After one cold and wet January, Club land finally gets going with a bang and what better way to start than probably the most noble act in dance music that you’ll see all year, as Dance aid come to the Ministry of Sound on Friday the 8th of February, with the aim of raising £30,000 for the NSPCC and the National Children’s Hospital.

The two behind it all are the founders of Clubtown TV: Mete Alksakarya and Wayne Eldrige. Wayne has also been an active DJ on the UK and international circuit for the past 18 years. And they’re no strangers to doing their bit for charity: Dance aid first entertained the crowds at The Scala where five grand was raised for Cancer Research. In 2007, two monster bashes at the SeOne generated £37,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital and the British Heart Foundation, which saw them get awarded with a Gold Heart Heroes award.

Now the ante seriously gets upped in South London for Dance aid ‘Rave for a Reason’. All DJ’s will be donating their services as they play just about every type of House going, some thumping Techno, raving mad Hardcore and some real nostalgia to re-live those special clubbing memories, all played from the country’s best sound system.

So to find out what makes Wayne and Mete’s hearts of gold tick and how they’ll be preparing for their B2B set on the night, we sat down and had a chat with them……

Wayne, you’ve been putting on these sorts of charity events for a couple of years now, where you’ve raised a lot of money for charity and Dance Aid 08 @ The Ministry looks like it could be your biggest one so far. But what made you decide to start out with it all in the first place?

Myself and Mete had an afternoon show on Shine FM 87.9fm. One of the other DJ’s on the station Chris Doulou, is a very hairy fellow. He joined us for a show back in November 05. Just for a laugh, we asked if we could wax him and he replied: ‘yes, but only for charity’. So dance aid, where we first raised five K was born. A month later, he was on stage at the Scala with DJ EZ playing, being waxed in front of a full house.

The first leg of this event kicked off at the Press Release party @ The Drayman in Bexleyheath, where you had a target of raising £2,000. How did that one go for you and were you successful with that financial aim?

The Press Release party was a huge success; we raised over £2,000 and a great night was had by all.

Check out the video from the press release party! CLICK HERE

For this night you’re looking at raising the huge sum of £30,000; besides ticket sales and public donations, are there any other spin off’s that are going to be raising funds?

We are always looking at new ways to raise money. There are talks at the moment of a compilation album and a DAB TV/radio station.

You’ve got a real variety of music on offer that night, so there is going to be something for everybody. What type of thought did you put in to the musical selection for the event?

At Dance Aid, we try to offer something for everyone, but choosing which DJ’s and acts is probably the hardest part of organising the event.

There seems to be a very prominent ‘Old Skool’ flavour in the line-up. Why do you think it is that tracks first released 15 years ago can still get a great reaction on the dance floor?

The dance music scene has been rocking for over 20 years. ‘Old Skool’ is in all of our hearts and memories. The Epidemik ‘Old Skool’ room encapsulates the whole meaning of Dance aid. At every event so far, the Epidemik room has gone off,right from the beginning of the night to the end (big up Grant and his team; without them, Dance Aid wouldn’t be what it is today).

You’ve got the one and only ‘Baby D’ performing a live PA; can we expect to hear the classic rave anthem ‘Let me be your fantasy’ there?

Of course, and ‘I need your loving’.

The word ‘legend’ is used far too often in dance music these days, but with jocks like Nicky Holloway and Trevor Fung it’s probably an accurate description. How much are you looking forward to them performing at Dance Aid?

I can’t f***ing wait. These guys and the rest of them in The Hall of Fame are some of the all time greats and were part of the original movement at the very start. I can’t wait to see what tunes get pulled out and the dust blown off of them.

In your time you’ve played at clubs such as ‘Just the one’, ‘Heavyweight House’, ‘Peach’, ‘Ultrasound and Mother Funkers’. How do you normally tailor your set to suit each night that you play at?

It depends. It’s always good to do your homework first and carry a large CD wallet.

You’ve been DJ'ing for over 18 years now, playing all over the UK and abroad. In a few sentences, can you sum up how that’s been for you?

I’m living the dream. I love it and I would be lost without it.

Thanks Wayne, now lets hear from Mete.

Mete, putting on a night is a very big task at the best of times and this certainly is one huge event that you’ve got on; can you give us an insight in to the organisation and promoting of it all?

Myself and Wayne normally run around like headless chickens for 2 months.

You’re going to be playing a B2B set with Wayne in the Big House bar; what sort of style can we expect there?

Well, we have told the guys down at the Ministry to bolt down the hatches because the roof is going to come off!

The Ministry is without a doubt one of the most famous venues in the world. What made you decide to have that as your location of choice?

Everyone knows the Ministry, so there was no other option in our eyes. We always wanted to do a Dance aid event there, since when we first started out. When the opportunity came up, we were over the moon.

You are going to be having a lot in the way of entertainment and production that evening, including having 50 dancers. How much of an important aspect is that to you?

It’s very important. The scene is not just about the music. There are a lot of other aspects involved and we love to cross all the I’s and dot all the T’s.

In a newspaper article you stated that getting the recognition from charities ‘meant more to you than having 10 Bentley’s in your drive’, so is this one going to be akin to seeing 10 Aston Martin’s there this time round?

Material things mean nothing to me or Wayne. The feeling that we get from recognition is unbelievable.

You along with Wayne were the founders and run ‘Clubtown TV’ (who are behind Dance aid). Were you trying to fill a gap in the market there with that concept?

Of course; there was a huge gap in the market. The idea was that we controlled our own TV, what we wanted to show and keeping it with a very raw feel. We were also the first to broadcast from huge raves like ‘Raindance’ @ The SeOne etc.

It’s been a difficult past few years for dance music, but 2008 has started off with a lot of high profile events. So can you see things really on the up again?

There has always been a shadow over the dance music scene. Our aim was to show that it’s not all bad. 2008 has kicked off with a bang. We hope that it continues to rise in popularity and people are aware that dance culture is all good.

And finally, after this event, what other plans have you got for 2008?

Myself and Wayne have to collect our Gold Heart Heroes award from the BHF on February the 28th. After that, we are preparing the DAB radio station and then of course, the Summer Dance aid. Next year, we would like to take the concept across the UK with the ultimate dance aid.

Remember to catch two of the noblest men in club-land: Wayne Eldridge and Mete Alksakarya at Dance aid 2008 ‘Rave for a reason’ @ The Ministry of Sound, Friday 8th February!

©Greg Lynn 2008
Feature by Greg Lynn