Well what a wicked night this was, Slammin' Vinyl comes up trumps once again. Every Slammin' Vinyl I've been to has always been wicked and tonight was no exception.

Me and my mates descended down on Bagleys about 10.00 pm and was greeted by a long queue, and I mean LONG !! After much frustration and boredom, we finally got inside a full TWO hours later. This really was bad organisation on behalf of the Slammin' Vinyl management. They really should have made the proper preparations for the predictable large influx of ravers at the start of the night. From what I saw, Bagleys had another new security team in, but these lot seemed a lot more moody then the previous security, but still no way near as bad as security at some other places.

As I first stepped into the hardcore arena at around 12.00, the arena was far from full, which was worrying at first. I was thinking to myself that the turnout wasn't as good as expected. But then I realised, half the ravers were still stuck outside in the queue. The arena filled up quickly in the next hour and was soon packed out as per usual :) The first DJ I saw was Vibes who was playing one of his 'southern' sets, i.e lots of cheesey tunes !!!! Dropping tunes like 'Techno Wonderland' and that Spanish tune which sent the cheeseheads into bliss. Whizzkid was on the mic and did an extra fine job of hyping up the crowd as always. Vinylgroover was next on the decks and played a good set, playing a mixture of trancey of stuff alongside the odd cheesy track now and again. Vinylgroover is one DJ who has improved immensely over the last few months and hopefully he will keep it that way.

The atmosphere was as good as ever, as it always is at Bagleys, lots of happy smiley people out to have a good time. Eventhough Bagleys is in London, I met ravers from as far afield as places like Newcastle and Cornwall, which shows how many people really enjoy coming to Bagleys. The production in the arenas was good, but nothing amazing. The lighting and the sound systems in most of the arenas were of high standard but the decor was a bit simplistic as it usually is at Bagleys. A few drapings and backdrops here and there could really make the venue even better then it already is.....sort it out :) !!!!

Brisk was up next on the wheels of steel and didn't disappoint. This was the set of the night for me, a wicked selection of bouncy style hardcore certainly had the packed hardcore arena going absolutely mental. Brisk is one DJ who everyone loves and I have yet to meet a raver who doesn't think he is a bloody excellent DJ. Charlie B was on the mic looking very mashed but still got the maximum performance from the whistles and horns crew. Next stop for me was the drum and bass arena or should I say the drum and bass oven, because it was just a tad hot in there !!! As soon as you walked in, you were immediately drenched in a blanket of sweat. Brockie was on the decks sending the temperature of the crowd through the roof and having more rewinds then a Mickey Finn set.....which believe me is a lot of rewinds !!!!

Time to chill out I thought, so I had a good old wonder around. The old skool arena was now controversially situated downstairs in that bar / chillout / dancefloor sort of room thingy. The music down there was wicked as ever, but the sound system and the position of the dancefloor meant it was very difficult to really get into the music, but nevertheless the ravers still made the most of it. There was also an extra added sixth arena playing hard house which was situated in a room outside, near those metal stairs. When I finally found it, there was literally nobody there and I was told by the bouncer that I wasn't allowed to blow my horn down there. Now what kind of room is this, can't blow your horn at a rave ??....sort it out mate !!! The room itself looked quite spacious and had a good sound system....perhaps they should move the old skool in there.

The techno arena was in its usual location downstairs and had a wicked atmosphere all night. I checked out M-Zone's set, which I have to say was truly outstanding. A wicked mixture of hard house and trance got the packed arena really buzzing and especially got me hopping mad !!! M-Zone has been on the scene for years and is probably now at the prime of his career....keep it up mate !!! Meanwhile, back in the hardcore arena, Vinyltrixter was covering for an absent Slipmatt and played another wicked selection of tunes. Vinyltrixta is a good DJ because he doesn't play the same old selection of songs like some other DJs and the crowd certainly showed their appreciation for his set.

In fact, the best aspect of the night was the music itself. Its been a while since I've heard some many fresh tunes getting played in the hardcore arena. You could tell the crowd really showed their respect for the new tunes as well. For the first time in about a year and a half, I personally didn't hear 'Shooting Star' getting played by any of the DJs !!!! The 'Shooting Star' era could soon be coming to an end :) The last hour had now arrived and it was time for Sy and Unknown alongside the screamer MC Storm. They played a real mixture of a set, playing hardcore new and old. They even played the drum and bass remix of 'Ready or Not' by the Fugees, which I thought was a very bizarre thing to do. But they did drop hardcore classics like 'Heart of Gold' and 'Steamtrain' which really got the packed arena fully buzzing to the max, an excellent way to round of the night. Speaking of rounding the night off, the hardcore arena was forced to shut down a full 10 minutes before the scheduled finish time for no explicable reason, whereas the other arenas were allowed to continue straight until 6.00....that is just simply out of order.

Overall I had a truly outstanding night. Probably not the best Slammin' Vinyl I've been to, but still a bloody excellent night !!!! If there's one rave where you are guaranteed to have an excellent time, its Slammin' Vinyl and hopefully they'll be around for a long time to come :)



Big shouts to : Joe Retro, Paul, Peter, Kev, Carol, Jaimie, Caine, KRS, Bug, Michelle, Chedda, Nita, Lukozade, Alister, Jon, Stuart, Lizzie, a n d r e w, Jo, Miss Skinny, Espace, Chrissy, Uplift, Roo, Shiva, Charm, Taffy, Tina, Maxim, Jesta, Happybounce, Smithers, Rich, Jo + all the other USH crew who were there......hello to you all and hope to see you out raving soon :)

- Slammin' Sam (sam@ush.net)