A Night with Sasha at the Loft....

Well to say this was the most anticipated event of the year (for me anyway) when the event was posted way back in July is an understatement to say the least. 

After Bedrock 14 the other week,  I was all firing on all cylinders and eagerly awaiting what was going to be a monster  night with Sasha on the decks for a whole 8 hours from start to finish,  something that I don't think will be repeated for some time....!!!!

The day started way up north in Leeds when I met Rob at Leeds station Saturday afternoon and we set off shooting down the M1, full tilt  Mika Hakkonen style in a snappy Hyundai i30, we made great time getting to the end of the M1 in just 3 hours, but in true London style got clogged up in Saturday early evening traffic, queue one detour west and then  south-east on the A40 and we finally headed towards South East London.

  As we were picking up Jody, we had a pit stop in Vauxhall and I can say is, never try and pick someone up from Vauxhall bus station with that ever delightful  ring road and mad traffic coming from every angle.Rob got out to meet Jody, I continued on 30 metres or so and stopped at the lights,  next thing I saw was Rob hot footing it through 4 lanes of condensed traffic... Jody on his coat tails.... doors open chaotic scenes and they both jumped in,  utter madness!!!!! 

We  finally got to our destination an hour later in south east London (Tulse Hill),  after the odd misdirection and wrong turning, queue me going down a red bus route and going through a red (oh fuck it) light, but it would shape the night and day oh yes indeed!!!

      Once we unpacked  and I finally got a beer in my hand, we eased into the evening with Lee (Blue Amazon) and had some pre-Sasha warm up "festivities" to get the night started truly in the mood for the man like later on.

As the night warmed up we finally left and headed towards North West London, however once we got on the Victoria Line, it went all pear shaped, so stage exit Brixton station and we managed to commandeer a cab to North West London, for what would be the final leg... once we arrived in NW10, all I can say is that its somewhat industrial and doesn't feel like you're in London,  but I didn't and don't care.

We eventually found the Loft Studios, kudos to the taxi driver, but  honestly it looked like from the outside as if it was  someones house, with a monstrous Funktion One sound system pulsating out from the walls. Once we got in it was full steam ahead up through the courtyard and up some rather precarious metal stairs, what we met was  a rammed warehouse style  room, dark, dirty and full on with Sasha smashing it 2 hours in...

      
 After hot footing it to the bar (queue open heart wallet surgery£5.50 for a can of cider or £16 for two vodka and mixers with a  bottle of water!!!) we headed  back the front of the club almost we were met with this, Sasha smashing it up right from the word off, even if we were 2 hours late...as Sasha smashed the Funktion 1 sound system, the floor of this dark and dirty warehouse bounced and any second you felt like you were going to fall through the floor as it bounced the fuck up and down, certainly a good way to go if you have too. 

What I have noticed at the Loft and at Bedrock is that the crowd certainly know their music and it was awesome to have some many like minded people there, for one thing and one thing only.... getting twisted with Sasha smashing  it all night long, mind you as always you get the odd baseball,  facial haired twat walking round being an absolute tool, but thankfully they didn't last long to ruin anyone's night!!!


From the moment we settled into Sasha's blistering set at the less crowded part of the dance floor towards the back,  it was plain to see that we were going to have an immense night, with Sasha's twists and turn smashing everyone's mind, body and soul with each track he played. His set began for me (around 0030)

and it drifted into tech house with killer tracks sending the crowd crazy begging for more, each time slowing down the next track set before pushing the boundaries into Spooky/Charlie May esque  territory and killing everyone with that Funktion 1 sound system time  and time again,  it just sent the crowd and myself that bit more messy, deeper into oblivion!!!! :D

In true Sasha style he did play some of the supposedly Involv3r tracks, but as we all know it still remains a mystery,  however there was Hot Chip - Flutes (sasha remix) along with Benjamin Damage and Doc Deneeka -  Battleships,  Kolsch  featuring Troels Abrahams - All that matters and possibly Thermal Bear - U love (Sasha remix) if my hazy chemical mind set remembers!!!

Minutes slipped into hours and the night got better and better, musically and atmospherically with each twist and turn and honestly I didn't want it to end for numerous reasons  but it did.

