Your favourite year of clubbing

Amps Oakland has an area called ‘Jingletown’. Doesn’t sound very gangsta.

The softest sounding places are often the most gangsta.

Ever taken the 10A bus in Liverpool? Kensington, Foxwood, Old Swan, Elm Park, Fairfield, Dovecot, and you’re lucky if it’s not a burnt out shell by the end of it.

Meanwhile, a newcomer would probably think “I’ll steer clear of Aigburth”

bosstrabs Yeah, old Alexi Sale gag. I still say Dovecot when pronounced in a scouse accent sounds like somewhere you get a stabbing. Hilariously an ex of mine from many years ago made the same genuine mistake with Kensington, she was not impressed when she saw it.

303abuser

Yeah it’s fine for the most part. I always say if you’re looking for trouble, it’s easy to find in Oakland, but keep to yourself and don’t behave like a jackass and you’ll be okay. Deep East Oakland is another story. I wouldn’t mess about it that part of the Town. Too many kids with guns and nothing to do.

Here’s a pretty good doc that gets to the heart of Oakland’s troubles if interested. Crazy how many of the people in it are now dead. Much of Oakland has gentrified in recent years but Deep East just seems impervious to change. Rough out there. Zack would do well with his slumlord business.

1989 was my favourite year by a country mile - I only caught the tail end of 88 - and though 1990 was excellent too, nothing ever compares to your first cally in an aircraft hanger

ArchimedesQ

Never wish years away but would’ve loved to have seen S&D at their pomp in the ’90’s. They were just too established for warehouses in San Francisco. I was too young to see them in clubs. PVD did play one spot for some weird reason in like 1999. Leveled the place. I didn’t even like Trance, was a House guy, but that was fun.

jonattonyeah Deep East Oakland is another story.

yeah i learned about that from too short lol. i’ll check that doc out, thanks.

303abuser too short

LEGEND. Him and Mac Dre (RIP) are Town royalty.

And yeah the doc is good. The end is pretty hard to watch. For me, anyway. But I’m more sensitive than many. The number of people filmed who ended up murdered over the course of making it is just tragic.

I think it’s impossible to pick one year. 1993, 94, 96 and 98 were absolute belters.

LT42 Dan, you once had a thread my friend. My condolences.

Lol!

Has Alexei Sayle ever said anything funny?

‘dave’ seems to think so.

ArchimedesQ
I only started in 89 but it was 90/91 that i got really into it. Went to a rave every week all over the country,travelling up in a convoy of cars, arriving at a massive rave and seeing lasers shooting across a field, hearts pounding or queuing outside a club and hearing that thud thud of the music and knowing full well you’re in for another good night.

Dubman Techno Trance - what a savage track that was, 1990 was another great year, Lots of time spent on the M25 and in service station car parks waiting for the venue. Fab days indeed

Techno trance was a big one for me too. First heard it on Key 103.. Stu Allan. Went into Spin Inn records in Manchester to get it.

Dubman Loved the NJOI stuff, played this to death at the time.

LT42
I can’t remember if i saw them live. I did see Adamski, Guru Josh loads of times.

Dubman saw Guru Josh at Slough Centre around the time of Infinity - think I saw Adamski there too at a similar time, when Live & Direct was doing its thing

Dubman Yeah, Outback, Yikes, Pleasure Zone - Our paths probably crossed - Ello mate, where you from? What you on?

ArchimedesQ
Went to a Yikes but not Pleasure Zone. Did you goto any of the Perception raves.

Dubman I did a couple of Perceptions. I was a ticket agent for a few Sunrise/Energy events and went to raindance a lot. Labrynth, Sin at Astoria and Rage/Land of Oz were my main haunts though. I used to do the Mud Club at Busbys, Dungeons, Full Circle, Valbonnes in Maidenhead. standard 1990 routine.

these threads always make me miss the days of simple hedonism. good music, friends, and chemicals and no real life worries yet.

303abuser
Definitely a different experience when i returned to it back in the late 90’s.

Dubman I remember Maxine - didn’t she used to go out with Carl Cox? I used to out with a girl called Magda from Chertsey way who was also a ticket agent for a few. Crazy days. Oh to be 21 again, makes me quite grateful to have experienced it all. These 1995 onwards clubbers probably had a great time, but not like we did at the start. The feeling of love and hope was incredible at the time. A lot to do with the pills, but still……

ArchimedesQ These 1995 onwards clubbers probably had a great time, but not like we did at the start.

i think everyone feels this way about the people who came after, but i suspect you’re actually right.

ArchimedesQ didn’t she used to go out with Carl Cox?

I believe she did. He was the Dj back then.

ArchimedesQ Sin at Astoria

…yes mate, this and The Trip were the business

2002 into 2003 had my formative years of Prog but also a unique flavour of Techno that was funky, upbeat and industrial. It was so unique at the time.

Dubman hearts pounding

Yup. We used to call them “rave jitters”. That feeling in your stomach as you’re on your way, knowing you’re going to be mashed and having a blast in a few hours.

jonattonyeah That anxious excitement when using public transport on the way in - I can still remember that feeling.

jonattonyeah the anticipation was almost the best part. i remember bouncing off the walls at work the day of.

Unbroken1 Sympathy for the devil was the regulat closer, woo woo, woo woo

jonattonyeah We never set it up ahead of time, but took stock at the end of the night on who was least munted. If we were all too far gone, we called a cab (or walked to a place where one would actually pick us up lol)