This is an article I have just sent to In The Mix. I'm hoping they publish it but I'm fearing it might be too long.
"Gatecrasher Review - From the Heart of a Crasherkid
- By Mona
I'd been planning my costume for months. I had it all worked out, I just had to buy the material and convince mum to make it for me. The first bit would be easy. Finally the night had arrived. Mother and I stayed up late one night putting the final touches on miss apple's and my costumes, On the night if April 23rd at The Maroubra Seals, we, would become Crasherkids
After a day of sitting in the hairdresser's getting hair dyed and styled (we went the whole hog, I had my hair bleached and dyed orange for the event) and occupying the waiting time by making candy bracelets to hand out, we were dressed, ready and off to collect friends who were also wearing matching apparel.
We didn't know where we were going. None of us had ever been there before. Once we were in the general vicinity we looked to the sky and saw two powerful searchlights circling the area about a kilometre away. We followed them and found ourselves able to park just around the corner from the Seals.
We entered the line up and didn't wait for long. We were subsequently amused by guys dressed up in white jumpsuits, from Sony Playstation, they were handing out water pistols. Once we got in we had to sign in, check in our coats and find a good chill out spot.
The next several hours were a blur for me. I will break it up and explain the three main sections of my night. The Dancefloor, the Chill Out, the Wandering.
I danced for 2 hours straight starting from about ½ an hour after we got there. What can I say? It was like another world down there. I started at the back, then finally made my way in to the centre, where it was hotter, sweatier and more intense than anywhere else I ventured that night. I absolutely loved it. I made some buddies (thanks to the guy who recognised me from Tweekin' for giving me lollipops, lifesavers, and buying me water! You're a star!).
I was almost ready to pike when Matt Hardwick's set started…then the lasers arrived. When the lasers came, there was a collective deep breath in from the crowd… and as the lasers descended upon our arms, faces and bodies, soaking us all in a fluorescent green glow, a cheer erupted from the crowd. It was not unlike anyone would hear when attending a live football match at Wembley Stadium. Arms were thrown a mile high into the air and everyone surrounding me (including myself) started jumping like maniacal beasts while thrashing our bodies around to the music. Exhilarating would be the word deemed most appropriate to my experience on the dancefloor in the first few ours of the night.
After about 2 hours of solid body thrashing and head tossing I adjourned to the Chill Out area near the ladies toilets, to meet-up with a fellow Bluelighter (www.bluelight.ru). Sweating like crazy and totally out of breath, we decided to go upstairs for a breather in the larger chill out room. This is how I spent my night, venturing in between the Chill Out room and the Dancefloor and my little Wanderings in between. My time in the Chill Out was spent chatting to friends, meeting new people and taking photos of strangers. Hi to all the people I met, I will be posting those photos to Bluelight very soon. Thanks also to the girl (I wont name you) who paid a compliment on my costume as soon as I walked through the door …you were lovely, a true gem, and your boyfriend was lovely too
.
My second trip to the dancefloor would have been the end of Matt Hardwick and the start ½ hour of Scoot Bond. I wasn't impressed. Hardwick played some really funky breaks at the beginning of his set and the sample from 'Wild Thing' was great. He played a Digweed type inspired tribally progressive house set, which graduated into some deep dark trance, Scott Bond played anthems, some of which I am sad to say, were quite the cheese. I danced for a bit longer to Scott Bond, went back to the Chill Out and hung with my friends and then decided to make a phone call.
On the return from my phone call, I met a few people chatted them for ages (I've nicknamed them the Happiness Couple) they made my night just that extra bit more enjoyable with the girl wishing be to be happy forever and to remember that it's the most important thing. A truly touching moment
On our departure, I was sure that I heard beXta banging away in the main room … so I ran away to the dancefloor and entered a room of dark, evil, heavy, slamming, squelchy trance. The DJ was PeeWee Ferris. I tried to name the genre - I came up with Industrial Trance (hehehe I should be writing the sticker labels for Reachin' Records in Darlinghurst). This trance is the kind of trance you don't get on cd's. Well if you can I certainly haven't found it. It steered away from the usual build you up and let you down, build you up and let you down trance that tends to override most Gatecrasher and other trance compilations. It was just hard and fast and very much like PeeWee's set at The Big Day Out. I'm surprised that such a little guy can push out such a big sound. Wow. Then it was time for me to get back to my friends. I had their cigarettes.
