Soundclash @Docks

[ecstasy riot]

Ray Keith blew it up, but Dillinga just made me yawn, maybe it's because every song was a reload, maybe because the MC wouldn't stop, maybe because the venue? I have had the time of my life at the last two Soundclashes, but this one didn't do it for me.

meghin

 

[MoFo]

Even though we got there early, the lineups were still horrible. It was Smirnoff all over again. Coat-check was horrific. It must've taken about an hour.

And there was a lineup for the 19+ tent as well. Bought our drinks, downed them (because I heard Casino Royale and some other good tunes on the live feed) and went back in to dance.

Mystical and Lush were just awesome. So many tracks that I loved: "Bodyrock," "Casino Royale (remixed)", "Picture on the Wall" by Trinity, "Everyman" by DRS (remixed)...

And the breaks when we were in coat check were fucking wicked. Not sure who was spinning at about 12 or so but it made the wait as enjoyable as it could be.

The staff at the Dock's suck. The bartenders are always snotty and angry. We witnessed a few arguments and I talked to a worker who said that the staff are not usually accustomed to the rave crowd. Which is understandable but it doesn't mean they should be assholes.

I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing 15 year olds all sketched out and passing out on the floor. I know they're young but I'll have to say that the younger crowd was very low energy. I didn't see many people ripping the floor (like we used to, heh. There I said it). I'm not really that old but I can proudly say that I didn't stop much throughout the night. I only sat once in a span of 6 hours.

Anyway, personally, the techno was not welcomed by me. Dillinja was so boring (let's see how many reloads, rewinds and lighter massives we can put in one set). Ray Keith was great but the place was so rammed, every time there was a buildup, sure enough there was some doof in front of me pushing his/her way to the front or back.

It was SOOOOO packed. By the time I wanted another drink, it was last call. We got there at 12 and I only got to drink two drinks. Boooooo.

Czech was really disappointing in the beginning. I like retro but I think he goes overboard. It was definitely boring the younger crowd and wasn't doing too much for me either. Good thing his set sped up a bit and the real breaks came in (even though he does play the same tracks each time I see him). But by the end, even though I was in line for another half hour in coatcheck, his set was closing with a bang. And D-Monic (MUCH respect) certainly deserved to be on earlier. HE knows what breaks are.

Shout outs:
Ninjetta: got to dance with you for a little bit. Made my night.
pr0nstar: Next time, give me your VIP pass and I'll give you my heart. <-- hahahahahaha
Kul-Kat: my partner in crime for the night.

Air-Bag: not enough room for the frying pan styles. Booooo.
Gunark: SOOOOOOO cute. Always a pleasure. Next time, give me your VIP pass and I'll give you my heart. <---

CC: nice to see you. Call me when you come in town. I have to make up what I didn't drink tonight.
MBoy: saw you sittin' on the speaker but couldn't get to you.
Janiecakes and Ryan: did you guys leave early?
Vox: thanks for your energy. An inspiration.

Anyway, a good night though not amazing. I'm never going to an all ages thing again, that's for sure.

 

[air-bag]

GOODAAMIT.. RAY KEITH DESTROYED THE PLACE.
Soo hard.. soo good!!
Awesome mixing and track selection.. loved every second of his set.
The highlight for me was mixing some reeeeealy heavy bass track into up all nite. He mostly played big anthems but its understandable since it was a 3000 people rave and the easiest way to hype the crowd is by having them recognize every track you play.

omfg.. it was too packed to dance but i somehow managed to pull some of my burning sands moves and even invented a new dancing style called goatde.ns. Its based on burning sands but you jump like a goat every once in a while

It's really cool

Lush opened for ray keith and he was really good too.. i also liked Illfingas' set alot.

but man.. what teh %@$%#^@ is wrong with dillinja?! guy couldnt hold one mix! Well he is a producer but still.. he could train on his djing skills at list a lil bit!!

Checked out the breaks room while dillinja was spinning. good stuff. not too packed. kept me going for a while.

all in all - SIcKKK nITE!1!! I'm happy i went

 

[~NoCo~]

okay, i'll post my review later, i just need something anwsered right now...
what was the first track that czech spun??
i'm pretty sure it was a song from the 80's or something....
i can't remember what it was and it's been driving me completely crazy all morning...
okay, gotta go to work now...

