If that weren't enough for one weekend, there was more to come on Saturday night. A little bit further afield this time, but a trip to birmingham is never wasted when it means going to HTID. I had not had enough sleep from the night before at all, but that didnt matter, you dont miss the flagship event in the Hardcore calender for inconvieniences like that, besides, the lineup was more than enough to perk me up on the long drive up there. This is the good thing about HTID. All three arenas of Air in Birmingham are always used and put to good use. This event was no exception with Hardcore till I Die in the main arena, The Harder They Come in the second and Old Skool Till I Die (with a little bit of upfront breakbeat for good measure) in the Carbon lounge which had again been converted to a dance arena. Within these three arenas was the best lineup I had seen for quite a while. This is another good thing about HTID, with so many artists on offer and the set times printed on the flyer, its easy to tailor your night to exactly who you want to see and what sort of music you want to hear. As always with me, it was as much variety as possible. hurtling up the M1 and chucking a left at J5 of the M6, Air hoved into view soon after and after parking the car and walking inside search free, we were in. This party had been themed the same as most previous HTID events. As it was summer, the promoter saw fit to throw a Hardcore beach party which was why I saw two swimming pools, a coconut shy and a barbeque with the EC beef mountain stacked up behind it. Still, nice though it was, I was there for the music and the main event was just about to start. We had got there just shy of 11pm and that meant getting into the main arena just as Sy took to the decks for his very first kick off set, alonside Storm and Whizzkid on the mic, naturally in green light MCSquared mode. It actually felt a little weird starting off when the kick off set did, but that was soon left behind as Sy dropped his first tune. I actually didnt recognise it, but soon after it melded into a remix of DJ Kurt's "Rock ya Hardcore" and things were back to normal. Lots and lots of material which was new to me was forthcoming and the VERY vocal crowd were going crazy at this point, helped in no small part by MC2 on the mic. After the new material (which I cant ID, sorry) had been and gone, it was business as usual from Sy. His ability to rock the party is unparralelled and this was a return to peak form for him. I went from a stanstill to raving like a madman in less than 10 minutes with him in charge. Fantastic. The music was designed and selected to make you move and thats exactly what it did with "Slide away", "Hold me forever" and the remixes of "pacific sun" and "free your mind" all making a well deserved appearence.. Good though it was, this was just a prelude to the real highlight of the night. Lou Lou made her presence felt by getting up on stage, She was clearly meant to be there as Storm handed over the mic without question and Sy started up the reason she was there. None other than to sing the vocals to "makin me wanna dance" 100% live. Having said that, she was pretty much redundant during the main verses as the crowd probably knew the lyrics better than her! It was still something special though and its nice to see something done live and properly every now and again. Thereafter, the remainder of the kick off set belonged to Sy, Storm and Whizzkid, each of them giving it their all and the crowd lapping it up. It was so good that from after the live performance to the finish I can only remember one tune, but it was the finisher, "Peace deep in my soul" so it was all good, not to mention a blinder of a start to my evening. Could it get any better? Only one way to find out. That meant going up to the top of the building and into the Carbon lounge for Pilgrim's set. Never seen him play out before so I was curious to see what he could come up with. A trip back in time to be proud of is all I can say. Totally MC free and all the better for it, Pilgrim went for the super happy 97 route and this was how he equalled (if not quite bettered) Sy's set from the previous hour. Not much of a crowd to appreciate his work, but Xtra-C and I were loving it from start to finish. Not difficult when the man behind the decks was dropping tunes like "Party Time", "Music's so wonderful", "Heres another chance for me to dance with you" and "Living in Darkness" within his set. I was having such a good time rocking it down that the whole hour shot by and before I knew it he was pulling up his final tune and I was legging it down the stairs again. Why? Cos Clarkee was on in the "Harder they Come" room and it had been ages since I saw him last. I dont remember