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| Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | DJ talk with Psyrenzo ahead of his debut set at Tribal Village, the Steelyard this Friday 14th January 2022! | | TENZO aka Overdrive talks freely about launching his new act which will be showcased at Tribal Village, Steelyard on 14 January 2022! | | A long overdue catch up with JourneyOM ahead of his next Tribal Village party this Friday 14th January 2022 at the Steelyard, London! | | Goa based party animal and artist extraordinaire Nirmal talks punk concerts, metal sculptures, flying and rippin' it up on a High Tide! | | DJ Wired talks to us about the Rise of the Hope and parties, ahead of his upcoming set at Tribal Village on 14th January 2022! |
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21st Century Raves? A Look into the Recent Rise of Multi-Genre Parties in London
Reported by Sharon B
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Submitted 04-03-04 19:49
Over the last few months London’s hard dance scene has had the opportunity to attend more larger venue events on a scale that harks back to the beginning of clubbing - the rave era, where vast groups of people meet to dance and be as one together, but in the 21st Century it is with a difference. With a range of styles, genres and sounds available under the same roof, London is on the brink of a new trend emerging mixing contemporary clubs with the ethos of the original dance rave.
Whilst smaller parties and promotions remain popular for most clubbers on a regular basis, the successes of less regular quarterly events such as Tasty and Chemistry, and the growth of other genres such as trance and hardcore, are symbolic of the popularity of the multi-genre tastes of today's clubber. Whilst most small parties have always aimed to have a progression over the night in terms of building upon sets and styles, these days if you attend a multi-roomed event you are just as likely to hear uplifting trance alongside banging hard house, techno and hardcore. This weekend at Fusion on 5th March and Tasty on 6th March you can hear 55 DJ's and 3 MC's at just 2 events with DJ’s playing out their own unique genres in a multitude of rooms, giving clubbers what they need most, variety, and taking the 21st Century Clubber back to the rave days.
Tasty @ The Rocket 2003
After a year of low numbers and more promotions and venues closing down or changing hands, London stands witness to a new trend that seems to be growing. In November 2003 Hard Dance giant Frantic decided to throw a multi-genre, multi-promotional and multi-DJ event at Canvas called Chemistry: The Revolution, with a line-up and promotional campaign that immediately got people talking and buzzing with excitement. When asked about the ideas behind this major event Dickon Laws of Frantic said, “The basic concept behind Chemistry was to recapture the old days of the rave events when there were enormous multi arena, multi promotion events such as the legendary 'Fantazia' parties - it was very humbling to have the old Fantazia promoter come to the event and comment precisely on that!! The scene has obviously moved on since then so it was about fusing the old with the new and coming out with a hybrid party. A lot of clubbers missed the rave days so in a way it was a chance to let them have a taste of what they were like”. Under one roof in a multitude of rooms clubbers got to experience the sound of funky house, trance, hard dance and hard house with legendary DJ’s from Ian Betts, Shan, Phil Reynolds, Steve Hill and Tara Reynolds, to name but a few, whilst today’s up-and-coming DJ’s (and tomorrow’s stars) were also given good billing with Tin Tin, Craig Paxton, Brad Thatcher and Adam May on excellent form. The advantages of this multi-genre event were apparent before the doors even opened. The build-up and hype were reflected in the excellent door numbers on the night and Laws confirmed that "by working with a lot of other parties in London you have the chance to offer the clubber a lot more scope in one night. In essence you have 5 club nights rolled into one event"
The new year saw further large events occurring every few weeks with another successful Chemistry and a Wildchild event at Heaven , again mixing genres and having an array of DJ’s from up-and-coming artists to legends such as Judge Jules. Collaborations have meant that smaller promotions like Dirty DJ’s have been able to broaden their fan base and reach a wider audience, and by supporting and working with smaller events the bigger fish in the pond are making way for the next generation of promotions, ensuring that the scene stays alive and fresh and bringing back a unity that was one of the founding attributes of the dance scene.
