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Features
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| Introducing NEM3SI$’s new label Infinite Resistance! | | Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna |
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Bugged Out: Reviewed
Reported by Agnes Klos
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Submitted 21-10-09 12:59
As much a clubbing institution as you’ll ever find. Over the past 15 years of its existence. Bugged Out has service the musical needs of thousands of enthusiastic clubbers across the country. For their birthday celebrations they chose to set up shop at London’s Fire and correspondent Agnes Klos was on hand to help the celebrations go with a bang and (by chance) interview star DJ Hannah Holland!
As a girl who loves going out to gay clubs, Saturday 10th October was a very special night for me. I lost my virginity to Fire Club in Vauxhall, again. This time being dragged by my straight friends to a night called Bugged Out. It was to be a straight party but in my top favourite gay club so in the end I took a plunge and went. Prepare yourself for a hardcore ride and relive with me, all over again, my very first time in ‘straight Fire’.
From the beginning I was reluctant to go to Bugged Out, dominated all night by electro and techno tunes, as I am very much into house and psychedelic trance. But I decided to stay open-minded, I didn’t want to close myself off into a shell of only one specific type of music; I wanted to experience what really is out there and what straight crowd enjoy. Bugged Out turned out to be much more than I had ever expected and could ever imagine. I feel that I had developed music-wise only after that one night. My music horizons have actually expanded, with me being able to say proudly that now I get what fine electro, disco, techno and alternative is about.
It was a very exciting and special night but not only for me. Bugged Out was celebrating its 15th Birthday in a proper style. With around 1000 tickets sold before the event and a huge queue to the club, waiting to buy some more on the door, the party was set to be a success even before I entered the club. After finding my friends in the sheer crowd of revellers, I looked around and I could not believe it: only straight clubbers around me in a club which I had come to know only as gay. It was a funny and tingling feeling but it was good.
As I entered the main room, there was a buzz of people milling around and circulating with their drinks in their hands. The space was loaded to the hilt with punters who gave an impression of looking like geeks. There were flannel shirts, glasses with black frames, skinny jeans and even beards among guys. While the girls’ style was also laidback, even slightly shabby I would say: T-shirt, mostly trousers, cardigans (they didn’t last long as it got sizzling hot later on), messy hairdo, retro-punk-chic style. I really loved the fact that people appeared to be there for music rather than passing judgment on other people’s clothes, as it is the usual practice in some clubs. There were no dresses or high heels to be seen, just a pack of music-lovers ready to go mad on the dancefloor.
And did go crazy! No wonder when such names as Erol Alkan heated up the atmosphere in the main room, with the decks being taken over by Justin Robertson at 2.30am and later followed by a bass-driven set from Hannah Holland, playing alongside MC Chickaboo. Usually, I’ve found, straight people come across as very stiff on the dance floor compared with joyful and full-on dancing gay crowd. At many straight parties there are usually just a few revellers going crazy while the rest just move their arms slightly with the music. But not at Bugged Out! To my surprise, the whole main room was jumping and singing in accordance with music. As the crowd got more and more excited about each upcoming track, the vibe was seriously contagious, spreading like a summer breeze around the room.
A Columbian girl jumping happily next to me said: ‘I don’t know how but this music puts me in a similar state of mind like trance. Once I start moving I cannot stop, I just follow the flow. I haven’t left the dancefloor for three hours now. I wanted to go to toilet, for a drink and to smoke but I couldn’t leave – the music is too good and keeps calling me with each new track.’ My Aussie friend, Warwick said: ‘This music is insanely catchy. It is sick, sick music but I f***ing love it! Great banging tunes with wicked twists.’
Each room offered a different vibe, with the aim to please more than just one musical taste palette. If you wanted to rest from the full-on sounds of the main room you could always escape to room number four where some party classics and carefree gems were served by Dan Beaumont (Disco Bloodbath), Riotious Rockers, Work It! DJ’s and Johnno. To get there you had to pass through the second room with ravers dancing on the podium and then through the awe-inspiring Lightbox with LEDs filling in every inch of the wall, which must be seen to be believed!
Parties are supposed to surprise and bring a new element each time you go out. Bugged Out achieved it with grace. Despite huge queues to all five bars and the little fact of being squeezed on the dancefloor for most of the night, my friends and I had a whale of time. The only disappointment was the cancellation of the afterparty in the Lightbox. And of course it was an enormous pity to find out that The Chemical Brothers were booked for Bugged Out in Manchester, not London, on November 20th. Well, maybe next time.
