As the scene began to grow the authorities became concerned with the ‘problem’ this was having and soon the police shut down the illegal rave scene. It then became harder and harder for organisers to put on events with heavy punishments being issued. It soon became apparent that a legal approach had to be found if the scene was to continue.

In 1990 local DJ Stuart Banks and his brother David decided to do something about this and started the very first legal rave. Together they formed Groove II Promotions and introduced the now infamous ‘Eclipse’. This also paved the way for all night licensing for other raves in the area. As for Eclipse the venue was set, the Corn Exchange on Wheeler Street in the centre of Cambridge. With a capacity of around 1300 party peeps this was a well selected venue by any promoter. The Corn Exchange offered a huge dance floor covered in wood effect flooring with a massive stage at the front. On May 12th the first Eclipse was held. Groove II had totally transformed the Corn Exchange into the ultimate dance environment. Housing the best 30k turbo sound system available, there was no escape!!. This was accompanied by the ‘Orange’ laser companies best 7 watt blue green laser, complete with the best in giant visual spheres, arc light constructions, strobe flowers, golden scans, big 50 x 20 ft animation screens, huge uv backdrops and dance platforms with sexy dancers, as well as all the usual trimmings you would expect. The structure of this building automatically created a wicked atmosphere, with the front staging, platforms and sometimes the DJ’S would be in the middle of the room, for all to see and dance around. This added a ‘togetherness’ to the buzz of the place. Upstairs was a huge balcony that could be used to view the mayhem down below, as well as another room supplying the best in alternative and more progressive music.

When you entered the Corn Exchange itself, the foyer, also used as a ‘chill out’ zone, first greeted you. Here you could check out the stalls selling tapes, t-shirts, videos and other merchandise. A licensed bar, ice creams, hot and cold food where also on offer. As you pushed the big wooden doors into the main arena you were instantly hit by the incredible atmosphere this place had to offer. A pumping sound system with speakers all around prevented you from standing still. Top local resident DJ’s would warm the party up. They included the best in the business such as Pauly C, Jo Jo Rock, Gappa G, Doug Osbourn and of course Stuart Banks. It was here that Stuart gained a lot of recognition as a good DJ in the East Anglian region. As these masters helped create the buzz in would step the guest DJ’s to bring the party to boiling point. Carl Cox, Fabio and Grooverider, Evil (Eddie) Richards, Trevor Fung, the list is endless. With all this entertainment going on, time flew, and before you knew it 9 hours had passed and it was 6am. Home time!! ‘One more!’ was the cry from the wide awake club!!

Once the parties got established Groove II decided to expand their CV , taking Eclipse to various venues around East Anglia. These included Destiny at Clacton, Gorleston’s Ocean Rooms and The Lad’s Club in my home city Norwich. No expense was spared with production or entertainment, further enhancing Eclipse as a leading player on the scene. The introduction of ‘The Eclipse Outdoor Summer Dance Festival’ surpassed all of these. A gigantic marquee with over 22, 000 sq ft of dance floor was erected in a field at Ely, Cambridgeshire. This gave others in the UK the chance to experience the Eclipse. Once again production standards were set high. As well as 80k of sound and 20 watt argon lasers the festival also included large video screens inside and outside the tent, an outdoor cinema and a full fun fair. Twice this special event was staged. Once in July 1991, where Mr C took centre stage both on the decks and microphone. It was unbelievable, definitely on a par with other outdoor events staged at that time by the masters like Fantazia and Raindance. The second came the following summer of 1992. This again was held at Braham Farm in Ely. Once more a production few have bettered or even matched. During this time people began to hear more and more about Eclipse and Groove II Promotions. Soon the Corn Exchange became rammed and packed to full capacity, as this became the place to be once a month. For the next 3 years Eclipse continued to run monthly with each event betting the previous one in some way. High standards were set with production and entertainment. The DJ line up’s became heavier with more guests and the sound and lighting technology was constantly being increased. At the height of the scene Eclipse was in full flow putting on some outstanding parties. Tickets became hard to get, selling out almost instantly. Huge queues and a full car park soon became the norm.

