Party Vibe

Happy New Year everyone! Hope it was a good one, and that you were all lucky enough not to go to the pile of crap that was Slammin’ Vinyl ‘New years eve festival’.

I’m not normally a bitter person, but I feel so let down by the Bastards at Slammin’, that I’m gonna rant about how they managed to fuck up what should have been a wicked night.

Ok, so after 2 years of pretty much non-stop free-partying and after the disappointment of last NYE’s party being busted before it happens. My mates and I decide to play it safe, return to our roots, and head off to Slammin’ Vinyl for NYE. Now when I used to attend the ‘legal’ end of the rave scene, I seem to remember Slammin’ being pretty phat, with a good reputation. Oh dear….. What happened?

After driving for almost 2 hours, we get to the sanctuary at about 9.30ish and join the massive queue; but that’s ok, cause slammin’ pulls in a crowd, so it’s used to this, right!?

I spent 4 FUCKING hours in that BLOODY queue!!!!!!!! It was pissing with rain, and freezing cold. I felt so sorry for those girls who made an effort to dress up, only to be left standing in the cold with practically nothing on! At one point everyone rushed the fences, with a good few of my mates getting through. I stayed with the girls, so managed to get a good view of a bouncer laying into ravers with a 2 foot mag light, in an effort to get people back into the queue. I hope that WANKER felt real good about himself the next day!

Midnight came and went; a phone call from a friend inside informed me that the arenas were all only half full (everyone still being outside!) Eventually we got in through the ‘ONE AND ONLY’ single file gate. “Excuse me? Did I miss something? Were they not expecting the few thousand ravers that turned up? One gate takes the piss!” I spent most of the night with the distinct feeling that I was being herded like sheep.

“Its ok” I told everyone, “it’s still worth it!” Shit, am I embarrassed about saying that! What the fuck happened? With 200K of sound over 4 arenas, I should not have had to stand right in front of the speakers just to let the music have a decent impact! The Old Skool system was a joke (although they did have the decency to tell MC’s to fuck off!) The D’n’B room was so full of attitude you could have cut the atmosphere with a knife! I’m sure Ecstasy is a love drug, so why was everyone so up for a fight? Have they started filling pills with coke now? Even the Hardcore room, which is always a personal favourite, did not make me want to stay for very long. There was no info telling me who was playing when, so I managed to miss Hype, Sy and the Ratpack (My 3 fav Dj’s.) The, and I quote; “State of the art fairground” was one fairly pants ride, and the “heated chill-out marquee” was a tent, with some garden chairs! Maybe I’m taking less drugs now-a-days, but even the ravers themselves brought the term ‘Zombie nation’ to mind. I have never, ever had the feeling that I am pissing everyone off by dancing too hard before! Everyone seemed to be content to just gurn and sway! Fuck That!

After 4 hours we gave up and went home. We got to the local party just in time to see Assassin (The phattest D’n’B system in E. Anglia) packing up and going, because ‘All of us D’n’B heads were at Slammin’! Eventually, at 1pm on New Years day, after 2 let-downs, almost 400 miles and a shit load of wasted money (£42 for that pap!), we ended up 30 miles from home in a barn, in the middle of no-where (Norfolk!), at Brains Kan, where we should have been all along.

Good old, reliable Brains Kan! Say what you like about it. Even at 2 in the afternoon, there was still 100+ people stomping like there’s no tomorrow! Everyone was smiling, the Old Skool and Jungle was beautiful, much like the girls there! I completely fell in love with a girl with the most stunning smile I have ever seen, who made me tea! My heart belongs to her forever! My New year was finally saved! Thank you Brains Kan!

Sorry this has been a bit long! I had to get it off my chest. Maybe I’m wrong about Slammin’ Vinyl, maybe some of you guys had a really good night, and think I’m just bitter about standing in the rain! What does anyone else think?

All I know is this; if that was the best the ‘legal’ scene has to offer, then they can go fuck themselves (with a rusty spoon!) It has become far too commercial; too shallow and stale; ‘Herd ’em in, rinse their money, kick ’em out! I hope Mr Slammer is happy rolling around in all the piles of money he made; because he has sold out, and lost a lot of people in the process. And to my fellow party people; I have strayed, and I’m sorry, and it will never happen again. I’m sticking to my fields and my forests and the small back rooms of certain clubs I know. That’s where the true party is.

Peace out.