free your Mind", the remix of "Faces of Angels" and of course, his latest effort, "Transmission to Mars" This tune was distinctive because of the skinny bloke I had noticed earlier on. I've never seen Bello B in the flesh before, but as soon as he stepped up and gave a live performance of his rap on "Transmission to Mars". his identity was no longer in doubt. Great way to finish off a great set.
After CLSM had finished, I stayed downstairs for an appearence of one of the scene's main men. Fresh from his chart success with the newest Bonkers compilation, Sharkey stepped up to do what he does best. I went for it during his set, I only had half an hour and wanted to make the most of it. Sharkz didnt know this but his tune selectionsuggested otherwise. leaping in at the deep end from the start, he gave the ravers a serious workout, playing lots and lots of freeform, none of which I recognised, all of which I loveed. This was not a set for trainspotters or chinstrokers, you had to be on the dancefloor to appreciate this set. I was and I did.
Next up for me was a 90 minute special from Bristols home grown stable. SKetchy and Compulsion were up first and never ones to dissapoint, put in a set to be proud of. There was no chinstroking allowed here either, Sketchy and Compy dropped a 110% Hardcore as you like set which I danced all the way through to. I werent the only one either, this set had the main arena going nuts all the way thorough with tunes like "Bodygroove", "Sound of the underground" and "Transmission to Mars" all making a welcome appearence. Top set, really enjoyed it.
Afte one set of Bristol boys had finished, it was the turn of another, D-ice and Reality to keep the party going. These two made that taks look easy with another class performance, starting with and amazing remix of "Loops and Tings" which got me rushing hard and continuing that theme with "Today", "The One", and "Open your mind" leaning toward the rushy vocally side of hardcore, It was a set that I really enjoyed as I am more than inclined to like that genre. In other words, I was loving the whole set from start to finish.
As soon as D-ice and Reality had finished, I was down the stairs like a shot. I could miss Scott Brown for one week, Especially when there was a strong chance of a breakbeat set going off downstairs. Although it werent on the flier as a breakbeat set, I was confident that Robbie Long and Stormtrooper would pull something special out of the bag. My hopes were well placed with the two breakologists dropping a non stop hour of tunes which I just dont hear often enough. It was all the better for only recognising one tune "Get Hard", the rest were tunes that were totally new to me, but I didnt care. I was having the time of my life throughout the set, with the rest of the small but educated croed going for it just as hard as I was. Odyssey was getting just as excited , with him going bananas on the mic and regularly leaping on the stacks in front of the decks to deliver his lyrical assault. It also saw the welcome return to the mic of MC Ethos. Its been too long since Ethos graced the mic and I was more than happy to see him back there too. All four performers combined into an hour of raving excellence. The set went past in a broken beat flash and it was bought to a premature end when the boys had to step down. I know I could have gone on for forever with tunes that good and I'm sure Robbie and 'Trooper could have too. Easily the set of the night. They walked it.
For the final hour, there was only one place to be. It was "Power Hour" time again and I was more than happy to get another weekly dose of Sy and Storm. However, a special bonus of Whizzkid and Smiley on the mic made it all the better. It was more than a set. More than a collection of tunes. And yes I know I bang on about this every time I see them, but the only reason I do that is because it is that damn good. Especially the first tune Sy started with. No Idea what it was but it was nice and rushy and the piano got me VERY excited. The rest of the hour was exactly what I had come to expect from Sy. Tunes like "Discoland", "Heartbeats" and that remix of "Free your mind" which I fail to place every weekend, were made even more enjoyable by Smiley, Storm and Whizzkid going b2b2b on the mic. As with all Power Hours, the cumlative effect kept me dancing right till the final tune had played out.
Things I liked:
Lineup - Very well put together. Nice mix of mainstream and diverse DJs. I dont think I heard one set that was below excellent all night.
Atmosphere - VERY good atmosphere in the place. No bling, not a shred of attitude, every person in the place was 100% hardcore and it showed.
Freeformation room - Giving us a taste of whats to come in the second arena, the Freeformation room didnt let up all night. It provided the diverse foil to the main rooms headliners and was all the better for it. I could have stayed in there all night.
Security - Blended in so well I didnt see em all night! Not that they were needed at any point, but their chilled attitude and lack of intrusion was refreshing.
Free stuff! - Everytime I go to a Planet Hardcore, I walk away with free stuff. Last time it was vinyl, this time it was whistles and horns which were distributed across the dancelfoor by Storm and Smiley. By the time they had finished with the givaways, the dancefloor was somewhat noiser.
Things I liked less:
Set times. I had to do half an hour on a number of sets during the night as there was no other way to see everyone I wanted. Annoying, but more a reflection of what a good lineup it was if I'm brutally honest.