much of the last set I saw, but within two tunes I realised why I had made the trip to see him. Techno. The good stuff as well. I am no authority when it comes to techno, but I know what I like and Clarkee was coming up with the goods tonight. Together with Sharkey and Ribbz on the mic, the three of them took me on a voyage of discovery which was notable by the way I couldn't identify a single tune. The only sample I recognised was a rip of "searchin for my rizla", the rest of the time I was behind the door in my mind with the big "T" on it. Not to mention raving hard and getting very sweaty indeed. Next set saw a return to the main arena, together with a return to one of my favourite genres, the Freeform sound. Sharkey and Odyssey were all set when I got there and together with a few hundred close friends, we got down to business as one. Sharkz was in his element at this point, with Freeform being his speciality, the ravers were treated to a display of the finest quality. Odyseey had the mic in his hand and for his troubles was proving, once again why he's the only choice when it comes to freeform specialist MCs. Tunewise, I only recognised "Check this out" and the excellent Gammer Remix of "Get fucked", the rest was an unidentifiable blur which is not a bad thing, the main point was Sharkey's set continued the trend of the evening with every forthcoming set surpassing the last. This was also the reason why I went upstairs anf back into the carbon lounge when he'd finished Luna-C was on next. There was only one place to be and that was on the dancefloor and close to the speakers. This guy has never let me down and I knew he'd do the business for me tonight too. Luna-C is known as a breakbeat DJ, but I'm not sure why because he played everything in his set. You name it it was there. With no MC to hinder him he fully explored the Hardcore Envelope in his hour, leaving no stone unturned for the final set in the third arena. Starting off with a few tunes that were, once again, new to me, the only one which lept out was the one with the vocal "The Great beast of London". Thereafter, he returned to familiar terratory for my uneducated ears, with "Fugees or not", the remix of "Timebomb" and his classic remix of the Beatles "help" for good measure. But the best thing about watching this guy is the way he lulls you into thinking you've got him sussed and then he pulls another trick out the bag to surprise you and make you laugh at the same time. This time it was mixed with revulsion as the goddamn Crazy Frog played out! The crowd started booing, but Luna-C was well ahead of them, with a chorus of "WRONG!WRONG!WRONG!WRONG!" following it in the same tune that big ben plays. Fantastic:) From then on he concentrated on the tunes and less on the surprises, but there really was no way to top that, not even with a close enounter of the cheesy kind, when he dropped "You're shining", Eyeopener" and "Elektrik" in quick succession. His final tune, bringing proceedings to a close in the upper arena was his label's "Styler Style". It was only after he stopped that I realised how hungry I was for more music. Off downstairs with all speed. Straight into the second arena as well, I knew exactly where I needed to be to see Marc Smith play out and I weren't dissapointed. Thats because Marc never dissapoints me and after this set, he still hasn't. Thats because high energy yet euphoric tunage is his speciality and I just cant get enough of it. He was going full tilt to an appreciative crowd as well, with plenty of vocal support to back him up to. Marc's tunes were good, no doubt about it, with the remix of "Just get raw", "sensory vision" and my personal favourite "Gravity" all getting a look in, but the star of the show was none other than MC Sharkey on the mic. In a return to the days of old, Sharkz was not even meant to be there, Odyssey had graciously let Sharkz get on it and in return he gave the ravers a performance of a lifetime. Its only on rare occasions that you see an old skool Sharkey performance, but that just makes it all the more special when it does happen. In the Zone doesn't even come close either. "My mum can gurn better than you!" "Everyone hop on one leg!" "Make some noise if you think Dougal looks like Badly Drawn Boy!" As well as long conversations with the ever present rave Badger, it was pure comedy gold, priceless to watch, not to mention truely special as everyone there knew it wouldnt happen again for a long time so made the most of it while they had the opportunity. Its safe to say I'm not a fan of MCs hijacking DJ sets and taking centre stage, but this was good enough to see me going to buy the tape pack for this set alone. Easily the set of the night, Sharkey was spotted leaving the