Having gone to more than my fair share of large events recently, I was more than happy to get myself to Experimental when it came round. The previous event I attended at the SeOne's Deep blue arches was definitely an eyeopener on how an event could be put together in a wholly different way. I was more than happy to get myself down to the same place for a night of something very different. As the name implies, Experimental has a constant eye trained on doing things different. Booking DJs for one off sets of a specific genre is a favourite trick of their's and mine too now that you mention it. Cris-E-Manic's 2 hour Gabba set still sticks in my mind from last time and this event's lineup was just as unique. When the flyer landed in my hands, I immediately noticed the DJs who were booked to pull people to the party. Styles and Whizzkid topped the bill, with Sy and Storm right behind them for one of their patented "Power Hour" sets. As well as them, Kevin Energy and Billy "Daniel" Bunter had also been drafted in to bring their own unique flavour to the rave. However, this was Experimental, so it was all about the one offs for me. On this occasion they abounded. What immediatly lept out on a personal level was Mantra and the promised Prodigy set. But as well as that, the "warehouse beats" and Old skool/Anthems arches were a hotbed of individuality. Dead beat doing a 2 hour gabba set, Smiley putting a rare DJ apprearence in, numerous DJs playing specialist year sets, from 1991 right through to the present day, hell, Ephexsis were even doing a Psytrance set! How many times you see that at a Hardcore rave? Damn right I was there. Well at least I would have been had I not fallen asleep! The previous evenings exertations had caught up with me and the net result was waking up, looking at the time, swearing a lot and driving into London at Warp 10. I got to the party, shockingly late, but once I was inside (and search free I should add) I didnt care. One bad point of arriving so late was running the risk of missing the people I wanted to see. Probably the best example of this was me walking into the main arena and realising I only had a few minutes of Mayhem and Skampy's set to go. It weren't all bad though, even though they only had a couple of tunes to go, they had saved the best of their freeform based set till last. Going for the bonkers fast "Pig" and best of all "hardcore Machine" to lead me into the next hour. Next up was the first full set of the night for me and strangely enough it was Styles. This kind of threw me as I had only just got there, yet was seeing one of the main acts of the night. However it didnt matter too much as he played a perfect set to get me in the mood for dancing. Lots of Vocal based music was the order of the day, not to mention, exactly what I needed as well. The Rushy Euphoric selections quickly found the desired sweet spot on the back of my neck as tunes such as "Wont forget these Days", "Black magic, Bad Magic", "24/7" (I love that tune) and "Fly away" all homed in right there and made me go all tingly at regular intervals As well as that Smiley and a surprise addition in the form of Doc-E made sure the set did not go wanting on a lyrical tip. The two MC's were both on the case and complimented the set nicely. Next up was a conflict of interests. I wanted to see Sy and Storm, but halfway through Mantra was due to start his Prodigy set in the "Warehouse Beats" arena. I decided to see the half hour I could get away with of the mainstream, before I made my way to the underground. Sy and Storm never dissapoint me on a crowd hype front and this was proved by the Ravers champions pulling in the biggest crowd I saw in the main arena all evening. The DJ and MC combination was enough to make sure they all had something to dance to. I was a particular fan of Sy dropping one of my favourite tunes he's recently added to reportoire the Hardcore remix od the Hardhouse tune "D.E.V.I.L" and this was quickly followed up with the mainstream remix of "Free your mind" and one of the funner tunes in his set "Make it Bounce" It was all shaping up to be another set to remember when I had to physically tear myself away and go to the second room. I didnt want to, but I knew I would be seeing more than enough of those two the next day so I forced myself. Very glad I did too. Cos when I arrived in the third arena, Ephexsis were just finishing off their Psytrance set. The main thing that grabbed my attention was they were playing Psytrance at Hardcore speed! I later found out that this was their speciality, but I didnt care, it was too good for anyone (especially me) to nitpick. The DJs were playing from PCs as well, not decks. They were bouncing away as much as the crowd on the dancefloor as well, clearly loving their work as much as ravers. And believe me I was loving it a lot. I cant wait to see these guys again, big up to the promoters for opening my eyes. Of course, the next set was just as good, it was one of the main reasons I was at the rave. Mantra's Prodigy set was an inspired choice and I was going to dance to every second. Mantra didnt let me down in the slightest. Every one was an absolute slammer and I was totally knackered by the end of it. Throughout his set, the decks were graced with XL after XL, anthem after anthem. I was in my element throughout. So were the rest of the ravers educated enough to be in the right place at the right time. Mantra didnt just play and endless sucession, of their greatest hits, he alternated between obscure and anthemic as his hour progressed and the set was all the better for it. Noteable highlights included "G-force", "Charly", "Everybody in the place", "Wind it up", "Ruff in the Jungle", "No good (start the dance)", "out of space", "Breathe" and finishing on the awesome "your love". Triffic set. Straight after Mantra had finished with the Prodigy, I was right back in the main room to see another. It had been a while since I had seen Gammer play a solo set so I wanted to see if anything had