Rave Appreciation Thread

[alan nagsworth]

I'm heading into Digbeth tonight for some serious all-night rave action featuring the likes of DJ Hype, Lemon D, Dillinja and Phase 2. The last rave I went to was on new year's eve at the same place (Custard Factory) and what with the date of that occsaion, and performances from Scratch Perverts, Groove Armada, Grooverider and DJ Yoda, I think that tonight's gig will have trouble topping the immense experience.

Sadly I'm only 20 and cannot express appreciation for the legendary early-to-mid-90's rave scene, but don't let that deter you from sharing your experiences of said era in this thread. Ravers of the world unite and show some serious love for the raves that have shaped your life for an entire night!

[Regular Chicken]

My favourite raves are ones which seem to pop up unexpectedly, whereas big events which are hyped up for ages beforehand always seem to be overcrowded flops.

For unexpected delights, secret warehouse parties often deliver, if you can find em. Here, more than any other rave events, will you find the most fascinating blend of people, and great dancefloor vibes. The one I remember most vividly was at this underground three floor madhouse. Homeless people with giant dogs were working the door, little kids were running around. Hardcore techno, trance and dub til' about 7am, pills sold openly at the makeshift bars. I remember goin into the dub room at one point and there was a long string of people sitting on the floor, each person giving the person infront of them a massage. Oh how we laughed.

For pure hedonistic ravey good times though, you can't really beat a proper dance festival ala Glade, where you can keep the party going for three days.

Looking back however, my favourite times have involved nothing so fancy. My favourite rave was at a house party we held on Christmas day a few years back. Only people we knew and loved were there, friends were DJing so there was guaranteed quality tunes, everyone was happy and wasted because it was christmas..perfect.

[Neville Chamberlain]

Oooh, is the Custard Factory still going then? I used to go there a lot when I was in Brum, but I thought it had been demolished or something. I love Digbeth I do. Is the Manzells balti house still around?

[hencole]

I'm going to a rave in the west country tommorrow so I'll give you a review on my return. Psytrance, electro, breaks, jungle, DnB, and a bit of breakcore and hopefully plenty of SUN.

My best new years eves have been unexpected multi rig warehouse parties as regular chicken describes they are full of people you would never normally expect in the same room. The old, the young, the rich, the poor, prostitutes, dogs, pimps, students and suprisingly eveyone behaves themselves.

I was too young for the early rave scene, but the rave scene does still exist to some modified extent.

[Ciarán]

Being 12 years old in 1990, I was just a little bit too young to really experience raves. The drug-taking, the searching for a rave in the countryside by following lots of oblique clues, the waving glo-sticks about aspects of it are all a bit strange to me. My memory of that time is the column in Smash Hits called 'Down The Rave Up' where rave releases were reviewed. The rave stuff that made the charts was often rather poor, but the great stuff made up for it. Around 1990, when things like 'LFO' by LFO and 'Chime' by Orbital started getting into the charts, it really felt that the 80s had ended. It was exciting. But "rave" for me will always call to mind the autumn and winter of 1991-1992. Rave all over the shop. The charts were full of things like Digital Orgasm, Altern 8 and Bassheads. Taking a pessimistic view, it looked at the time like The Song had had its day. Looking back now it was a golden age of crazy drug-addled pop. DJH featuring Steffi's 'I Like It', Shut Up and Dance's 'Raving I'm Raving', it's absolute zenith was Rotterdam Termination Source's 'Poing'.

[Viero_Berlotti]

I'm 30 now so my Rave days are over, nothing worse than seeing somebody cling on to a lifestyle they should have given up years ago.

Back in the day though it was the thing that dominated my late teens and early to mid twenties. Living in Manchester I was a bit young to be "there" when the Rave scene in the UK started in the late eighties, but when I came of age in the mid nineties the whole scene was still going strong. My favourite night was the Herbal Tea Parties held in the New Ardri nightclub in Hulme, Central Manchester. The New Ardri was an Irish club more accustomed to ceilidh music than acid techno, but twice a month the place was transformed. It had a real hippy/squatter day-glo-face-paint vibe, and there was some fantastic DJ's that played there Joey Beltram, Andrew Weatherall, Billy Nasty, David Holmes, Carl Cox, Alex Paterson to name a few. I also used to be a regular on the squatter/free party scene in Hulme at the time which was great fun but was also the scene of a lot of nastiness and hard drug abuse.

