The festive season rocks for great parties and raves, like the above. I'll be heading there after going to review MIA at the ICA (weird venue for her to play). And here are some more fab raves that I'll be checking out in the coming weeks.
You'll notice that none of them are in formal clubs or superclubs, because frankly I can't stand them. Last Saturday I ruined a wicked night of club hopping (four venues in one night, brap!) by deciding at 2.30am it would be good to goto BBE11 at Canvas... we left after half an hour. That'll teach me to lavish my hard earned cashola on taxis.
It took 45 minutes to get in to Canvas, there was an hour wait for the cloak room and the queue at the bar was six deep. And there was no vibe, just loads of drug fucked zombies convincing themselves it was wicked. You couldn't get to the soul room as the hip hop room was rammo and shocking out to DJ Premier playing Ante Up - come on Primo we don't come and see you to hear you play the most obvious hip hop records on the planet. The biggest waste of two hours of my life was was summed up by the Canvas cab office vitriolically bollocking (and revelling in it) our humble, elderly taxi driver for not having receipts - tosser. The quicker Canvas is razed the better. I've raved there since 1994 and have amazing memories from 1994-1996, but I can't wait for it to be wiped off the London clubbing map: the way that venue treats people is beyond comprehension. Why does anyone enjoy being treated like cattle (ie shit).
Maybe I'm getting old but it's all about intimate, informal spaces like Corsica Studios, parties in pubs, basements of Jamaican cafes in Clapham North or Dalston (where you can smoke), warehouses, and anything other than proper clubs (DMZ at Mass excluded).
Heatwave warming up Winter with some sweaty bashment, soca, bhangra vibes. Big.
Last but not least - infact the opposite is true, save the best 'til last - is Man Make Music versus Bruk. Check this line up of NType, Toddla T, Luca and Peverlist for five english pounds. Now that's what you call value for money for a soundtrack of future bashy, bassline music. Toddla T, N Type, Luca or Peverelist would be worth the £5 entry alone. Hell most poncy bars charge more than that to get in. See you on the dancefloor.