We hung around and chilled out for a while longer before deciding to head outside and down to the bach for a breather. How nice was the beach? A beautiful serene setting for a night full of craziness! After that expedition we decided to check out the Disco room for a bit of a less intense experience… by this stage it was emptied out and being cleaned up. Props to the clean-up staff at Maroubra Seals, you guys were tops! (they let us use the toilets on the top floor).
So back down we went, and I swore to myself that I would dance to beXta's set. After being to about 7 parties and club night's where she has been on the DJ line-up, I still have not danced to a set from her once. I sat down and listened to her set at the Gatecrasher in October when she totally rocked, but I was too tired to dance seeing as though I'd been out to Transmission the night before and completely missed her set from THAT night.
phew!
Anyway… I didn't end up seeing beXta..BUT I managed to snare a bit of a dance to one my all time favourite cheesy trance songs Out of The Blue - System F (or X?). I think it was Nik Fish who was playing it (can't be sure though) I dumped all my stuff on my friend and told her I'd meet her outside. It was my last dance, the first time I'd heard that track being played out in a club.
Outside of the club. I wandered down to the beach and took some morning sunrise shots of stragglers from Gatecrasher mingling awkwardly with early morning joggers. I left to go back to the car … not realising I had left my camera behind, I freaked out and had to run back when I noticed it missing. On my return I took a panoramic shot of the disarray of worn out and sweaty ravers and clubbers, with the Maroubra Seals sign proudly displayed in the background.
We met the guy with the BOGNOT 4 Wheel drive on the way and took a photo, but that's an entirely different story. We made our way back to our weekend chill out destination where we proceeded to chill - move on - chill - move on … until Monday afternoon when our final destination was the Royal Sydney Easter Show. A truly bizarre way to end my Easter 2000.
I have included some pictures of some of the people I met along the way. It was a truly great night. One of my best. It was a pleasant experience to say the least. There were some little annoyances, but overall they were outweighed by the positive overtones of the night.
Thanks Gatecrasher, the DJ's, the production team (especially those lasers - rainbow WTF???), Plastic, the Staff and my fellow Crasherkiddies! I only wish I had made a TUNE! Sign
Glad to have shared my night
Cheers,
Mona."
That was it. As soon as this is published I will post the direct URL to the location (assuming it 'does' get published) Otherwise check out In The Mix at this URL http://www.inthemix.com.au
Thanks if you've read this far!
Cheers,
mona.
------------------
"If music be the food of love, play on" W. Shakespeare
"Gatecrasher Review - From the Heart of a Crasherkid
I'd been planning my costume for months. I had it all worked out, I just had to buy the material and convince mum to make it for me. The first bit would be easy. Finally the night had arrived. Mother and I stayed up late one night putting the final touches on miss apple's and my costumes, On the night if April 23rd at The Maroubra Seals, we, would become Crasherkids
After a day of sitting in the hairdresser's getting hair dyed and styled (we went the whole hog, I had my hair bleached and dyed orange for the event) and occupying the waiting time by making candy bracelets to hand out, we were dressed, ready and off to collect friends who were also wearing matching apparel.
We didn't know where we were going. None of us had ever been there before. Once we were in the general vicinity we looked to the sky and saw two powerful searchlights circling the area about a kilometre away. We followed them and found ourselves able to park just around the corner from the Seals.
We entered the line up and didn't wait for long. We were subsequently amused by guys dressed up in white jumpsuits, from Sony Playstation, they were handing out water pistols. Once we got in we had to sign in, check in our coats and find a good chill out spot.
The next several hours were a blur for me. I will break it up and explain the three main sections of my night. The Dancefloor, the Chill Out, the Wandering.
I danced for 2 hours straight starting from about ½ an hour after we got there. What can I say? It was like another world down there. I started at the back, then finally made my way in to the centre, where it was hotter, sweatier and more intense than anywhere else I ventured that night. I absolutely loved it. I made some buddies (thanks to the guy who recognised me from Tweekin' for giving me lollipops, lifesavers, and buying me water! You're a star!).
I was almost ready to pike when Matt Hardwick's set started…then the lasers arrived. When the lasers came, there was a collective deep breath in from the crowd… and as the lasers descended upon our arms, faces and bodies, soaking us all in a fluorescent green glow, a cheer erupted from the crowd. It was not unlike anyone would hear when attending a live football match at Wembley Stadium. Arms were thrown a mile high into the air and everyone surrounding me (including myself) started jumping like maniacal beasts while thrashing our bodies around to the music. Exhilarating would be the word deemed most appropriate to my experience on the dancefloor in the first few ours of the night.
