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Psy-n-tific - Reviewed
Reported by Agnes Klos
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Submitted 08-02-10 20:08
January resembles a clubbing desert. It is the time of a year when the hustle and bustle of partying dies down. But why should we stop going out? If there are rules saying: ‘It is pointless promoting parties in early January’ then Andy ‘Ped’ Workman with his free night called Psy-n-tific on 15th January proved them wrong. Correspondent Agnes Klos shook off her winter blues and join in on an evening brimming with positive psy trance tunes.
After the New Year’s weekend, I was ready for more partying but to my surprise there was not much on the clubbing scene the following week. I knew there were good parties coming up in February but I did not want to wait that long – just as well then that I’d heard about a party called Psy-n-tific at Union Club, Vauxhall, the club that used to be called Crash. I remember that place vividly as I used to spend summer nights after boat parties there almost three years ago. Therefore, I was even more eager to see the transformation of the venue and what it had to offer.
Walking into a spacious room already filled with heaps of happy faces, raving on the dancefloor, made me feel the thrill of excitement again. I knew a good party was upon me. With the high-ceiling and recent revamp, the venue definitely seems a new-born but uncut gem of Vauxhall; a raw underground feel gives it some character but of course it might not suit all tastes.
Without any doubt, the refit has benefited Union greatly, bringing in a brand new lighting rig and smashing Avalon sound system. The only thing that had been forgotten during the ‘pimp out’ was the toilets. Shockingly, during the night the mens toilets had no light and had a bad smell, I was informed, so guys were invading ladies toilets, which wasn’t the most pleasant experience.
But the toilet issue didn’t spoil my evening at all. I loved the fact that the bar was located upstairs in a separate room with a small but comfortable seating area. I don’t like venues where bar is next to the dancefloor and people stare at you instead of dancing. After a few double vodkas and Red Bull I was energised and dragging my friends with me to the dancefloor. Every corner of the room was packed with glowing psychedelic pictures, such as wizards surrounded by orbiting planets. It felt like being shot into the magical world of psychedelia with the speed of light.
What I like the most about psy trance parties is the vibe. You can always count on positive open-minded people. Such parties are usually dominated by free-spirits who are not afraid to express themselves in an unconventional way. It is exactly the world which I enjoy immersing myself in. From the free sweets and glow-sticks to the colourful decor and fabulous music, Psy-n-tific provided it all. DJs managed to awake the senses and desire to party in all those who came. Andy Harkin kicked off the party with some banging tunes, followed by talented Ped, Andi Leppard and Kito who built it up nicely from progressive to full-on. I danced till dawn when Mark Day wrapped things up beautifully.
It was a fabulous opening to the new year. If you never been to Psy-n-tific put it down in your clubbing diary as an absolute-must. It runs monthly, on the third Friday of every month. The next party takes place on 19th February – not to be missed!
After the party finished I had the pleasure of talking to Andy Workman aka Ped, the organisational brain behind the whole concept of Psy-n-tific.
Hi Ped, thank you for finding time to talk to me. First of all, could you please introduce yourself and tell us a bit about your background?
Well, let’s see! I’ve been in and around the clubbing scene in London since I moved here in 2002. I got my first decks in early 2003, played out for the first time in 2004 and have been fortunate enough to have been playing out pretty regularly ever since. I first dabbled with promoting with Ascendance at The Swan in Kingston, which ran from late 2006 until early 2008 and started Psy-n-tific in April 2009. My musical style has varied over the years through hard dance and trance before discovering psy-trance properly, but whichever style I’ve played, it’s always been of the uplifting variety.
How did you come up with the whole idea of the party Psy-n-tific? Can you take us to the very beginning and describe how and who started the whole process?
I was approached by my friend Nigel, who I’d been involved with for monthly Club 414 afterparty Sunrise with for quite a few years and was now also involved with running Union, which had recently changed hands and changed it’s name from Crash. They were looking at getting more nights put on in the club and he asked me if I would be interested in putting a psy-trance party on there. After going and having a look around the club, I decided to go ahead with the idea and Psy-n-tific was born!
