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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! | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna |
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X-Static Vicious Circle Tour - Review
Reported by bunny
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Submitted 16-09-02 16:30
This has got to go down as one of the more unusual raves I’ve been to…
Sometimes half the fun of clubbing can be had in trying to find the venue. And so it came to be that on Saturday night we found ourselves starring in the mini-feature Lost In Stratford: The Hunt For The Rex. It might have been the unfamiliar territory. It might have been the dodgy directions. It might even have been that bottle of Jose Cuervo Gold we sunk beforehand. But we got there eventually and after a few minutes spent getting to know the door staff on very familiar terms, we were in.
The first thing I noticed was that it was a very large venue, with a not-particularly-large crowd. The second thing I noticed was that this wasn’t going to stop anyone. Ok, so the turnout could have been better but it could also have been a lot worse. The three-hundred-odd people who came were certainly giving it their all, proof that all that followers of Hard Dance need is a dark room and a sound system operating just beneath the pain threshold to have a good time
We hit the dance floor just as ILogic was launching into a full-force bounce-a-thon of a set. If there’s one thing to be said about a small crowd/large venue ratio, is that you certainly have room to dance. Perhaps the best thing about this X-Static was that you never felt crushed or claustrophobic and you could go for a good wander around the place without having to worry about not finding your mates again.
So it almost felt like a private party, you’re dancing with all your mates to your favourite tunes (I love the way X-Static always tends to treat you to the classic tunes instead of all the tracks doing the rounds at the moment) and by the end of night I think I’d gotten to know everyone in the place. K90 came on at midnight and he certainly didn’t let the crowd size bother him For an hour the space right in front on the stage was the place to be, K90 dealing out the tunes with his trademark energy and enthusiasm and all of us eagerly soaking up the happiness. Serious stomping was the one shared vision…after all, twice the space to move in = twice the movement!! Yeeaahhh!!!!
Wayne Burgess takes the controls and treats us to a 3B set (Bouncy, Banging, Beautiful). The opening track was what the word gorgeous was created for, featured a sample of Love Resurrection and very upbeat but not sure what it’s called (any help greatly appreciated, cheers!). Everyone dived straight in for some dedicated dancing and despite the odd wobbly moment, when the naughty Rave Pixies had obviously been tinkering with the technology, the set was a definite triumph. Unfortunately the sound system decided to play up a few times during the night but for the most part the DJ’s and all concerned coped admirably with the difficulties.
Joel B gives the music a rougher, deeper edge, spinning out some harder faster (sorry, couldn’t resist) tunes, such as the gorgeous Music Is The Drug and James Lawson’s Energize (big thanks for helping with the track titles Jon, have a can of Stella on me next time I see you, hehehe!). Bouncing goes out of the window for the time being as it’s time to get furious with the glowsticks. You know who’s on next, so get ready…
Three O’clock, Paul Glazby gets onstage and everyone goes completely nuts. Playing a set harder than a titanium-reinforced diamond knuckleduster, it’s an hour and a half of take-no-prisoners Hard House madness. With tunes like Jon Rundell & Sam Reeve’s Africaine (Nick Sentience remix), RR Fierce’s Rock Da Spot and Tony De Vit’s I Don’t Care (BK remix), there really is nothing left to do but go for it 1001%, losing your inhibitions, worries and (in the case of one particularly liberated guy on the dance floor) shoes in the process. We came, we saw, we cained it good and proper
Pretty much everyone I spoke to throughout the night at some point said the same thing; that we haven’t seen Lisa Lashes in ages and her set’s going to be the highlight of the night. Now this is where X-Static enters the Twilight Zone. Ok, I admit I wasn’t in the best frame of mind anyway, the disco biscuits were doing the work of the devil in my bloodstream and I was really starting to get into the music, when Zimbolicious told me that Lisa L has walked off stage. What happened next depends on who you talk to, I guess. There’s three or four different explanations flying around the forums regarding why Lisa walked off, but all I know is that next time I look onstage the guys behind the decks are most definitely NOT her… Don’t want to pass judgement without the proper facts but it’s undoubtedly an intriguing little mystery…
So the Djing duties pass to Dex and Andy Thorpe, playing an impromptu B2B set that should earn them a Hard House knighthood. Talk about a tough gig – they played a set over an hour long with no time to prepare and then for the last half an hour had to battle with the Rex’s lighting system, which apparently came straight from the perimeter fence of Holloway prison! Despite all this almost everyone stayed dancing til the end. Thanks guys, for saving the night
Well, it certainly wasn’t your average run-of-the-mill rave and I’m sure everyone who went will remember it for some time to come but, against all odds, I enjoyed it and I know a lot of people I spoke to both on the night and since did too. I’ll definitely go to X-Static again, I’ve been to previous nights and had an absolute blast but it seems on this occasion the problems were down to the venue and its staff and not the promoters or DJs.
X-Static: Sometimes like the X Files, only bigger, bouncier and with a scarier-looking cast
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Other Features By bunny: It's about music - interview with Alex Parsons Monkey business as usual: interview with Shaf De Bass Twistathon – Twist’s 12 Hour 1st Birthday Bonanza Zoology's 2nd Birthday - Review! becomeone: Unified in Sound - Review
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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Comments:
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From: Tin_Tin on 17th Sep 2002 19:14.13 fucking awesome review... gotta give ya credit... much better than any of mine of late and definately true to the night!!! you can have a blue peter badge for that one :P
From: W2Clubber on 17th Sep 2002 19:29.50 ..really good night against the odds...good crowd..great music..wicked laser..but maybe x-static crew consider alt venue for next outing..
From: UFS… on 18th Sep 2002 12:06.58 ...well said allright & fair play indeed... no harm done here 2 Xstatic!!!
From: argh_01 on 19th Sep 2002 20:06.35 Quote:
| X-Static: Sometimes like the X Files, only bigger, bouncier and with a scarier-looking cast |
| LOL - nice one.
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