Thank you London!

Every year when the summer festival season ends things slow down to a crawl here. The few parties that do happen usually have the style of music that I no longer have a craving for. It's sad when the only reason why you go to a party is to socialize with people you don't really have tight friendships with. But there are always nice little exceptions that happen and make me remember the lovely summers I've been having these last couple of years. One of em was the Pitch Black party that happened about a month ago here. I've been wanting to write a proper review of it for a while now but just couldn't grab the time. I met up with a good friend before the party and started talking about how we just want to go out and dance to good music and not be bothered with facts like who's there or who isn't. We both got what we asked for...and then some. I loved their live so much that I bought two cds right afterwards.

That party managed to hold me for a long time but recently things have been rather hectic. Almost lost all my music when a 2Tb hard drive decided to crash on me, a few other too personal tragedies happened and on top of it I've had workers above my head fixing the roof of the building for a month now. It's been difficult to sleep properly and remain positive on the job. I kept looking at the calendar anxiously waiting for last weekend to get away from this shitstorm here.

The weekend trip to London was just what I needed, a bit of fresh air in my back to help me through this depressing time period. Things aren't really that bad here, I'm still adjusting to a different lifestyle but losing a lot of time that was previously dedicated to music on something I don't quite like as much. I flew in to London on a Friday afternoon, with the temperature and weather being exactly the same as in Zagreb. Sat on the tube and went straight to Simon Baring's place. It was actually really liberating to not be given a rockstar treatment and just figure out how to navigate the city on my own. Keep in mind that Zagreb is a lot smaller and I've never been to a city that's 3 times larger.

The first venue that I went to play in was the Minimal Mayhem party, it was supposed to be in a club but the location was changed to a squat. Coming in to the venue I felt really funny and nostalgic, it looked surprisingly similar to a party place where I went to for many years and where I first discovered psytrance. It's kinda silly to travel to another country then get to a party that feels just like home did 5-6 years ago. The mixer and overall setup left something to be desired for but in such a place I guess people don't have the same expectations as they would in a proper club. Was really hard to mix properly with such a setup. But overall I had a really nice time. Simon vs Casanueva live was incredible. Such a nice performance to both listen and look at. I'm just sorry that more people weren't around to see it. Had to miss a bit of Allaby's set as well as Gorgo since I got a ride back home and I wanted to see some of London the next day. Having another gig on the next day was also a huge factor.

So the next morning I took the Tube to Camden and walked to Inspiral. I don't believe I've ever seen so many people in one place. The street was packed so after meeting up with Ali and having a really nice meal there I went out with Robin to the British Museum, was a nice chance to see something unique and we took it. Inspiral is one of the nicest places I've ever been to, such a lovely and cozy atmosphere. Happy people and amazing food. So much attention to detail in everything you look at.

Being given a chance to play a set before and after Ott was a huge privilege and I'm very happy that the people enjoyed it. The place was packed full! After a bit of a nightmare with getting back to Robin's place I finally crashed and slept like a baby. In only 2 days I managed to see hear and do as much as I could and I'm really happy for it. As soon as I got back home I started looking for prices of plane tickets. I've really enjoyed London, more than any other city I've been to. There's so much more I'd like to say but it's getting really late and there's work to be done tomorrow. I actually had my graduation ceremony happen on the same date as the party, good thing too, I really didn't want to go there so this was the perfect excuse.

Thank you London, thanks to everyone I met there, it was really nice to renew the summer vibes we shared, we shall do this again soon oh yes! next stop a small gig in Zagreb and then Belgium! Almost through the damn winter!

ps. There's been some shifting regarding the booking agency, will have an updated logo and contact info soon

Posted on December 8th at 23:21 by Dovla Previous entry | Next entry