DJ Clarkee

Early Days....by DJ Clarkee

I suppose it all started for me when I went to work in a sports shop in Northampton and it was there that I met the late great friend of mine, Murray Beetson (RIP) . We hung out, bought the tunes of the day and slowly but surely discovered the scene.

After an amazing holiday in Tenerife where we were introduced to tracks like Meltdown - Quartz, Raze-Break 4 love and Raps my Occupation - Shut up and Dance ....well, there was no stopping us.

I can still remember standing in that phone box, with a copy of Mixmag, ringing up 'Outer Limits' in Bletchley to see if they had night on. This was one of the first places we went, discovering DJ's like Picci (who owned World Beats in Wolverton and was one of the Criminal Minds) and 'Evil' Eddie Richards. It was probably early 89' and the music was incredible, the sets went from banging acid to house to hip hop to Balearic.Tunes such as Fingers Inc - Can you feel it, Steve Poindexter-Computer Madness and Lil louis - French Kiss never failed to bring the house down and we frequented this club many times before Murray got involved with ESP who were doing some parties at the Roadmender in Northampton, even while he was organizing the next night for ESP we were going out every weekend and went from rave to rave soaking up the vibe and getting sucked into a lifestyle which to say the least was mind-blowing.

Biology, (Racing round the M25 from Service Station to Service Station) TOP TUNES:- Meat Beat Manifesto - Radio Babylon, FPI Project - Everbody, Stakker- humanoid.

Helter Skelter,(Their first event was an outdoor extravaganza near Banbury with loads of acts flown over from the States) TOP TUNES:- KLF-What times is love, Fast Eddie and Q-Mental Cube.

Raindance, (From muddy Jenkins Lanes to the Ice Rinks and beyond) TOP TUNES:- N JOI-Malfunction , Sweet Dreams - nightmare mix, Reel2Reel - We are iE, Lost-Gonzo and Outthere-Friends of Mathew.

Hacienda, (Moody doorman but unbelievable tunes from Mike Pickering) TOP TUNES:- Orange Lemon, Frankie Knuckles - Your Love, Pink Noise-Gimme some more Energy.

Amnesia, (From the Sports Connection then to The Eclipse in Coventry) TOP TUNES:- Joey Beltram - Energy Flash, Mentazm, Epoch 90 - VLSI Heaven, SubSub-Space Face, Total Confusion-Homeboy/hippy/funky dred.

The Astoria, (Dancing on the tables till the lights came on at 6AM) TOP TUNES:- Richie Rich - Salsa House,Patti Day-Right before my Eyes,True Faith-Take me Away,Kathrine E - Im allright and Index- Give me a sign.

these were just a few places we went to in those heady days.

Then round about 1990 ish things stepped up a gear and I started Djing more and after another 2 holidays in Tenerife it was time for Murray to venture into a weekly night at the legendary Milwaukee's nr Wellingborough. Id always play the early sets and then check out what the other jocks were spinnin. Residents here included myself, Dougal, Mastersafe and Swannee. Favourite tunes back then :- Raging Rockers - Kounteract, The Prodigy-Android,Tranquilizer on Risin High, Toxic-Modular , Get Raw-Mendoza .Guests in those days were the likes of Carl Cox, Jumping Jack Frost, Frankie Valentine and Grooverider to name but a few. The music evolved.... we got more breaks, more techno a bit less house, but the atmosphere remained the same.

I can honestly say the ESP crowds back then were the most amazing I have ever experienced. Every tune new or familiar received the same raucous reception, we had the most outrageous Cerwin Vega Sound System, which was so loud when the bass kicked in on those Warp tunes you could feel your chest vibrate. It was hot, sweaty, and incredibly tribal. I made so many friends at that club, many of which I still see regularly, It truly was a time we all never will forget.
As MC Easyvibe once said..."Live the life you love, love the life you live".....................
Peace and Love DJ Clarkee.

Heaven on Earth / Dreamscape

So how did Dreamscape come about? People ask me from time to time. I can only give my account of the story (and with my tarnished memories that may not be too accurate!), however these times were a testament to a number of people Stacey, Max, Vanessa but above all Murray Beetson (RIP), and it is to them I apologise if I have got any facts wrong.
Before Murray had secured the Sanctuary in Milton Keynes for the Dreamscape events there was a period in which ESP/Supernova had outgrown Millwaukees, In these times we would hang out and listen to tunes, go partying and generally have a good laugh, however behind the scenes Murray was gaggin to promote bigger and better events.

Somewhere along the lines he hooked up with the guys from Weekend World who were a London based Promotions company headed by a geezer called Tarquin. They were also looking to expand and put on bigger and better parties, before we knew what had happened ESP/Weekend World presents HEAVEN ON EARTH was born!!