Another instalment in the Elation chapter and the second event to be held at Electroworkz. I do like Electroworkz as a venue, it has a nice underground feel to it and a good intimate vibe about the place. I arrived at the venue just after 10.15 and walked straight in, as security didn’t seem to be searching anyone again. There was one undercover security person patrolling around, who by the end of the night most of the ravers recognised anyway, heh. First DJ on the decks was Tom U4EA playing his usual classic 94 / 95 selection, some nice tunes to get the dancefloor going. DJ Wizbit of Eruption + Addiction FM fame, was next on the decks and played a wicked set. Playing a whole mixture of styles, from breakbeat to 4 beat to freeform, dropping tunes such as ‘Brutal’ by Uplift. It was a nice varied set, the crowd just didn’t know what style of tune was coming in next, but was appreciated every one. Good to see Wizbit back on the decks at hardcore events. Next up was Uplift + Cris.E.Manic on the wheels of steel, showcasing the launch of their Raw Elements record label. An excellent set, stackloads of fresh new material being dropped, with plenty of tuneage from Raw Elements, Hechtech, Raverbaby all being showcased. Tunes such as ‘Acid aftermath’ by Cris.E.Manic, the new ‘Deep inside’ remix by UFO, ‘Dawn of Creation’ by Uplift + UFO, were just a few of the new tunes which got dropped. They played a lot more banging then when I saw them last, but it was wicked set which got the dancefloor going and probably my set of the night. The lighting + sounding and overall production were good on the night. The trusty Res lazer was doing its job on the dancefloor, projecting mesmerising patterns over the ravers. I wish the smoke machine was turned down though, there were a few occasions when the amount of smoke suffocated a fair few ravers !! Moving on, the ‘special guest’ was on next, who had been drafted in to fill the gap left by the absent Blaze live PA. Well the special top secret surprise guest was Jon Doe with his CLSM outfit doing a live PA, something me and many others already knew before the night started...heh :) The PA I thought was pretty good and interesting to hear and watch. They played 4 tunes which all had strong hard trance / NRG influenced, but were banging + hard and certainly got the dancefloor going. In terms of visual stimulation, I was expecting a bit more. It was basically 2 men with funny masks and 1 guy with a Zorro mask on the stage at the front, just jumping around. I was kind of hoping of a proper live PA to take place, with keyboards etc. Because I know Jon Doe has done fully live PAs before with studio equipment in the past...hopefully another time. But musically it sounded good and I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more from CLSM. It was just after 2.00 and time for Ponder + HB to take control. Another quality set, loads of dark breakbeaty hardcore, playing all the new stuff from the forthcoming Elation recordings. ‘Faces of Angels’ got dropped (which I heard 3 times on the night !), as well as some new tunes from DOK. After them came Luna C, the old Kniteforce master and it was a set quite a few ravers were anticipating. He played a varied set, really mixing it up. Started off with lots of breaks, then moving onto some 4 beat including ‘Shooting star’ and the cringe worthy rip off of ‘Let it be’ by the Beatles. Then dropping in some classic jungle such as ‘Fire’ by Prizna and finally finishing off with some old skool anthems such as ‘The sound of music’ remix by Nookie. He even dropped in the original ‘Jump around’ by House of Pain in the middle, which went down pretty well. A really varied set, I personally was expecting just full on breaks from him, but he mixed it up and gave a whole spectrum of tunes for the ravers. The overall attendance was better then last time and the dancefloor seemed more fuller, which was good to see. Up to about 3.00 the venue was comfortably busy, which was nice. But after 3.00, like last time the crowd seemed to thin out a bit, which sort off deflated the atmosphere a little...lightweights !! Sy was next playing another stomping set. Dropping a few new Quosh tunes as well as some more well known tunes such as ‘Break of dawn’ remix and ‘Power of love’ remix. Storm was on the mic, getting the crowd hyper and making sure only a minimum amount of people were loafing around the side. Last set of the night was in the control of Sharkey and once again played another banging set. Playing loads of new freeform material along with tunes such as ‘Idenitfy the beat’ and ‘Sensations’ brought the night to a close. Overall it was a wicked night. Better then last time I thought, due to more people being there. Best aspect of the night was the music itself, so much new material got dropped and most of it sounded wicked. Here’s to more Elations with more quality hardcore !! Respect to Mark, Paul, Tom and James. Shouts to: Kev, Gaby, The legendary Chedda, Paul W, Denno, Smithers, Dok, Nitr-8, Saffire, Paulie, Caine, Amit, Icekold Pete, Rizla Dizla, I-Wolf, Tony Res, The magnificent Marshy, Astraboy, Chrissy, Steve, Androo, Alan, Paul W, Grob, Minx, Hatrixx, Fanta, Dave Spice, The ‘Pride of Eros’ Tombola, Ellie, Loony, Neotech, Mayhem, Elmo, Desire, Vixen, Matt, Wildcard, Billybass, Phick, Lloyd + his wicked haircut, Snow, Joe, Jensta + anyone else I’ve forgotten.....hugs to the girls, handshakes to the boys.....seeya soon :)
