Club Connected
Escape in the Park 2005
More reviews
Circus, 29/10/2007
After spending the best part of the '90s gurning to Oakey in The Courtyard, it has been quite some time since I have been to Nation and was unsure how it would be under new management.
As I've never had a bad night at Circus's nights in the Masque, the night promised to be good and the lineup was first rate.
We arrived at Nation at around 11.30, the night was completely sold out so we were expecting it to be really busy. The queue for internet-bought tickets and guest list had a waiting time of about 10 minutes.
We first headed to the main room which was packed, where Felix Da Housecat had already started.
I knew I had friends wandering around but didn't think I'd easily find them, so it was nice to bump into them left right and centre, particularly when they all congregated in the Courtyard for Eric Prydz. He was an unexpected treat! After only hearing his chart releases I really didn't pin much hope on a good set but was set straight soon after stepping into the courtyard. It was so busy it was difficult to get a spot to get in your dance swing where you weren't be jostled, but the crowd was really getting into it and the atmosphere was buzzing.
I wandered between rooms for a while to see what was on offer. I ended up back in the Courtyard to see Paul Woolford who really got the crowd going with his eclectic, original house.
Wanting to make sure I still had enough energy left to dance, I was a bit disappointed that SOS were on in the Annex at 3am (legs just aren't what they used to be!) I've been a massive Desyn Masiello fan since hearing his seminal Essential Mix in 2004, but I've only has the pleasure of seeing him once, as he hardly seems to venture up North and over the last 18 months he's taken some time out to produce and work with the other SOS members, Omid 16b and Demi. However they didn't disappoint. As they were on last the crowds had dispersed a bit so there was room to dance. The crowd loved them and everyone seemed to be big fans. I spoke to a guy who had never heard of them before but was really impressed.
In the Main Room, Groove Armada really got the crowd jumping with Superstylin' and all who saw them said they were brilliant.
Armin Van Helden took it back to the Oldschool with 'House of Pain' and 'We Want Your Soul' and the Courtyard loved him.
I was expecting to see some cracking fancy dress outfits but was sorely disappointed, the most shocking thing I saw all night was a guy buying two bottles of Smirnoff for £250!!
Must have had a good night as my ears didn't stop ringing until Monday.
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After spending the best part of the '90s gurning to Oakey in The Courtyard, it has been quite some time since I have been to Nation and was unsure how it would be under new management.
As I've never had a bad night at Circus's nights in the Masque, the night promised to be good and the lineup was first rate.
We arrived at Nation at around 11.30, the night was completely sold out so we were expecting it to be really busy. The queue for internet-bought tickets and guest list had a waiting time of about 10 minutes.
We first headed to the main room which was packed, where Felix Da Housecat had already started.
I knew I had friends wandering around but didn't think I'd easily find them, so it was nice to bump into them left right and centre, particularly when they all congregated in the Courtyard for Eric Prydz. He was an unexpected treat! After only hearing his chart releases I really didn't pin much hope on a good set but was set straight soon after stepping into the courtyard. It was so busy it was difficult to get a spot to get in your dance swing where you weren't be jostled, but the crowd was really getting into it and the atmosphere was buzzing.
I wandered between rooms for a while to see what was on offer. I ended up back in the Courtyard to see Paul Woolford who really got the crowd going with his eclectic, original house.
Wanting to make sure I still had enough energy left to dance, I was a bit disappointed that SOS were on in the Annex at 3am (legs just aren't what they used to be!) I've been a massive Desyn Masiello fan since hearing his seminal Essential Mix in 2004, but I've only has the pleasure of seeing him once, as he hardly seems to venture up North and over the last 18 months he's taken some time out to produce and work with the other SOS members, Omid 16b and Demi. However they didn't disappoint. As they were on last the crowds had dispersed a bit so there was room to dance. The crowd loved them and everyone seemed to be big fans. I spoke to a guy who had never heard of them before but was really impressed.
In the Main Room, Groove Armada really got the crowd jumping with Superstylin' and all who saw them said they were brilliant.
Armin Van Helden took it back to the Oldschool with 'House of Pain' and 'We Want Your Soul' and the Courtyard loved him.
I was expecting to see some cracking fancy dress outfits but was sorely disappointed, the most shocking thing I saw all night was a guy buying two bottles of Smirnoff for £250!!
Must have had a good night as my ears didn't stop ringing until Monday.
