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Features 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!

Cox rocks Brixton Reported by Evildave / Submitted 03-05-06 22:48 Yes its that time of year again people! No more frosty mornings, birds are singing, blossom is on the trees and when you leave a club at 6am the reason why you need to wear sunglasses is because it actually is sunny! Spring has sprung in 2006, filling many a party person’s head with ideas of outdoor dancing frivolity. Everyone starts to plan that big weekend, week or month, whether it be here in our green and pleasant (but usually damp) land, or on a small island somewhere in the Balearics! Now that the officially fun part of the year has begun it was time to put the word out, so the good people of South West Four decided to launch their little gathering on Clapham Common this August by plonking Carl Cox on a big stage at Brixton Academy. Apparently it was quite good . . . . The End! Oh alright then, I suppose I could go into a bit more detail . . . It was quite a good thing that myself and Lisa (my partner in crime for the evening, helpful car driver and most excellent party companion!) had never been to Brixton Academy before, as it meant that neither of us knew what to expect. This did mean however, that I made the second of our two mistakes of the night (the first being that we forgot that there possibly might just be a lot of traffic and limited parking in Brixton), which was to harp on like the big shot that I am never going to be. “Don’t worry,” I said cheerfully “we are a bit late but we are on the guest list so we should just stroll in… no problem!”. Unfortunately, there were two things I should have remembered before making that statement. Firstly, that this was the biggest event HF have asked me to cover, meaning that security had to herd 4,000+ punters through the doors. Secondly, my name is not Tim Sheridan, Mr C, or Carl Cox! Even though I was helpfully directed to the stage door we had to wait patiently in line with competition winners and folks on about five different lists. Why is it that no matter where you go in the world, queues to get into clubs and airport boarding gates are always the same? Everyone forms a neat little line, then watches as individuals and small groups approach the front of the queue with nervous, yet hopeful expressions on their faces. After a few frustrated gesticulations they trudge back past you, heads hung low…. Funny! I must also say a big hello to the astonishingly drunk girl who delayed our entry into the venue by a further five minutes. Stumbling up to a huge South African bouncer, opening your handbag and demanding that he find your ticket for you is an original idea, but tonight was not her night… bless her little inebriated socks! After successfully entering the building I must say that it was well worth the mission and the wait! The excellent Tim Sheridan was coming to the end of his set and he was kicking out some rather groovy stuff. We would have giving him more attention but after we got over our initial arrival excitement by grabbing each by the shoulders and jumping up and down in a rather stupid fashion, it was time to survey our surroundings. The main room looked absolutely fantastic, as you would expect the décor was excellent and the lighting and lasers that were piercing through the crowd on the lower dance floor and balcony, were a sight to behold. Huge balloons were dotted about the place, which would eventually start to bounce around the crowd. The centre piece was a huge bust of Carl Cox’s head hung over the main stage making the mans presence almost omnipotent. Already there was a superb atmosphere and I got that tingle that I always get when you know that you are in for a blinder! Moving out of the main room we did a quick sweep of the other arenas. As I had never ventured into this venue before, some helpful friends had given me advice earlier on what to expect from the rest of the building. As I thought, it was a little disappointing to see that the Plush Dafunk and Hot & Spicy area was basically just a corridor next to a cloakroom. Not a big deal normally for me but in contrast to the main room it was a bit of a shame. I can’t really have a go at the location of the Platform 12 stage, as advertised it said “foyer”… and so it was. We got stuck into some wicked breaks being played there and the medium sized crowd on that dance floor were probably the chattiest and friendliest folks in the place. I couldn’t really decide if the droves of people walking up and down the staircases on either side of that area were a novel thing to look at whilst dancing, or a rather odd distraction though. Slowly we made our way back into the main room and gazing up at the stage I could make out the familiar face of Mr C inside a dj box that looked more like a half constructed spaceship escape pod! Suddenly an excited boggled eyed Italian bloke came up to me pointing at the stage, “HE’S A GOOOOOD YESSSS?” he shouted, “Yes mate” I said, “he’s Ebeneezer good!… got any Salmon?”