~ShaRyn~

 

[funky_citrus]

Can someone please tell me this...Did Funk even show up? If he did, whats the verdict?

~Leslie~ Anxiously waiting for Bittersweet

 

[Aphrodite]

booooo all ages.

it's all about Bittersweet! 19+ BO!

 

[Tricky kid]

were there lots of new d&b dub plates?? any new dillinja tracks??

how was the sound?? in terms of loudness, quality etc.

Tricky

 

[KillaLadY]

OH MY GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAWD! My head is still spinning... I celebrated my b-day last night and I must say, I was totally DRUNK!

Thanks Ian for the b-day present, I will make sure to wear it next time we meet again.

Representing DA DOGGY STYLE!!!!

I was happy to see John and Hamilton Crew there as well, although I didn't chill with you guys... I was all over the place. Ray Keith WAS SICK SICK SICK SICK and Dilinja...
I am still drunk, so I am going to go back to sleep.
Happy b-day to me!!!

 

[alexd]

I arrived late and had no problems getting in (had made arrangements in advance). Made straight for the stage to get some crowd shots. Got hassled and manhandled by the doormen inside the venue who seemed to be keeping everybody, except little hoochie girls, onstage (VIP pass was meaningless). Left the venue without taking my camera out of the bag.

Out $20 in cab fare. Should have stayed at home.

 

[pr0nstar]

Well, Well, Well... my 1st actual rave in a while.

Now I know what I don't like about raves...
Especially big ones at the docks.
Too packed! It was ridiculous last night. And even though I had a VIP pass for Media pics, I still didn't get on the Front Stage at all that night, due to the security being assholes. I even witnessed a promoter and a few DJs waiting to get on stage.
O well, security sucked. Not the promoters fault. But would of been nice to get some nice shots during Dilinja & Keith.

The backroom was pumping most of the night... when I got in Kamikaze was just starting up, thanks to the hour in Coat check. Another reason I hate partying in the winter. Kamikaze played a lot of Chicago Hard House mixed with Booty and Hard Tech.. just the way I love it and the way I spin it. Couldn't of been happier.
After Kamikaze was down, Funk stepped up on the Decks. He was doing a better job Technically on the mixer this time around. He wrecked a few, but the man is the Booty Master.

During these two sets I spent a bit wandering around trying to get on Stage for Dilinja & Keith with no avail. But the front room was too packed for my liking, but the energy up there didn't stop. Was kind of upset to see some people on the floor around pilars very early I must say.
But the music didn't stop in the front room and the vibe just kept going.

After Funk John E was supposed to go on, But wasn't around, since Funk decided to go on a half hour early. So Kamikaze came back on for a short Hard Banging Techno set, my favourite set of the night by far, wish it would of been longer. John E finally showed up and threw down a great set. Very energetic and some great track selection IMO. Kept the crowd going.
Up next was Czech and I was not impressed at all. It was very, very, very boring and I was reminded of some bad 80s tunes and what was supposed to be breaks. I like it funky but this wasn't doing it for me at all.
I adventured back into the Jungle room, and Dilinja was still keeping the crowd going and the locals were not disappointing at all.

Decided to grab my coat during the end of Czech's set and get out of there... I was tired and falling asleep

Overall a great party musically, but the Venue I prefer as a one room party which never really happens. Last time I was there for one room was for Area One. And it was great...

Really nice meeting and seeing some people again.

Ninjetta - Lost you for most of the night hon

Sunny - Great running into you later, I needed someone to talk to, I was gonna fall asleep

Gunark - Nice to meet ya...
Mboy - Stop following me around to parties

Tella - Nice to finally talk to you, you snob

stir-fry - Geek!
CC - Thanks for the pre-pinting and the PS2 games

Welcome back anytime.
Erynn - Lawn Chairs in front of the stage? LOL

And to all the others I missed... it was great meeting ya.

Pics will be up on http://Groove.ca in the near future.

pr0nstar

 

[Shadrach]

^^^ OUCH!!!

AA>>

 

[Redout]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Aphrodite:
booooo all ages.

it's all about Bittersweet! 19+ BO!</font>

sooooo tru..... omg I can't wait...

Redout

 

[janiecakes]

what a garbage party.

i'm never going to another empire shindig ever again.