How did you come up with the name?
I’d been releasing a number of mixes with titles using wordplay of ‘psy’ (i.e. Psygasmic) and thought I’d use that method when naming the party as well. I ended up going for Psy-n-tific as it ties in with an area I’ve got an interest in and could therefore have some fun with the theme when decorating the club.
What is the ideology behind Psy-n-tific?
I wouldn’t say there was an ideology as such, we just want people to come along and have a good night, whilst listening and dancing to some excellent music. As long as people are smiling whilst they’re there then it’s mission accomplished as far as I’m concerned.
Why don’t you charge for the entrance to Psy-n-tific?
I’ve never been looking to make money out of promoting and on the same note, I’ve never been prepared to risk money promoting either. I was happy promoting the night and sorting everything out, but didn’t want to get embroiled in the financial side of things at all, as worrying about this will have just added undue stress and taken the enjoyment out of what I was doing. I also felt that, in the current financial climate, a free party would have more appeal. Therefore the club allow me to use the venue (or strictly speaking half of the venue, as there is a completely separate promotion being held in the other half) free of charge and they take the money from the bar. Touch wood, so far this arrangement has proved successful and any costs that are incurred for each party aren’t massive and I’m happy to shoulder those myself to keep the party free.
What do you have to do in order to prepare each party?
Booking the DJs, creating the webflyers and posting the event in as many places as possible online is the first step. There’s no budget for flashy flyers, so everything is done through free promotional avenues and, hopefully, word of mouth is now playing a part as well. The idea is to let as many people as possible know about the party, but without the promotion being ‘in your face’ or irritating. Facebook, with our group on there, is particularly useful and both HarderFaster and Psymusic.co.uk have helped drum up interest in the parties as well.
On the actual night, myself and my wonderfully supportive girlfriend, Sarah, will get to the club about 9-ish in order to get the backdrops and other decorations up. In fairness, Sarah is often lumbered with the lions share of this as I’m running around trying to sort the equipment and sound out amongst other things. Once all of that is done and the sweets laid out upstairs, it’s time to grab a beer and start enjoying the night!
What can people expect when they come to one of your parties?
Excellent psychedelic music encapsulated in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere that will put a smile on your face. Other than buying drinks, there’s not a single cost involved and hopefully the fact we’re not trying to make money out of anybody and are in fact giving something for nothing, shines through and adds to the party vibe.
Who provides the decorations?
The decorations are all mine and were purchased through a guy I found on Ebay who imports them in from Indonesia. I’ve tried to select ones that fit in with the theme of the party, whilst at the same time adding colour to the dancefloor. The Psy-n-tific banner (to which I must thank Phil Lankester for designing the logo!) was painted by Sarah and we also pepper the upstairs area with lots of science related images printed out on A4 paper, which we hope will either confuse, inform, or just amuse our attendees.
What kind of audience do you want to reach out to with your parties?
Anybody who just wants to let their hair down and have a good time. I wouldn’t say there’s any particular demographic we’re aiming at, just easy going, fun loving people with a love for the music.
Is there any specific reason why you have chosen Union Club for your parties?
As already mentioned, the night was born out of Nigel’s involvement with Union and therefore I very much doubt it would ever have existed if we hadn’t been given that opportunity by the club. We’re just fortunate that the venue has excellent sound and lighting and is a great space to throw a party in.
How do you select your DJs?
I select the DJs according to the style of music I want at Psy-n-tific. The music policy is primarily uplifting psy-trance, but I do try and mix it up a little bit at each party to try and make sure there is variation in the styles throughout the night. Over the years, I’ve come to know a large number of very talented DJs and as such I’ve never been short of people to ask, although I’m always on the lookout for others who I think would add something to a Psy-n-tific night. Also, as it’s a free party, all of our DJs play for nothing more than a few free drinks, so I’m grateful to every single one of them that has played for us so far! Also special mention must go to our two bi-monthly residents, Mark Day and Marc Antoine who, as well as always playing cracking sets, have supported and helped out the night throughout, so a massive thanks to them!
