Belfast 12 - 1.5.2004

Hoovers, 303s, glowsticks, phat pants, soothers and old school hits. What more could you ask for- Not much..

So, having just moved to Melbourne from Toronto, Canada, I had never been to QBH. The venue was very nice, lots of open space and three rooms (+ lounge area), a nice spot for a party.. but it didn't bring back the "old school" feeling I once had.
Granted, nothing happens in warehouses or abandoned buildings anymore, and the venue was still kickin! The main floor was old school anthems making everyone shout in delight as they recognized tunes from their past mixing in. My anthem of the night was age of love - age of love. I know.. its not super old school and people still play it out.. but it was the setting. I felt like I was a raver again. If you were there, I have no doubt you felt the same way.

I also spent a little bit of time upstairs when they were playing older acid trance. Mind you the music wasn't that old, but still brought back memories of 94-97 (even some newer tracks thrown in for fun). Track of the night upstairs: BT- Remember. Ah yes, everyone was singing a lot as it was playing, such a nice atmosphere. Track I wanted to hear but didnt': De Donatis - The Sound. That track made 1996 for me. Downstairs had a small breaks/hip hop room which I wondered into on occasion.

I sat thinking about how the scene had changed. Long ago, there would be masses of people gathering in secret locations dancing all night to tracks you couldn't find anywhere else. Now the scene is so different. There are groups of people who still are all about the music, but its not like it was then. Now, our venues have evolved into clubs and for the most part, people are still there for the music. Perhaps it was the availability of it all. We're pretty well saturated. Maybe it's good for us. Maybe not. At any point, you have to accept the way things are.. and its not like its so bad. It's just different.

Belfast certainly attempted to bring back the old school sound. It was a more than decent effort. It was funny to see very young people there, seeing that they certainly weren't around back then - but I guess it's a way of educating new comers on the past and how things have evolved. This wasn't my first old school party and the ones I had attended in Toronto had been very different. Schedules were posted for each year and what time they were playing. It was quite nice to know that at 2am you could listen to an entire set of 1992 tracks etc.. perhaps its something that can be done at Belfast 13. All in all, the party was amazing. The vibe was there and I did get a flashback to my past. One thing.. I never got to hear Dominator. It is possible that it got dropped when I wasn't in the main room.. I'll never know. I would have killed to hear that on a giant system again.

What a great night. Amazing tunes. Great atmosphere. In retrospect, the scene may change, but our roots are deep and the music will always be in our souls. That's what really counts.
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