READ MORE >
90 Club Hits From The 90's
An amazing collection of dance and crossover tunes from the 90s, '90 Club Hits From The 90's' is a much-needed 4 CD album packed with top club hits from the era that brought you the most hedonistic super-clubs, the biggest earning DJ's ever and the coolest remixes!
With tunes from Armand Van Helden, Robert Miles and Faithless this album encapsulates the absolute best of 90's dance music for the first time all in one package. For anyone who lived through the 90's, reading the tracklisting is like reading a who's who of the dance music charts, with songs such as Professional Widow by Tori Amos, Missing ' Everything But The Girl and The Brand New Heavies ' Dream on Dreamer, surely nothing can define an era more than this album?
Highlights include Baby D, Armand Van Helden, Berry, Orbital, Grace, Stretch n' Vern, Josh Wink, Lisa Marie Experience, Rui Da Silva, Sonique, Wamdue Project, Olive, Moloko, Corona, K Klass, Deee Lite, Robert Miles, Faithless, Tori Amos, Mario Piu, C&C Music Factory and much much more'
Club Connected rating 7 out of 10. An interesting journey back to the 90s.
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An amazing collection of dance and crossover tunes from the 90s, '90 Club Hits From The 90's' is a much-needed 4 CD album packed with top club hits from the era that brought you the most hedonistic super-clubs, the biggest earning DJ's ever and the coolest remixes!
With tunes from Armand Van Helden, Robert Miles and Faithless this album encapsulates the absolute best of 90's dance music for the first time all in one package. For anyone who lived through the 90's, reading the tracklisting is like reading a who's who of the dance music charts, with songs such as Professional Widow by Tori Amos, Missing ' Everything But The Girl and The Brand New Heavies ' Dream on Dreamer, surely nothing can define an era more than this album?
Highlights include Baby D, Armand Van Helden, Berry, Orbital, Grace, Stretch n' Vern, Josh Wink, Lisa Marie Experience, Rui Da Silva, Sonique, Wamdue Project, Olive, Moloko, Corona, K Klass, Deee Lite, Robert Miles, Faithless, Tori Amos, Mario Piu, C&C Music Factory and much much more'
Club Connected rating 7 out of 10. An interesting journey back to the 90s.
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The Warehouse Project
Believe the hype ' the warehouse project is back and this time its bigger and better then ever. Manchester's biggest series of nights has landed on the city again but this time in a new venue beneath Piccadilly station right in the heart of town. For everything the Boddingtons brewery lacked, beneath the streets makes up for plus more ' more bars, better sound system and more places to crash out and flake, for those points in the night were all you can do is chill out and listen. Contained within a series of arches and tunnels, the venue has gritty industrial excitement to it; more intimate and more involved with the audience. Although the capacity is smaller then last year, the slight decrease in size only makes the venue better. Coupled with more intense visuals and cracking line up, the warehouse project is the only place to seen this year.
For those of you who are familiar with resident Manchester night Ape, the line up will come as no surprise. Only on the Manchester scene for two years, launched as the brainchild of well established Manchester promoters, Sam and Lee aka Sabre, Ape reputation has exploded beyond belief, regularly filling venues of a capacity of over 2000 people. It combination of brakes, D n B, MC's and basically any thing with a good beat and base has kept Manchester's party army happy for the past two years. And tonight was no exception.
Arriving around eleven, the event was already well away. Hidden underneath the entrance to the station, it lacked the ques and security presence there was at the previous location. The surprise of the night was the last minute addition of Manhattan notoriety and chart favourite Mark Ronson, who despite sound problems went down a storm. But name of night had to go to Ape favourite DJ Yoda whose combination of classic tunes and deep beats was all round favourite ' who else could get away with dropping some Dolly Parton in the middle of a set and make it sound so good!!! The end of the night steered more toward harder breaks and drum and base, with only the hardest of drum n base fans remaining for high contrast and jungle drummers closing sets. Notable mention has to go to Exit Festival favourites Stanton warriors, who brought that festival feeling back to UK for a stunning set.
All in all, ape did not disappoint. The eclectic range of acts coupled with a top venue meant that the third weekend of this year's warehouse was one to remember. A high standard was set for the weeks to come, so make sure you don't miss out.