Erm, the bogs flooded at one point. But then again, half an hour later it was cleared up like it had never happened.
Its no good. I cant fault this party at all. It had everything I was looking for. Musically it had the main room for UK hardcore, but as soon as I wanted something different, the Freeformation room was a flight of stairs away. The party people were on top form with an easygoing crowd descending on the venue, all up for a party. Not forgetting the added bonus of the up and coming room, which to my eternal shame I didnt step foot in all night.
Whatever way you look at it, Planet Hardcore came up trumps with this blinder of a party. The whole evening went past in a flash with non stop partying, more music than your ears can stand and haords of dancing people, having the time of their lives. That'll be the reason I went to a "Hard Dance Carnival" then.
astraboy.
It also saw me making a welcome return to Bristols crackling party scene. My last rave down there was too long ago and even though its close on 100 miles away, its always a pleasure to make the journey. Having said that, we still arrived late due to some of my passengers work commitments, but once we arrived in town and after only a couple of "Where the hell is it?" moments, we found the club. I dropped Paul Zykotik, Emma, Tansy and Laura off and parked round the corner. When we got through the door, there was no search, with friendly and relaxed security waving us through. We had to do was hand over our tickets and we were in.
Having never been to the Depot before, I had to have a bit of a nose around to get my bearings. In many ways, it is similar to the the Lounge, a previous PH haunt, with three floors, including the basement, incorporating building wide arenas with the main and the Freeformation room being of similar size.Up top there was a bar, complete with pool tables, but you werent going to catch me in there. It was a rave and that meant the only place I was going to be was on the dancefloor.
I spent a long time wandering round the venue, taking in the atmosphere and saying hello to all the friendly and familiar faces who were there. Thi meant that the first set I took notice of was Impacts downstairs in the second room. Unfortunatly I only caught the tail end of his set, but what I did see was deffo consistant with his usual standards, both on the decks and production wise.
From this point onward, the evening was spent working out the best way to see everybody I wanted to see. Set clashing was a real problem on this occasion and my only option was to split the sets 50 / 50 to fit everybody in. The next DJ was a prime example of why I had to do this. For one reason only. Stompy is not booked enough. His happy hardcore sets are the stuff of legend and I werent going to miss a rare opportunity to see him play out. From the start, he delivered exactly what he was famous for, wall to wall happy hardcore. Having said that, he also mixed in tunes which were totally new to me as the only tune I recognised was his opener and even that is lost in a blur of rave euphoria. This is the best indicator I have of it being a good set, I cant remember a thing about it, but I know I was having it all the way up until I had to leave. I didnt want to, but I had better get used to it, cos CLSM were on downstairs and I had to see their set.
When I got downstairs, Their set was well on the way, with the familiar figures of Jon Doe behind the decks and Jimmygoat looning about on the dancefloor. There was a third figure too, a skinny guy who kept hovering round the decks. The set was just what I wanted, recently, CLSM has consistantly produced tunes which I have loved and Jon Doe played a slew of them. "Free your Mind", the remix of "Faces of Angels" and of course, his latest effort, "Transmission to Mars" This tune was distinctive because of the skinny bloke I had noticed earlier on. I've never seen Bello B in the flesh before, but as soon as he stepped up and gave a live performance of his rap on "Transmission to Mars". his identity was no longer in doubt. Great way to finish off a great set.
After CLSM had finished, I stayed downstairs for an appearence of one of the scene's main men. Fresh from his chart success with the newest Bonkers compilation, Sharkey stepped up to do what he does best. I went for it during his set, I only had half an hour and wanted to make the most of it. Sharkz didnt know this but his tune selectionsuggested otherwise. leaping in at the deep end from the start, he gave the ravers a serious workout, playing lots and lots of freeform, none of which I recognised, all of which I loveed. This was not a set for trainspotters or chinstrokers, you had to be on the dancefloor to appreciate this set. I was and I did.
Next up for me was a 90 minute special from Bristols home grown stable. SKetchy and Compulsion were up first and never ones to dissapoint, put in a set to be proud of. There was no chinstroking allowed here either, Sketchy and Compy dropped a 110% Hardcore as you like set which I danced all the way through to. I werent the only one either, this set had the main arena going nuts all the way thorough with tunes like "Bodygroove", "Sound of the underground" and "Transmission to Mars" all making a welcome appearence. Top set, really enjoyed it.
Afte one set of Bristol boys had finished, it was the turn of another, D-ice and Reality to keep the party going. These two made that taks look easy with another class performance, starting with and amazing remix of "Loops and Tings" which got me rushing hard and continuing that theme with "Today", "The One", and "Open your mind" leaning toward the rushy vocally side of hardcore, It was a set that I really enjoyed as I am more than inclined to like that genre. In other words, I was loving the whole set from start to finish.
