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Features Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! DJ talk with Psyrenzo ahead of his debut set at Tribal Village, the Steelyard this Friday 14th January 2022! TENZO aka Overdrive talks freely about launching his new act which will be showcased at Tribal Village, Steelyard on 14 January 2022! A long overdue catch up with JourneyOM ahead of his next Tribal Village party this Friday 14th January 2022 at the Steelyard, London!

Review of Heat at The Cross - What Saturday Afternoon's Were Made For! Reported by Sharon B / Submitted 26-09-03 15:50 Finally the most anticipated return of an event arrived! Saturday 20th September saw the Heat team delivering what it does best – the ultimate in Saturday afternoon clubbing. And what a return to make! If what they say is true about “Location! Location! Location!” then the Heat team couldn’t have chosen a better venue than The Cross in North London. With 3 separate dance rooms they were able to deliver their usual mix of funky house, trance and hard house with a DJ line up to make most promoters weep with envy - Nick Sentience, Marc French, Steve Blake, Spencer Freeland, Tony Burt, Ian Betts and Brad Thatcher to name but a few - and proving once and for all that when it comes to Saturday afternoon clubbing, nobody does it better! Heat Flyer Just a short walk from King’s Cross station and set far enough away from the road to avoid any traffic noise or congestion, The Cross is a luxurious club with rooms decorated in dark red satin drapes and eclectic ornaments. Each of the dance areas is separated by a bar and luxurious seating whilst the outdoor terrace makes you feel like you’re still on some far off island surrounded by exotic plants, decking and scantily clad men and women. The staff are exceptionally friendly and the venue was spotless – a real treat for those of us Hard Dance fanatics more used to dark dinghy clubs covered in chewing gum, and it made a real difference to the day adding a touch of class and luxury to a much anticipated event! On one occasion walking through the venue I overheard an excited clubber exclaiming “it’s just like being back on holiday!”, and with the sun scorching down from above, uplifting music blasting through the open doors and tanned fit bodies dancing away with beaming smiles I think she might just have been right! Announcing their arrival from the outside! At 1pm the Heat team opened the doors and the clubbers soon started rushing through in droves. Heading up the event were DJ Kingsize in the funky house room, Daegal Brain in the trance room and Shimo in the hard house room. The Funky House room was the smallest of rooms in the venue but with Heat friend and favourite DJ Kingsize , Graeme Lloyd and MJ Fairweather behind the decks it had an atmosphere of its own that drew people in. Kingsize started off the funky house room with his usual panache – getting the energy and crowd going right from the start and proving once more why it is that he is fast becoming a Heat favourite. DJ Graeme Lloyd Taking over for the 2:30 – 4pm slot was Graeme Lloyd, director of Subbassdj Academy, mixing in some latin and electro funk, which the crowd really responded well to. There were some serious ‘hands in the air’ moments and when Graeme played “E Samba” by Junior Jack the room simply went off! Following this with Eric Prydz’s “Slammin” and Powers That Be vs Roland Clarke’s “Planet Rock”, Graeme played a set that was summery and uplifting with lots of peaks - perfect for a day party and offered a well-balanced alternative to the other dance rooms on offer. When asked how he felt as he came off the decks he replied “The whole day’s amazing! 3 great rooms that work fantastically, one of the best parties I have ever played and been to!” Not being an aficionado of funky house music myself, I asked around for people’s responses to the sets played. Ohm resident and occasional funky house DJ Markus Buhmann was more than happy to comment and was particularly enthusiastic about the final funky house set by MJ Fairweather. And who could blame him as Fairweather “played some Whitney Houston which got a good if not surprised response…and when he put on "Come Together" by Junior Jack and Kid Creme he ripped the place apart”. Heat have been playing Funky House at their events for quite some time now and it’s a line-up that seems to work brilliantly, offering the perfect balance for those needing a break from the pounding and euphoric beats of the hard house and trance rooms but finding themselves unable to stop dancing and just want to keep on grooving. All 3 DJ’s did Heat and themselves proud and had many a happy clubber begging for their immediate return and finding out when and where they will be playing next. The Trance Room at Heat The Trance room seemed to be packed all day from start to finish and starting up was a Heat regular Daegal Brain. Daegal’s set was a very impressive way to start the day and set down the gauntlet for the DJ’s who followed – the perfect mix of old style trance warming up to a slightly harder beat keeping the energy going with tracks such as the Marco V