My most memorable Rave though was one night in about 1998(I think?). A friend and I were in the centre of Manchester trying to find the location of a squat that was supposedly the location of a free party. We were on Whitworth Street when we saw a small crowd gathered around what was the old entrance to the Hacienda night club. At the time the Hacienda had been closed down for 18 months and had been earmarked for development into trendy yuppie flats. As we approached the reality dawned on us, the Hacienda was the real location for the free party. The Hulme squatters had broken in and managed to hook up a generator and a sound system, the Hacienda would live again for one night only!

On the inside the squatters had done a great job. The legendary dance floor had been cleaned up, the fridges behind the bar still worked and they had stocked this with beer (organic wheat beer of course) and were selling at £2.00 a pop, and I thought squatters were supposed to be anti-capitalist? They had also considered everybody's safety and had brought along their own fire extinguishers and had clearly marked all the fire exits for a quick evacuation if need be. Anyway we necked our pills and began enjoying what would surely be our own "Pistols at the Lesser Free Trade Hall" were you there, experience.

An hour or two after we had entered, the ever safety conscious squatters had decided the place was getting a bit full so they pulled down the shutter and barricaded the front door. Unknown to us on the inside, word had spread through the city like wild-fire about the occupation and free party and a massive crowd had gathered outside. This had not escaped the attentions of the authorities however and the Riot Police were soon on the scene trying to disperse the crowd of people trying to get in to the now barricaded Hacienda.

Why didn't the Police raid the Hacienda? Well the ever resourceful squatters had another trick up their sleeves. The Hacienda had actually been occupied for several weeks and the place was now legally designated as a squat. For the Police to enter they would have to get a warrant from the courts which would take over 24 hours. So with the crowd outside dispersed the only thing the Police could do was wait outside and hope for it all just to end of it's own accord. Which it did in the end, at about 7 a.m. my friend and I decided it was time to go, we had a quick look through one of the upstairs windows to assess the situation outside. A phalanx of Riot Police in full gear lined both sides of the street. There was no way we were leaving through the front door, so one of the squatters pointed us to a back door out onto the canal-side which was thankfully cop free.

So we snuck out the back and headed towards Hulme, but not before we were gripped minutes later by plain clothes CID. "Well this is it" I thought, "the rest of the day in the cells". But no, all the cops wanted to know was how many people were left in the building, to which we cheekily replied "about 200 hundred", when in fact there was probably only about a dozen people left in there. Then they let us go, thankfully.

So that's my account of an interesting event from the old Rave days, the unofficial last ever night at the Hacienda, and I was one of the few hundred people to experience it,  now where are my pipe and slippers....................................

 

[rudi]

Describing '98 as "the old rave days" has made me feel ancient (or has it made you feel like a nipper?).

[Viero_Berlotti]

Describing '98 as "the old rave days" has made me feel ancient (or has it made you feel like a nipper?).

Ah, I was being daft. But blimey 9 years ago, I remember it like it was yesterday.

[boki]

I'm heading into Digbeth tonight for some serious all-night rave action featuring the likes of DJ Hype, Lemon D, Dillinja and Phase 2. The last rave I went to was on new year's eve at the same place (Custard Factory)...

Can I take it you'll be at Drop Beats Not Bombs there in November?  There's gonna be a Wrong music room.

I was 17-18 in rave's heyday, but was also a well-behaved mulleted metalhead.  It's kinda cool seeing all these old-skool acts at Bang Face, but it's slightly odd that others of about my age remember them from 'back in the day'.  Sod it, fun's fun an all that.

[alan nagsworth]

Some wicked stories here. Here's my "rave review" of the rave which I raved at.

My favourite raves are ones which seem to pop up unexpectedly, whereas big events which are hyped up for ages beforehand always seem to be overcrowded flops.

