Raindance, what can I say that hasn't been said before?? Anyone who has yet to experience Raindance at the Drome is really missing out! Got picked up by Paul (Ponder) and Mike (MC Elmo) from Stansted then we made our way to Walthamstow to pick up Ryan. We eventually arrived at Raindance at 9.40 and after a brief search made our way to the hardcore room. Someone was spinning a bit of hard house in there when we got there so after checking the mixer we (Ponder and I) stepped up to the decks for our two hour back to back set:-) The set went quite well and by 10.45 the hardcore arch was rammed and full of mad stomping ravers. I couldn't believe it! The tune selection went down well and we even got a rewind request for All Systems Go! About 3-5 mixes were slightly clangy between the two of us but the monitors were a nightmare. Something I'll have to get used to. MC Elmo also did us proud on the mic proving that up and coming MC's can cut it with the best! Well after we finished with stomping freeform selekta at the end Jimmy J stepped up without V'trixta who was apparently in Canada. He started with Rainbow in the Sky and continued to play a good classics set. Off to the Nu skool/old skool arch now to see Uplift playing a good 90-92 set and he had about 200 ravers stomping in what was the chill out arch!! Suddenly he realised he was playing a 1.5 hr set and he didn't bring enough choonage with him so I got my record bag which had some old skool sneaked in for after party purposes and he slipped in Trip to the Moon pt III, the Slammer etc. A wicked set made even better when you consider he had no monitor. Time for some USH meetage shinanigans but the USH lot were very elusive for most of the night. Time for a trip back to the hardcore arch where Kaos and Energy were supposed to be playing but it was only Kaos so I went and had a chat to see what was going on. Apparently Energy was in Manchester and might not be able to make it. Oh bugger!! Kaos was playing some good tunes tho, none of the cheese he is known for which was good:-) Off to the old skool arch now which was also rammed and Devious Dave was ripping it up playing a wicked selection of tunes which avoided the obvious old skool classics and the old skool massive were loving eery minute of it. Went up to the balcony to chat with MC Ice and the Devious one before heading back to some hardcore stompage. Apparantly I had missed Energy who turned up at 3 and played on his own! Arses! By all accounts it was his usual blinding set which made me double gutted. Up next were Storm and Herman which I was looking forward to due to the new tunes they were showcasing. Most of these tunes were on CD and they didn't seem to be able to get to grips with the CD mixer so it was a tad clangy but the tunes were good, okay they were remixes but still good anyway. Up steps MC Storm and we are ready for Sy and Unknown but Sy couldn't make it so it was just Unknown. He played a classics set starting with SMD3 and then through to 96 eventually ending in H of G (heh). His mixing was good though and he didn't reallly play it to cheesey. Probably my set of the night but I did miss Spinback and Energy! After Unknown Herman and Storm played again for the last 1.5 hrs but it was time for me to do some flyering. Overall another wicked night and the best hardcore atmosphere I have seen for ages. The arch was rammed solid all night from 10.45 till the end, brilliant! Again the effort that went into the rave was up to the usual Raindance standard and everyone left the Drome more than impressed. The sound was loud, maybe a bit unclear in the hardcore arch (and the monitors were whores;-) but booming none the less. If anyone reading this has never been to Raindance I suggest you get yer arse to the next one, it is the best rave in England right now!!!! Hardcore dead?? If you think that you weren't at Raindance! As Richard said to me after the rave "Before last night we were putting on parties, we sold out of beer at the last event but last night we sold out of water and had loads of beer left. We had to import water from other clubs. I now have a RAVE" too right!!!! Big shouts to: Ponder (made me look better than I made him look ;-), Sonic, Sam, Kev, Chedda, Nita, Andrew+Jo, Peter+Emma, Paul+Carol, U4EA, MikeyB, Alister, John, Billybass+MissDee, Richard+Jo, Barticle, Ting, Ravegirl+Terry, Bridie+Justin, Happy J (hope all is okay), Egg Fried Rice, Barking Boy, Uplift, Delerious, Chrissy, Luke, Tony+Richard+Natsha+the rest of the Raindance crew, all at Tony's house afterwards all of the people stomping to mine and Ponders set (you were wicked) and to anyone else I may have forgotten due to my old bastards brain! Lastly a big shout to DJ Scottie who duriny my second mix managed to headbut the table and skip one of the tunes leading to a quality amatur style clang (heh;-) See you all at the next one for sure:-) Bouncey bloke:-)