As the end approached, we had the usual last track which was Moby - Wait for me (Paul Kalbremner remix) from 2010 if my memory serves me right, mind you I would of preffered some edgy tasty Charlie May smasher to end on a massive high, but it  did end for me and everyone else who was there at the end to finish off an amazing night from start to finish. All I can say is anyone who missed it, missed out and you missed a night never to forget!!!

 For for all you train spotters (myself included)

some of the tracks from the night have already been ID'd  and some featured in this blog, I have included all my 15 videos from the night in one handy playlist on youtube  so you can enjoy them all in one hit, but just for the record here is just a small selection of what was played and has been ID'd:- (Big thanks to Rob & Lee for the ID's)

Finally a big shout to Rob M, awesome to meet you mate and hopefully see you at Warehouse Project in Manchester in December once more for Sasha and too Sue Kend...(yes I remember your surname :D !!! ), top girl and had a great night, hope to cross paths again!!!

  A night with Sasha, it certainly was!!!! For anyone missing out, you can check out the official photos here!!!!!!!!!!

Something I found just the other day, a lovely tribute mix to those 8 hours of bliss....

Sasha @ Loft Studios, London, 10th November 2012 - Tribute Mix by DJ Jim Barker by Dj Jim Barker on Mixcloud

Cheers Paul  :D

2012 - Leeds is it Retro Heaven or Retro Hell....

After a Fantastic Year Really what with the Radio and Going to Parties, Doing a bit on the decks, meeting lots of Clubbers and Like minded music people I thought that I would write an entry on the Retro Scene as lots and lots here in the North of England (Leeds) Especially that I have witnessed and been a part of, has left me at times, feeling all sorts of things, and if anything gets the debate going at least...

Those who know me will know that over the years I have done my fair share of clubbing as has many other people and I am not so unique I guess, that said one thing that I have had the pleasure of doing over the years is give myself a wide area to travel both up & down the country to enjoy clubbing experiences and in the main I have enjoyed those times and met many people.

Being married for 10 years, I have still managed a few gigs here and there and the music has never left me really, the explosion of the internet uploading to the cloud etc, and more intuitive music software has brought me bang up to date with the scene as it is or as we experience today and I am loving it, however I am not sure about the city scene and how it has changed over the years,

One thing I have noticed is, yes! its true we have all got older and wiser but we are judged upon what we have in terms of Stuff, what car we drive and the size of our house what we wear, rather than what we do with our spare time, thing is we used to all go out and not have a care in the world get twisted and have a really good time week in week out, so what has changed? is it still there?

As we all have access to mobile phones and what kind of phone we carry is important, back in the day we were lucky if someone had a house phone at the end of our call box we used to put 20p in to get in touch with them, there was no social media, if I recall in the latter part of the 1990's I did however have a Motorola Pager which I could pick up text messages... Nowadays there is information on demand and at the touch of a button, social media can create events and draw people into it using groups etc, but with all this technology life has indeed become more complex, from managing a bank account to running your life these days, we are tired and time poor, through the medium of Television, and the internet we are forced down a road to encourage us to like a particular band, DJ (Guetta) song, person Car etc, etc.. I am not feeling the buzz like it was either, the anticipation of a party, looking forward to getting out there like it was before or am I?

I see also now all these secret location parties, its a wash, and we all know where they are too, so not that much of a secret everyone knows where the fucking venues are ffs!, the scene has changed. All on Line too much information we need more parties and more music, less ego, one of the worst things I have seen this year is, if you sell 100 tickets you can DJ... Absolute joke. I'm a DJ not a fucking promoter that's your job...Sad part is this is happening everywhere not just Leeds.

When we went clubbing way back when there was a real sense of community, people would meet up from all over the country up and down at venues to see top DJ's as they were at the time, and have a good smash-up and a chat about this mutually exclusive scene we were all part of was very special to us. the parties were talked about for weeks after the likes of Blackburn, Rickys, Leeds Warehouse (Hipnotic), Kaos and Hard Times, Hot To Trot, Renaissance, Shellys, Quad Park, Ronsons, Back2Basics & Rulin... basically all over the UK, stuff was happening every weekend, and folks were loving it... Leeds was no exception and living there at the time, many a happy year was spend in Clubs at the weekend busting moves and getting twisted. So what has changed?

