Fantazia The Legend Returns - Old Skool Richy

I first heard about ‘The Legend Returns’ on Scott Brown’s Evolution Records forum. You see many flyers for Rave/Hardcore/Old Skool events on the internet and think that they look like good events, but Fantazia’s ‘The Legend Returns’ immediately stuck out from the crowd. Both the PA & DJ line ups looked excellent with something for both the more recent hardcore ravers and the early 90’s old skool Rave scene ravers also. Although I hadn’t attended any sort of rave/hardcore event since 1996 I thought it could be an excellent night, possibly the ultimate event for reliving the memories of when the scene was at its peak in the early/mid 90’s.

Once speaking to some mates about the event we weren’t long in getting our tickets booked and making our travelling arrangements from Motherwell to Braehead. As I’m squeaky clean from alcohol or any substance at all these days I volunteered to take myself, HardcoreKyle, DangerDave & CrazyLegs to Fantazia in my car. I was really looking forward to the event but was also unsure of how much I would actually enjoy a rave/hardcore event 10 years on. I have never stopped listening to all my rave/hardcore CD’s but actually going along to an event left many questions as to whether or not I would still ‘feel at home’ at Fantazia.

I’ve been into the scene and it’s music since 1991. The days of listening to The Prodigy’s ‘Charly’, Human Resource’s ‘Dominator’ and Sonz of a Loop da Loop Era’s ‘Far Out’ don’t actually feel that long ago. Although I was only 12 years old in 1991, and none of my mates where vaguely interested in the Rave scene, I still had a taste for dance music at a young age. I was totally nieve to what the scene was about then – what tunes were big in the scene, that many events were illegal, police arrests and the drug taking.

But, even at 12 years old, I knew that The Prodigy, N-Joi & Altern-8 made totally different and original music that I loved! By 1993 & 1994 the Rave scene faded away and I started getting into the Scottish hardcore scene. I could afford the occasional 12” vinyl and started going to my local under 18’s at the weekend to see PA’s such as Ultra-Sonic, Q-Tex & QFX. I can still remember buying ‘The Big Bang’ at the S.E.C.C on video and wishing so much I had been about 5 years older so I could have went. Even once the Scottish scene collapsed in 1997, and I sold my 12” vinyl collection, I continued listening to dance music. I strayed away from dance clubs/events and started buying commercial House, Trance and Hard House CD’s. Like so many other people it was a natural progression to listen to this music, but Rave/Hardcore was where it all begun and the real memories were.

So, 2006. Fantazia. ‘The Legend Returns’. With so many good memories spanning over 15 years of loving dance music the four of us went to Braehead. I would find out if my first musical love still felt the same as all those years ago.

On arrival at Braehead we walked from the car park, through the shopping centre, to get to the entrance to the event. Walking through the shops with our white gloves and hi-visibility waistcoats on actually felt good! People out doing their Saturday afternoon shopping stopped to look at us, totally puzzled by our appearance. Who wants to be just part of the crowd when you can be part of an un-commercialised scene with music that you love. Wearing what I wanted without consideration for others opinions made me realise I still believed in the scene. Even after nearly 20 years of hard dance music in the UK people are still confused by the scene and what its followers are all about. It felt great!!! I was starting to feel at home in the middle of a shopping centre 2 hours before the doors even opened – I think it was at this point I started to realise how much I had missed the scene. It’s the breaking away from the mainstream and being involved in something that only those genuinely interested in understand that adds to the appeal.

After we had confirmed where the entrance to the event was we had some nourishing top quality imitation beef from McDonald’s then headed for the entrance once again. Except this time we would be off for the time of our lives! We joined the queue at about 5:30 pm. The queue grew pretty quickly and it wasn’t long before the Fantazia cameras were travelling along talking to everyone waiting outside in the queue. The people, atmosphere and organisation made you feel part of something so worthwhile.

About 5:55 pm a blast of slamming bass line came pounding from arena 2’s tent, the ever-growing queue of ravers erupted instantly! Dozens of ravers started dancing and jumping up and down, this was the start of the night for me. From this point onwards was the beginning of a 10-hour hardcore marathon that felt like 2 hours long at the most. Once we got past security and the innocent looking sniffer dogs the first tune I heard on entering the main arena was Ellis Dee’s ‘Rock to the Max’. I still remember that tune from the start of ‘The Big Bang’ video 13 years ago, one of my favourite old skool tunes. I felt like I had arrived home…..

Before reviewing specific PAs and DJs I want to try and sum up the atmosphere at the event, as this is what made it the excellent night that it was. I lost track of how many times I either shook the hand or just went mad with excitement with the person next to me every time one of my favourite tunes came on, the atmosphere was buzzing with friendliness and excitement!

Several times I was picked up of the ground by people I had just met when the bass kicked in, what an atmosphere! What stuck in my mind was even when you accidentally bumped into someone in the busy arena they just smiled, no problems at all. The sound system was spot on with hard thumping bass you could feel in your chest and it seemed as if everyone in the arena loved every minute of the night. Even sets by acts such as Rat Pack, who don’t always go down that well in Scotland, were well received by those who appreciated their style. You got the feeling that those who weren’t into their sound weren’t going to waste it for the ones that were – the way it should be.