But it is not just collaborations of smaller parties and giants that believe in this trend of multi-genre events and keeping the feel of the rave days alive. Tasty, one of London’s biggest Hard House extravaganzas is back this weekend with a line-up that will make any hard dance aficionado drool with delight for “Tasty-We Are Unity”. Following on from its many successes at venues all around London from the Fridge to The Rocket, this Saturday night will see Tasty return to the Mass delivering 3 very different sounds in its 3 rooms with 26 DJ’s and 3 MC’s. The main arena is reserved for the sounds of Extreme Hard Dance, whilst the second and third rooms will host from Elevating Trance to pounding Hard Style and Hardcore Anthems to Forward Thinking Freeform. Giving up-and-coming DJ’s the opportunity to play alongside Honeypot residents and legends Billy “Daniel” Bunter, John Doe and Roosta, Tasty have provided a line up that reflects the growing trend on the London dance scene to mix new talent with established names and provide a diversified sound to cater for every individuals eclectic needs.
Tasty - We Are Unity Flyer
From speaking to Tasty promoter and Honeypot Records owner Billy “Daniel” Bunter it is clear that the early days of dance music and the rave scene hold an important part to him as an artist and on a personal level, and this close identification with the music and the scene plays a big part in the ethos behind Tasty and it's up-coming party. “The reason why I am throwing ‘We Are Unity’ with its 3 different arenas and styles, incorporating hard house, techno, UK Hard Trance and Hardcore, is because it is all music that I feel and play as an artist”, says Bunter, “and the reason we are a multi-arena event is because I believe in these sounds and genres and feel that they reflect the wide spectrum of hard dance available."
Aware that multi-genre events are spreading throughout London Bunter states, “we haven’t organized ‘Tasty – We Are Unity’ to jump on any band wagon, but because we feel it reflects Honeypot’s styles and where I come from as a DJ an artist.” Tasty have always had a very devoted following and have always searched for the best artists and line-ups to keep their unique atmosphere and party individual in its own right. Always quick to pick up on the needs of clubbers, it is Bunter's deep love of the music he plays and the passion behind his excitement about the evolution of the club scene that gives him an edge in picking new talent and new sounds. Hardcore, in particular, is a sound that Tasty are really pushing forward at this time, and Bunter believes that “Hardcore has become very popular at the moment and evokes the same feeling and spirit that fits in perfectly with the scene at the moment and the early days of raves.” Honeypot stand firmly behind this exciting and developing sound (all of their Hardcore residents can be heard in the Hyperzone at the Mass on Saturday) believing that the atmosphere and euphoric experience that clubbers experience from Hard Dance matches that of the emerging Hardcore scene. So confidant is he of this emerging genre that he goes on to say, “I know that when it comes to a Hard Dance event we are literally the first people to get fully behind Hardcore in London. The Hyperzone arena is there because I fully believe in it and the DJ's playing in it. I think that other promoters are going to see just how well this works and take note. I believe it will mark a new change in the Scene and encompass a sound that truly belongs at events in London.” Bunter himself comes from a rave and club background. Having been a name on the DJ circuit for 15 years now, his lengthy experience and in-depth knowledge provide Tasty with an edge that can't be matched. Holding 3 separate and unique arenas, giving Tasty a “futuristic clubbing/rave atmosphere” by merging the ethos behind modern clubs and the days of the rave, when it comes to throwing a party for today's clubbers, Bunter wants "the whole spectrum.”
Fusion @ Heaven Flyer
Another event providing the London circuit with it’s own unique spectrum of dance music is Fusion. Premiering this Friday at Heaven in Charring Cross, Fusion keeps the multi-genre style to a more common contemporary environment by holding its event at one of London's most famous clubs. Providing a diverse range of DJs from different promotions and combining the experience of industry big guns with fresh new talent in one of London’s favourite venues, offering 4 rooms with 5 different genres of music and a sound system that can't be faulted, this is one event set to be an exlcusive merging of sound and genres. Fusion’s exclusivity lies in the artists they have been able to attract to their night. This weekend sees an Exclusive UK set performed by non-other than Peroxide founder and hard dance legend Daniel Ro and Nick Sentience will be playing tracks off his brand new DVD "Universal Language" giving clubbers the opportunity to stand witness to what will no doubt be a revolution in the hard dance scene. By combining original tracks with the most up-to-date and innovative visuals by VJ Craig at 2012fx their DVD will be available on the night and marks a new era in the relationship between visuals and music. When speaking to promoter Shaf De Bass about the ideology behind this new night he said, "I have chosen sounds and styles of music that appeal to me as an artist and clubber. I feel that today's clubber has a much more diversified range of tastes and that large multi-genre events cater to the expanding desires of the 21st Century clubber. I wanted to make a night that was more inclusive of all styles and genres and appeal to a more mature crowd, the ravers of the early days of clubbing who, as they have grown up, want more from a clubbing environment but still want that unity of spirit and sound". With future guests such as BK, Phil Reynolds, Spencer Freeland, James Lawson, Steve Hill, Jon O’Bir, Chris Liberator, Ant, and the possibility of Leroy from Prodigy making an appearance it looks like Fusion will be doing just that and by joining forces with one of London’s most renown venues, Fusion has a world of possibilities and opportunities lying at its feet, and is one event that is sure to make its mark.