As I I see it, life has become more complicated, many people now believe that what they did years ago was just a phase and they cringe at the idea of a 30-40 + somethings gathered together jumping up and down making idiots of themselves, many people these days think that they are beyond it also, I have had some very arrogant responses from people who once appeared to be cool, who have moved up the corporate food chain so to speak, almost making out that going out to raves is very childish and I should grow up, what I find more bizarre is people just watch mind numbing shite on the TV and then tell everyone about it on Facebook, needless to say I have no TV license nor do I watch TV.

All this information and an apparent demand for the Retro Scene brought me closer to it in 2012, I don't know whether I was curious as too how big it is, or that I just wanted to see if it was done right. Either way I attended a few gigs in Leeds hooked up with a few folks, and basically I can see to a certain extent why the top DJ's don't really bother with it, as Leeds right now is just plastered with Retro nights, mixes and has a real following, for me I find it very limited in scope for progression really, and feel its like pop music and pop being the operative word, from what I have seen there is no real place to take it on further. The Same old faces, and tunes that have just been re-edited and if I am honest It does don't really do it for me any more or Does it?

Seeing some of the famous Duo's and Trio's and live performances were however a real eye opener this year, a good example of the PA was KKLASS Feat. Bobby at the Leeds Warehouse earlier in the year, Fantastic stuff they really nailed it, likewise seeing Shades Of Rhythm proved that they are really talented as musicians and were a joy to watch, but the other end of the spectrum had to be the DJ's and what has become very messy, mediocre and very similar in both Style music and technical ability.

At some Retro nights I have attended no longer am I seeing a Legend behind the decks, moreover an old man who thinks that he is better than what he is/was, and some of these guys are laughably arrogant to go with it. As an Example Andy Carroll a so called Legend! has to be the worst DJ I have ever witnessed in 2012 let loose on a pair of 1210's it was an absolute shocking performance in my opinion but maybe that's how it was back in the day. Who am I to argue, but from a clubbers point of view in these times I would never spend my money to go see that, its not entertainment its Rubbish! And there are better DJ's out there.


On the more positive side there has been however some really Fantastic nights at the Leeds warehouse which has encompassed some absolutely astonishing results, Hardtimes whilst is a bit of a mix of both a Retro night & House music and some of the newer house style has been simply Jaw-dropping, what they have achieved so far is fantastic a Legendary Retro club. To me this is like George Foreman Retiring world Heavyweight Champ, then 20 years later coming out of retirement and knocking out the Champ of today, leaner & meaner, well in the House & Garage Scene anyways.

Hardtimes still is the best house night about, its well organised, respected, and it has a very loyal following up North and the DJ's are simply stunning, early in the year David Morales kicked it off and was one of the best DJ's I have seen working a Funktion One Sound-system in the way that he did holding a track down then exploding upwards into mad piano styles & vocals, sat here thinking about it gives me goosebumps! cutting out the bass then driving the mix forward and working the mixer was of the highest order, Old man or Not (David Morales) is one of the finest DJ's about even today an absolute class act.

Hardtimes Followed this up with more wizardry with Louie Vega, that night was phenomenal, again some of the drops from Vega were quite upfront and techy in parts, but DJ skills above & beyond anything I have seen locally, just what the doctor ordered, that party was talked about for weeks after, Simply Brilliant. Louie Vega... Leeds Salutes you! Come Back Soon:-)

Even the Resident DJ's are awesome, Jason Shaw has re-introduced me to Vinyls in a big way and I have the utmost respect for the way he just does an outstanding job on the 1210's every time, the best thing about Jay is he bloody loves it :-) one could say that the records he plays are timeless, well here is a great example, I salute you Mr Shaw I think your achievements are massive with this here's to many more parties :-)



Again I would say in my opinion that whilst Hardtimes kind of falls in the retro clubbing category, there is so much within the Doors of a Hardtimes gig, that there is something for everyone, its where old vibes meet new vibes, meet new sound system with Premier League DJ's banging in goals right left and centre time and time again.

Leeds is proud to have these nights and I hope it will continue for another 20 years and still brings the same love and joy as it did in the past and in the future parties. Top Leeds House DJ - Paul Murray played the Back Room @ HardTimes absolute quality every time I see him play :-)

One thing I have found is that many of the Vinyl DJ's really know their records, and it is lovely to see that Vinyl is still a very deep in the veins of Leeds, Seeing some of Buckley Boland's collection in the Back of a 7.5 tonne amazed me... I would have no where to put it other than storage vault, also Craig Roberts (leeds) has a Whopper of a collection I once had the pleasure to see and look at all the sleeves, some were falling apart but the memories they must hold, the platters they have been on, the smell of clubs and stains of spilled Red Stripe all still apparent..

