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what's going on?



I wasn't going to go to this, but 10.00pm came, I was in London and, well, its got to be done, hasn't it?

So I phoned the new partyline number (not the old United systems one) and got the location, it sounded easy enough and, according to the A-Z, should have been easy to find, so me and Paj set off.

We got to Brent Cross underground station around midnight and met up with a crowd of party people studying the A-Z, so off we went together. The route looked easy, but didn't make it clear that we had to cross two major roads, negotiating intersections not built with pedestrians in mind. Still, the thought that we'd always made it to the party kept us going and eventually we arrived at the road and heard the distant boomboomboom sound and ahead lay a boarded up building. This is it, we had arrived.

We're greeted at the door by a couple of friendly people collecting the three quid donation and in we go. This place is huge, but at around 12.30 it was quiet empty. Still, here we are, best go explore.

The first room - well cavern would be a better description - contained Pendulum, playing to themselves in a corner. Through some floppy plastic doors and another massive room with nothing in it. Off that room were the other systems, and Crossbones was aready kicking.

Things slowly pick up and by around 2.30 the place is rocking. The KCU started off with some banging techno, but then went for a D&B flavour, not my cup of tea so off I go to the Crossbones room. Crossbones have been getting a little slagging off from people I know, but I don't agree. I like their sound, mixing some nasty industrial noise with "uppy" dancy stuff.

At the back Skalleywags were doing a nice chill area, just didn't have enough time to spend in there though. Iffy were doing their jungle stuff and the Stinky Pink room was fun (ok, I can't remember what they were doing - things get confusing sometimes).

But eventually I wondered back into the Pendulum room. Oh wow. I've caught these guys a few times at parties, the room they did in the millennium bash was good, but this had a better atmosphere in my book. I think it was something to do with the venue, it looked right, a big warehouse building with a soundsystem in one corner, the vans parked up alongside and a bar in the other corner it looked like what it was. Pendulum have a nice sound as well, and they play nice pounding very dancable techno.

After a while its back to KDU who by now are drilling some holes in peoples minds with some nasty, noisey twisted stuff, not too good to dance to at one point but, well, I needed a chill so it was time to socialise for a while. Eventually we get back to the stuff to move to and off we go again.

Away from the music, the other big room which was empty now becomes the chill area, filling up with nicely munted people. Also full of munted people was a small office area at the back. In this room was a strange bit of equipment which kept everyone amused for ages, some kind of welding tool I think, but full of relays and odd things.

Back to Pendulum for daybreak followed by another session in KDU. Now its light and we can see the walls, out come the pens and the place gets decorated as usual. interestingly though, there was very little spray paint at this party.

I leave around midday as things are winding down.

In short, another nice party - a real one and how they should be, no "darkside", I didn't even see any dodgy geezers. This is what free parties should be all about.

Derek






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