Whilst most people in London tend to prefer to go to the smaller parties on a regular, even weekly, basis, the major pull that these large events holds lies in their exclusivity. Doing one large event as a one off such as Tasty – We Are Unity, or on less regular (every 2 – 3 months) basis like Chemistry or Wildchild, gives the promotions time to breathe, build on past events, get in more prominent and international DJ’s and really cater to the clubbers needs. Frantic’s Dickon Laws feels that this can only be a good thing. "I think the positive side effects from large scale collaborations are huge. Clubbers not only get to experience other 'flavours' of Hard Dance but when the scene is stuttering its important that the promotions work together and support each other and continue to drive the industry forward. Club land needs to evolve in order to continue being prosperous and these kind of parties assist that evolution"
Chemistry: The Revolution @ Canvas 2003
No matter what the inspiration behind the event, whether it be an opportunity to unite different parties or an attempt to create a new fusion of rave and clubbing atmosphere, major changes seem to be emerging on the London scene at the moment. Clubbers are now being offered more choice in terms of DJ’s, mixing fresh new talent with established named DJ’s, and new sounds are emerging and expanding the Hard Dance scene with the increasingly popular Hardcore generation. Not only are the clubbers benefiting in terms of options, but smaller promotions are also gaining from these collaborations and events. Getting residents from small promotions playing at multi-genre events helps gets smaller parties names out there and hosting rooms means that parties that usually only cater for 100 people or so get the opportunity to play for 800+. becomeone was one of the many small promotions involved with Chemistry: The Revolution. When speaking to the promotional team about their linking up with the event they responded, "Our collaborations with Frantic have been hugely beneficial......(we) think it is a very positive move for clubs in London to embrace multi-room, multi genre clubbing – more choice and more variety is desperately needed in the scene and if (becomeone) can be part of that movement then that’s fantastic." It is this kind of unity between small and large promotions and the fusion of sounds that encompass the hard dance spectrum at this moment that harks back to the early days of dance, bringing unity and variety together as one. They say that variety is the spice of life, and if that is true to go by, then the variety on offer this weekend at two major London venues holding multi-room, multi-genre clubbing experiences is exactly the spice that the London dance scene has been searching for.
Fusion 5th March, Heaven, Charring Cross
Tasty – We Are Unity 6th March, Mass, Brixton
Becomeone 13th March, Turnmills, Farringdon
Wildchild & Chemistry 20th March, SE1, London Bridge
Photographs courtesy of joeyxx and MrBicGit from Harderfaster Photos Section
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Other Features By Sharon B:
What's it all about? Alfie! - Getting Technikal with Alf Bamford
Heat UK presents....SW4!!! - Interview with Damian Gelle
Interview with TWIST promoter Steve Darragh
Interview with Innovate Resident Nick Sentience
Interview with Ferry Corsten
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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Comments:
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From: Ian Betts on 5th Mar 2004 20:33.31
Brilliant article hon  It's v.interesting to see how the whole clubbing landscape has changed recently (not just in London but across the UK) as promotions have reacted to the fall in numbers to their events. It's noticeable that parties like Heat at the Academy/Cross that have been brave enough to have different genres across different rooms have always been rammed. It will also be interesting to see how traditionally single room venues like the Fridge fare under their new multi-room guise 
From: Stevie on 7th Mar 2004 15:47.51
Well written, with some good insight hon, personally I'm not sure the big, 5 rooms 5 genres thing is doing the scene any good, and I think a lot of them are not getting the numbers they'd like, in spite of the hype. Bit too much jumping on the Trance bandwagon form a lot of hard nights at the moment, when they wouldnt touch the genre with a sh*tty stick six months ago. None-the-less, it does give people more opportunity to see some of the top DJ's around
From: Ian Betts on 7th Mar 2004 17:32.50
Surely more promotions wanting to play trance at their parties is a good thing Stevie 
From: Stevie on 7th Mar 2004 23:49.52
It's a good thing if it's done right, I get the impression some of them dont take it too seriously.