The Vinyl DJ's this Year have been fantastic live, Steve Luigi in the retro area for me is always a good show man, always worth a look. This year also Respect goes out too to Garry Dabill (Leeds Lad) who happened to be in the right place at the right time in the Warehouse, when he was smashing the shit out of it on the 1210's in his element tune after tune blinding house set, folks were singing along and Garry was really in his element, these are the best kind of moments when organically it just happens and the room is full & focussed! - Garry D has played at Up Yer Ronson in Leeds along side another friend of mine Jamie Garry, who is simply a smiley happy fella when you talk about music...

Here is Mr Garry Dabill in action... Bloody Great Stuff. Garry really made a lot of people happy that night and some say to be bloody lucky to be exactly in the right place at the right time, never the less it was an awesome sight, Classic House Music well done Fella! :-)




Okay So Still on the Theme of Retro this year we attended Renaissance "R20" Held at the Vox Eiger Studios in Leeds, not advertised as a Retro gig, but what a night, Sasha in the main room, and a Renaissance Classics room with Dave Seaman & Ian Ossia B2B, naturally a blog of its own has been written and acknowledged by Renaissance also. The night was simply stunning Clubbers gathered from all over the UK, there has since been gigs at the VOX which have just not had the people, I think if I am honest, Sasha was in town on the R20 night which pulled a massive following, but what happened in the Back Room was Legendary, Dave Seaman & Ian Ossia B2B simply Jaw Dropping Stuff, this was talked about for weeks after, the night only came to an abrupt end, when someone took Dave Seaman's headphones off him, (He was not best pleased)this was simply a brilliant night.

Back2Basics in Leeds has also been up & running some fantastic Parties, however I have not really partied with these guys, lately, but have been watching their efforts very closely, what they have achieved in that small club the Garage (Leeds) which has now won awards for best small club & best club in its category all in 8 months or so, Brilliant.

So I have have come away with a lot of respect for a lot of people here and Retro for me is Pure, for me it has to be the original beats on the original medium which in this case pains me to say it, but Vinyl is king every time, I hope the new year might bring some more vinyl DJ's back together and I think its something we do both need to keep alive and I have a massive respect for,


To Conclude...

Never Classed myself as a retro DJ or wanted to be Pigeonholed as one either, looking at the music scene though over the last 20 years, the greats like Todd Terry and Frankie knuckles - Terry Hunter CJ Macintosh amongst others are in my opinion the Masters of the House music Scene.

Todd Terry - Brilliant fella and very Humble, if I say totally one of the boys no ego just party and music, this guy has a lot of love for Leeds too.



Stu Allan - Very Good DJ Technically and is the Real Deal, it was great to meet him at the Warehouse Leeds, Stu does well on the retro circuit simply because he is good at it, very similar in ability to Ian Ossia in the way that they are clever talented DJ's technically, I rate both these guys as they are no bullshit just good at what they do!



I am now 40 I have had the pleasure of seeing most DJ's over the years, and its great to get out and attend these parties, but for me and retro, No Edits Re-edits - just as it was back in the day, the future of retro has a massive following I think and I predict it will follow the Ska and Northern Soul Scenes with a real sense of community Vinyl Power and DJ's that keep it real,

Simply Stunning Moment at Hard Times, Got a Lovely message off Julie McKnight about this track, lovely lass...Brilliant! :-)



So as I said I am not a retro DJ but I have compiled a Set for you from some old Vinyl and CD's if I were to play retro stuff from 1992/3-4 etc it would be house & Garage every time. In Addition this is just to thank everyone at Hard times for bringing back to Leeds the Best House Music, DJ's & Masters the planet has ever known, Cheers! :-)



If you are wondering what to do for new year, this will be the best party by a long chalk, see you at the front....



Happy New Year Everyone Remember House is a Feeling......!

In the Leeds Warehouse Quadrant for a Northern Uproar

Hey Folks.........

Been very busy lately with music projects and a house move but I was offered an opportunity that was just too good to miss, A real Blast from the Past a few weeks back, I was invited to Liverpool to meet a few of the DJ's that will be gracing the Warehouse Decks in Leeds on the 8th September for the Shine Indie Rave.

