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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! |
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Tidy Weekender 15: Reviewed
Reported by Adam Symbiosis
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Submitted 15-10-08 14:40
With HarderFaster working with Tidy in the run up to TW15 it seemed only rude not to go up to check out exactly what the party was about. Adam Symbiosis and team were dispatched to the wilds of North Wales to dance, discover and above all have a good time!
Now seeing as it was my first weekender and to be honest, I don’t much care for hard house any more, it was looking to be an unusual trip that could have gone horribly wrong but the fact that the line up boasted amongst others the sound of psy, of trance and of house, I was interested to see the party. After a mammoth day of travelling not always in the correct direction, I finally arrived with my clubbing cohorts. Reports had already filtered to us of horrific queues and extensive checks, however there was none for us – a blessing after a day on the road. Collecting our keys we quickly made our way to our base for the next 3 days.
Now for those of you that haven’t experienced the joys of holiday camps across our fair and green land let me be clear, you are not missing much. But as a simple base to store stuff, sleep and be protected from the elements, it’s certainly a big jump up from a tent, not least as there’s a kettle, TV, fridge and oven. With the ability to fit up to six people, things are tight when full – but how much sleep were we planning to do?
Talking about planning, we had wanted to go and see the psy trance in the main arena. John 00 Fleming and Astrix headlined and I had been salivating at the thought of seeing them both. As it turned out though we were too late getting to the holiday park to see 00 Fleming and it seems Astrix didn’t even get there full stop! No worries anyway as we chilled out and saved our energy for the rest of the weekend.
The next morning we were up and raring to go. Round the corner from our place we were told that some chalet parties were happening. On the way there impromptu garden parties were being held, piñatas were being bashed and people were generally enjoying the sun which was attempting to pierce the clouds. Following the sound of the hard house blaring out, we made our way over to chalet 90 and once through and over the people littering the walkway we found Paul Glazby dropping some funky hard house.
After a short set he swapped over and moved to another chalet. Ben Stevens handed him a CD which didn’t work and we stood around for a few moments waiting in silence. With that track scrapped, the music was back on and the new chalet quickly filled.
As I later learned the chalet parties were all over the place as stars from across the three days made appearances here there and everywhere. While some might say they could have promoted the parties a bit more – even if it was to say keep your eyes peeled for special secret performances – the idea was a great one and, as one person commented to me, it was great to see the DJs so close and around, playing and living with the ‘normal’ people.
The afternoon would see the Harderfaster crew relocate to the Queen Victoria pub to host a Saturday afternoon raffle – of course congratulations to all the winners and thanks to the companies, DJs, producers and promoters that supplied the prizes. Inside things were already going off with again sets from DJs appearing later on including Rodi Styles. I was particularly impressed by Pick who blew me away with his presence behind the decks. Watch out for a feature on HarderFaster soon.
The night to follow was to be themed Dirty and, once we’d dashed to the safety of the venues away from the driving wind and rain, dirty it was. It’s no hidden fact that people at Tidy Weekender like to dress up, but tonight nothing was hidden as people forgot to even dress. Lips were licked, bits were flashed and people partied. As the night progressed and the hard house continued I wandered around talking to randoms and having a great time. I could recount to you who played what but to be honest I didn’t pay much attention as I was too busy enjoying myself.
The only DJ I did take any proper interest in was Mark EG. Despite the fact he played stuff as far removed from what most people would consider music as is possible without creating a mess of noise, his tracks had a purely tribal beat to them and he was nothing short of enthralling to watch. Throwing inflatable sheep into the crowd, cutting up bits of wood, talking on the mic and egging ravers on, he even found time to fit in a bit of mixing before he smashed up a guitar. Now, the more high brow amongst you might see this as a statement – combined with the purely electronic techno music, this could be a challenge to normal music as defined by the multitude of average bands and their commercial tripe oozed out of radios, cars and pubs across the nation – or it could just be an excuse to simply destroy something, as agreed by the loud clubber next to me screaming, “Smash it!!”
The next day, the sun was back streaming through the windows and onto the happy, but dreary eyed people now moving towards the pub to catch the old school sounds of Ratpack. Anyone who missed this really did miss out, the pub was heaving, the tracks were coming, it was pure madness. Good work there from the Tidy crew for getting that in the bag. After dinner and another change of clothes – school disco this time - we were back out for the final day of partying. It was painfully obvious, especially in the trance room that many people had gone home, which was a shame as, from what I heard of the set, Sean Tyas played well.
After a short interview with Marcel Woods (check back on HarderFaster soon) it was back out to the main floor to catch the Tidy Boys smack out a Tidy Classics reworked set and boy the atmosphere was electric. I have to mention the various stage performances I saw as well - a set of ballerinas with a chap dressed as Ali G pirouetting on stage; fire breathers and jugglers amazing the crowds; a foam cake fight right in front of the DJs – the entertainment was equal part fun and equal part bizarre and despite the lack of professional gloss actually fitted the mood perfectly.
Strangely the third room, which was advertised as Howard Marks and Friends and which I’d expected to host the great pot dealer’s stand up show, instead had him playing tracks from a laptop. While the set was certainly diverse in a play anything type way the few clueless clubbers who had no idea who was playing were still finding it trouble to get their heads round the music being presented to them and shortly after this area closed along with the trance arena. Whatever happened to Scot Project? Who knows!
That certainly didn’t stop the main room from going ape to Lisa Lashes and finally Paul Glazby and when the very last tune played there was a sense of satisfaction hanging in the air, as if the people around me felt as if they’d had it proper. For the rest of the night the HarderFaster Headmaster and assistant visited chalets to check that naughty schoolchildren had all done their lines and that no one had sneaked out of detention. Luckily for most they were spared the cane or was that lucky for some who got a taste?!
I went to this event without a clue of what to expect and still I had a great time. I won’t lie and say I enjoyed all the music, though there was some great music played and for most of the rest of the assorted clubbers, ravers, freaks and weirdos, the music rocked. On another note there were Police patrolling the area and I saw a raid on one chalet and heard about a few others, but the only contact we had directly were some security asking us to turn down our music one morning so from what I could see it was very much a case of if you didn’t attract too much attention then you weren’t bothered.
The mark ups on the bar and in the dinner hall were a bit silly with prices you’d expect to find in central London, the sound set up and lighting rig will never, ever win an award and yet that didn’t stop people from having it all weekend and I think that’s why I enjoyed it so much. I was at an event where it didn’t matter who you were, where both punter and DJ shared the same spaces and no one was any better than the rest. I was surrounded by people who were there just to have a good time and nothing was going to spoil that. Clubs and many festivals would kill to have this kind of atmosphere. Experience it for yourself at the next Tidy Weekender in March!
Adam Symbiosis 
Photos courtesy of the HarderFaster archive. Not to be reproduced without permission.
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Other Features By Adam Symbiosis:
Godskitchen Xmas Party: Reviewed
The Big Chill: Reviewed
Tiësto at Victoria Park: Reviewed
Lilly Allen: Reviewed
Digital Society May 2009: Reviewed
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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