Helter Skelter - Profile part 3

Helter Skelter profile part 2

The success of the double-arena parties prompted the Helter Skelter team to organise their biggest party to date - Energy '97 - The Carnival of Dance. The Energy '97 festival took place at Turweston Aerodrome in Northants (now the site of the Gatecrasher Summer Sound System festivals). This astronomical Helter Skelter outdoor festival sold out, attracting 18,000 revellers in all. Huge marquees featured genres of dance music ranging from Drum'n'Bass, to Techno, to House, to Hardcore. The night was clear, warm, and truly exciting.

To this day many individuals, who were of the youth generation then, still hold this event as one of their fondest memories of partying. Helter Skelter returned to the site of the Sanctuary to host the double-arena events that David had started hosting prior to Energy '97. The parties continued in their established pattern of success for another two and a half years, and then David and his wife Penny, and his event management team came to a decision to draw the Helter Skelter era to a close New Years Eve 1999, at the turn of the century. Their reasons were simple; the entire team was exhausted. David and Penny had worked solidly at running Helter Skelter for ten years. They and the team were at burn out point.

They had spent nearly every waking hour promoting, organising, creating innovative concepts, and inventing new aspects that could improve Helter Skelter events each and every time. They all sadly agreed that it was time to stop. The news was announced - and the reaction from the loyal Helter Skelter following was one of sadness and disbelief. The 'Millennium Jam' was the last event of this type. Helter Skelter was laid to rest, and no one, not even David, Penny, or the team, believed that Helter Skelter would return....

But after a year out spent recharging their batteries, David began to feel that he was to take up the challenge again, and resurrect the sleeping giant. The team reunited, and began working together again. New ideas and concepts began to flow from their refreshed creative minds, and Helter Skelter returned, with the come back event being hosted at the 5000 people capacity venue Bowlers, in Manchester, in association with the Northern dance music organisation Compulsion. The party was a hit success, selling out in a very short amount of time.

Helter Skelter also returned to the Sanctuary Music Arena in Milton Keynes, but this time with a new concept. David collaborated with the event management team from Club Sidewinder, and introduced specialist Drum'n'Bass events, which were later branded Accelerated Culture. Accelerated Culture has fast become one of the most renowned, a credible, Drum'n'Bass event entertainment brands in the United Kingdom. Not only have these world-class events featured the cream of Drum'n'Bass artists and djs, including Kosheen, Roni Size, Shy FX, Craze, Grooverider, Hype, and Fabio, they have become recognised by the super club industry also. Godskitchen, the major super club promoter, invited Helter Skelter and Sidewinder to host a 5000 people Accelerated Culture arena arena at their first Global Gathering festival, held in the summer of 2001. An Accelerated Culture arena has also been confirmed for Global Gathering 2002, due to the incredible success of last years arena.

Currently, Helter Skelter are hosting the majority of their Accelerated Culture events at the Sanctuary Music Arena. However, the latest development is that the Accelerated Culture super club is due to open at CODE, in Birmingham. CODE is the award winning super club which acts as home to Godskitchen. As well as Accelerated Culture events taking place at the Sanctuary, Helter Skelter have introduced a concept called Deja Vu.

Deja Vu is the identity for dedicated Helter Skelter Old Skool retro events. Each of these events is an authentic reproduction of what partying was about in the early days of the dance music scene. The djs and artists who perform at these events played out in the early days, and they kick out classic sounds that truly recapture the original atmosphere and euphoria of the past era. Helter Skelter will be touching down with Deja Vu for the first time ever on the Balearic sun drenched island of Ibiza.

The super club Es Paradis will play host to these classic Old Skool parties on Sundays, commencing the 30 June through to the closing party on the 8 September 2002. Accelerated Culture and Deja Vu events generally take place at what Helter Skelter term as super parties, together in Milton Keynes. The super parties are basically 2 events in one. The super parties are a new concept, a new style of party, which capture the best of the warehouse party atmosphere, whilst merging that with the glittering production of a world class superclub, and the vibrant fun of a festival. This could be the beginning of a new scene for a generation in search of new kicks. Let's wait and see....

Helter Skelter - it's history has been long and varied. To date nearly half a million people have attended the events which David, Penny and colleagues have hosted. The events have catered for a world of genres, and have featured DJs and artists from the Prodigy to Kosheen, Carl Cox to Judge Jules, Altern 8 to Slipmatt, Mark EG to Scorpio, to Grooverider and Hype. The future now looks bright. You too have the chance to experience this dance music legend. Do it!