 

[G-FrEsH]

That was actually a decent party..
THey couldve eased up on the BOOTY alittle.
JOHN E was amazin, like how even through in sum good ol house music ..
i haven't dance literally allnite (as soon as the breaks were on.) since the syndicate days...
Czechs first track really got to me..
it gave me goose bumps.. i loved it..
i want it... !!

i wish i couldve stayed for the whole thing..
i couldve dun it this time too...
but good party...
BItterSweeT ???

DAve.....

 

[Platti Jay]

Ok, Here is my review.

First of all I just want to say that this was my first “rave” since WEMF three years ago, and I must add that the scene has really changed from what it’s use to be in the past.

Ray Keith rocked by playing all those nice dubs that Toronto DJ’s lack off.
It was truly remarkable to hear great tunes such as; LK, Karma, Metro-Sound, and yet ANOTHER Terrorist remix. But, where the heck was the Pac-man remix when you’re really itching for it? Also on smaller note, this was the same set that Ray Keith played at the Drum & Bass Arena NYE party in the UK. It was still a crowd pleaser for those who haven’t heard it yet.

Dillinja? What a boring set. Don’t blame him though. When you’re paying that $40 for your ticket you have to accept the fact that you’re only going to hear a full set full of his own tracks. Empire’s “Dillinja” sound system approved? Ha. Do yourself a favour and go to London when Dillinja’s playing on the real Valve Sound System. You will completely forget about the Empire party. Dillinja had boring plates at the moment. When I was in London last May, he was promoting his Cybotron LP + Valve Sound System, therefore you knew you got your money’s worth.

Toronto, don’t feel bad.

About the whole party, Empire should really organize themselves and cut down on all those line-ups. Line-up to get in, line-up for coat check, and another line up to get drinks. Please subtract 2 hours of your valuable lifetime.

I don’t know what scares me the most. Seeing two thirteen year-old kids up on the stage or seeing a fucked up junglette swinging her towel and hitting everyone in the eyes. I wanted to grab that towel and throw it out and call those two kids moms and tell them they are at a rave. Kids, please stay at home and watch SNL.

Overall, I had a great time but I think I’ll just stick to mp3’s if I want to hear some live sets.

Platti J

 

[terrawrist III]

I had fun

i think when you go to a party like this you have to expect those things to happen:little girls hooched out(16+ and it's valentines!)packed to shit!(dillinja and ray keith,soundclash!!)and the reloads(it's a jungle party!)

stop whining everybody, you really should not have expected ANYTHING else!

for the most part it was great,let's sum it up:

pros:ray keith tore the fuck out of the place pretty early(a modest 1AM),it was nice to attend a BIG party for a change,you cant deny the fact that seeing loads of people dance and having a great time doesnt in turn get you going!,the ladies were looking good last night,I think the valentines theme had something to do with it!,the set up was great,inside the ring,showing tyson fights and sonic...very agressive visuals for the night!

cons:i can see why dillinja Dj's about 6 times a year...and for shit sakes,drop something other than your signature sound,dont know how many were your tunes,but it leaves you really wanting to hear an ed rush track!,very very packed...at the front you can barely move,although some of those jungle jams at the NEWZ were even more rammed!,sick of hearing the same shit played...bodyrock can DIE!

this party was huge...my first in a while...since three day...so take it for what it's worth...don't analyze it,I said it all night...I really wish that that it was dillinja and ray keith at system soundbar for 500 people...but you cant have it that way anymore!

 

[MoFo]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by pr0nstar:



Sunny - Great running into you later, I needed someone to talk to, I was gonna fall asleep

pr0nstar</font>

Could it be? Kenny said something actually nice to me? I'm going to look out my office window now and see if there's any pigs in the sky.

I wasn't falling asleep but your faces always entertain me Kenny. It's not like I could've relied on the set to entertain me, heh.

 

[MoFo]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by terrawrist III:


I really wish that that it was dillinja and ray keith at system soundbar for 500 people...but you cant have it that way anymore!</font>

Why not?

 

[Dr. Grinch]

What a bunch of fucking whiners there ar eon this board..

"Wah Wah! I had to stand in line for coat check" Solution: Leave your coat in the fucking car. The line up outside only took ten minutes to get in.

"Wah Wah! I had to stand in line for 19+"
Tough shit, at least it was organized well enough that you people who feel you have to get wrecked to have a good time COULD drink, unlike the Big Bud Jams at the docks where there's been NO 19+, or they stick shitty Happy Hardcore in the 19+ area.

