Throwing some change in the donation bucket, from the ground floor I entered a bar area. This being a recording studio, it had a proper functioning bar, that had been well decorated and turned into a chillout cafe, serving a wide range of soft drinks, booze and snacks - with chilled out tunes spun all night. Up the spraycan-art decorated, well-lit stairway lead to a large room with Dreadzone playing breakbeats of the funkier variety, and a carpeted room with OooPs! Sound System playing drum and bass.
Further on lead to a larger chillout room hosted by Ninja Tunes. Lots of rugs and plenty of space, there was a big soft mat towards the centre part of the room, on the wall adjacent to which a video projector screened carnival-like footage of the CJA demonstrations, as well as some trippy visuals.
It was clear that someone had put considerable thought and gone to some effort to create an interesting space in which to hold such a chilled out party. Every room was elaborately decorated, and the connecting corridors lit, mostly by UV flourescent tubes. There was running water, and for the middle of January, having such a warm, comfortable, resourced place instead of a freezing empty warehouse was nice.
The crowd generally respected the venue as they should, and the effort helped contribute to the fluffy atmosphere. It was nice to see so many different types of party people: crusties and squatters, drum and bass casuals, continental European student-types, Rastas and ravers all happily partying together.
The drum and bass room kept the dancing going all night, them even finding room to squeeze in a jungle set midway, and a few rave tunes toward the end of the night. From chatting to one of the organisers, the event had been put on as an after new-year party to get everyone together in a chilled setting, and future events will have the faster, banging music that the party seemed noticeable for its absence of.
This being an active residential squat, the party finished up quite promptly, with only the (by then snoozy) chillout bar remaining operative when I left at about 8:30 am to face a cold January morning outside. It had been nearly two years since I'd last gone to a London squat party, and this was an impressive return.
Spar
