You want this party started right? The guvnors are back in town…
Welcome to DMCWORLD boys. Two Thames Valley boys who have been integral to the club scene in this area since the day dot. Let’s rewind before we talk about Sweet Sensation and talk about the clubs that you both started going to back in the day, the DJs you were jumping around to and the sort of tunes that were spilling out…
Ali: “Hi Dan, we are very excited about the next party, it’s looking so good. Well, we basically went to the same clubs as we both had the same musical tastes. Back then it was jazz funk and soul all the way, so we done all the major clubs such as Tots in Southend, the Pink Elephant in Southgate, The Goldmine down over in Canvey Island and the Hammersmith Palais which always rocked. DJs down at these places were people like Chris Hill, Froggy, Greg Edwards and Robbie Vincent…and as for the tunes, well they were dropping were dropping tracks like…
I Level – Minefield (lets Dance Together in Minefield)
D Train – Music
S.O.S. Band– Just Be Good To Me
Rufus & Chaka Khan – Ain’t Nobody
Booker Newberry III – Love Town
Proper tunes!”
Big up on the i Level tune! So, when did you two actually first meet – and Ali, what was your first impressions of Brandon?
“Well we first met at our local community youth club called Cuthberts in North Wembley. Even though Brandon is four years my junior, he stood out at the club as one of the best dancers I had seen. I remember him dancing with a white hankey hanging out of his back pocket copying as many of the Disco Dancing Champion Grant Santeno’s moves at the discos and clubs what we would go to. I can picture him now!”
And so you both shared a love of the same music…?
“Exactly! As we both lived only a few roads away from each other in Wembley and used to be in each others houses daily playing our Jazz funk and soul collection of records, we decided that we would start DJing together. So Brandon signed up for credit at Tandy’s and bought two belt driven decks amp and speakers whilst I rought an ex GPO yellow Austin Maestro to get us to and from gigs. Just may I add. It was funny actually how we come about finding the name for our mobile disco we were in my flat when whilst playing a Barry White track. The word Ecstasy was sung and we said, ‘well, that’s what we’ll call ourselves – ECSTACY DISCO’. Well needless to say…how ironic that name became some five years later.”
So tell us about the first DJing gig…
“Our very first DJing job was at our local pub the John Lyon in Sudbury. We had got down there one Friday night and asked where the DJ was? The landlord said he’s on holiday for two weeks. So we asked him if we could go and get our equipment and stand in. Well we did and we had our first residency as we packed out the pub every weekend, needless to say the DJ who took his holiday realized that it was the most costly holiday he ever had”
Love that! My first taste of clubbing in your area was Passion, Winkers, Full Monty and the Queen Mother Reservoir parties. That little area was a real hybrid of clubs around 1990 – it also brought through a whole host of then unknown DJs to become the sort of guys featured every month in Mixmag. What was it about the area back then and the people and clubs that did so well, was it purely the London connection?
“Yeah it was a little more that just a London thing because the core of all the majors club nights that was happening at the time had a massive core of West London followers – places like Ladbroke Grove, Wembley, Hayes, West Drayton, Slough, Uxbridge , Northolt and even Surrey with clubs like Flying, Boys Own, Full Circle and Fubar were all well supported by this loyal core of clubbers. There were many chances for some up and coming DJ’s who also made their names from being an early part of that west London clubbing core: Lofty, Clive Henry, Scott Braithwaite, Rocky & Diesel were some who served their clubbing apprentices there.”
Sweet Sensation takes place at Tantric Blue, an up market strip joint where the seminal Full Circle took place when the gaff was known as The Greyhound. Highlights for me include Robert Owens singing ‘Tears’, Andrew Weatherall and Danny Tenaglia in full flight and you Brandon…stuck in the rabbit hutch. What are some of your favourite memories of that little Sunday all day club?
Ali: “For me this place was like my home I was there every Sunday from the very first to the last Full Circle. I never knew what a Sunday roast was until we finished Full Circle and I had so many highlights. But the very first time Carl Cox played was amazing, the whole place was buzzing and when the night ended he had a 15 minute ovation. Carl was almost caught up in the emotion of it…”
Tell us about Tantric Blue, will we recognise the old place?
“Whilst the main structure of the building is still intact, there has obviously being some cosmetic changes to give it the clubbing feel. When we actually had a look around we just looked at each other, smiled and said oh my god this will go right off in here! But that was before we saw the upstairs! There is not one big room upstairs – there are 4 or 5 little booths that will make for an ideal third area where people can get lost in the hidey hole ha ha.”
A genius decision to bring the Faith crew in for May 26th, the marquee features DJs such as Danny Rampling, Rocky & Diesel and Terry Farley. A great addition to your party, why did you choose Faith?
“Faith was an easy choice for us as they are our good friends and co hosted the very first Sweet Sensation event at the Six Bells in Ruislip 3 years ago. But of course we still wanted that core of west London clubbers that follow both of our two clubbing promotions. And also, let’s not forget that Terry Farley and Stuart Patterson played the very first Full Circle at the Greyhound. It all made sense.”
Tell us about the music policy in the Sweet Sensation room and upstairs with Dean Thatcher, Lofty and yourself Ali…
Brandon: “Well Lofty and Dean are our residents and have hosted their own room at every event we have promoted, their room normally allows them to play some old jazz funk, soul and house classics which gives people a good alternative. Ali of course joins them playing much of the same.”
Okay Blocko – give us a Sweet Sensation Top 10 playlist…
“Well Dan there isn’t really a set theme that DJ’s must follow, but these will be played at some stage during the event…get ready…
Raze: Break 4 Love
Leftfield: Not Forgotten
Lil Louis: French Kiss
Dionne: Come Get My Lovin’
Bizarre Inc: Playing with Knives
Alison Limerick: Where Love Lives
Bassheads: Is There Anybody Out There
Ten City: That’s The Way Love Is
Nitro Deluxe: This Brutal House
Adeva/Paul Simpson: Musical Freedon
So Ali, great to see you back on the wheels of steel. Has Todd Terry got anything to be worried about?
“Ha ha. Well, I still have a passion for good music whether it be from my soul funk roots or love of house music, but nobody needs to be getting worried as I only play for friends or at our parties.”
Tell us about your crowd, there must have been A LOT of old faces from yesteryear – but also a lot of new people curious to what the buzz what was all about?
“The crowd is what makes our parties so special. We have a great following from people who started their clubbing journey with us back in the beginning during the mid to late 80s, so they are the ones who need enough time to organise the babysitters etc. and are now introducing us to their children. But there are a lot of new faces coming who have heard good things from friends who have attended our others events. So there is a good mixture – but above all, it is people who are not pretentious who enjoy the vibe, the music and life…”
What are your thoughts on UK clubbing in 2013 – for a decade it has been so quiet, now finally a new generation are coming through enjoying parties like yours…
“There is a new generation coming through, but to be honest Dan, if you are looking for quality music and clubs you really do have to look a bit harder to find ’em. If you are true to what you do and believe in, you will find them…”
And finally, Sweet Sensation was created as you were aware of the demand for a quality event in great venues with top end DJs. What are the plans after this Bank Holiday, where have you your eye on?
“We have been offered various venues but we will make sure that all the boxes have been ticked before commiting. Because we do parties every two or three months we can afford to take time to find the right venue. But what we can say is, watch out August Bank Holiday!”