Lets see, hmmmm Quadrant Park, I was a very young lad then indeed and rumour had it that you had to wear a tie to get in and there was a strict door policy, only went twice I think, but the Quad was a fantastic atmosphere and laid the very foundation of what was to come later in terms of super clubbing for Liverpool which was Cream, had many a night in there too met up with loads of folks from the old quad days.

But this was special a Warehouse on Derby road near Bootle, would see thousands spill down there to party every weekend, I was very privileged to have visited in my clubbing career, one occasion was to experience the main man Sasha at one of the first ever UK all-nighters, Sasha was the man... :-)

The sheer volume of people proved that this was without doubt a very special venue and project a musical journey that would echo through the years and still bring a smile to the faces of people that had the pleasure of being part of it up & down the country, The quad was no secret either Hitman & Her used to broadcast from there too in the early days, as was the Hacienda & Ritzys in Leeds.

And the memories of meeting up at the Services on the way back to Leeds was always a feature and I still often think that these service station meetups were the first after parties for me, I used to gravitate to a vehicle which was playing some beats I liked, people dancing in the services was always apparent, used to stay for ages.

So back to the day in question, I am in Leeds early Saturday and I Pick Micky up, Leeds United are playing at home so there is traffic and supporters everywhere, we set off for the M62 down toward Liverpool, chatted on the way about the old days and of the fantastic nights of old, having been to the Quad a few times myself back in the day it was nice to converse about those good old warehouse days of glory, convoy of cars going down to the Quad, Blackburn & the Hacienda etc, also talking about the indie bands around at the time, and discussing the DJ Prowess of Stu Allan as we both agreed that he played all over the place in Leeds back in the day.



So we eventually get to liverpool and not getting lost at all lol we head for the car Park which just so happened to be called? QPARK, as we entered the carkpark I could not help but wonder if both Mike Knowler & John Kelly would know how this carpark got its name, maybe the Owner used to go to the Quad too years ago.....lol





So we made it and grab a beer a piece and catch up with Mike & John for a chinwag & rare & random interview session for the up & coming Shine gig at the Warehouse in Leeds on the 8th September, two Legends of House in the UK, and such lovely people, with a passion for what they do best, unfortunately the Quadrant Park boys are a trio and we were missing Andy Carroll who was playing over in IBIZA @Space, I was informed later that he would be flying back to do the gig on the 8th, so all was cool with that :-)



So the interview was very random on our part, but the passion for the Quad that both Mike and John had was still very strong and you could tell just by talking to them that they had and still are enjoying every moment of it,



they went on to explain about how Quadrant Park got together and how it all started back in the day, who the original DJ's were how the club worked and how the Allnigher came about and where people came from all over the UK.



and also how the Quad Park reunions are going as they have done a few over the years in places such as Wigan & Blackburn to name a few,



And soon to be Leeds Warehouse, to Quote John Kelly, "If you really want to get a taste of what the Quadrant Park is all about, Come down to the Warehouse in Leeds on the 8th September"



Just to give you a sense of what Quadrant Park Used to be like back in the day here is a snippet of some footage I found, which indeed truly captures the Spirit of the club and experience that is Quadrant Park....



Okay at this point I will sign off here as I have more work to do....I will be back soon to update this as I have been privy to more interviews for artist on this one next stop will be Stockport for Northern Uproar.... Keep Checking back for updates soon.... Peace.xx

Cockermouth Rock Festival 2012

Okay So having got the offer of a festival this year, I thought it would be great to tag along with the folks from Leeds, Tyrone was on the Decks and it was a great way to capture some footage and Support Ty and MC Dale, the music style of theirs is nothing that I usually listen to but I had guessed that as this was more a live performance than the club stuff it would be great to take a tent and soak up the Atmosphere and see how this production was put together.

The last Festival I attended was at Leeds to see Rage against the machine a few years back and the Atmosphere was electric, and having DJ'd in one of tents a few years back I kind of knew what to expect really, but had no idea the scale of this particular one as it was in Cumbria in the Lake District.

After Picking up everyone in Leeds we set off for the Lakes, everyone in good spirits and really up for this one, after many food & piss stops we arrived about 15:30pm on the Saturday and we parked the car no problem booked in and met up with the Xanadu crew & organisers of the dance tent that Tyrone & Dale would be performing in on the night.