Total hardcore/rave/oldskool heaven. Even at the beginning of the night, when it was still filling up, you could just tell that it was going to be a great night with everyone making the most of the night. The white suite and dust mask wearing oldskool crew and the deafening whistle posse added to the buzz in the main arena. Everyone was treating the night with the amount of enthusiasm that you would have if it were the last rave they would ever attend!

As for PAs and DJs they all gave it 100%. You could tell that they weren’t just there for the money; they were doing it for the love of the scene and to entertain the crowd of crazy ravers. With so many names on the line-up it’s hard to remember them all, but there were a few that stuck in my mind the most…..

Even with the main arena only about quarter full Hyperbass came on and gave their all. A PA mainly for the Scottish hard crew with some nice slower breakdowns to let you charge your batteries before the bass kicked in again. The crowd was rocking and it was a taster of how the hardcore PAs/DJs meant business at Fantazia. I think the Scottish crew appreciated the kilt wearing MC’ing skills of MC Korrupt and I still remember jumping about crazy when ‘I Became Hardcore’ came blasting out filling the arena. By the time Marc Smith came on I, and just about everyone else in the main arena, was ready for one of Scotland’s finest. It was an excellent set from Marc Smith giving the crowd something to go wild about. Not seen him since the days of buying vinyl from Notorious Vinyl on Union Street in Glasgow. It was great to hear the hard Marc Smith style and to see him in action again – one of my favourite sets of the night.

I clearly remember taking a seat at the back left hand side of the arena and looking down on everyone as he spun his last tune of the set. Some hard beats from The Prodigy was the perfect end to his set as it wound down the crowd while keeping it hard as nails to the very end. I distinctly remember DJ Slipmatt’s set. When Altern 8’s ‘Active 8’ came on to start his set the crowd went mad! The ‘come with me…’vocal and electronic ‘aa – aaa Active 8’ sample had everyone giving 100% on the dance floor and from then onwards it was oldskool heaven from the man I’ve wanted to hear live since I was at high school.

I remember Slipmatt spinning one of his ‘SMD’ tunes and you could hear all the old skool crew and whistle crew go mad with excitement – timeless tunage from the Slipmatt. When the MC announced the end of his set I couldn’t believe I’d heard the legendary DJ Slipmatt live – another box ticked on the things to do before I die list! Who can’t remember The Rhythmic State coming on stage??? If you can’t then you missed one of my moments of the night. ‘Soap On A Rope’ had the main arena bouncing up and down like no one else had managed all night! Pure energy and enthusiasm filled the arena, what Fantazia and raving is all about. Superb!!! I distinctly remember dancing to Shades of Rhythm’s ‘Extacy’. The memories that that song brings back for me are amazing! I felt like 12 years old again wishing I could go to a rave. But this time I was at a rave listening to Shades of Rhythm live so wishes coming true 15 years late were better than never at all in my book. How some tunes take you back.

When ‘The Sound of Eden’ came on I danced like a mad man, my whistle took a major beating on that song! I still remember accidentally blowing my whistle into some poor girls ear to ‘The Sound of Eden’, I fealt really bad about that but I was going totally mad by this point! I had never really heard of Top Buzz before January’s Fantazia event, sorry for probably offending the die-hard oldskool crew out there. But the more that I looked them up on the internet after the event the more I learned about them being big players back in the Rave scene.

Their set maybe wasn’t totally appreciated by all the Scottish crew but I was up there loving every second of their rough hard as nails breakbeats and pounding bass lines. The Oldskool crew and Ravers were done proud in my book by that set. I wasn’t there in the early 90’s to appreciate them then, but by what I heard at ‘The Legend Returns’ I wished I had been. What a night for live performances and DJ sets! Absolutely superb entertainment giving the crowd variety, top quality music and above all 100%!!! The only thing that could have made ‘The Legend Returns’ any better for me was if Gillian Tennant was still with Q-Tex and could have given the crowd ‘Power Of Love’ live. But those were the days of the The Big Bang in 1993, so it’s only fair that some members of some bands do move on through time.

The pressure is on for September to live up to the standard set at ‘the Legend Returns’. Hopefully Fantazia were only testing the water and this event will be, if possible, even better. There certainly is more marketing to promote the next event but hopefully this will only promote even more hardcore/oldskool lovers to come along rather than just attract troublemakers who don’t fully appreciate what the scene is all about. There were several comments on the Fantazia forum after ‘The Legend Returns’ saying that all the event did for some people was confirm the scene is truly dead. I do feel for these people as they can no longer experience their memories and great nights from the past.

Things have moved on to one extend or another so things aren’t exactly the same and never will be. With governmental policies and local councils hanging around in the backgrounds these days, the old skool Rave atmosphere has died to some extent but the music and the people who love it are still very much alive! Luckily for me the night did bring back memories and did take me back to when I was younger and the scene was booming. But if these are the best events we can get these days then all we can do is go along and enjoy it for was it is and make the most of it. I for one know I will go to ‘Into The Wonderland’ with the same enthusiasm as I had when I went to ‘The Legend returns’. And I’m sure I’ll feel right at home and be taken back in time all over again.....

OLD SKOOL RICHY

(First published on the Fantazia Forum)