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Features
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| 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! | | Goa based party animal and artist extraordinaire Nirmal talks punk concerts, metal sculptures, flying and rippin' it up on a High Tide! | | DJ Wired talks to us about the Rise of the Hope and parties, ahead of his upcoming set at Tribal Village on 14th January 2022! |
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Hard House Academy 29th May 2004: Review
Reported by Adam Symbiosis
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Submitted 04-06-04 16:28
Frantic have come a long way since they started out and can now boast of filling premier venues all across London, from The Fridge to The Ministry of Sound to The Scala. Time after time, party after party, thousands of people rock to the hard sounds played by some of the very best hard dance DJs the UK and the world has to offer. The jewel in their crown though has to be Hard House Academy. Happening only 4 times a year, this time I was there to see if Frantic could pull off another amazing night in one of the Capitals’ largest venues.
That amazing main room
This time the pulling point for me was the three live PAs – K90, New Energy Collective and Nuw Idol – but alongside them were 37 other DJs, many I’d yet to hear and including the HarderFaster 15mins of fame competition winner. Before the event there was a fair bit of talk about the winner and the prize and apologies to Niall Farley, the eventual winner, but I wasn’t able to get to the party until after work so I missed out on hearing the set first hand. Having a chat with him a couple of days later, I realised that despite some bad attitude towards the prize, it gave him a great opportunity that a “DJ that has only played at house parties and some small venues” wouldn’t get at all. As he said him self, “HHA has been great for my confidence and as for the future… I’ll be continuing to enjoy the music and the scene, who knows what may happen after that.” He also said “I would like to say a big thank you to Dickon and all at Frantic for picking me and giving me such a great once in a lifetime experience.” A big thumbs up and a pat on the back then for Niall and also for Frantic for organising it, maybe they should do it more often!
Paul Glazby working the mixer
For me though the night started at about 1:15 and on a high. We walked straight into the packed main room and straight into Andy Whitby dropping “Such A Good Feeling” by Miss Behaving. If ever there was a song to make the laziest of clubbers get up and dance it has to be this. Even with my coat and bag still firmly on, I got my arse moving with the 2000 or so other people on the dance floor. One thing that I noticed was the lack of decorations, with only a Superman, a disco ball and one puffy ball hanging from the ceiling. Frantic always seemed to raise the bar when it came to decorations including inflatables, balloons and light and laser shows but I think this time they couldn’t beat themselves.
A problem that Frantic had at previous parties was the sheer weight of people wanting to check their coats and bags into the cloakroom meant very long waits in the queue, with some people I know having waited nearly 2 hours only to find the cloakroom full. This time it was a different story completely. Through a combination, it seems, of earlier opening, reminding people not to bring too much and an organised system with a separate area just for bags, it was easier than putting your bag away yourself.
Donna Birt in the foyer
We started to make our way upstairs to try and soak up some of the atmosphere from the balcony. First through the foyer and “The Harder They Come” – where Donna Birt was playing some real hard edged house to some hardy ravers – and up through to the corridor where Dex was back to back with the Prophet showing the assembled throng just why Frantic had chose them as part of the “Nu-Breed”. But I wasn’t quiet ready to dance and so we found a seat on the balcony to watch Andy Whitby finish off with “Ssst… Listen” by Jonah.
With the DJ’s now running about 15 minutes behind time, Rob Tissera announced himself by running the “Red Pill, Blue Pill” sample from the Matrix tagged onto a wicked remix of “10 into 1” by the Members Of Mayday. I’m sure the balcony started to move with the people going crazy to his driving set. We stuck around for a bit, watching Rob play and the lightshow, the lasers bouncing off the disco ball speckling the crowd and walls with green dots. Then after going downstairs for a dance and hearing “Never Lost His Hardcore” by NRG, we went up to the balcony bar and “Funked Up”.
No room at the front
As always in the balcony bar we found a chilled room with loads of space to dance or just sit and chat, if only they could have had some cushions all round the edge! We found Alex Hunter playing a smooth blend of Chunky House. I especially liked hearing “Music Is The Answer” by Danny Tenaglia and “Passion” by Gat Décor - classic tracks that I don’t often get to hear but then maybe that’s self inflicted  I really like having a funky room to go and chill out in, so a big thumbs up there but at some points I felt as if the bouncers were breathing down my neck so off we went to listen to the New Energy Collective.
I’d never heard Sharkey, Kevin Energy, K Complex and AMS as the New Energy Collective before but their roots were telling. I remember back in the day listening to my Bonkers CDs and loving Sharkey’s mixing and tonight was no different. The guys came on and started a blistering set, blending hardcore and hard trance. One song I could pick out sampled “Barbers Adagio For Strings” and I was very impressed by the set, I just wish I had some more energy to dance, it seemed like this was the mood in many parts of the club as the crowd started to lighten and people went home.
The Nu Energy Collective at work
At 4 and with a flash of brilliance, you could say, Nuw Idol arrived. Having seen him a couple of weeks ago I was very excited to hear him again as he is my favourite PA. But unlike the set played at Antiworld, this one was an all together darker affair, with a track list that included, on the darker edge “Sin” and “Kick Drum Domination” and on the more uplifting edge “My Liberation” and “Bag Of Trix” With the quite drastic speed change, from the in your face New Energy Collective, to the building tracks of Nuw Idol, at first a lot of the clubbers didn’t know what to do with themselves but as the tracks progressed and the sound was turned back up, people stared to get up and dance again. A good set for the night but in the wrong position for the discerning Frantic raver who just wants the music to get harder and faster as the night progresses.
To wrap up the night we were herded like goats by security down through the building until by half five nearly everyone was packed into the main room to hear Andy Farley’s set. I’d already jumped the gun, got my bag and was looking for a plot but it was like everybody who had an alcopop had thrown it on the floor and it was sticky everywhere  No matter because Mr Farley played a more bouncy set then I would have expected him to play. Dropping my tune of the moment, “Compounded” by Edge 1, lined with some real hard tracks that got the crowd moving again and wrapping things off with the ultimate feel good song, “I Don’t Care” by Tony De Vit. Was this a taste of things to come at the “Midsummer Ball - The Return of The Bounce” ? We’ll have to wait and see.
Adam Symbiosis 
djSymbiosis
With many thanks to dori for the use of his pictures 
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Other Features By Adam Symbiosis:
Godskitchen Xmas Party: Reviewed
The Big Chill: Reviewed
Tiësto at Victoria Park: Reviewed
Lilly Allen: Reviewed
Digital Society May 2009: 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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Comments:
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From: Rafael on 4th Jun 2004 17:20.16
Really good party.
Very good review (u just missed ting playing at the corridor, fan-fucking-tastic!!)
From: ClubCasualty on 5th Jun 2004 00:17.23
Top review mate! You've brought back so many memories of the night:-)
Nice chatting to you up on the balcony!
From: Dave Evans on 7th Jun 2004 13:55.08
congratulations dan ( latex zebra) the only person to play 2 sets at hha that night.great review too.
From: DJACE Luffman on 21st Jun 2004 22:59.43
what a night,i enjoyed every tune that dropped.glazby rocked,vicious stevens smacked it,but rob tiessra was the man,he blew the main stage apart.cant wait for the next installment of hha.hurry up & get here.we luv hha.well i do anyway.hehe
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