I can honestly say this is hardly ever the case with the Custard Factory. We were the first ones there, which oddly always seems to happen, and the first thing we heard was that Ratpack had been replaced by Mickey Finn, so from the offset I was totally buzzing. Everyone there was safe as fuck, including the bouncers. I was skinning up in a toilet cubicle, the security walked in and asked me what I was doing, so I said, "I'm skinning up, I'll be done in a sec" and he said, "Alright, sound" and walked out. There was the usual shaking everyone's hand if you make eye contact which is what I love, and since I don't take pills (even though every one of my mates does) I was throwing back the double whiskies like there was no tomorrow.

The Valve Soundsystem (name of the event and also the sound system) was typically huge and after standing next to some of the 6ft tall speakers for about half an hour, my brain was, and still is well and truly rattled. There was about 25 of our lot there so you couldn't go far without seeing one of the gang punching the air and gurning like a madman.

Mickey Finn played in the smaller venue (Medicine Bar) and was busting out all the oldschool jungle favourites, we were all on the stage dictating the dance moves of course. DJ Hype and Dillinja both played in the huge pool which they drain out for the occasion and whack a fucking huge marquee on top. There was a small bar open on the other side which also contained DJs playing throbbing breakbeat dance stuff, good if you didn't feel like dancing at 170bpm for a bit. Can't really say much else other than it was fucking immense and we all had a fantastic night, there was a lot of my mates there that I've never been to a rave with so that was pretty unforgettable aswell.

There was also a very Spaced moment where I smashed some guy's drink out of his hand and offered to pay for it, expecting him to just hug me and keep dancing. He wanted the money... four bastard quid for a smirnoff ice! I only had £3 in change and I swear him and his mates were talking about me and staring at me afterwards, because I'm paranoid like that, but he was back on the stage after, dancing like a twat, like the rest of us twats.

[alan nagsworth]

Can I take it you'll be at Drop Beats Not Bombs there in November?  There's gonna be a Wrong music room.

Didn't know it was on, and working nights means booking time off and I don't think I can afford to waste any more of my holiday hours. Sorry to say "waste", but I don't really have that many hours left to book.

Oooh, is the Custard Factory still going then? I used to go there a lot when I was in Brum, but I thought it had been demolished or something. I love Digbeth I do. Is the Manzells balti house still around?

God knows man. But the Factory is still going strong.

[dmillburn]

Manzells is still there, although I've never actually eaten there myself.

The Custard Factory is probably my favourite venue ever - consistently excellent sound, friendly staff and some excellent events. It always a decent friendly chatty crowd in there, even on d'n'b nights which traditionally attract the moody wannabe bad boys types. Compare and contrast the atmosphere with Raveology across the road at Air which can be a great night but last time I was there it was going off all over the shop and the girls in the group were constantly get their arses grabbed on the stairs etc.

The only bad thing with the Custard Factory is that prices have crept up a lot over the last few years, 3 or 4 years back most nights were around the £5-£7 mark to get in, now it's £12-£20. Plus at one stage we were there practically ever weekend so it's nice that there's a couple of new clubs now (well the Que club reopening and the Rainbow Warehouse). If you've not been to the Custard Factory for a while you might not know about the new Arches stage (in the warehouse next to the Rojac building) which is a fantastic venue. On big nights when you've got the pool drained and all the venues used there's nothing quite like it anywhere else.

Can't wait for the next two Drop Beats - first it's the re-opening of the Que Club next month then back to the Custard Factory in November for some more Wrong Music madness. We've been spoilt in Birmingham with the Wrong crew there a fair bit for the last couple of DBNB plus Supersonic last year

[alan nagsworth]

If you've not been to the Custard Factory for a while you might not know about the new Arches stage (in the warehouse next to the Rojac building) which is a fantastic venue. On big nights when you've got the pool drained and all the venues used there's nothing quite like it anywhere else.

I was there when they opened it up, on new year's eve 2006, saw Groove Armada and DJ Yoda playing in there. It was fucking immense! Scratch Perverts and Grooverider played in the Old Library (I think that's what it called) and I can't remember who played in the Pool or the Med Bar. Good night though.

[Make me smile]

I haven't been to the Custard Factory since I moved away from Brum a year or so ago...I think the last thing I saw was Mr Scruff. Awesome venue, but I don't suppose they have improved the bar service or the bogs have they? 