The site is quite large and upon the approach into Cock-Rock everything was in full swing, weather was not as hot as it has been for the last couple of days but was dry never the less, so after the long journey it was time for summat to eat.



Walking round here are a few photos of the Site, there were some awesome setups in other tents and different music, here again this was one I found with a truly awesome setup & sound





A couple of Bands to which I could not tell you who they were but appeared to have a good gathering and lots of support, much of the festival I was taking in appeared to capture young people and was also very family friendly.



One of the Promoters Micky Reilly from Leeds loves his bands so this was a great opportunity to walk round and look at what was on offer, not that I am an expert by any stretch of the imagination, I heard lots of covers done such as Kasabian & the White Stripes..



So by tea time and after a good wander round we ended up at the main stage to see Zane Lowe, Micky & me were divided on this as me from a DJ perspective this guy had no headphones and was bouncing round like a Rapper Gangster, however that said we both agreed that as a live act this lad got the crowd in the palm of his had and delivered on his contract, Fantastic stuff, however My Respect levels hit zero when he started chanting oggy oggy oggy... hahahahaha



And here is Zane in action on the main stage, the folks seem to be enjoying themselves, I was almost compelled to see what his setup was as I don't think I heard a full record played, plenty of energy and time on the mic, crowd were going crazy..



And another is here, the atmosphere was just fantastic, I have never seen Zane Lowe live but he is on the money and knows how to rock a microphone.



So After this we decided to go and find the others and get ready for the nights events, and headed back to the dance tent where Tyrone and Dale would be performing amongst Others, the night scene would get very busy from now on...

Seen Here are the Hustle, these guys were great, and for me totally something different but never the less a fantastic performance..



Met up with the tribe of xanadu had plenty to drink and met some of the other DJ's who had been and who would be playing in this dance tent.



tribe of xanadu, Olly & Adam were perfect hosts and worked really hard to ensure a smooth delivery of what was to be quality night, we also met up with a DJ duo who were just fantastic planet zogg, here pictured below :-)



These guys were really very good in my eyes and played some phenomenal music I liked their sessions only because their style of music I really enjoyed.



Tyrone & Dale would play a two hour set after this only because one of the other DJ's forgot part of his traktor power lead he was gutted. EPIC FAIL......hahaha



DJ Tyrone, Seized this opportunity so he was next up. I enjoyed his session both him and dale went on to play for 2 hours of absolute filth the crowd really enjoyed it.



Here is more footage of the dynamic duo, they both were in their element and rocked the place for a full 2 hours Leeds in the house, the revellers just poured in and danced like nutters for the entire session, an MC and a Scratch DJ what more could you ask for....



Tyrone & Dale were really up for all this and the tunes just came thick & fast, Banger after bsnger, crowd going mental, all in all this was fantastic to see,



Adam & Olly were getting into the Spirit by now and the duo Goldie Looking Chain were on their way into the tent to play on after the Last DJ a Bradford lad playing Breaks and other filth to deploy to the dancefloor :-)



Last up in the dance tent was fab also Goldie Lookin Chain, had the pleasure of having a few beers and a chinwag with em, very down to earth and lovely fellas, in all a fantastic weekend was had by everyone, Both Adam & Olly were in good spirits and working hard to support the DJ's and have a few beers



Goldie Looking Chain were really fun and this was a perfect end to the evenings festivities, Early to rise the next morning and cooking bacon sandwiches all round we managed to get going on our way back to Leeds,



Hopefully next year there will be more of this and we can capture more and stay for the full weekend, After talking to Olly & Adam there are also some underground parties to be had to which I would love to cover, and DJ at, just have to Say a massive massive thanks to the Tribe of Xanadu for a colourful production, friendly people and monstrous sound system, keep em coming Fellas nuff respect...



Peace.......@(*_*)@

Unite - Saturday 14th July 2012 @ the VOX

The Weather was picking up so Off I went once more this time Back to Leeds for Unite with Lee Softley, Ian Ossia & Mike Richardson. Okay well in truth not really heard much Blue Amazon Stuff or heard Lee Play out before neither Mike Richardson but it was all there for the taking. Had a good Chat with Lee and met his fiancée and have to say Lee is a fantastic fella and also his good lady from Australia who was full of energy & fun.