Sat 13th October
The Ape 2nd Birthday
High Contrast
Mark Ronson (just added)
Subfocus
DJ Yoda
Foreign Beggars [ Live ]
Q-bert
DJ Kentaro
Stanton Warriors
DJ Food
Youngblood Brass Band [ Live ]
Jungle Drummer Vs DJ FU
Rich Reason
9pm - 5am ///
£15
READ MORE >
Believe the hype ' the warehouse project is back and this time its bigger and better then ever. Manchester's biggest series of nights has landed on the city again but this time in a new venue beneath Piccadilly station right in the heart of town. For everything the Boddingtons brewery lacked, beneath the streets makes up for plus more ' more bars, better sound system and more places to crash out and flake, for those points in the night were all you can do is chill out and listen. Contained within a series of arches and tunnels, the venue has gritty industrial excitement to it; more intimate and more involved with the audience. Although the capacity is smaller then last year, the slight decrease in size only makes the venue better. Coupled with more intense visuals and cracking line up, the warehouse project is the only place to seen this year.
For those of you who are familiar with resident Manchester night Ape, the line up will come as no surprise. Only on the Manchester scene for two years, launched as the brainchild of well established Manchester promoters, Sam and Lee aka Sabre, Ape reputation has exploded beyond belief, regularly filling venues of a capacity of over 2000 people. It combination of brakes, D n B, MC's and basically any thing with a good beat and base has kept Manchester's party army happy for the past two years. And tonight was no exception.
Arriving around eleven, the event was already well away. Hidden underneath the entrance to the station, it lacked the ques and security presence there was at the previous location. The surprise of the night was the last minute addition of Manhattan notoriety and chart favourite Mark Ronson, who despite sound problems went down a storm. But name of night had to go to Ape favourite DJ Yoda whose combination of classic tunes and deep beats was all round favourite ' who else could get away with dropping some Dolly Parton in the middle of a set and make it sound so good!!! The end of the night steered more toward harder breaks and drum and base, with only the hardest of drum n base fans remaining for high contrast and jungle drummers closing sets. Notable mention has to go to Exit Festival favourites Stanton warriors, who brought that festival feeling back to UK for a stunning set.
All in all, ape did not disappoint. The eclectic range of acts coupled with a top venue meant that the third weekend of this year's warehouse was one to remember. A high standard was set for the weeks to come, so make sure you don't miss out.
Sat 13th October
The Ape 2nd Birthday
High Contrast
Mark Ronson (just added)
Subfocus
DJ Yoda
Foreign Beggars [ Live ]
Q-bert
DJ Kentaro
Stanton Warriors
DJ Food
Youngblood Brass Band [ Live ]
Jungle Drummer Vs DJ FU
Rich Reason
9pm - 5am ///
£15
READ MORE >
Judgement Sundays
Judgement Sundays have always been a highlight of our previous trips to the island. For months leading up to this year's holiday our eyes had been firmly focused on the Ibiza Party Calendar to check who was part of the line up. This year Judge Jules, Eddie Halliwell, Fred Baker and BK had been brought
READ MORE >
Judgement Sundays have always been a highlight of our previous trips to the island. For months leading up to this year's holiday our eyes had been firmly focused on the Ibiza Party Calendar to check who was part of the line up. This year Judge Jules, Eddie Halliwell, Fred Baker and BK had been brought
READ MORE >
17
17
It was 6.00am and I was awakening to a very busy day indeed. I was on my way to a festival, which has interested me for quite some time. Escape in the park is an event, which was originally a free event had developed into one of the top festivals in the country with its residents Big Al and Danny Slade at the helm. What really got me excited about this event was the fact that the line-up was not the same superstar line-up which all the other big events host. It gave a chance for the talented underdog dj's to ply their trade and show us what were missing. Surprisingly we actually made it to the festival in one piece after traveling through the A-roads like maniacs!
When we actually got to Swansea we struggled to find the site as it wasn't signposted much, which led me to believe that this an event for the locals who usually provide the best party atmosphere.
After arriving at the site we ran into bother as the guest list wasn't listed, with the daunting prospect of having to pay forty pounds each things were looking grim. But after giving the sad puppy look we were let in. Once I entered the main stage area Adam Sheridan was playing a particularly banging set which was getting me in the mood for the day ahead! Then after, was none other than my favorite dj of all time Guy Ornadel. Once he came on he slowed it down a bit but the problem was he wouldn't shut up on mic. In my opinion there's nothing worse than a pro dj shouting his head off treating it like his own personal party!! After his set it was time to wander around, pick up a few drinks and 
check out the arenas. What was starting to concern me was the fact that the event was full of kids, until I found out that the age limit was five years old. I don't understand when the police are using undercover police in the queues to nail people with possession, but then let underage drinkers get absolutely wasted throughout the event. They did have an age limit on the bars of course, but when you have thousands of people queuing up for drinks I don't think it's really gonna work. At the back of the main stage area there was quite a big funfair, although I never went on any of the rides it added to the colorfulness of the event. My only problem with was the ride operators shouting on their mics, which clashed with the stage sound.
