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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - 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! |
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FUTURE @ Brixton Academy reviewed
Reported by Diehardjonte
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Submitted 20-07-05 10:40
Brixton Academy is known as being close to perfection, always providing longed for nights, pumping hard house and the most up for it crowds. Its reputation spans not only over London and the hard dance scene, but appeals to all kinds of crowds for all kinds of reasons. This is the place to which every clubber worth their name has to pilgrimage at least once to pay their respects and make their confessions.
This time Frantic and Wildchild teamed up and the result was a joint super force of mighty djs and a visual perspective that does not need any additives to get you tripping. It’s a recipe that includes too many mouth-watering ingredients to go wrong. 39 djs of trance, hard house, techno and house gathered in a head to head pressing performance with five of the country’s most demanded and sought for live acts in a mutinously planned venue — all in all, a shocking line up.
Gathering in my house beforehand and gearing up with carefully selected chaperones spirits are high, we’ve been waiting for this night. Reading the flyer beforehand, disregarding the shocking bright pink colour, caused sudden puddles of drool to make its way down our cheeks, or maybe it was just mine!! But could it really be that pink? Some of us wouldn’t see this as so terrifying, but most of us would agree that it would take some serious f*cking music to make up for a pink future.
Armed to the teeth, believing we’ll have to battle our way through the doors we skidded round the corner to find the battleground empty; what the…??? Suspicions rising, is there no one else here?? It is after all just past 11?!!! No need to worry, announcing our presence at the door I try cheekily to get a backstage pass as well, doing my best to sound professional, and claiming I need it for the review, but am told that this will not be necessary. Not to sure I agree but who am I to argue, after all I had nothing but selfish reasons. All I wanted was to get access to the nicer toilets, and not have to stand in a queue. And, o well, who cares about chatting to the djs anyway and actually getting their perspective on the night and some tune ids?
Arriving straight onto the main arena we noticed the novelty stage right away, and the fact that all the new strobes made it so much lighter inside. Setting up this event took two days and round 40 or so members of crew: hard working, sweaty men, slaving to get it all together in time. It’s almost so that you can smell their efforts and even though it might not be that pleasant for your nostrils, to think about it, we salute you none the less. Well done guys.
Hard work pays off, this time resulting in a technical dream, a mixture of laser strobes and an up to date light and sound system that could have given any gadget freak wet dreams. Even though the lasers didn’t work at all as promised, the new layout of the stage with the four plasma screens was a real eye pleaser. It was so much easier to spot what was going on up on the stage and it must’ve been so much easier for the djs to interact with the crowd.
After a quick tour of the dance floor, since we had an academy virgin on our hands, we skidded off to do the cloakroom and toilet business. Talking from experience queuing for cloakrooms at the academy can take for f*cking ever, and wisely us oldies had left all the cloaks at my house and we shook out heads at the poor virgin as he headed for the end of the line. Were we going to see him at all this night? Surprisingly when we went to see how much progress he’d made, he was nowhere to be seen. Welcome to Future, for a preview on what will come our way this was definitely one of the highlights. A future with no queues can’t be that bad but made me wonder though, if this will apply all over the UK, or just at the Academy?! Guess I’ll have to wait til the future actually comes to get an answer to that one.
Since I managed to, in old style, loose all my chaperones early into the night and had the stomp mostly on my own, I found it as always easy to make new one night friends, or maybe it was all down to the fact I was holding them at gunpoint, forcing my company on them. YUP, my weapon of choice was — and very wisely it turned out since this venue gets fucking hot — a water pistol. I apologize slightly to all the people I just had to cool down during the night but most people took it really well and as always I was surrounded by happy people in more or less clothing, all sharing the same happy grin and excited moves.
Being Brixton the place filled up fast and soon the main arena was a sea of sweaty bodies. Steam rising from the bulging crowd made it look like a battlefield and I squeezed my gun tight in hand and for a target. There was plenty, as the Organ Donors got the crowd to go crazy and they used any available space to perform all weird moves stored in their systems for this special occasion. Whether you were a clubbing oldie or on the newcomer debutant ball neither these guys, nor Brixton Academy disappointed.
One live act after the other, LAB4 entered the stage. Labeled at the harder end of the line they came to kick some rave butt with their twisted spins and hard hard beats. Personally I think this time they might have stepped over that line. Somehow it feels like their sets are repeating themselves and I get the feeling I’ve seen it all before. As I’m in the Future you might call what I got déjà vu. Years ago when I was a newborn on the hard dance scene, these guys were the core pioneers, always one step ahead of the rest, pushing the beats to higher levels still, refusing to get beaten. No matter who tried to battle them they always came up with a new way of performing. Now the duo has come to a complete halt. But even so, putting these two maniacs together, caged in the ‘Death star’, they still possess one of the best on stage charismas you’ll get to see in a live act.
