Gatecrasher's 14th Birthday
22/9/07
Gatecrasher's 14th Birthday @ Magna
Review
Words by Liam Postlethwaite
Photos by Paul Underhill
Gatecrasher, a name that has become synonymous with the best club events in the world, landed to celebrate its 14th birthday at Magna, with Paul Van Dyk, Filo & Peri, Judge Jules, John OO Fleming, Matt Hardwick, Scott Bond, JFK, Riley and Durrant.
Following a difficult year in which the flagship venue – GC1 was destroyed by fire, this was a chance to forget the blaze and commemorate the Crasher birthday in style. It’s testament to high production values, immense DJ line ups and importantly, the support of clubbers who go to their events, that have helped maintain Gatecrasher’s success.
On approach to the venue you were immediately struck by the enormity of Magna. The skyline was filled with a vast building, towering over you with intimidating presence. A Science and Industry museum by day, tonight its steel walls were reverberating to the sounds of Gatecrasher. The main arena offered the sounds of now and Room 2, a reflection of yesteryear with Crasher Classics from past and present resident DJ’s.
After a short wait in the queue and a quick trip to the bar we headed straight for the main room. Opening out the industrial, expanse hits us; thousands of clubbers stretch the entire length of the ‘room’ – if you could call it that – it was more like an airport hanger in size. A gigantic lion takes precedence behind the Crasher DJ stage with graphic visual screens and an array of neon lights either side. Riley & Durrant were constructing a seismic set with deep, gritty bass-lines and snarling acidic stabs. Setting the groove with Calvertron & Tallaght – ‘Control Freak’, the sound-system rasped with layers of electronic bleeps, bubbling over a squelchy beat. This year’s huge release from one half of Deep Dish, Dubfire – ‘Roadkill’, got a great reception, its distinctive electro tones interwoven with a punchy beat. Having recently released the surprisingly varied artist album ‘Research & Development’ ,Riley & Durrant were using electro, tech and trance elements to great effect. ‘Experiment No.2’ Ft. Hauswerks is a quality slice of crisp production, with warm climbing synths that break to a heavy, robust beat. Enjoying the variation an early set allowed them they are beginning to develop a sound which the Gatecrasher crowd love:
"It was not the 1st time we had played at Magna so we knew the venue was going to be wicked, being decked out with Gatecrasher production though took it to another level making it arguably the best venue in the UK. The night filled up really quickly and by the end of our set the arena was pretty much full, we love playing the early sets as it give us the chance to experiment a bit more" Riley & Durrant
Filo & Peri were up next in the main room for an exclusive Gatecrasher debut. Performing for the first time in the north of England, their careers have been projected to new levels with the massive Vandit release, ‘The Anthem’. They have many acclaimed releases besides ‘The Anthem’ and delved into some of their more electro-tech style with the new release, Filo & Peri vs Serge Devant – Something Special. Continuing the theme, smooth vocals from, ‘Filo & Peri Ft. Vanessa Valentin – Inside of Me’ dropped in seductively before giving way to percussive stabs and a chugging low end. They were clearly enjoying their debut gig, and the crowd let them know it was Gatecrasher, providing a full-on atmosphere from the off. The biggest reception was of course saved for ‘The Anthem’, the chorus of which was belted out by the crowd!
After a short set from the New York duo, Matt Hardwick was up for the first of his two sets at Magna. The main room set offering a chance to hear Hardwick’s current selection of tracks, whilst his Classics set allowed us to hear some of his favourites as former resident of Gatecrasher. Ironically it was a classic track in the main arena that really set things off. The epic, ‘Sunspot’ by Armin Van Buuren and Airwave, with its orchestral strings and light, sun-drenched melody went down a treat. Bringing things back up to date, Matt dropped a few choice cuts on the Anjunabeats label such as, ‘Super 8 & DJ Tab – Suru’ – which has a melodic break before slamming back into a slab of bass–heavy electro. It sounded class on the huge sound-system, and the now charged crowd lapped up Hardwick’s style of dance-floor artillery.
By now an air of anticipation had built for the world’s number 1 DJ, Paul Van Dyk. As he launched into a tempest of Vandit beats, the lasers kicked into gear – firing a plethora of green light across Magna. His opening period delivered a barrage of beats, interspersed with powerful melodic breaks. The best reception was reserved for his known classics such as the 2007 updated ‘Nothing But You’ and the live remix of ‘For An Angel’ with delayed break-beats that ricochet over the rich, layered melody. PVD once again transcended beyond the regular DJ set, using new technology to create a seamless mix of crisp, energetic beats and resounding breakdowns. The bliss tones of Onova - Platitude provided a momentary interlude for a collective intake of breath, before PVD brought in a new bass-line with devastating effect. The classic, ‘Universal Nation’ from Push dropped to rapturous applause as did the timeless break in ‘Born Slippy’ which always creates an emotional response. At the other end of the spectrum, ‘Praiseworthy Tunes’, ‘Bulldozer’ and ‘Riff’ kept it full of filthy tech for those of that persuasion.
At this point we decided to check out Matt Hardwick in the classics room 2. Positioned on a terrace area suspended above the ground, it was tight for space but the atmosphere was amazing! After hearing a few cherished tunes from the past like ‘Sky Falls Down’ and ‘Flowtation’ we decided to venture back to the main room for the end of Van Dyk’s set. Finishing off as he had opened with an edit of his own ‘Let Go’ Ft. Rea Garvey, PVD’s sets have a sonorous quality that make him stand out, only to be complemented by his absolutely clinical mixing which rarely misses a beat.
Following PVD was the ever effervescent, Mr. Judge Jules, who was also playing in the Classics room. The birthday celebrations wouldn’t be complete without the DJ services of Jules who has a rich historic past with Gatecrasher. He knows exactly what makes the crowds get fired up, and did exactly that with a fierce selection from the likes of Richard Durand – ‘We’re Here To Rock’, Alex Kunnari – ‘Lifter’ and the new tune from Dave 202 – ‘Inside Outside’. The thick rolling bass from a new Fabio Stein cut typified his style; rising arpeggios build a dramatic wall of sound before the snare rolls back in to meet a thunderous bass-line. Jules’ set was full of energy and kept the main arena rocking, as we have come to expect from the former Crasher resident.
‘’What a night…. Magna is made for Crasher, and everyone I met is talking about the event as being one of the highlights of the year. Being asked to play two separate sets was a huge bonus and privilege’’ Judge Jules
During Jules’ set we went to catch Scott Bond in the Classics room, only to be disappointed that we couldn’t get in! Due to the capacity of the Classics room, a one in one out policy had to be adopted – meaning there was a large queue for entry. We decided to go back to the main room for JOOF’s closing set.
John OO Fleming, one of the scene’s most revered DJs’, is responsible for shaping the scene as we know it, with a career spanning over 20 years. A decade of that has seen JOOF at the Gatecrasher helm on many a memorable occasion. His closing sets for Crasher have been legendary and tonight was no different. Moving from thriving cuts from the like of Astral Projection and fellow Israelis, Infected Mushroom to the classic Crasher sound of Push – Strange World, JOOF manages to surprise you at any given moment. Dropping the warped prog-psy influences of Whirloop, through to the dark and twisted drone of the new Xerox & Illumination – Creature of The Night, the energy was seething like an untamed beast. His massive new rework in collaboration with Wizzy Noise - Cydonia goes down well, with its recognisable male vocal from the original by Muse. Closing his set with Infected Mushroom – Deeply Disturbed, John OO Fleming has undoubtedly delivered here again. The still packed main arena shows its appreciation for what has been a fitting and mammoth celebration for Gatecrasher’s 14th birthday.