As soon as D-ice and Reality had finished, I was down the stairs like a shot. I could miss Scott Brown for one week, Especially when there was a strong chance of a breakbeat set going off downstairs. Although it werent on the flier as a breakbeat set, I was confident that Robbie Long and Stormtrooper would pull something special out of the bag. My hopes were well placed with the two breakologists dropping a non stop hour of tunes which I just dont hear often enough. It was all the better for only recognising one tune "Get Hard", the rest were tunes that were totally new to me, but I didnt care. I was having the time of my life throughout the set, with the rest of the small but educated croed going for it just as hard as I was. Odyssey was getting just as excited , with him going bananas on the mic and regularly leaping on the stacks in front of the decks to deliver his lyrical assault. It also saw the welcome return to the mic of MC Ethos. Its been too long since Ethos graced the mic and I was more than happy to see him back there too. All four performers combined into an hour of raving excellence. The set went past in a broken beat flash and it was bought to a premature end when the boys had to step down. I know I could have gone on for forever with tunes that good and I'm sure Robbie and 'Trooper could have too. Easily the set of the night. They walked it.
For the final hour, there was only one place to be. It was "Power Hour" time again and I was more than happy to get another weekly dose of Sy and Storm. However, a special bonus of Whizzkid and Smiley on the mic made it all the better. It was more than a set. More than a collection of tunes. And yes I know I bang on about this every time I see them, but the only reason I do that is because it is that damn good. Especially the first tune Sy started with. No Idea what it was but it was nice and rushy and the piano got me VERY excited. The rest of the hour was exactly what I had come to expect from Sy. Tunes like "Discoland", "Heartbeats" and that remix of "Free your mind" which I fail to place every weekend, were made even more enjoyable by Smiley, Storm and Whizzkid going b2b2b on the mic. As with all Power Hours, the cumlative effect kept me dancing right till the final tune had played out.
Things I liked:
Lineup - Very well put together. Nice mix of mainstream and diverse DJs. I dont think I heard one set that was below excellent all night.
Atmosphere - VERY good atmosphere in the place. No bling, not a shred of attitude, every person in the place was 100% hardcore and it showed.
Freeformation room - Giving us a taste of whats to come in the second arena, the Freeformation room didnt let up all night. It provided the diverse foil to the main rooms headliners and was all the better for it. I could have stayed in there all night.
Security - Blended in so well I didnt see em all night! Not that they were needed at any point, but their chilled attitude and lack of intrusion was refreshing.
Free stuff! - Everytime I go to a Planet Hardcore, I walk away with free stuff. Last time it was vinyl, this time it was whistles and horns which were distributed across the dancelfoor by Storm and Smiley. By the time they had finished with the givaways, the dancefloor was somewhat noiser.
Things I liked less:
Set times. I had to do half an hour on a number of sets during the night as there was no other way to see everyone I wanted. Annoying, but more a reflection of what a good lineup it was if I'm brutally honest.
Erm, the bogs flooded at one point. But then again, half an hour later it was cleared up like it had never happened.
Its no good. I cant fault this party at all. It had everything I was looking for. Musically it had the main room for UK hardcore, but as soon as I wanted something different, the Freeformation room was a flight of stairs away. The party people were on top form with an easygoing crowd descending on the venue, all up for a party. Not forgetting the added bonus of the up and coming room, which to my eternal shame I didnt step foot in all night.
Whatever way you look at it, Planet Hardcore came up trumps with this blinder of a party. The whole evening went past in a flash with non stop partying, more music than your ears can stand and haords of dancing people, having the time of their lives. That'll be the reason I went to a "Hard Dance Carnival" then.
astraboy.
22 April 2004, 10:19 AM
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Shouts to: Paul Zykotik, Lady Angelic, Emma, Tansy, Andy M, Immz, Raz power, Bouncing buncheez, Dusty vixen, Stormtrooper, CDJay, Eccy and Gaz, Dez (Nice to talk to you for once!) Jutt, Vapour, Elmo, Gazy J, Abyence, Gammer, Koochy, Sawyer, Oli G, Thumpa, Mozz (Rave legend!) Paul (Another rave legend!), Sammy P, Glyn ITFC, Sykee, FishGeffo (Last of the rave legends, promise), Mayhem, Skampy and the rest of the Eltham crew, Smithers, Stompy, Bubble, Miss Kitty (only saw you for about 5 seconds on the dancefloor!), Sharkey, Chris, Ethos, Wottsee, Storm, Whizzkid, Smiley, Sketchy, Compulsion, D-Ice and Reality, STS dave Rob 1847593, Nasher and the rest of the choons.net crew, Mad vic, and last but not least the entire Planet Hardcore crew for a top night out. oh and anyone else I have forgotten
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