Surprisingly got into this event after only queuing around 15 mins, top work. so in there for 10pm n had plenty of time to get ready for midnight so had a browse round after id dropped a new Yorker. after walking in the entrance straight in front was an egg wheel and to the right was the waltzers and dodgems although I didn't go on them.

Directly behind the egg wheel was the huge Raindance tent and to the left hand side was the bigbadhead tent. I thought id visit the Big Bad Head tent first as it was smaller than the Raindance tent. the bigbadhead tent seemed good but was lacking a little vibe and didn't seem to have much of a lighting display and also the sound was varying in volume. I waited til I started feeling the first pill till I dropped my second at around 11pm where then I made my way to the Raindance arena, WOW, this arena was really fuckin going for it, crazy lighting and strobes, the system bounced around the arena from stack to stack and was also crystal clear. I remember seeing hardcore general and his crew on stage all dressed in camouflage uniforms, he was also rocking the mic without spoiling the music and mixing. then the announcement came that it was time for the shades of rhythm p.a.

Seeing the lights hit them on the stage as the music started was unreal, a character in a huge bag/bubble stretching it in & out as though trying to get out. smashing out tunes like....ecstasy, sweet sensation, homicide and lies. then it was time for the DJ Rap who rocked the crowd with awesome tunes & mixin. after that I ventured into the bigbadhead arena once again only to be greeted with `is anybody in from London? well fuck off out we don't want you we only want..............` you know the rest  yes it was the almighty Top Buzz, this certainly livened the place up a bit, playing a classic set similar to the Fantazia set on the same night.

Mixing the hardcore, jungle techno & breaks along with Mc Mad P you know makes for something special and he didnt let anybody down. big up the Top Buzz as they totally changed that arena in one foul swoop. after listening to top buzz it was back to the Raindance arena which was absolutely rammed, round the outskirts of the tent was usual rude boys with a hat saying security on & I noticed every so often they would pull someone in and search them n rob them of their gear/money etc, it was obvious they was fake security so I kept my distance n headed in the quagmire that was ahead of me.  Check the time I thought, its 2am!! how the fuck did I miss midnight?!  Oh well best drop my 3rd new yorker n get on with the job of avin it

I don't remember who was on for the next couple of hours (this is a recurring problem, the hours of 2 til 5 seemed to blur at most raves ) the music being played just took me along its merry little journey until around 4:30am where things got a bit panicky for me with the 3rd new yorker having its wicked way with me along with the other 2!! so outside I went to try & sober up slightly. 5 minutes in the fresh air was enough as it was to serene outside for my head so I had to head back to the music so i at least blended in a bit. so i headed to the bigbadhead arena once again to gently bring myself to reality a little dancing to a live p.a. by manix then onto Phantasy & then dj nipper who was actually playing quite a hard set but seemed to go ok with the vibe i was on then the music stopped!! a girl had collapsed just in front of me, the mc shouted for the music to stop but left everybody wondering what was going on then he started shouting to make a gangway to get the girl out. fortunately i do know was ok after and she had had a fit due to the music/drugs etc.

Well that was the last thing I needed to see at a rave but it did help me sober up rather quickly and made realise I could comprehend reality if the need be so after all the comotion and people running backwards and forwards I decided to head to the Raindance tent to finish the night off. once again the Raindance arena was in full swing, unable to see who was dj`ing as the arena was so big and turntables were set up on the top of the stage with the dj mostly out of view. the sound system still crystal clear with its psycho-acoustic effects and visuals and the crowd rocking in total unison, this is were I lost myself amongst the mayhem of the crowd and vibe. Slipmatt & Lime being the last dj`s on the night (if my memory serves me right) with an uplifting set which the crowd totally loved, whistles, fog horns, shouts and screams could just be heard over the amazing sound system as it once again echoed around the arena.

Then with 8am approaching it was time for the last tune of the night, it being `the prodigy ~ your love`, being the last tune the crowd found the extra energy to make the earth move.

to put it in a nutshell, this shall be the most memorable night of my life (along with many others ) and full respect is due to Raindance & bigbadhead for a once in a lifetime experience.

by Foo