I walked slowly out of the party, still in a haze of delight. Sitting down on one of the alfresco tables to rest my feet, to my utter astonishment a blonde girl with curly hair took a place next to me. I looked and looked again and could not believe it: It was Hannah Holland, who had just finished playing. So I got into talking and here is what I found out, exclusive for HarderFaster readers:
First of all I really need to know after hearing you play tonight – how have you become so good at DJing? What is your story?
Thank you for the compliment! I’ve been out in clubs since the age of 13 and got addicted to dance music straight away! I started playing with turntables and vinyl about 10 years ago; it was a good way to actually touch the music. I would always play for many hours at after parties at my house and soon the parties became quite legendary amongst friends. I started to play out at in bars and after hours’ clubs. Then Trailer Trash was looking for a resident, I started there and that’s really where it all began to escalate. Through Trailer Trash I really got into my own sound and the crowd was always amazing, so it was a perfect learning ground. Over the five year residency, I got to then play for other places like Fabric, Bugged Out and go on tour around the globe. A real dream come true!
How would you describe Bugged Out parties? What do you like about them?
Bugged Out is at the fore front of cutting edge dance music, they have a dedicated crowd, who really know their music. It's an honour to be part of the family!
Was it your first time playing in Fire and what do you think about the club?
The first time I played at Fire was last New Years Eve, for the Bugged Out/Trailer Trash party. It was one of my favourite gigs of the year. The club is so high tech and a lot of money has been spent on lighting, sound and the whole clubbing experience. It really pays off.
How would you define your style of playing?
I play a cross of techno/electro/house with a dirty London bass undertone - bouncy energy with a dark side!
You are running your own night ‘Batty Bass’. Could you tell us some more about this project?
Batty Bass started up as a collaboration between myself and Mama Shamone. The name of this night refers to music that makes your hips and ass move – anything with a filthy bassline. We wanted to do night with raw live energy and it was a chance for me to delve into my record collection and pull out other types of music. I’m influenced by dubstep, jungle, garage, deep house, jackin, baile funk and hardcore. Through the years we have programmed the set to take the crowd on a journey through bass from all the different types of genres. From that I do a podcast monthly called Batty Bass Radio, we have a record label and a clothing line from our art genius Alex Noble, who does all the visuals for the night.
How did you make a shift from DJing to production?
I got to a point a couple of years ago when I decided I wanted to have a go at making some tunes. I firstly got into the studio with some producers and learnt the ropes of production. The past year I have been working with Solo (Dirtybird) who is a technical geek, he has taught me so much. I’ve been lucky enough to remix some great people, Yo Majesty, Worthy and Yankee Zulu, Spektrum and others and have some of my own stuff out on Playtime Records and my own label.
What does your typical day involve?
I am either working on a track , buying music for my sets, making mixes, working on the label, sorting out the Batty Bass night or travelling somewhere to DJ, each day is different but will always concern a mixture of those things.
Have you already achieved everything in your career that you planned? Or maybe you still have some burning ambition to be fulfilled?
I have many ambitions burning inside! My next priority is to produce an album and some original stuff I can tour with.
What is your biggest addiction in life?
Music, it's as important as food to me.
Where do you see yourself in ten years time?
Still making and playing music. I would love to do a project with London teenagers, a label or such, there's so much undiscovered talent out there.
What other DJs said when asked: What does Bugged Out mean to you?
Friendship and a shared love of the absurdly fun, serious music not taken seriously, quality with tremendous shoes.
Justin Robertson – Main Room (Fire)
Making an unforgettable mark in the history of dance music; being respected by being a respecter; making and breaking a multitude of DJ's and acts through influence and enthusiasm; and having un-waverable endurance the face of many ups and downs and reincarnations oh and not to mention many a proper, fun, messy night out!
JoJo De Freq – Lightbox (Fire)
Quite a lot! Bugged was my favourite club night for about 8 years and now I’m a resident! It’s always at the forefront of current dance music and it has, by far, the best crowd in the world.
Matt Walsh – Lightbox (Fire)
I'm speechless. Best party in the world? I think so!!
Brodinski – Lightbox (Fire)
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Other Features By Agnes Klos:
Back2Basics - 10 Years of Party Productions & Tomorrowland Stage Hosts
Atmosphere Records - The opening of IBIZA 1936
Entering the world of Waldfrieden in Germany with DJoanna
Piracy is not a crime – sail away with Feestgedruis!
Progressive flavours with DJ R'Deem ahead of Neelix party
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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Comments:
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From: Daniel K on 30th Oct 2009 16:28.19
I wanted to go but the Queue was insane. Sounds like was amazing!
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