…. The perplexed look on his face was just a picture and I walked off satisfied that I am probably the only person who thinks that I am funny! Wanting to save the main dance floor action for later, we decided to take a different perspective for Mr C’s set and made for the highest vantage point possible on the upper balcony. We had plenty of space to dance around like fools and the view of the stage was amazing up there, allowing us to see the full effects of the visuals. Classic green lasers shot through the darkness followed by astonishing bright yellow flashes of light… I could go on describing what I saw but that would take up the whole of this review nearly, but whoever the lighting tech was that night they deserve a medal! You could tell that Mr C was a man who has been in the game long enough to be able to keep a big room bouncing and the first part of his set was truly superb. Belting out funky electronic madness with twisted beats and big meaty bass lines. My enjoyment of the night was jilted up a few notches when he dropped Audion’s ‘Just F**king’ (Roman Flugel’s 23 positions in a 1 night stand remix), a truly superb tune indeed! With an hour and a bit left of his set we left the main room because either I was a bit wrecked or the same tune had been playing for what seemed like ages, which was making things a bit boring. The find of the night was finally working out were the DirtyGroove room was. After seeing a little sign by a door next to the Platform 12 stage we went through it, up some stairs, through a corridor, down some stairs (I think?) and another corridor, then at last we found it! Hats off to the DG crew, their room won my personal approval as the best decked out smaller area of the night. A nice dark feel to the place and it was cool to see familiar faces such as Tom Allan and Helen Joyce dancing away to some phat dirty tunes after their respective sets. We had loads of fun and games while we were in there. If there was anybody in that room having a hazy moment and you suddenly saw a girl draping her jumper over her head, whilst dancing, do not worry you did not imagine it! That was actually Lisa doing a good impression of a very funky Nun and if that wasn’t funny enough the jumper was then wrapped into a turban (sorry babe had to mention that but at least I haven’t posted the photo on the review! Its available upon request though people!). I decided we should make our way back to the main room before the temptation to turn my shirt into some kind of rudimentary nappy became too much! Back in the main arena the music was thumping out (not sure if it was still that never-ending tune but could have been?) and as we finally made our may into the crowd I swear that the dance floor was actually bouncing! Stilt walkers were roaming around the front of the stage holding electric circular saws and grinding them down on the metal parts of their costumes. The spark effect from this was pretty spectacular, although I did wince when one guy kept grinding his saw near his crotch giving me a terrible fear that at any moment he was going to cause himself some kind of severe testicular trauma! All of a sudden I realised that time had just flown by during all the fun and it was 2am already! It was time for the big man himself to take the stage! We rammed ourselves down near the front to get the best view of the promised pre-set stage show. Sure enough a Brazilian style Samba band all with different size drums took to the stage and a low murmur of anticipation rose from the crowd and developed into a whooping, cheering and whistling roar! So the band began to play and all of a sudden it was like being in Notting Hill on an August Bank holiday… er only darker! Peering though the bodies on the stage I had a bit of a giggle… call me cynical but was this drum interlude just a little distraction so that the sound techs could change the equipment to Carl’s trademark Vestax mixer? Obviously we were near the front but I think even the people right at the back could not mistake the oh so familiar form of Mr Carl Cox as he took to the stage. The cheers from the crowd were almost deafening as the big man boomed over the PA………..”YEAH LONDON!…….BRIXTON ACADEMY!………ARE YOU READY TO ROCK THIS FUCKING HOUSE TONIGHT OR WHAT?”………..Not the most original MC patter I had ever heard, but hey it did the trick! Screams from the crowd became ear splitting! The first tune dropped and girls in bikinis and big feather head-dresses came dancing onto the stage and if it hadn’t been for the skinny bloke in the Burberry cap that kept crashing into me I could have almost been in Rio! “OH YES! OH YES LONDON ARE WE READY TO ROCK THIS HOUSE?” Coxy continued. “Yes I am Mr Cox sir!” I said quietly to myself but nobody heard me due to the thumping baseline kicking out and the continued noise from the crowd. Then all of a sudden I realised that somebody was tapping me on the head from above. I looked up to see a slightly bemused looking Lisa on the shoulders of a very tall gentleman. She was holding her phone in her hand, which I thought was a very original way to try and gain a better signal. It transpired later, once she descended that while she was trying to shoot a video on her phone the tall helpful fella had just scooped her up without a word… made for a wicked video anyway (which you still haven’t sent to me L?) so thank you that man! Well what can I say about a four hour set by Carl Cox? Imagine watching your favourite football team playing three games back to back and winning each one! Hang on, that’s a crap analogy because they could only play for an hour in the last game plus they would be knackered! Anyway, it was that damn good! Having always held him in the highest regard I had never seen him play out before and I have to say (as if you needed telling) that the man is an absolute legend! Such a contrast from Mr C’s rather miserable demeanour during the set before, Coxy was just loving it behind the decks as more lasers and the odd pyrotechnic flashed out from the stage. This was what top flight djing is all about, people were here to see the man himself and not just for the music. It was a proper, proper show and a feast for the eyes and