In June 1993 the last Eclipse was held. With the scene changing and other reasons Groove II had decided to call it a day. To go out in style they drafted in the help of ESP Dreamscape. Dreamscape v Eclipse was born. This will go down as one of the best parties in history. The production was phenomenal, with only the best to come. As you would expect only top DJ’s graced this event including Ratty, Bukem and Conrad, Swane and all the others you would get with a Dreamscape event. East Anglia was in mourning after the finish of Eclipse. People saw it as a way of life and found it difficult to come to terms with its closure. With music at raves starting to split into two genres, house music going one way and hardcore/drum n bass going the other Eclipse had run it’s course and it was time for change.

In 1994 Groove II continued to put on the odd party at local clubs including ‘Hollywood’ in Ipswich, which was now run by David Banks. Stuart continued to DJ at various events and was involved in other projects. More recently he is resident at The Fez Club and Po Na Na, spinning the latest in funky house, both of which are in Cambridge.

Eclipse is a whole book in itself which will be remembered by hundreds for a long, long time. The memories of these raves will stay with me and I am glad to have been a part of them. History in the making!!

Daniel Graham. Ex-Hardcore Raver. Signing off.
 

Eclipse Eventography

Event Name: Eclipse.
Event Promoters: Groove II Promotions (David & Stuart Banks), Unit 6 , Coral Park Industrial Estate, Cambridge, CB1 3EA.

Event Venue: The Corn Exchange, Wheeler Street, Cambridge City Centre, CB2 3QB.
Venue Capacity: 1300 of East Anglia's Maddest Ravers!!!
Ticket Price: £11-18 + Booking Fee.
Running Times: Monthly from May 1990 to June 1993. Usually 9pm till 6am.
Main Room: Hardcore.
Resident D.J's: Stuart Banks, Gappa G, LTJ Bukem, Pauly C, Jo Jo Rock, Doug Osbourn, DJ Unity, Ian Stratton, Trimma, PH1, Mutley, Tony Ford, Lee Coombs, Treble D.

Regular Guest D.J's: Ray Keith, Phantasy, Ellis Dee, Slipmatt, Kenny Ken, Jumpin Jack Frost, Evil Eddie Richards, Carl Cox, Jam Master Jay, Swan'e, Fabio & Grooverider.

Resident M.C's: Ron Jon & Madness.
Guest M.C's: Daffy (Original Eclipse M.C.), Contagious, Conrad, Robbie Dee, Screech, Bassman, Jay J (SL2) & Funki C.

Level 2: Progressive & Alternative.
Resident & Guest D.J's: Brandon Block, Marc Bennett, SW1, Tim Biggs, Nicky Holloway, Chris Brown, Tony Petchell, Jools.

Sound & Lighting: Awesome 30k Turbo Sound, State of the art lazers, Usual array of flowering strobes, Pulse lights, Arclines and Roboscans.

Visual Entertainment: Full colour projectors with live video scratching, Large UV backdrops, Giant rotating cubes, Massive inflatables, Sexy on stage dancers.

Security: H Team (Firm but Friendly).
Key Events: May 12th 1990 (First Eclipse), May 11th 1991 (1st Birthday - 6am Licence Granted), Dec 31st 1991 (New Year Indoor Fireworks), Apr 25th 1992 ( Introduction of Open Stage), May 30th 1992 ( 2nd Birthday Bash - The Eclipse Laser Battle), 24th Oct 1992 ( Jo Jo Rock - First Female DJ), 15th May 1993 ( 3rd Anniversary), 19th June 1993 ( Dreamscape - Last Eclipse).

Eclipse Dream Team Line Up: (9-10) Pauly C (10-11) Jo Jo Rock (11-12) Kenny Ken (12-1) Unity (1-2) Mr C (2-3) Fabio & Grooverider - Back2Back (3-4) Gappa G (4-5) LTJ Bukem (5-6) Stuart Banks.
 

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