After about 2 hours of solid body thrashing and head tossing I adjourned to the Chill Out area near the ladies toilets, to meet-up with a fellow Bluelighter (www.bluelight.ru). Sweating like crazy and totally out of breath, we decided to go upstairs for a breather in the larger chill out room. This is how I spent my night, venturing in between the Chill Out room and the Dancefloor and my little Wanderings in between. My time in the Chill Out was spent chatting to friends, meeting new people and taking photos of strangers. Hi to all the people I met, I will be posting those photos to Bluelight very soon. Thanks also to the girl (I wont name you) who paid a compliment on my costume as soon as I walked through the door …you were lovely, a true gem, and your boyfriend was lovely too
My second trip to the dancefloor would have been the end of Matt Hardwick and the start ½ hour of Scoot Bond. I wasn't impressed. Hardwick played some really funky breaks at the beginning of his set and the sample from 'Wild Thing' was great. He played a Digweed type inspired tribally progressive house set, which graduated into some deep dark trance, Scott Bond played anthems, some of which I am sad to say, were quite the cheese. I danced for a bit longer to Scott Bond, went back to the Chill Out and hung with my friends and then decided to make a phone call.
On the return from my phone call, I met a few people chatted them for ages (I've nicknamed them the Happiness Couple) they made my night just that extra bit more enjoyable with the girl wishing be to be happy forever and to remember that it's the most important thing. A truly touching moment
On our departure, I was sure that I heard beXta banging away in the main room … so I ran away to the dancefloor and entered a room of dark, evil, heavy, slamming, squelchy trance. The DJ was PeeWee Ferris. I tried to name the genre - I came up with Industrial Trance (hehehe I should be writing the sticker labels for Reachin' Records in Darlinghurst). This trance is the kind of trance you don't get on cd's. Well if you can I certainly haven't found it. It steered away from the usual build you up and let you down, build you up and let you down trance that tends to override most Gatecrasher and other trance compilations. It was just hard and fast and very much like PeeWee's set at The Big Day Out. I'm surprised that such a little guy can push out such a big sound. Wow. Then it was time for me to get back to my friends. I had their cigarettes.
We hung around and chilled out for a while longer before deciding to head outside and down to the bach for a breather. How nice was the beach? A beautiful serene setting for a night full of craziness! After that expedition we decided to check out the Disco room for a bit of a less intense experience… by this stage it was emptied out and being cleaned up. Props to the clean-up staff at Maroubra Seals, you guys were tops! (they let us use the toilets on the top floor).
So back down we went, and I swore to myself that I would dance to beXta's set. After being to about 7 parties and club night's where she has been on the DJ line-up, I still have not danced to a set from her once. I sat down and listened to her set at the Gatecrasher in October when she totally rocked, but I was too tired to dance seeing as though I'd been out to Transmission the night before and completely missed her set from THAT night.
Anyway… I didn't end up seeing beXta..BUT I managed to snare a bit of a dance to one my all time favourite cheesy trance songs Out of The Blue - System F (or X?). I think it was Nik Fish who was playing it (can't be sure though) I dumped all my stuff on my friend and told her I'd meet her outside. It was my last dance, the first time I'd heard that track being played out in a club.
Outside of the club. I wandered down to the beach and took some morning sunrise shots of stragglers from Gatecrasher mingling awkwardly with early morning joggers. I left to go back to the car … not realising I had left my camera behind, I freaked out and had to run back when I noticed it missing. On my return I took a panoramic shot of the disarray of worn out and sweaty ravers and clubbers, with the Maroubra Seals sign proudly displayed in the background.
We met the guy with the BOGNOT 4 Wheel drive on the way and took a photo, but that's an entirely different story. We made our way back to our weekend chill out destination where we proceeded to chill - move on - chill - move on … until Monday afternoon when our final destination was the Royal Sydney Easter Show. A truly bizarre way to end my Easter 2000.
I have included some pictures of some of the people I met along the way. It was a truly great night. One of my best. It was a pleasant experience to say the least. There were some little annoyances, but overall they were outweighed by the positive overtones of the night.
Thanks Gatecrasher, the DJ's, the production team (especially those lasers - rainbow WTF???), Plastic, the Staff and my fellow Crasherkiddies! I only wish I had made a TUNE! Sign
Glad to have shared my night
Cheers,
Mona."
That was it. As soon as this is published I will post the direct URL to the location (assuming it 'does' get published) Otherwise check out In The Mix at this URL http://www.inthemix.com.au
Thanks if you've read this far!
Cheers,
mona.
------------------
"If music be the food of love, play on" W. Shakespeare
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