ears! Never before have a heard a sound system that good in the main room, I don’t claim to be any kind of expert on sound technology but it felt like all the levels were just set perfectly. Driving bass lines whipped into your eardrum but just set at a point where it didn’t cause any pain. I am sure that the acoustics of the building helped but I just cannot think of enough superlatives to express how good it sounded! If my ears had been able to spontaneously achieve orgasm on their own I think they would have, it was complete aural pleasure! The music was fantastic, although I noticed that Carl does love his breakdowns of which there were loads. Some people might have also been a little put off by his MC chat, which I think he did every hour. But the guy was top of the bill and it was a massive crowd and who could blame him for wanting to talk to the people. The music progressed nicely and when he started to belt out some awesome driving techno it was just mind blowing! And yes that man is the god of mixing! There was a truly international feel to the crowd as well. We chatted to Italian, Spanish, Croatian, Dutch, Kiwi and South African party people, all super friendly and loving every minute. I nearly fell on my knees laughing when a little Italian bloke (yes I know another one!) pointed at Carl bouncing around his decks and asked me “Who is this DJ?” Ah well, at least he was having a fun time. Two hours in and with legs getting a bit tired we went up to the balcony again to sit on the theatre seating. This was also quite cool to just sit and watch the show, whilst rhythmically rocking back and fourth in your chair. A big thank you to the people around us in the seats for politely laughing, as I sat back in my seat and pretended that I was eating popcorn. Yeah… well… erm… you probably had to be there anyway. The last hour was upon us and as per usual memories are just a little bit hazy. We went right to the front barrier and just watched Carl mix for a while and we were both transfixed. I challenge even the most enthusiastic of people to dj for four hours solid and still be dancing and jumping around like a madman after three hours and fifteen minutes…. But Coxy did and I salute him for it. By now the tunes and taken on a more tech trance feel and the energy in the room was still electric. I kept laughing at all the punters who were trying to carry off the huge balloons that had been bouncing around all night, only for them to be punched back into the air by other people…. Oh how frustrating that must have been! With his last tune I am not sure whether Coxy was trying to just please the masses or if it was his personal salute to a dance floor classic, but when he dropped ‘Born Slippy the crowd went insane! I know it may not have been everyone’s choice as a final number but it was nice to share a moment with a random bloke who turned around to face me. “IVE GROWN SO CLOSE TO YOU……… BOOOOOOOOOY!!!!!!!!!!!!” We both mimed to each other at the exact moment both with punching fists in the air…………….Yes sad but true folks! What a venue, what a night and what a man! Tech trance, house, deep house, prog house, tribal house. techno and funky techno all rolled into one party! There is no doubt in my mind where I will be on the August Bank Holiday this year and that’s Clapham Common! If this launch party was anything to go by, it will be a life-changing event! Oh by the way, Carl Cox rules! Photos courtesy of Crimson - Crazy Fool and Evildave. Not to be reproduced without permission. Share this :: : : : Follow HarderFaster :: Other Features By Evildave: Gettin Kurrupted Down at EP! You dirty people you! DirtyGroove reviewed What Curious did next: an interview with Lizzie Curious aka Starlet 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: djandrewmartin on 4th May 2006 07:47.41 Carl Cox is God. End of. From: Ali Wilson on 4th May 2006 08:19.03 LEGEND! From: Type 1 on 4th May 2006 09:46.39 The Man Himself! Best DJ IN THE WORLD IMO!!! From: Richard Launch on 4th May 2006 09:56.17 He rocked it. From: djtomallan on 4th May 2006 10:14.44 Great review! Wicked party. From: Vandal on 4th May 2006 10:25.30 what a night, i am still pumped! From: Type1-Glenn on 4th May 2006 16:08.49 Best night out ive had in ages, pisses all over hard house. Carl Cox is the boy! Mr C' s minimal was wikkid also. From: American Pie on 4th May 2006 16:45.13 Dave my dear - so sorry I wasn't your partner in crime that night....sounds like it was FAB! This is a really well-written review babes! From: Matt Smallwood on 4th May 2006 20:40.33 Absolute Legend, totally tears every dance floor apart whenever I hear him! Its all about the Technooooooo! From: maliksta on 5th May 2006 00:06.35 I missed the academy But I am so at the Festival! You can watch some footage from the night on www.southwestfour.com From: Lizzie Curious on 5th May 2006 09:09.19 Dave - you have surpassed yourself! So so so so gutted I wasn't there, it has certainly more than moistened my appetitie for SW4 thats for sure! Really well written and thoroughly enjoyable to read - NICE ONE BRUVVA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! From: Jennie B on 5th May 2006 14:51.14 Atill never see him play must do it one day!!! From: DaveFrayne on 5th May 2006 15:21.16 The Don - From: Maria on 6th May 2006 18:30.38 I was there and its was fantastic! Looking forward to see him again at SW4! From: Holly-Anna on 8th May 2006 16:05.32 Gutted I missed it.. Loving his mix mag CD.. Is on constantly in my car.. Cant wait for SW4!!! From: Dr DUZZIT on 17th May 2006 12:57.13 Hes the Daddy

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