Records - 1989



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borosix.co.uk → Rave History → 1989 → Page 05

 

 

 

May 8th – London: Centerforce FM

In the east-end of London, Centreforce FM becomes the first pirate radio station in the area to be totally dedicated to acid house music.

 

The station based near Goldfinger's Balfron Tower in Poplar, east London, is set up with a little help from Andy Swallow and his associates who were connected to Echo's nightclub in Bow, east London. Once again, Police "intelligence" and local gossip mongers had suggested that both Centreforce and Echo's are allegedly aligned to West Ham's firm, the ICF.

 

 

 

 

 

 

May 20th - Bedfordshire: Sunrise

Promoting the warehouse party ethos to it's extreme, Tony Colston-Hayter and Dave Roberts from Sunrise stayed out of town to organise "Sunrise 5000 - Once In A Blue Moon" in "requisitioned" aircraft hangar near Santa Pod raceway in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire.

 

When their guests purchased their tickets from ticket agents or records shops, the organisers also started to give out membership cards which gave the bearer merchandise discounts and membership to all their parties, thus making them "members only" affairs. By legally using this technical loophole on private land, the authorities are powerless to act so they set the wheels in motion for changes in the current law.

 

Upon arrival at the site in the early evening to set up, Sunrise's production crew discover that there are no usable toilets or electricity in their hangar. With a baying audience gathering in the distance and left with loads of dilemmas, the organisers only option was to take a very dangerous risk and ran a diesel generator [ with dodgy wiring ] next to a pile of old newspapers.

 

This party would also mark a pivotal point in the career of the up-and-coming Brighton DJ, Carl Cox. After hustling and receiving the Sunrise gig on the condition of her been the south coast ticket agents, Carl's girlfriend and would-be agent maxine is left out of the loop with the late timing of his breakthrough set.

 

On the morning after the successful night before, Carl seeked inspiration and set out to be the first in his field [ pardon ] to set up another record deck to play alongside the normal two deck configuration. After setting up the deck in mid-flow, the DJ would then leave fifteen-thousand clubbers spellbound as "III Dex" controlled three decks in the mix.

 

Boldly using a technique that had never been attempted before, Carl's jaw-dropping performance suddenly elevated the "new-comer" into the echelons of the pro DJ circuit.

 

 

 

May 20th – Paris: Pyramid

On the same night as Sunrise, Oakenfold and St. Paul from Spectrum and the Pure Organisation took to the road to host another chapter of "Pryamid". For this edition, Paul Oakenfold, Colin Faver and local DJ guide Laurent Garnier sailed across the channel to host the "Pyramid in Paris" travel party.

 

 

 

May 27th – London: Energy

Le Pirate, Taylor and Chambers from Karma promotions also aimed to be the best in their field as they debuted under their new guise of "Energy". The trio made their intentions for dominance known as went about spending an incredible amount of money on production for "Pushing Up The Power" at Westway Film Studios in Shepherds Bush, west London.

 

For their first major gathering of the year, the organisers and their production crew covered all the bases by decorating all four rooms with one laid out to look like an grecian temple and another arena they took the time to decorate the space to look like a set resembling Ridley Scott's "The Blade Runner".

 

Not stopping there, Karma promotion had booked twelve of London's top DJ's at the time and provided a level of production not seen before at any other gathering so far. Energy’s first footsteps onto the party scene attracted a capacity crowd of three-and-a-half-thousand guests who had witnessed a party that will still be talked about in years to come.

 

After Energy's first party, a lowly red Ford Sierra would provide the backdrop as it's other main use came into play. With the early morning sun clearing the horizon and everyone at the party not wanting this night to end, the organisers asked their attendees to meet up at Clapham Common in south London where this "speakerbox-on-wheels" took center stage to provide the sounds for an after-party on the common.

 

In all the years of owning the pub, the landlord of the nearby Windmill hadn't never seen anything like this spectacle of wide-eyed and hungry guests, randomly dancing in his car park and by lunchtime the majority of south London knew about this party - free raves on the common anybody?.

 

 

 

 

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