[alan nagsworth]

No, it takes about 15 mins to get served and people still shit in the sink, just like every other venue I've been to ever, particularly in Birmingham, which is odd.

[dmillburn]

I was there when they opened it up, on new year's eve 2006, saw Groove Armada and DJ Yoda playing in there. It was fucking immense!

The warehouse has been properly kitted out since then with a permanent bar and toilets so hopefully they'll be using it more in the future as it's such a huge sound in there

Bar service is a problem on nights where it's just the med bar and kitchen open, although it's easier to get served on bigger nights when you have the bars in the old library, pool, rooty frooty and rojac warehouse as well. I've never seen any shit in the sink though - I must be going on the wrong nights.

[rudi]

I haven't been to the Custard Factory since I moved away from Brum a year or so ago...I think the last thing I saw was Mr Scruff. Awesome venue, but I don't suppose they have improved the bar service or the bogs have they? 

Did I hear the next Atomic Jam is free if you get there before eleven?

[dmillburn]

Yup, not my thing but it's next Saturday 15th - it's free before 11.30pm than a fiver afterwards.

Stupid Underground is free as well this Saturday before 11.30pm, again £5 afterwards.

Stupid Underground

Saturday 8th September 10pm – 4.30am

Factory club: house & breakbeat sessions

Jo Mills
Get Carter
Brothers Bud
Funky Teacher

The Kitchen: drum & bass

PCM
Phase 2
TNT
Vytol
Phibes
Roscoe

Poolside: breaks & dubstep

Boogie Dave
Kaiser Sayso
Rcaine
Marc Reck
Lopan
Geoff Leopard

[dmillburn]

Well Drop Beats at the Que club last weekend was both amazing and disappointing at the same time - the staff at the venue were a joke, as were the bar prices (£5.50 for a vodka and coke, water £3.50!)

Next big night out for me will be Eclectricity (well unless I go to Trigger next week) - this is a fantastic line-up for £15:

Bacardi B Live presents ECLECTRICITY – Boutique Autumn Festival!

Saturday 20th October 2007

The Lakeside Marquee: Bacardi B Live Arena
(Outside in a luxury, heated Marquee)

DJ YODA (LIVE / AV SET)
SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO (DJ SET)
EVIL NINE (Dex n FX)
SWITCH (SOLID GROOVE)
THE BLACK GHOSTS (DJ SET)
(DJ Touche & Simon Lord on Vocals)
OCELOT

The Warehouse: SPECTRUM
PENDULUM (DJ SET) & MC VERSE
THE SCRATCH PERVERTS
(Tony Vegas, Prime Cuts & Plus One)
TC EVOLUTION (LIVE)
(Feat Distorted Minds, Jakes & Hannan Collins)
FABIO (RADIO ONE)
MEAT KATIE
BREAKFASTAZ
PETE JORDAN (Spectrum)
HEXADECIMAL

The Factory Club Space: Disorder
PAUL WOOLFORD
REBEKAH
ESTON
ROSKO PICO
NIC MORGAN
ADAM PASSMORE

The Kitchen: Bigger than Barry
SCOTT BLEEPZ
DUTTY WEBSLINGA
DEADCAT +1

Rooty Fruity: No No / Avant Garde / Dex in the City / Retroforward
NO NO (Ableton Live, Dex n FX)
MYKE SMITH
STEVE L & MATT LAWSON
AD JONES

The Gallery
Unique Chill out area with comfy seating and visuals.

Eclectricity returns to the Custard Factory with a boutique festival of contemporary music and performing arts set in the heart of industrial Digbeth!

Our music policy is simple....we have no room for musical snobbery and welcome all great forms of contemporary music..

For this unique event, the whole of the Custard Factory complex is to be utilised, with Gibb Street being cordoned off, making way for an array of music areas and other activities. This will create a festival with a capacity of 4,000 with over 5 rooms of music and other activities! With two massive main arenas, expect a big room, festival feel with high levels of production that still maintains a degree of intimacy and a unique vibe....

