kimajy
Well-Known Member
Anyone get up to much ? Body clock is haywire and I'm up ridiculously early so thought I may as well write something up.
Thursday - Tried hard to be sensible but couldn't resist and made an early start to the weekend with grand opening of Roots, Bushwacka! & Richie Fingers' new monthly Thursday residency at Basing House with Mr. C as guest. Seem to have ended up at BH a fair bit recently .. atmosphere was thankfully completely different to Friday/Saturday nights and have to say, absolutely ace. The dancefloor was jumping with smiling faces and the place was heaving.
Pure quality stuff, vinyl-only night of mainly best of the '87-'90 golden age stuff, with not a dodgy rave track even remotely in evidence anywhere. Loads of industry types, a few veterans, DJs and some younger faces all grooving away happily on the dancefloor with big smiles all round. No cheesy reunion feel to this one - was just like stepping back and with such a good track selection the music sounded as fresh today as it did back then.
Unexpectedly caught up with some old acquaintances I haven't seen in years too, which is always really nice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu6qMYZxazo
Friday - Salvaged half a day's work after hitting the sack gone 6am (flipping red bulls !).. disco nap over-ran a bit and finally got back in to London for World Unknown in Brixton at 2.30am
. Enjoyed it last month but was the nuts this time. Perfect numbers (way less crowded), a real down and dirty fog-thick smoke environment, beers in tinnies and sweat dripping from the roof and even a lazer this time.. Unique blend of '80s funk and '90s hangar-rave - a totally authentic all-absorbing emotional escape from the 21st Century with only the maps of Caribbean Islands behind the counter (bar) a reminder that you're actually in Brixton.
'80s rock-pop hair and fashion definitely in evidence for the girls this time, some leather jackets with big hair & bandannas (guys), the bearded rave wizard in a yellow vest, a few 'tashes, definitely more rocker than mod (despite the scooters under covers in the "lounge"), plenty of soaked-through t-shirts and not a pair of shades in sight. Very hard to describe the feeling inside - blatant disregard (even distain) for every modern trend or fashion, an almost utopian equality and unity amongst men and women with people displaying that genuine friendly charm which seems an anachronism in the setting.. but with a Tech-Noir v Basic Instinct dancefloor edge. Quite unique - can't compare it to anything else I know of nowadays.
Some GREAT dancing on that floor (guys and girls) - feet really moving, not least during an extended 1/2 hour 'lights on' session at the end when the smoke cleared, all was revealed, and the gratuitous hugging of strangers that is so woefully absent from modern nights out began in earnest 
.
One of the highlights of my night was Andy playing an old favourite just before the lights went up, looking for all the world like a Wizard of Glastonbury with a huge grin on his face :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KJqBsa7zyE
The rest of the weekend has since been, well, a total write-off - failed to make a planned date with Corsica Studios on Saturday night but no regrets .. it was all worth it. In an era of instantly forgettable parties, especially in London, it's nights like those which still make going out and losing entire weekends to recovery worthwhile !
Thursday - Tried hard to be sensible but couldn't resist and made an early start to the weekend with grand opening of Roots, Bushwacka! & Richie Fingers' new monthly Thursday residency at Basing House with Mr. C as guest. Seem to have ended up at BH a fair bit recently .. atmosphere was thankfully completely different to Friday/Saturday nights and have to say, absolutely ace. The dancefloor was jumping with smiling faces and the place was heaving.
Pure quality stuff, vinyl-only night of mainly best of the '87-'90 golden age stuff, with not a dodgy rave track even remotely in evidence anywhere. Loads of industry types, a few veterans, DJs and some younger faces all grooving away happily on the dancefloor with big smiles all round. No cheesy reunion feel to this one - was just like stepping back and with such a good track selection the music sounded as fresh today as it did back then.
Unexpectedly caught up with some old acquaintances I haven't seen in years too, which is always really nice.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uu6qMYZxazo
Friday - Salvaged half a day's work after hitting the sack gone 6am (flipping red bulls !).. disco nap over-ran a bit and finally got back in to London for World Unknown in Brixton at 2.30am
. Enjoyed it last month but was the nuts this time. Perfect numbers (way less crowded), a real down and dirty fog-thick smoke environment, beers in tinnies and sweat dripping from the roof and even a lazer this time.. Unique blend of '80s funk and '90s hangar-rave - a totally authentic all-absorbing emotional escape from the 21st Century with only the maps of Caribbean Islands behind the counter (bar) a reminder that you're actually in Brixton. '80s rock-pop hair and fashion definitely in evidence for the girls this time, some leather jackets with big hair & bandannas (guys), the bearded rave wizard in a yellow vest, a few 'tashes, definitely more rocker than mod (despite the scooters under covers in the "lounge"), plenty of soaked-through t-shirts and not a pair of shades in sight. Very hard to describe the feeling inside - blatant disregard (even distain) for every modern trend or fashion, an almost utopian equality and unity amongst men and women with people displaying that genuine friendly charm which seems an anachronism in the setting.. but with a Tech-Noir v Basic Instinct dancefloor edge. Quite unique - can't compare it to anything else I know of nowadays.
Some GREAT dancing on that floor (guys and girls) - feet really moving, not least during an extended 1/2 hour 'lights on' session at the end when the smoke cleared, all was revealed
, and the gratuitous hugging of strangers that is so woefully absent from modern nights out began in earnest . One of the highlights of my night was Andy playing an old favourite just before the lights went up, looking for all the world like a Wizard of Glastonbury with a huge grin on his face
:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KJqBsa7zyE
The rest of the weekend has since been, well, a total write-off
- failed to make a planned date with Corsica Studios on Saturday night but no regrets .. it was all worth it. In an era of instantly forgettable parties, especially in London, it's nights like those which still make going out and losing entire weekends to recovery worthwhile !
