An excellent night again with the emphasis on quality

Quick shout out to Ian and Nic for the meet-ups; nice to see some others from the mailing list there in full force. Let's make it more next time, eh? :-)

You knew it was going to be a bit different when you went into the 'ardcore room and suddenly heard "It Takes Two" by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock blaring out of the speakers. MISTRESS MO had toned up her proto-rave sets of the past and was now proceeding to lurch into a full-on early house/acid set that really surprised those who had heard lesser offerings from her in the past. Wave after wave of sonic pleasure (!) flowed from the speakers, as "Strings of Life" merged into "Welcome" into "Age of Love" and beyond. Keep it up 'MM', this is the kind of quality output we've expected from you in the past.

Next up was PILGRIM, who carried on from where he had left off previously with a well-balanced set containing both overground and underground hits that definitely set the floor on fire for later sets. A back to back with Jem Atkins later on..... now that would be something special!

Then came the act that everyone had been waiting for - or at least they should have been. The live PA by SHADES OF RHYTHM was a well-balanced piece of craftsmanship with long-time classics like "Extacy" and "Armageddon" slightly changed for the live experience. The music still hasn't dated as much as other 1991 oldskool choons, and it is thus a shame that so many people simply didn't seem to know the words to such anthems as "The Sound of Eden." But this was the only downer on a great set, overall.

I'll have to admit I waited for the following set with some trepidation; past acts such as Ratty and Grooverider had, in the past, failed spectacularly to put across a good set with their turgid non-oldskool hardcore offerings, and would DJ SS be any different? Oh yes! This was a brilliant set, lurching all around 1991-3, encapsulating almost every style of the oldskool sound, and with some really intelligent mixing to boot. Who else could mix perfectly "Vamp" into "Music Takes You" into "Lock Up" and make these 3 very different choons sound like different parts of the same track? A few dodgy bass-ridden records sounding suspiciously like drum 'n' bass and not hardcore aside - readers should note that tonight's event had separate rooms for hardcore, jungle and house, so the main arena was on a real hardcore tip -  this was one of the best Flashback DJ sets I've yet witnessed.

One before the end we had the 'first ever oldskool set' from Fabio, tonight without his partner Grooverider (though who was that mysterious figure on the stage during the final set?). What this means I have no idea, since the F Man was obviously around when hardcore was the drum 'n' bass of its day. Perhaps his first ever Flashback set? But I digress. In need of a quick rest, and with the cuts sounding too close to the post-1994 sound for my liking, I retired gracefully to the  chillout area and discussed toytown techno with Ian. Meanwhile, the bass even there was loud enough to wake the dead, and so I didn't bother to make my way back to the main hardcore arena until the next set. Sorry, but the past 4 sets had been too good to have a rest during their run. :-) Anyway, Fabio verdict: loud!

Last up was TOP BUZZ, one of the oldskool masters. Now this was a strange one. OK, so he slammed down some classics like "Feel Real Good" and "Different Strokes" (eventually! - FBers will know what I mean here), but at same time he seemed to be doing some kind of slow gabba shuffle in between big records which left most bemused. At one point he must have played this 'track' for 10 minutes without ever showing one hint of a tune emanate from its depths. Not good. Added to that the fact that by the time he had dropped "Edge#1" it was the track's 4th outing of the evening, yet without a "Hardcore Heaven", "Trip II the Moon" or many others all evening, it was a getting just a tad monotonous. The set was a shame, really, as this could have been a fine conclusion to an excellent night's work, but ended up on something of a damp squib.

Still, the event was the best one at the Que Club I'd been to, and so here's to many more in the future. Meanwhile, the crowd is left wondering just who the mysterious camera crew were who paraded round the venue this evening. Coming to a TV screen near you? Just maybe. Keep 'em peeled.