remix of Scott Mac vs Solarstone "3rd Earth", Ben Weston & DJ Koris "A New Beginning", and Mat Silver & Tony Burt "The Ultimate Wave", giving us a tasty teaser as to what was coming later when Tony Burt himself would be getting on the decks. When Daegal played the Push remix of Rank 1 "Breathing" the room simply went off leaving the place filled up with trance-happy clubbers unable to resist throwing their hands in the air And in the air their hands stayed as Ian Betts took over the decks to deliver what was arguably the best set of the day with 2 hours of euphoric trance starting with classics such as the Signum remix of Laura Turner’s “Soul Deep” and Signum’s “Push Through” before crescendoing nicely into the more uplifting sounds of Saltwater “The Legacy” and Goldenscan “Sunrise”. Probably the greatest moment of his set though was when Ian mixed in his new tune (as yet unnamed) and watched as the whole room exploded in an exhilarated trance frenzy stomping on through as the beats got tougher moving nicely into the hard trance classic that is Mark Dawn’s “Expander” and dropping JS Ten “Eternal”. The room was packed and pounding for the whole 2 hours with people beaming from ear to ear and by the end of his set people were unable to resist reaching from wall to wall and singing along to Lamai - Troubled Soul “Lift me heavy heart and help me fly Heal my troubled soul and let me rise”. Heat promoter Damian Gelle with DJ Ian Betts Days later and people were still reminiscing about it on Harderfaster and begging the Heat team to return to The Cross and bring back trance! When asked how he felt after playing Ian replied, “I was totally blown away with the response my set got in the trance room from such a happy and up for it crowd - definitely a party to remember for a long time to come!” At 5pm, with the room temperature having risen somewhat considerably, Tony Burt from Above The Sky took control of the decks and continued in the same vein, playing slightly tougher bass beats and edgier sounds with tracks such as the DJ Precision Remix of Timeoc’s “Sparkling Temptation”, Mat Silver’s “Sensory” and David Forbes’s “Simpatico”. Taking over from Ian Bett’s set was never going to be easy for anyone after the 2 hour trance troubadour that was, but Tony Burt showed us all why it is he is so well regarded within the music and trance scene and continued to lift the room with a set that displayed his genius at both set construction and technical ability and left the decks burning and ready for the last trance set of the day. DJ Steve Blake makes a welcome return Finally we saw the return of the legend that is Steve Blake – and what a return to make - playing an exclusive trance set especially for Heat! Steve played as part of the Ibizian Heat tour in June and was welcomed back by many clubbers eager to see him spin his magic with his usual panache and style. It was a real joy to watch him mix trance and witness his range as an artist and, most importantly, see him back where he firmly belongs – behind the decks at London’s best dance events! It was the perfect way to end a perfect day event and many agreed that the whole trance-tanstic journey had been sublime. The main room at The Cross was dedicated to the sound of Hard House, and starting off the event Shimo set the tone for a musical journey guided by London’s maestro’s starting off with some seriously bouncy hard house. Showing his potential as a new face to look out for, Shimo has the clubbers pounding the dance floor like there was no tomorrow and by the time Brad Thatcher came on the dance floor had been nicely warmed-up and ready for some serious stomping! DJ Brad Thatcher From the minute Brad started people came flooding through the doors with their dance shoes at the ready as the main room built in intensity and heat all through his set. Playing high energy hard house and uplifting vocals with some serious heavy beats, Brad took us on a musical journey ranging from Guyver’s “Trapped”, Weirdo’s “Evil Eye” through to Lee Haslam’s “Free”. When he played out Billy “Daniel” Bunter & Jon Doe’s Classic “Hard Eight – Need Your Emotion” the room erupted in a frenzy of hard house stomping and yelling. A favourite amongst the Heat team, it was clear to see from this set just why it is that Brad has been chosen to play the main room for Extreme Euphoria and is being pegged out as one of London’s best up-and-coming DJ’s. From pretty much the beginning the room became one big sauna of sweat and smiles, and no matter how eager anyone was to leave the floor and get some much needed air people seemed to be lured back in like the mythological stories of sailors enticed by the songs of Sirens. Taking over from Brad was Snake – a DJ with excellent ability and technique who continued to lift the night and offered a hard edged bouncing set to those seeking a darker alternative to the trance room going off next door. Heat have always prided themselves on being able to spot talent amongst London’s up-and-coming DJ’s and Snake is no exception. His set certainly proved that he is a DJ to keep an eye on for any discernible promoter combining an individual and unique style