Meeting up with the Shine Crew early on I had the pleasure of having a few beers and a listen to Sasha & Digweed in the Kitchen, a rare delight ....hahahaha



About 22:30 headed into Leeds City to the Club, One thing I liked about the VOX this time was I was able to park my car right outside the venue which for me was a huge bonus. The VOX is a great venue, however I think it should have invested in a couple of coaches and been a bit more innovative in terms of getting people to the venue, for big events like these local pickups around Leeds, Wetherby, Harrogate & York even, marketted in the right way could pay huge dividends for club nights, just my 50p's worth..

The start of the night showed Mike Richardson from Manchester playing some really pumping Tech-house and made for a fantastic opening set for the night Mike played for 2 hours and I listened to most of it in-between catching up with the promoters and new people who share the same music passion on Facebook. on the whole a great atmosphere very relaxed, this coupled with Mike's set early on was very good indeed.



Here is a clip of Mike Richardson in Action....



Looking at all the DJ's set up it was fantastic to see so much technology that was being used and I want to see more of this in clubs, too many shots of DJ's behind a set of CDJ's posing, however it nice to see some difference and the DJ's had put in the Effort in this way, well done guys :-)



I have to be honest here and say that the place was not packed to the rafters but the folks that did turn out were really great and supportive, Lee was bouncing around and getting really excited talking to everyone, and was up next to play, its nice to see that all the people were very happy people and very interactive.

Next up was Lee Softley (Blue Amazon) this session from Lee was absolutely stunning, he was really in his element behind the decks and was loving every min of it. He played some signature tracks there and a favorite for me was Underworld - Dark & Long (Dark Train mix)... absolutely top draw stuff that was blasting out of the speakers :-)



here is a clip of Lee in action on the decks, absolute stunning display, want to see more of this passion, absolutely top stuff, definitely would recommend Lee Softley



not long after Ian Ossia turned up and played his session, 2 hours of fantastic music, Ian never disappoints, people from Venue 44 old days were saying how fantastic the music was by Ian, a cool customer and somewhat reserved, but his passion comes out of his music, having heard Ian play many times it was a pleasure to see him out doing what he does best, and he did deliver, well done Ian...

In terms of the DJ's and performance everyone played very well, but my favourite had to be Lee Softley as the sets were just slamming, and his energy behind the decks was awesome, also a fantastic fella with a lot of passion about music, this guy really knows his onions and was a pleasure to listen to, definitely going to get him on the Radio to show you what I mean, in a word Brilliant stuff, well done lads :-)



Absolutely fantastic people, the Lovely Linda, Mark Watson, & Micky Reilly,



Okay so in Summary then this night not the busiest event I have been to recently but that said musically it was absolutely flawless, looking forward to getting these guys on the radio, to give you a taster musically what you missed, that said hopefully Jason Hankin will stick with this and look at further productions with Unite, and it would be great to See all the DJ's play again, so well done everybody.



Lovely happy People that's what its all about Big Thankyou to Jason Hankin for making all this possible :-)

Shine Leeds Warehouse 23-06-2012

Hey, thought I would add a new entry for June, its been great this week and as ever I have been so busy with music on many levels also the radio show at PickeringFM, speaking to lots of people from all over the world, spent less time on Face book this week I guess…...not.

That being all said, I have been seeing the efforts that Leeds promoter Micky Reilly and his team have been putting out with a night of Retro Classics including a Live PA from the mighty KKLASS feat BOBBI… after speaking to local Scratch DJ, Tyrone Mclaughlin, Mark Watson & Linda and Mark the Ledge Holliday, I thought I best pop along just to see what it was all about, I thought I’d take my camera and just soak it up.

Again as I have said in previous blog posts I tend to think that unless these are done very well, these nights can have very limited scope to the broader audience, me I love my cutting edge Techno & Progressive, something that has stayed with me from the early days of renaissance and the warehouse.



Having been clubbing since about ‘88/89 to the present day, the ethos is still the same, its about the Music, Soundsystem, DJ, and the crowd get that right and it will be packed to the rafters everytime. Having been to the Warehouse many, many times over the years I dunno what it is, but I just love this club, the people the atmosphere, even the Door staff are just happy people and I managed to have a chinwag with a few of them, at Shine if not to keep them awake and alert later in the evening.