The lake (normally a pool of water situated directly in the middle of the Custard Factory complex) will be drained and a luxury heated marquee and production put in its place to act as the Bacardi B Live Arena. Cut and paste expert DJ YODA will headline, performing one of his legendary AV sets; that combines visuals, music, comedy and turntablism into a unique, mindblowing performance. Added to this is an exclusive DJ set from SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO whom have a foot in both indy and dance camps - with their productions combining the dynamics of rock with the propulsive groove of house music! With support from the inimitable EVIL NINE, one of the hottest producers of recent times SWITCH and a semi live performance from the BLACK GHOSTS (DJ TOUCHE on the decks with SIMON LORD on vocals). Expect to see indy kids shocking out to electronic music and dance kids moshing out to live bands.... A true testament to how contemporary music of today is evolving and how much cross over appeal there is in electronic and live music.

In addition a 2,000 capacity former engineering warehouse unit will act as the second main arena playing host to SPECTRUM. The world's best breaks night of 2006 adds a diverse range of contemporary music styles from Hip Hop to Breaks to Drum n Bass to the line up. Headlining is one of the biggest dance outfits of recent times, the critically acclaimed PENDULUM....well known at the Custard Factory for their DJ sets; that have been responsible for several sold out shows in the past. In support former DMC world Champions THE SCRATCH PERVERTS will be supporting with a full onslaught of party tunes and deck wizardry on 6 turntables, 4 CDJS and 3 mixers. Added to the bill is one of the hottest producers in drum and bass - TC and his live band will be in full force with Distorted Minds, MC Jakes and Hannah Colllins all part of the performance. Added to this monster of a bill is Radio One's FABIO, MEAT KATIE and a whole host of other acts.

The Factory Club space will play host to Disorder with Space, Ibiza resident and world class producer PAUL WOOLFORD for those who like their underground house, minimal and techno! With support from REBEKAH and the Disorder residents!

Local night Bigger than Barry, that has been recently making waves on the Birmingham scene will be representing in the Kitchen with a unique mash up of party music which spans indy, electro, grime, funk and whatever else. Rooty Fruity on Gibb Street will also be part of this massive event with several local outfits such as No No, Avant Garde and Dex in the City all having a sound clash and of course a huge party in the process!

Added to this will be plenty of seating areas, 2 outside courtyards for the smokers, food and entertainment stalls, street performers and so much more! Do not miss what is set to be one of the stand out electronic music events in Birmingham this year!

[Regular Chicken]

That looks like a really good night. I'd advise avoiding Pendulum and Scratch Perverts - always shit and rammed when I've seem em.

[TC Raymond]

Well, what a surprise - all the posters who seem to make it their business to get on my fucking wick like rave music.

[Regular Chicken]

Show em what for TC!

[TC Raymond]

Show em what for TC!

(Finger on the sarcasm fader)

[The Mumbler]

I had no idea Mrs Raymond had been a regular at warehouse parties. (Cue a further barrage of one-sided psychotherapy.)

[TC Raymond]

I had no idea Mrs Raymond had been a regular at warehouse parties.

She wasn't, thank fuck.

Rave - another indoctrinating pabulum for people who don't have enough to do.

[Analrapist]

Well, what a surprise - all the posters who seem to make it their business to get on my fucking wick like rave music.

Fuck off. This thread isn't for you to spout your bollocks.

Anyway, I managed to miss Altern 8 on Friday night because I ended up in the other room at Bang Face where some mental gabba nonsense was being played. I regret nothing!

[alan nagsworth]

Well, what a surprise - all the posters who seem to make it their business to get on my fucking wick like rave music.

Get back to your Goodies thread and bitch about how people who don't like toe Goodies don't belong there, you hypocrite.

[buttgammon]

Well, what a surprise - all the posters who seem to make it their business to get on my fucking wick like rave music.

This is called the 'Rave Appreciation Thread' so if you don't appreciate rave music (which you obviously don't) then I would advise you to fuck off and stop insulting people.

[TC Raymond]

Get back to your Goodies thread and bitch about how people who don't like toe Goodies

Intelligence of a raver revealed. I thank you.

[The Mumbler]

Intelligence of a raver revealed. I thank you.

Says the man who just typed that Bob Dylan's in Don't Look Now.

Pointing out clearly accidental mistakes isn't nice. Stop doing it.