You’re with all your club/rave mates and you’ve all had an amazing night out. The DJ played to the crowd and your ‘collective’ were taken on a journey of emotion. It is 02:00 am and the lights have come on in the club (this is the 90’s) and you all look at each other bleary eyed and head on out… to the next club. There were options but you usually had a bit of a drive. The designated drivers that night motioned everyone to the cars and you set off. Will it be ‘The Eclipse’ in Coventry, or ‘Venue 44’ in Mansfield, or even ‘Quadrant Park in Liverpool? All catered for the hedonistic raver back in the 90’s and you were guaranteed a continuation of the journey with your raving gang. The journey to the club was accompanied with music from the latest ‘DJ mix tape’ and of course the best conversation that (in the morning) wouldn’t make any sense but you would remember them conversations for the rest of your life and will and do, frequently, pop up when you meet up again. It’s funny, how nights, or should I say ‘adventures’, always come back in conversation. It’s also funny how you never tire of hearing the same story. It’s that unique connection, and collection of emotions that united your troupe that is personal to you each and everyone of you. An unbreakable bond if you will.
It’s now 07:00 am. The chants of ‘ONE MORE’ have been met with the DJ clapping his hands and the club illuminating everyone with the brightest of lights. Bleary-eyed doesn’t cut it at this moment, but everyone is still smiling and hugging complete strangers. Some of your best mates were/are made at these events. Once more, you head out of the club and marvel at the vibrant ‘HDR’ images that the morning ‘golden hour’ presents to you. It’s a beautiful morning!
08:00 am and you’re all sitting in a motorway service station. Cups of tea all round, food is waved on, except for one of the throng who always has a full breakfast to the disgust and merriment of his cohorts. Thirty minutes later you’re outside, the sun is higher in the sky and you all meander back to the car laughing and talking about the funny moments previously. Skin up and you’re on the way to the designated dwelling to chill, talk shit, smoke a bifta and listen to the groups various tape mixes.
Now, of course, there will be various mixes throughout the morning / day, and we will cover these in future posts. Some mixes will be played to keep the party / vibe going, until eventually, nothing is left and everyone is flagging. At this moment, the ‘chill’ mix is placated into the tape-tray, brews handed out, three-skinner reefa’s (rocky, red seal, gold seal, black and sometimes northern lights) rolled with an embassy roach, and the play button is depressed..
It’s difficult to choose a definitive mix, but one which always hit the mark, particularly, for our ensemble, was the sublime ‘KLF – Chillout‘. Our DropTheBeat resident ‘Nick Sheldon’ has a mint original copy of this on vinyl, which apparently, is NOT for sale for sentimental reasons. The uniqueness, or should I say trail-blazing (ahead of its time) sound that this LP conveyed, is imitated and revered by many chillout records, and is also reflected in the price. Samples of Elvis are intermixed with trains, sheep, cowbells, and the sweeping strings of the justified ancients of mu-mu. It’s a cacophony of sound that you need to hear at the very least, ten times in your life. You will be lucky to find a mint copy under two hundred pounds (£200), but I tell you now… It’s worth every penny.
You can find this illustrious record on ebay HERE
This photo below is Nick Sheldon’s copy