After Arriving to meet Tyrone in Leeds, we had a coffee and a chat about many aspects of the music scene in Leeds and Europe and the night that would be, even having some sensible debate on Guetta and his achievements and downfalls… then off we went to the Club, Sound check was already underway and we met up with Micky and the crew and had a chat a beer & a laugh.

Earlier sets of the night in the main room I witnessed were Marc Osikka and Mark Alexander, both smashing it up in the main room, the dancefloor full and that Soundsystem proper is doing its job. Both focussed on their craft and serious about what they were delivering, real quality stuff.

Here is Mark Alexander in action on the 1210's


Marc Osikka seen here focussed and smashing up the main room.






As the night unfolded it was just insane, upstairs were Steve luigi & Mark Holliday and Carl Whitehead & Tyrone Mclaughlin they were on fire, Steve was all over the Vinyl’s and not having time to listen to his entire set, from what I heard it was floorless, Carl Whitehead also delivered a quality pumping session, see some of the footage I captured here, quality....








Here we had proper classics being played by an absolute Leeds legend DJ, I have to take my hat off to him, I would pitch this guy anywhere and against anyone on the 1210’s from the early daze, really enjoyed it, but not as much as he did… great to see this, and I have a lot of love for Steve both for his DJ productions & the countless records he has helped me purchase when I have been a little worse for wear over the years….;-)


Mark Holliday was whipping the people into frenzy with his set and his energy behind the decks, Mark would later Join Alistair Whitehead and KKLASS behind the deck in the main room later we caught up there and had a chat and a boogie

Coming downstairs from this the main room was packed and the bar area was over flowing with people buying drinks and dancing and having fun, smiles everywhere, it was so great to see so many people from the old daze and dedicated clubbers from around the UK.


I was now getting into the swing of things and taking plenty of photos and having a laugh and enjoying the non end of monstrous beats coming out of that funktion one Soundsystem….managed to hit the front stage just in time to see the live PA with BOBBI and KKLASS this was awesome, the crowd were really engrossed & focussed and She had them in her hand, everyone was involved here and it was indeed a focal point within the night (I am bound to say that coming from a DJ’s perspective)







That said KKLASS just seemed to play on and on…Russ Morgan was in his element and there certainly was a great atmosphere both out on the dance floor and behind the decks, lots of happy, happy faces everywhere.

After a while it was time to get upstairs for the Start of Tyrone’s set upstairs, so offski… Carl Whitehead is caning the decks and the room upstairs is buzzing once more, DJ Tyrone makes an entrance with something special and starts cutting up the 1210’s, again I could not stay for the whole session, but many people were asking and complementing on his style. This mixed with the classics and scratching made this a wonder to watch and listen, the opening two tracks and the intro was phenomenal 






By this time it was about 3am and I was asking who was up next in the main room, I was then informed that Alistair Whitehead had been involved in a car crash, but was still on his way too the gig. Luckily this was true and Alistair did turn up at about 3-3:30ish.




How he managed to play a set after that was beyond me, but he managed very well, also being constantly in demand by just about everyone in the building as soon as he arrived, naturally like a true pioneer he played his cards well and his mixing did not suffer and he executed some very big drops and soon the crowd were in awe and going mental…What a lovely fella, and a fantastic Professional



That set and just Alistair’s story ended up to be a classic Shakespeare story for me which made for just about every emotion one could ask for, both in the music and the events that night for him, however he was still all smiles and still very much alive & kicking by the end of his set, hard act to follow maybe..?
Alas for me......not……..



Last up to play was in my opinion technically the best delivery of the night which would be Mr Paul Murray steering the mothership home, this was simply a stunning display of precision and a smattering of brilliant DJ’ing the sequencing was fabulous and for me as I love my technology and new equiptment this delivered a very tight and flowing session this had to be technically the best of the night for me…Well done Paul….









Upon getting to my car at 06:30am I was shattered, but what an epic experience, can’t wait for the next Shine At leeds Warehouse, for me next will be another Epic adventure in Leeds this time at the VOX with Lee Softly (Blue Amazon) and the Mighty Mighty frikken Awesome man Ian Ossia for Unite, Lastime in the Same Place Both Ian Ossia & Dave Seaman Completely destroyed that back room, and I would not miss this for all the tea in China...



See you at the Front @the VOX..... this with out doubt will be the hottest ticket in the City of Leeds. Just to wet your whistle for the VOX in July, this is a clip from what happened lastime, with the Legend that is Ian Ossia