31/10/2007
Whistle? Check. Horn? Check. Glowsticks? Check. Oh, I'm sorry, drum n bass seems to have moved on since my raving days of 1996. Good thing too as I'm not sure my –near-30-year-old pins can carry off the hotpants look so well anymore. I approached Hospitality at Heaven with slight trepidation, it having been a few years since I last ventured away from DnB on the sofa and explored DnB in a club. Would I come away feeling like I'm broaching OAPdom? Could I handle an all-nighter without a pocket full of disco biscuits? Would I even recognise any of the tunes?? Well it turned out that Hospital Records deserves it revered reputation...although not in my wildest dreams had a trip to heaven involved swimming in a sea of sweat.
With the likes of DJ Hype, High Contrast, London Elektricity and Fabio among the line-up - accompanied by MCs including Wrec and Stamina - it was highly unlikely this night would disappoint. High Contrast's set was, as per usual, a corker, with the crowd particularly loving absolutely banging remixes of Justice's 'We are your friends' and Daft Punk's 'Harder Stronger'. And a personal favourite of mine was also clearly a favourite for those on the other side of the decks, with Q Project, Fabio and High Contrast all slipping Chase & Status' 'Hurt You' into the mix.
DJ Hype's first event for Hospital also went down a treat, with the big man having clearly put some serious TLC into his allotted hour. Hype set the tone with an exhilarating mix of 'Together' from Logistics, and continued to lay down track after track of golden nuggets, providing the perfect background for Wrec to do his thing. As a huge fan of London Elektricity Live, I was delighted to see the Surrey-born lyricist looking and sounding as good in front of the decks as he does in front of an orchestra. But then I would say that: I'm female.
 There was one downside to the night, and it was a biggie: the heat. Heaven is in dire need of a major air con rehaul. With water bottles not even big enough to satisfy a small gibbon, and tap refills not allowed, the sauna that was Room 1 was verging on unbearable by midnight, and by the early hours had gone from sauna to steam room, tipping me over the edge. So off to Room 2, where Nottingham's mega-promoters Detonate had lined up Doc Scott, BBC 1xtra's Bailey, Dom & Roland and Metalheadz's Commix.
As expected, Doc Scott pulled dirty tune after tune out of the bag, although 'Shadow Boxing' was sorely missed. I guess times have changed after all. Commix was slick n sick, and all acts were accompanied by a sweet multilaser display that was  enough to remind me of my chemical romance of yesteryear but without actually inducing gurning.
Rooms 3 and 4 provided a much needed breather - from the heat and sweat if nothing else - with underground electro beats from Oslo's Todd Terje and DJ Gymbag, funky party tracks from The Doctor's Orders, and DMC champion Mr Thing doing his...errr...thing.
Hospitality supplied the ingredients for a perfect end to the summer festival season, and although the sun may have failed us for most of it you couldn't tell from looking at the smiling residents of Heaven. Hospitality attracts a mixed and friendly crowd, even if the guys kicking seven shades out of one poor laddie outside didn't agree.
Still, heat stroke aside, the night that marked my return to club land was nothing less than a complete success and reinstalled my desire to become a fully-fledged member of the party crew. Long live drum n bass. Amen. Now where are my slippers...?
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