with flawless mixing. Feeling the Heat in the main room Next up was the legendary Spencer Freeland. Spencer has been part of the hard dance scene for many years now and a favourite amongst the Heat regulars. Having played with the Ibizian Heat tour alongside Steve Blake and Marc French there were more than a few whoops and whistles as he took to the decks and continued the pace. Despite the fact that the room resembled more of a sauna than a dance floor, Spencer kept the room at full volume and full pace and by the time Marc French came on at 5:30pm the room was filled wall to wall with sweaty clubbers stomping to their hearts content and ready to be taken on a musical journey that defines Marc as Heat’s Resident and one of London’s top DJ’s Starting his set with his new tune “Killer Disco” (soon-to-be-released on the Heat Label and a track that has ‘Anthem’ firmly stamped all over it) Marc watched as the room erupted in a people-frenzy of arms reaching for the rooftops and screaming for more. Playing out tunes such as Stimulant DJs "Legitimate Sounds" and Rachel Auburns "Kick" the music built nicely with pounding beats and uplifting riffs as Marc played seamlessly to an enraptured audience. The excitement was tangible in the air (despite an over-enthusiastic dry-ice machine clouding the room!) and when Nick Sentience came on you had wonder how people would find the energy to keep on going. Heat Resident and London Legend DJ Marc French Nick Sentience has fast established himself as one of the best DJ/Producer’s to come out of London and it is a title well deserved mixing in his own tracks with soon-to-be classics and proving once again why it is that is in such demand throughout clubland. His set was flawless and carried the event through till its finale on a wave of hard house euphoria to its very end. You would have thought that with such big name DJ’s such as Ian Betts, Tony Burt and Daegal Brain going up against Brad Thatcher, Spencer Freeland, Marc French and Nick Sentience that there would have been a real divide amongst the clubbers attending the day event, but as usual Heat had managed to balance the day perfectly catering for everyone’s tastes and needs and offering up just the right mix of funky, trance and hard dance to satisfy even the most discernable tastes. Keeping the summer alive - outdoors at Heat, The Cross Having spent most of the day wandering between rooms and catching up with friendly faces it was clear to see why it is that Heat is so popular amongst London's clubbers. Their venue choice has always been impeccable and underlines their desire to be seen as a first class act within the hard dance scene. Normally you would only find such a happy and friendly atmosphere in smaller events where the majority of people know each other but somehow Heat have managed to recreate that atmosphere on a larger scale. Thanks to their excellent promotions team everyone feels part of the team and 'Heat Family' and there is a fierce loyalty amongst the Heat regulars in keeping Heat at the top, giving back all the effort that they receive from the events themselves. Walking around and watching as old friends greeted each other and caught up on their summer activities with the sounds of clubland mixed by top notch DJ's, it was a real joy to be witness to the whole event and included in the day. Everyone left the venue with a smile and a deep sense of stomping satisfaction. Tired, weary but definitely very happy. After having taken a break from afternoon events for the best part of the year it was a welcomed return for clubbers to see Heat go back to its roots and throw what was arguably the best Saturday afternoon event this year. Making sure that everyone’s taste’s were catered for and in a venue that simply oozed good taste and good times no one walked away without a smile firmly planted on their face and the question on everyone’s lips was, “when’s the next one?”. With the launch of their new record label “Heat Vinyl” and upcoming adventures to Amsterdam we may have to wait a few weeks before we get another chance to spend a Saturday at The Cross, but one thing is for certain – when Heat do return there will be a lot of very happy and eager clubbers already waiting at the front door just gagging to get in! For information on the next Heat event click here With thanks to Andy T for use of photographs from Harderfsater Photo Section Share this :: : : : Follow HarderFaster :: Other Features By Sharon B: What's it all about? Alfie! - Getting Technikal with Alf Bamford Heat UK presents....SW4!!! - Interview with Damian Gelle Interview with TWIST promoter Steve Darragh Interview with Innovate Resident Nick Sentience Interview with Ferry Corsten The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable. Comments: From: Andy T on 29th Sep 2003 09:35.02 Come on Heat roll on the next Sat afternoon From: Ian Betts on 29th Sep 2003 12:17.02 Wicked review of a legendary party Sharon - already lookingn forward to the label launch in a couple of weeks From: Stevi D on 2nd Oct 2003 15:50.24 Wicked party, roll on day clubbing - its the way fwd!

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