The last rave I'd been to was Helter Skelter Millenium Jam 1999/2000, because the Hardcore scene had undoubtedly grown stale. But in recent years, my love for the music I'd lived for had once again grown, following a period of hitting the dancefloors in Trance and Hard House clubs. So, when I saw the line up, I knew that there was only 1 place to be this New Year, and that was Slammin Vinyl.
I boarded the train in my hometown, and a couple of hours later, I was in the queue, and this was a queue that made some dancefloors look tame. The atmosphere was amazing, and just an hour later, I was inside the BIGGEST rave I'd ever known.
First port of call was the toilet, and then of course, the bar. As i stood taking my first sip of crazily over-priced Carlsberg lager, I heard a familiar chant..."Mark E.G, Mark E.G..." and i followed it. It had been 8 years to the day since I had last seen the king of Hard Trance/Hardstyle take to the decks, and as soon as I looked at the stage, I saw that he'd lost nothing. There he was, jumping round like a maniac, and evry1 in there was doing the same. I found my way to the front, and kicked it for the whole set, only stopping when Mark E.G's jumping up and down on the decks caused the music to suddenly go off. Apart from that, it was a set of the usual class from a man who personifies what raving is all about. I had to duck a few times to dodge the flying vinyls that he was throwing out every time he finished mixing them.
Next up in the GoodGreef vs Slinky room were the Tidy Boys, who were to take us through midnight, and what a way to do it! They were on top form, and Mark E.G grabbing the microphone to do a spot of freestyle MCing only added class to the fantastic set from the leaders of the Hard House scene.
After that set, I decided that a walk around, and a drink of water and a smoke were in order (I hadn't actually moved from the first room I came across for over 2 hours!) So off I went, and the next place I came across was the Hardcore Room, which took my breath away... HTID and Hardcore Heaven hadn't cut any corners!
Never before had I seen a set up like this, those of you who've viewed the photos of the event will know, but those who were there will know even better! It was like nothing I'd ever seen before. A giant revolving stage stood in the centre of a massive arena with lighting and effects 2 die for! My head swam as I danced to the sounds of new hardcore for the first time in years. I couldn't stay for long tho, as I still hadn't gone everywhere, and already it was 1:30. I took a walk around the main arena, and found The Harder They Come room, which was small, yet bangin, and the Old Skool Till I Die vs United Dance, which was also intimate, but packed and full of the atmosphere that only Happy Hardcore could bring.
I took the short walk to the One Nation vs Random Concept room, but this was always going to be a short and sweet visit, as Drum n Bass hasn't really floated my boat since the late 90's, when it was all quite new and fresh soundin. In my opinion, the Drum n Bass scene has become stale in the same way that Hardcore did back when Drum n Bass was good.
This room led to an outdoor fairground, which almost rivalled Helter Skelter but not quite (Dave & Penny used to live on a fairground after all!) The dodgems when u've had plenty of the usual, are always an experience to be remembered!
After spendin quite some time on the fair, it was time once again to get back onto the dancefloor, as it was after 3:00, so it would soon be 4:00 and the flyer promised Force & Styles with MC Junior in the Old Skool room at that time!
So off to the Old Skool room we all went. The shock, of course, was that Darren Styles, havin played the midnight set in the Main Arena, was not present with Force, but Junior was, and so we were sure that we were in for a set of the highest acclaim...
We weren't 2 b disappointed, as Force kicked out classic after classic 2 a room packed full of Old Skool ravers, and young ravers alike. When Braveheart kicked in, with Junior singing "doesn't really matter" over the top, every1's head was in the clouds. Wot a rush! We just couldn't get enough! And as the last tune played, we all shared a hands in the air moment, and kicked it like it was 1998 again!
And so, 5:00 landed, and it was almost time to go, so I decided that the Hardcore room was the 1, for Recon and Squad-E. And wot a SET!
By the time "I Need Your Lovin" was sung live, my brain was pretty much dribbling out of every orifice on my head. And by the time Storm had MC'd us through to the end of the night, my head was spinning, and all I wanted was to carry on ravin. As thousands of ravers made their way to the exit, talk of after parties was rife, as usual, and the memories of the night were still fresh in everyone's minds. Following this rave, I made a concious decision to go to as many raves as I could possibly afford, cos after a long 7 year break from ravin propa style, Slammin Vinyl, one of the old familiar names from the old days, had showed me that Hardcore will never die, and more to the point, I'LL ALWAYS BE A RAVER, AND HARDCORE TILL I DIE!
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