After a necessary toilet break, spending some time in the queue, emptying myself and refilling my gun I made my way towards the front, on the lookout for my chaperones, wading through piles of rubbish threatening to trip me over. Even though I was almost as sane as ever, which might not say much, I looked more like a drunken punter on my way home from a heavy night on the pub. Everywhere bottles and cups somehow gathered under my feet like nails to a magnet. But I kept on my feet proceeding on my mission. This time my assignment was Proteus, and just as I though I was home safe a cold blast between my shoulder blades made my pulse racing. I was hit!! Ducking down in the crown I spotted my assassin just as the Finnish madman entered the stage. No time for battle anymore, Proteus, named after a magazine leaves more then a paper cut when he’s done with you.
Is there any better DJ at the moment? This guy has got it all, banging hard tunes, great on giving no option but to join in the frenzy. Blame it on the Finnish tradition of spanking each other in the sauna, or the vodka if you want, but in periods it feels like he’s taking the piss out of us. To fast for his decks, moving in Matrix speed he puts more than music behind making it all look so simple.
In Greek mythology his name comes from an adjective with the general meaning ‘capable of assuming many forms’. Damn right, he believes in performing the whole role and to get into his chosen character before he gets on stage, resulting in an even more intensive experience, and adds on to the whole creation of the biggest and best there is out there at the moment, leading the way and being in the future already.
By the time it’s all over I grab my assassin and mates again we join forces making out way to my favorite place. For me, Brixton Academy is all about the Foyer; this time was no different. It’s always full of happy mad energetic clubbers and I was now surrounded by these, all stomping wildly with broad grins and dark shiny eyes. Dark By Design played one of the best live sets I’ve heard this summer, banging hard with a fast beast he gave us all furious eargasms, pleasure by far better then the sight of all the bare skin present. It was the first time I’ve ever heard the guy play and damn have I missed out. He was joined by the just as brilliant Alex Calver, Cally & Juice and Paul Glazby.
This place always kicks off like nowhere else and the only annoying thing is that it feels like trying to dance on the German autobahn for all the clubbers moving round you trying to get someplace else. If you’re like me and a fan of high speed racing, this is not the place to try and race me. It’s the final lap and I swear you’ll need a stop at the depot before I will. This is the best place, and I kept coming back throughout the night and not once was a dj here letting the crown down.
I once again found myself deserted and decided that some altitude would do me good, I mean high is nice, higher is always better, and made my way upstairs to check it all out. The funky house room @ circle bar for some reason mocked me and took ages to find. I’m not sure whose sense of direction I should blame it on but upon finally finding it I got served a crowd pleasing beast that sent me down a sexy and sweaty pulsating journey. Being very shit at remembering names I’ll have to bow my head and take the punishment for not having a clue about who was playing. My apologies.
The Balcony bar had a vibrating battle of the best hard house and trance from across the country. Legends such as Eduardo Herrera, master of disguises, did his best to knock the fingers off new up comers like Stevens trying to rob a piece of the action. Both succeeding, providing the slightly crammed place with beats that bounced off the walls moving clubbers about like flipper balls with hard knocks and fast beats. Turning round I spotted a mate who I rarely see, grinning from ear to ear stomping with more energy then a Duracell rabbit on speed and jealously I pulled the trigger and squirted him full of water, where did he get all the energy from?
Holding my head, with an empty water gun I decide higher was good. But close to a hard house melt down I somehow found myself back at the front row of the main arena and before my eyes, Lisa Pin Up, mimes her “Fucking fuck fuck, u fucking fuck”, (or something like that), and let the deck explode creating a sound wave big enough to tear the walls down. What could I do but keep stomping? Sweat running down my back, water gun empty I glanced at Lisa jumping about on stage but got no mercy. Girls are cruel, but hey, as they say, no rest for the wicked.
I finished off my night with a final battle of the guns to a top top dj, Rob Tissera. Although I tried to retire to the back of the room, nursing my very sore feet, he kept the beat going til the end. I’ve never been disappointed and this time my only let down was a faulty water gun and feet that refused to listen to ma anymore. They’d packed in and gone on a strike. Hoarding the chaperones together with some added extras we skid off across the street to recuperate in my backyard, share some anecdotes and piece us together enough to venture up to the Fridge for some more stomping. Our summary of the night is goooood. We’ve been to the future and the future was fucking great. Fluorescent pink or not, I can’t wait til I get more then a sample and get to live in it permanently and not only for 8 hours!!
Thanks to Anushka007, Ilona, Pinkkitty, RafieG and SpecialK for their pics, all courtesy of the HarderFaster photo archive.
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Other Features By Diehardjonte:
Timeless @ Koko
HeatUK 4th Birthday @ Brixton Academy reviewed
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.
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