changed. Thankfully, he had maintained his cutting edge and distinctive set structure. Going for it on an eclectic tip with the one like the Whizzkid on the mic backing him up all the way, it made for another in a long sucession of sets where I came away with a sense of seeing a true rising star. From the popular stable he dropped "I adore" and "Getting better" as well as paying the euphoric quarter a visit with "Something inside so strong" and "I cant stop these tears". If that werent enough, he also gave fair hearing to the upfront, full of energy stompers with "This is extreme" and the upfront remix of "Injected with a poison". Finally he leaned heavily on Scott Brown's influence with "This is how we do it" and "Boomstick" to finish set. It was one of those deals where the DJ knew exactly what the crowd wanted and just when to drop it as well, this translated by me saying "Oh yes!!" out loud at regular intervals and then dancing like my life depended on it until he brought another tune in which I totally loved too. The evening was getting on, but even though it was near on 5am, I was more than up for Kevin Energy to take things and make them faster. I was full of energy (pun intended!) and wanted nothing more than to dance to fastest freeform he had to offer. I knew I was in for a treat when he mixed "Adagio" into the closing moments of "Boomstick" from the tail end of Gammer's set and thereafter continuing in a similar vein with Mayhem and Skampy's "Extermanise". It was defnitely condusive to a good set, but I remembered that Deadbeat was in the "Warehouse Beats" arena. Hard and fast as Kev was, I knew he would struggle against the full on gabba fest Deadbeat was supplying so I switched arenas to see what he could come up with. When I got into the second arena I knew it was something different, not to mentions a definite increase in seriousness and hardness. Unfortunatley, it was not to last, I was barely two tunes into his set when security swooped and shut the arena down, just as I was getting into it nicely. I was dissapointed to say the least, but it was fun while it lasted, especially with a freshly tuned and crystal clear system supporting tunes like "Somnambulism" and "Agression". I knew there was only one thing to make my dissapointment go away and it was where I first started in the main arena. When I returned, Kev, Whizzkid and Scottie B were all going full tilt, entertaining the remaining ravers as only they know how. Tune wise it was all a freeform driven blur, but you're not ment to ID tune after tune with this style, just let yourself get taken away with the manic BPMs and dark vocals and love every minute of it. Not sure about anyone else, but I was definitely feeling it at the end of the set. Most raves throughout the capital were winding down at this point, but not this one. A 7am finish was abley filled with Tasty promoter Billy "Daniel" Bunter. To finish off this part, he brought an upfront selection of tunes as well as a few welcome tangents to fill out the remaining hour. Only the true Hardcore were in the place for this set. Those that love it were all present and determined to dance till the last kickdrum had kicked. Bunter was more than up to the task of making sure it was an uplifting euphoric experience, together with the occasional welcome trip back to the old skool Caining "Making me wanna Dance", "Heartbeatz", "Dancin the night away", "Rainfall" and "Crazy love" was defnitely the right way to go, as well as the aforementioned trip back in time being covered by an upfront remix of "Bodyslam" and "Rainbow high in the sky" to finish off the night and leave the ravers who had stayed till the end with a smile on their faces. Things I liked: Innovation - The numerous one off sets as well as the unusual music policy was definitely something to write home about. Anyone who was there knows how much I was loving Mantra's Prodigy set, not to mention the closing moments of Ephexsis's Psy Trance st and Deadbeats Gabba set. Not only that, but little things like calling the second room the "Warehouse beats" arch all added up to something that stood apart from other nights. Mantra's Prodigy set - A DJ Focusing on one act and playing all the best AND the lesser known of their back catalog? I think so. More please, How about and Altern-8 set next time? Decor - For a relatively intimate night the decor was definitely bigger than was necessasary. Not one but two huge Trainable lasers in the mainroom. Not to mention the huge UV cannons which illuminated the entire arena. 7am finish - an extra hour of partying especially for the latecoming slackers like me to get their money's worth. Nice one. Things I liked less: Security - On the whole they were alright, However, Somebody needs to tell the asian bloke in the big wooly hat to give decaff a try tomorrow. Sound - The Sound in all arenas was not what it could be. Time being the healer it is, they did get better as the night progressed, but that was mostly due to the DJ's themselves making adjustments. Performance of the rave - Mantra's Prodigy set, on sheer enjoyment alone. He walked it. Although its fair to say that Gammer came a close second. The promoters of this event deserve a big pat on the back for coming up with this kind of rave concept. Too many events list the biggest names in the scene one after the other and rely on that to bring in the numbers. ExperiMENTAL does this AS WELL as focusing on the good bits, the jaffa orangey bit, the stuff that piques the interest of the ravers that want something more from a night out than what they have already seen before. I loved this night. Its what I go to these sort of raves to see. ExperiMENTAL may not be the most senior of promotions, but it is rapidly growing in terms of maturity with regard to musical outlook. Mainly due to its near obsession with catering for ALL tastes, Mainstream, underground, old skool, cutting (nay bleeding) edge, it was all there and I trust the promoters to do the same at the next one. I'll see you there.