As the day progressed, I was getting more drunk and the music was getting even better. Once we finally found a timetable for the djs we discovered that Dogzilla was about to start. Unfortunately he didn't live up to my expectations, it was supposed to live but as he sang along to the tune (Your eyes) you could tell that he wasn't singing at all! Also I realized that it wasn't even his version of the tune; so how he managed to play a Scott Mac remix live baffles me. Afterwards ex-gatecrasher resident Matt Hardwick took to turntables with no hard act to follow and pleased me quite a bit with his melodic trance.
Then afterwards John '00' Fleming came on to play half of his set live and the other djing. As this was his first live performance he really impressed me with his dark progressive trance, and then he was really getting the crowd going with his dj set. He played a remix of the classic tune tainted love but when he dropped the remix of the chemical brother's Hey Girl Hey Boy the crowd went wild! Shortly after Dave Pearce began but he failed to inspire me as he was dropping some particularly cheesy tunes.
Once again I went for a short walk around the other arenas, got myself a few more drinks and decided to listen to a different style of dj. Once I discovered that Scot Project was about to start in the Sundissential Arena the choice was already made for me. For me his production skills are amazing and he certainly never failed here. From the first tune he played to the last the crowd was going ballistic. His three last tunes of the sent the crowd into absolute pandemonium. Tiesto's lethal industry, Underworlds Born Slippy and then for me the best tune he's made to date 'L'. After listening to my best set of the night it was time to get a few more drinks and head back to the main area stage to catch the rest of the Judge. I was pleased to find that he was showcasing Big Al and Danny Slade back-to-back. Big Al is dj I've always wanted to listen to since Oakey was quoted saying that he is the most underrated dj in the business. As I was listening to the set I was wondering if the sound guys were actually replaced by a gang of monkeys because the volume was up and down constantly, in the last ten minutes all I could hear was people talking, god knows what the sound guys were up to I was certainly not impressed. At this point I decided the time was right to check out the Defected and Drum 'n' Bass arena, and expectedly I pretty much walked straight out both of them because I'm a bit biased when it comes to my music, but none the less they were entertaining the crowds because they were both rammed and were full of up-for-it clubbers. I also checked out the Hardcore heaven arena, which had queues leading up to it. I stayed for a bit to check out Dj Sy, but I could only dance for about ten minutes before I was completely out of breath.
Once again I headed to the bar, got a few mores drinks and headed back to the main stage area to see the rest of Eddie Halliwell. For me this guy used to rock, back when he was just starting out a few years go, but now he's got a unique ability to make a five minute tune last forever. These days me, and my mates are slightly critical of his performances but I was hoping he would change this today. What did catch my attention was that he played a tune but was messing around with his equipment which got the crowd going, but in the previous week at Coloursfest he played exactly the same tune and never messed with his equipment and it sounded exactly the same. Once he was finished the King Kong of trance took to the decks and absolutely blew me away! It was none other than Paul Van Dyk. It took a serious effort to reach the front because it was rammed, but it was essential to be as close as possible to the speakers as they were pretty crap all day long. This guy never fails to deliver an epic set and this set was certainly no exception. From start to finish he read the crowd perfectly with his melodic trance. Although Eddie Halliwell was wasted and harassing PVD constantly he kept his cool and continued to bang them out. There was no other fitting way to end of his set with a gigantic fireworks display to end the night. Once I thought it was the end, he decided to play his latest masterpiece known as 'The Other Side'. All I could think of after this tune was that he was GOD, as it completely sent the crowd into a frenzy!
His set finished at 11.30pm although the event was advertised to finish at midnight, which was quite disappointing. But in the end it was time to head back to Liverpool and reflect on the day we just experienced.
All in all the day was quite disappointing, mainly the sound system was crap and not used to its full potential. Fair play it is next to a hospital, but at the end of the day if you are going to pay forty pounds you expect the most essential tool of the event to be cranked up to the max. I wasn't impressed either with certain djs shouting through the mics during other djs sets treating it like they were djing in a birthday party. All I can suggest is move to a more appropriate location and sack the sound guys!
By Alan T
www.escapegroup.com