Watch Cloud 9 TV here…. uk.youtube.com thanks to Emma Causton for the video

So here we are in 2008, after 20 years of house music and its numerous incarnations. Clubs have come and gone. Trends and styles appear, disappear, recycle and reinvent themselves. The dance music scene has now become a multi billion dollar dance industry with its heroes and villains, sponsorships, superstars and a plethora of triumphs, failures, champions and cynics. But there was a time when it was all so new, and Wolverhampton was at the middle of the universe.

Before there were superclubs there was Quest, a weekly rave held at Palomas, a function suite in Wolverhampton’s city centre. Like its London based peer Rage, Quests futuristic fusion of breakbeat hardcore and techno defined the underground sound of the time while also laying the foundations for jungle and drum and bass. By the summer of 1995 there were no fewer than four separate hardcore/jungle nights running in Wolverhampton - Quest, Reality, Pandemonium (at Mr B’s/J Jays in Willenhall) and the Amazon. But as the 1990’s progressed, the tastes of the Wolverhampton revellers changed. Violence and trouble at the by now predominantly jungle/drum and bass raves ensured that while the music’s popularity went from strength to strength, attendances suffered, and the clubbers ditched the underground for more upmarket dance venues playing house music, such as The Canal and The Mezzanine.

It’s easy to see that with such a pedigree Wolverhampton’s thirst for hardcore and it’s affinity for the golden age of rave music never went away. At the turn of the millennium local legend DJ Pilgrim made the first attempt at reviving the rave spirit with some success, promoting his old school night Reminiscence at various venues across the city, including hosting the last ever night at Palomas, the original home of Quest.

So here we are in 2008, after 20 years of house music and its numerous incarnations. Clubs have come and gone. Enter local hero DJ Skitty, Spencer Campbell and Andy Hodson . All three of them have followed Wolverhampton’s dance music scene since its inception. They all know what they want from a good night out – and more importantly – what the city wants. “We were inspired to start cloud 9 because it`s been too long since wolves had a decent night going that appeals to a variety of people” explains Skitty “and we were the right people to bring it back.”

Cloud 9 launched in June 2008 at Hive, a music bar in Wolverhampton’s city centre and saw Ratty, Fallout, Energy and Nolige (Skitty’s sometime production partner and Cloud 9 resident) play to a packed out venue. The night was an instant victim of its own success – the owners of Hive, Neon Empire, were overwhelmed by the popularity of the dance and had to call a halt to the second party scheduled for July.

Apparently the Japanese word for “crises” is the same as their word for “opportunity”, and with any further use of Hive out of the question, Cloud 9 were prematurely forced to look for alternative venues. Thankfully the situation was quickly resolved as the Neon Empire also held the front door keys to The Canal Club and as such had access to a vast expanse of dance floor. The first Cloud 9 at the Canal went ahead in late July in the upstairs room, moving into the main space for their August Bank Holiday special. The Bank Holiday also saw the addition of a second music area with local jocks including Adam Jackson and Tony Longbone spinning house in order to provide an alternative to the madness of the main room.

For a long time now the rave revival nights have been a large feature of the UK clubland. So what sets Cloud 9 apart from its larger peers such as Masters Of The Past or Raindance? “Cloud 9 is different from most other oldschool nights in that the crowd we get probably havnt been to an oldskool night in years or they dont travel out of Wolverhampton to hear this music” continues Skitty,”plus our venue is not massive so its easy to build a good atmosphere in there which can otherwise get lost in larger buildings.”

Despite his reputation as one of the countries most innovative and fresh drum and bass producers, Skitty has tried to avoid the jungle sound at his own night. Any particular reason? “Well we initially stated that the music policy ws goin to be from 1989-1993, and for the most part it has been that,we have tried to avoid any jungle being played, not becuase we dont love it,but just that it might attract the wrong crowd.But as Top Buzz showed us on the bank holiday night,a few jungle tunes smashed the place.”

So what now for Cloud 9? “We have some great things planned for the next few months” says Skitty. “We didnt expect Cloud 9 to take off the way it has so we understand that we have to keep taking things to the next level,which isnt easy with Old School music as you can imagine..but all I’m saying is be prepared for some of the lineups over the next few months! As long as the people keep coming out and supporting the event, I cant see why it shouldn`t be here this time next year”.

Authentic 90`s music in an authentic 90`s venue?

Amen to that.

Cloud 9 resources….

Ned Ryder & Pilgrim Live @ Cloud 9
megaupload.com

Ratty Live @ Cloud 9
megaupload.com

Top Buzz Live @ Cloud 9
megaupload.com

DJ Energy Live @ Cloud 9
megaupload.com

DJ Kid Live @ Cloud 9
megaupload.com

Phil Gardner Live @ Cloud 9
megaupload.com

Read Bazmaniandevill’s review of Cloud 9 here…. Cloud 9 (chat)