Back to basics is a weekly event held at the Music factory in Leeds city centre, and it has been host to about every top Dj in the western Hemisphere has had to offer. The Saturday we choose to go boasted a line up of some diversity including Fabi Paras, Paul ‘Trouble’ and the Jam MC’s.

After finding the place with surprising ease we were inside by 10:30. First impressions where a daunting place spread out over three floors and an array of stairways and corridors the like of which I’ve never seen in a UK club before. In an attempt to get acquainted with the layout as quickly as possible, I headed to the top floor from where I could work my way down. The top room was the chill out cum Jazzy/Funky room. It was very similar to the other two in size being quite long but not too wide with a dance floor at one end and a bar running down one side. The general ambiance was as you expect, laid back in the extreme with plenty of room to dance should you desire.

The middle room was more upbeat, its main focal point being the Dj booth, which had been cunningly built out of a lorry cab. There was a balcony over the somewhat small dance floor, and again a bar that ran away down one wall. I don’t remember seeing and dance platforms as such, although there was a small stage to one side of the Dj booth. The music was pretty damn good, with a mixture of happy and hard House. Downstairs, was different altogether. A mixture of Techno/ Acid provided a slightly intimidating feel to the room, with a few of the guys stripped to the waist and the dance floor was generally solid. I have to say it was probably the livest room of the lot, but I didn’t feel comfortable.

Around about a quarter past two the middle room started to fill up quite quickly. This was apparently due to the other rooms being closed, and it certainly helped to liven the place up. The music also picked up a notch going from good to very good and the last hour was undoubtedly the finest.

The design of the Music Factory, with its long rooms appears to me to make it harder for the DJ to build up a rapore with the crowd. No matter which room I was in, it seemed that the atmosphere seemed to evaporate when only half way down it. There were a very high proportion of people sat down and I’m sure that it wasn’t for the lack of good music or space on the dancefloors (perhaps there was some dodgy catatonic E’s kicking about, who knows?)

I have to confess that due to spending a couple of hours trying to suss out the layer of Back to Basics I never quite got to grips with which DJ was playing where and when. I think that it is probably an acquired taste, and I don’t feel properly qualified on the basis of one night to judge it.

Personally, I prefer more condensed clubs, but the fact that Back to Basics is still pulling them in after so long, and probably possesses more regulars than I’ve ever come across at one club before, is testament to the fact that they must be doing a lot right. If you’re looking for a club that stays open till 3:00 om, plays a wide variation of dance music and costs £8 to get into, then I’d advise you to check it out for yourselves.

Tim.