building with the show tucked into his back pocket. Investigations into its theft are still ongoing. For the final set of the night the rest of the arenas were shut down and all remaining ravers (or at least all that you can call Hardcore) piled into the main arena for the "Morning Glory" set, hosted for the first time by Billy "Daniel" Bunter and hosted by the ever present MCSquared. The final set of the night is always an event in itself and as such I was looking forward to it. I knew it was going to be an anthem fest, but thats the best thing. I hadn't heard any all night, so I was more than up for some classics, judging by the energy the crowd had left in them, I werent the only one either. Getting off to the best possible start with "Toytown" and "Rainbow high in the sky" whilst Storm cained "I'm true Hardcore" and Whizzkid followed it up with "My sexy baby", the set moved on at breaneck speed, stopping at all stations in and around the area of Greater Hardcore Classics. No stone was left unturned Bunter's efforts to hype the crowd. From then on, it was a distinct alternation between modern and older classics, with "Lets fly away", "Getting Better", "Making me wanna dance" and "you're shining". The final tune of the night was one I didnt recognise, but that didnt stop a shedload of ravers leaving the building soaked in sweat and smiling at the end of it all. Things I liked: Musical variety - My set list for the night included, bouncy, 97, techno, freeform, breakbeat (and everything else), a Marc Smith set (only way to describe it:D) and an anthem infested morning glory set. Show me somewhere else where you can get that in one night and I'll be there like a shot. Till then HTID rules. Atmosphere - I've noticed this having been to both. With saturday parties, the crowd are wilder, noisier and have more energy to expend than on a friday. This saturday party was full of an HTID crowd at their best. Theme party - Always good for a laugh, I cant remember the last time I saw a coconut shy at a rave. What will they think of next? Sharkey - A rare return to Old Skool MC Sharkey and Marc Smiths set was all the better for it. Find a thesaurus and look up the words "astounding", "visonary" "inspired" and for the sake of completeness "Trashed" to get an idea of his performance on the mic. The man is a living legend and he proved it beyond all doubt during this event. Things I liked less - New talent: The up and coming (and running) DJs were all crammed at the start of the night. Tony Wizbit was on at 8.30 in the evening. I arrived too late for all of them, but then I couldnt have been the only one. Erm, erm, thats it really. HTID is the most consistant party on the circuit atm. Its actually quite difficult to put together the things I liked & liked less parts as there are so many given facts that a normal occurances at any HTID like the tearing sound and the full on production and decor that it gets a little dull mentioning them each and every time. However the important aspects of the night were all taken care of and then some. The music. Oh god the music, it was too good for words. I was forever traipsing round the place going from one arena to the next to see the next DJ I wanted to see. Not one second of the 7 hours I was there was spent even close to being bored, there was too much to see and do. As well as that, the raw atmosphere that the VERY vocal crowd was producing was definitley something special. If it gets Bunter out of the DJ stand and onto the stage to thank the ravers for their participation during the Morning Glory set then you know its a worthwhile endeavour. The only thing that is not exceptional about it is the way HTID effortlessly produces mindblowing parties on such a regular basis. I intend to be at the next one to see if that standard can be maintained. I dont think I'm going to be dissapointed. Shouts to: Lord Peter & Emsties, Saiira, Matt, Kas, Emma, Tina baby, Legs, Minay, Charlie & James, Pikey, Shauny, Immz, Gurning girlie, Bag, Buzz-B, Gareth & Gillian (eventually), Cat, Compy & Sketchy, Mad Vic, Chit chat, Gim Overdrive, Cruze & Hev, Xtra-C, Obie, Lisa, Sallie & Sarah, Incy Wincy Cyber, Paul the Legend, Niki, Ronnie, John Mcguinness, Matt King of the Ravers, Darwin, Mad Maz, MC Trev, Dreamscape forever, Matt & Colin (nice to meet you), The Lowestoft crew, Andy L and the rest of the safe merseyside crew, Big specticle crew, MC Mel SD (both nights as well), Thumps, The guy who was dressed in pretty much identical clothes to me, Sharkey, Marc Smith, Odyssey, Luna-C, AMS, Smiley, ZipO (thank you very much), Scorpio, Flyin, Impact, Kev Energy, Bunter, Whizzkid, Wottsee, Storm, Styles, Jo @ HTID (Last minute crew, thank you) and everyone else who I met over the weekend.
