It has taken just over two years but Lab 4 have bought us the second instalment of their very own night Laboratory. 04/04/04 caused a big stir in club land and everyone was eager to find out what this special day had to offer and it is fair to say that it was to be the date of a truly spectacular event. Lab 4 have taken the bull by the horns and have not only provided a wicked musical journey but a whole awe-inspiring experience. Experiment 2 was an event that was meticulously planned and arranged totally by the lads themselves. Not only did it have a blinding line up, it had brilliant visuals, lighting and atmosphere as well. Shepherds Bush Empire made the perfect location. Although the converted theatre was quite small and quaint it provided brilliant views from all around the venue whether up on the balcony or in the centre of the dance floor. It was particularly special that this was the location as the venue is normally only used for live events and gigs. The Sunday daytime event was near capacity and there were loads of eager clubbers fresh from a good nights sleep or lagging from two nights of dancing rammed onto the dance floor. Stomping away at the front of the stage the clubbers were overlooked by a huge, black, booming totem pole of speakers. There was a big screen at the back of the stage projecting images of Adam and Lez and loads of dancers, jugglers and fire-eaters. At the back of the venue there was a bar that was providing a burst of energy with oxygen just in case you needed a breather. On the stage Sterling Moss and his three decks of wonder were obliterating the crowd with his dark, techno sounds and hard house flavours. Speeding the tracks up and slowing them down fuelling the crowd into a frenzy. ‘Loops and Tings’ by Jens and Raw 01 by Guy Mcaffer, with its phat baseline and squeaky vocal were all crowd pleasers. As he played, onto the stage came figures covered in small white lights with two red lights for eyes. Next to take control was what everyone had been waiting for, the main attraction, Lab 4. Like the previous Laboratory set it was one for the history books. They say that the oldies are the goodies and with Lab 4 the old ones are complete masterpieces. To put my finger on which tracks were best would be absolutely criminal as the whole set was immense. ‘Rapture’ and ‘Ready To Bop’ sounded fantastic and ‘Concept of Love’ was completely amazing; as the seaside fairground sounds swept over me towards the end of the tune it was a true goose bump moment. ‘Reformation’, ‘Psychoactivated’ and ‘Candyman’ were also definite highlights. Half way through the set Adam jumped off the rig and onto the drums where he proceeded to play along giving the crowd a break beat breather. As if that wasn’t enough to feast your eyes on, onto the stage emerged a 9ft high walking, dancing robot. Cyber Stein moved to the centre of the stage and started dancing along to the Lab 4 beats. Yoji Biomehanika was up next with his long golden dreads, fake eyelashes and trademark shades. His set was a definite eye opener his individual style of hard house puts a lot of big name DJ’s to shame. Loads of euphoric build ups with banging elements and fantastic stomping sections. The set was full of guitar riffs, violin chords and bouncy base lines. At the end Cyber Stein joined the inquisitive clubbers on the dance floor for a boogie. Next to sweep onto the stage was Finnish nutcase Proteus. Entering like he was the Phantom of the Opera, dressed in a black cape, a silver mask and with long, black and purple dreads trailing down his back, Proteus began to inflict his euphoric, hard style sounding tunes on the crowd. He is definitely someone to look out for in the future. The end of his set saw all the people involved in the night flock onto the stage and ‘Perfect Drug’ was played. This Lab 4 treat is not to be missed coz it absolutely rocks. Outside the venue Cyber Stein said his goodbyes to the clubbers – completely bonkers! The line up from start to finish was just stunning. Every set was a true performance and the energy and enthusiasm from the acts spread right around the venue. Every last detail was thought about and it certainly had the Lab 4 brand and personal touch stamped all over it. Photos can be found at: http://www.lab4.com/photo.php?e=20040404_laboratory2