From: MilkNBeansShaun on 8th Mar 2004 10:01.13
I'm suprsied Antiworld doesn't get mentioned. As far as I am aware they were the first to do multi-genre events.
From: Nomi Sunrider on 8th Mar 2004 19:24.49
Yeah, good article although I agree with the above comment regarding Antiworld.
From: Yojo - Cyberkitten on 8th Mar 2004 20:36.13
Interesting and insightful article - well done I currently run a two room event and had the pleasure and experiance of promoting large raves in Toronto many moons ago - the scene always holds for a period of time - runs in cycles - then reinvents or morphs itself - nothing stays the same forever - I for one welcome collaborations and change - in the end a good party is a good party whether it's 500 or 5000 ('cept the bigger do's are definately a bull to organize) x
From: slacky on 9th Mar 2004 18:39.02
You never know this craze could kick off a new generation of raves. It could be the breath of fresh air the scene needs!
Bring 'em on! Good article by the way...
From: shazzabazza on 9th Mar 2004 19:37.37
Cheers guys   Glad you liked it and many thanks to all who provided quotes - sorry to exclude some nights and include others - i did put up a thread about multi-genre events but not many people quoted their favourites etc so just covered the ones that were on this weekend and the big event last November. Will make sure i include other events for future features.
Thanks for taking the time to read it and comment 
From: Norris123 on 10th Mar 2004 16:05.09
Nice article Sharon, really nicely put together...
Stevie, trance is what started and influenced a lot of the 'hard' nights in London. Samsara used to be the most tripped out trance when they emerged from megatripolis back in the day and they got gradually harder as things moved on...then came Logic which was originally a crew of loyal hardcore Samsara ravers...hey Dave ...and from logic have come other promotions such as Oblivion, The Gathering, Damage control and more that i'm probably not aware of...
Anyway, I'm writing like a spaz now so will stop but the reason that we are having trance @ fusion is because we actually like it...alot...if we didn't then it would be Jungle in the second room as we also like that...
From: Not Marcus on 11th Mar 2004 03:51.58
Swings and roundabouts eh? Who'd have though it in dance music. Nice one Sharon, really well written and lots of interesting stuff in there.
From: Stevie on 11th Mar 2004 11:22.21
Shaf, I purposely didnt name names in my comment, I'm not going to get into a slanging match with anyone I think is not doing things right, but for the record, you did dedicate enough space and effort to the Trance room at Fusion, and the music was great. I personally thought the running order was all wrong, but hey, just my opinion
From: Pickled Pat on 11th Mar 2004 18:55.32
Shazza! Yet another good article. Enjoyed the topic and the read but found it interesting that you didn't mention Heat or Antiworld. I may be a Heat diehard, but the rooms of music at Antiworld are all very unique and totally different.
MilkNBeansShaun: Antiworld were definitely not the first in London to do the multi genre thing. My first experience with a multi genre party was at Pickle. Each room was uniquely different and their goal was to please the clubber visually and aurally. They did multi rooms at Imperial Gardens, Club Colosseum, Brixton Academy and even did road trips to Bristol to spread their vibe. Guess the Good Vibe Tribe were a little ahead of their time and now they are sadly missed 
BTW Antiworld celebrating their 4th Birthday in April and Pickle would have celebrated their 7th Birthday later this year
From: shazzabazza on 11th Mar 2004 20:57.37
Pickled Pat - i am a Heat diehard as well - they have always been one of my favourite nights and i have done interviews with Damo and Marc French and reviewed them as well, but my time on this article was very limited and i also wanted to ensure it covered events that were coming up soon, and at the time seemed appropriate with Fusion and Tasty. I will definitely do more reviews and articles on Heat and they will be included in other work that is appropriate, but i couldn't cover every event - i do all HF work in my spare time and working 50 hours a week in the office and then DJ'ing on the weekends means i have very little of that!
But Heat are definitely another fantastic night that offers a great deal of variety, however i feel that they are more attuned to a classier level of clubbing and envelope sounds that cater to an upmarket club and not towards the rave scene - can't wait to check them out tomorrow at Heaven! 
From: cybermumsue on 18th Mar 2004 08:46.02
nice article, but the thing people like about the smaller venues is that you dont just feel like a ticket number. You can walk in, know a lot of people and fell more like part of a community. You cant beat the smaller venues sometimes - and you can move!!
From: Tin Tin on 31st Mar 2004 09:49.09
Sharon - love ya work hunni, a brilliant piece!
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