What freebies are you giving away and why?
We’ve always got a couple of bowls full of sweets upstairs, an idea of Sarah’s that we have carried on with since the first party. It doesn’t cost much and helps give the message that, even though we’re a free party, we don’t take those who attend for granted. The last couple of parties have also seen us start giving out free glowy things to anybody who wants them, which always helps add a bit of colour to the dancefloor. On top of this, every now and then we will do a free CD giveaway as well.
How would you describe the last party on 15th January 2010?
You never know what to expect any month and January especially as most people have tightened their purse strings following the expense of the holiday season. So I was more than pleasantly surprised with the excellent turnout we had. The music was fantastic all night, from Andy Harkin getting the party going with some wonderful progressive grooves, Andi Leppard driving things on, Kito taking things to a more uplifting edge and Mark Day closing the night in style with a wonderfully energetic set. I might have played some tunes somewhere in the midst of all that as well.
If every party we hold in 2010 goes as well, I’ll be very happy, although hopefully they’ll keep getting better and better instead!
What surprises have you got for us in 2010?
I never get too far ahead of myself and only book a party or two in advance, so I can’t really say what to expect for the rest of 2010 other than more of the same with a bit more on top. It will be our first birthday in April though and I’m sure we’ll be mustering up a surprise or two for that, so keep your eyes peeled!
How would you like to improve Psy-n-tific in the future?
As I mentioned earlier, I have no inclination to get into the financial side of promoting, so I’m happy keeping things the way they are at the moment. I see the night as continually evolving – I’m always open to idea and we’ll constantly try and improve things in any way we can and also address any problems people might have had.
Thank you for your time and see you at the next party on 19th February.
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Photos courtesy of Agnes Klos and the HarderFaster archive. Not to be reproduced without permission.
Psy-n-tific!
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On:
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Friday 19th February 2010
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At:
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Union [map]
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From:
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10pm - 6am
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Cost:
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100% Free all night!!!
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Ticket Info:
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**Free Entry**
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More:
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After a fabulous opening party of 2010, we'll be keeping the quality at a high level for you going into February! Everything you have come to expect from Psy-n-tific will be there, from the free sweets and glowy things to the colourful decor and fantastic music. You'll struggle to find better value for money from a free party!
Tickling your aural pleasure spots this month will be:
System E:
Production duo Sysem E aren't just dab hands in the studio, they're also masters behind the decks as they have already proved at Psy-n-tific in the past! We welcome them back with open arms and impatient ears!
Conrad Bruce:
Due to play for us last year, Conrad unfortunately had to cancel then. But good things come to those who wait and we're pleased to announce he'll be making his Psy-n-tific debut in February. Resident and promoter for the Indeepen.dance parties, he knows a thing or two about what makes a good party and he'll be showing this off in his set.
Marc Antoine:
We're pleased to announce that Marc has recently been made a bi-monthly resident for Psy-n-tific and, with his first set for us as a resident, he'll be showing you exactly why we came to the decision to recruit his undeniable talents to the team!
Sarah Goodson:
Sarah did such a good job opening the party for us back in October, we've entrusted her with doing it again this month. With an eclectic and varied style, we have no doubt she will set the atmosphere for the rest of the night perfectly.
Ped:
Resident and promoter Ped will be unleashing his uplifting sounds on all and sundry once again. If you like your music energetic and happy then you can't go wrong here!
Join our Facebook group! for all the latest information.
Location of venue in Google Maps
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Flyer:
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Other Features By Agnes Klos:
Back2Basics - 10 Years of Party Productions & Tomorrowland Stage Hosts
Atmosphere Records - The opening of IBIZA 1936
Entering the world of Waldfrieden in Germany with DJoanna
Piracy is not a crime – sail away with Feestgedruis!
Progressive flavours with DJ R'Deem ahead of Neelix party
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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