"Wah Wah! It was too crowded"
Helloooooo.. McFly... it's a fucking Rave, not a poetry reading. And you've got two of the top UK jungle DJ's in the world. Expect the place to be rammed. At three o'clock the place EMPTIED and there was plenty of room to dance. Probably when all you whiners went home..

"Wah Wah! Too many underage kids"
I'm presuming you can read, but stop me if I'm wrong. The flyer did say ALL AGES in big letters on it. You should know that an event like that would draw a lot of kiddies. True, I don't like seeing them all cracked out, but again, Rave, not poetry reading.

People need to STFU with the bitching and give some respect to the people who put together what I would call the best Jungle party to hit Toronto in a long time. Best lineup, awesome idea having the tented 19+ area, pretty good soundsystem, and overall, a wicked night. Much respect to Ruckus, and all of the Empire and TOV crew for organizing such a wicked night. Any of the real heads out there probably had a blast like I did.

 

[Guest]

^^^^

respect to you my friend.

you are a true head

 

[kul-kat]

i think my expectations for the music at this party were too high, and that always leads to disappointment. i've heard a lot of people say they thought the music was great, but the last time i heard ray keith and czech, they both rocked my world. hence, i don't think i would have been completely satisfied unless the floor split open and the bass shook the centre of the universe (or some shit like that). i would've liked it if ray keith put down some more interesting bass lines; dillinja's set was slow (but that was expected) (but it did get a lot faster in the last 1/2 hour) ; czech couldn't get me to stay in the breaks room for more than 10 min. for me, it was the locals who did it last night. bigup t-dot talent!!!
now, i could continue on about the venue and set up, but then you would all think i was just a bratty whiner.

overall, a fun night, but definitely not one of the best ones i've had.

mofo and air-bag ... my junglist troops ... we have to do that again (come to bittersweet!!!!!!!!!!!

) (jaspin, what happened to you????)
nice meeting janiecakes, vox, gunark, and others.
for the rest of the tbk that was there, sorry we missed each other. perhaps another night, i'm sure there will be many.

 

[janiecakes]

kulkat, it was fun meeting you too!

dr. grinch, you're an idiot.

 

[bucky]

wow... my review is quite different..

I had an awesome time at the party last night!! Yea it was packed, but I never seemed to have a problem finding a place to dance or hang out, I even thought it was kind of nice to see so many people out at a party again. Got there around 11:30 and got right in no problem quite quickly.. Marty Mcfly was spinnin a great set when we got in, listened to that, caught the beginnin of Kamikaze then headed to the bar. The outside 19+ was nice and needed for the amount of drinkers, I had no issues with the bartenders, just had some patience and got served quickly. Dj Funk was up next and didn't disappoint, John E spun a great set, I enjoyed Czech lots and D-Monic did just as well.. I tried to go into the jungle room, but just couldn't get into it - probably because I was having too much fun with the booty then breaks.. props to the Empire crew, wicked party in my opinion! Music was great all night, good friends, and what probably the night even better was seeing a bunch of friends I havn't seen in a while that I used to hang out with all the time!

funfunfun!

 

[ecstasy riot]

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Originally posted by Dr. Grinch:
At three o'clock the place EMPTIED and there was plenty of room to dance. Probably when all you whiners went home..

Any of the real heads out there probably had a blast like I did.</font>

I don't think so, I was there way past 3am and it was still so crowded. I dunno, but I go to a party to dance to to be pushed around in a "rave"pit.

And real heads had a blast? RRRight. Cos real heads know where it's at right?

And if you read the review most of the complaints where about the music, which true enough Empire has no control over. It's just shitty that Dj's get so lazy they don't even mix tracks, and for that they play all the tracks I have heard so many times. My beef is that I can listen to my records and mp3's for the tracks. I come to see a Dj to dance yes, but more importantly to hear his skills.

I don't know anyone who could say Dillinja played a good set, and he used to be my fave producer, but he hardly played any of his tunes, from what I heard, and they were all intercepted with "When I say rewind, you say reload" and just complete stops.

 

[CC]

the party was what i expected. dillinja had tons of tunes; some i liked, some i didn't. ray keith was pretty good, but i was hoping to hear more new material. too many rewinds as well. overall the music was pretty good. i can't complain.

the 19+ areas were such a pain in the ass. and what was with drinks being $6?! that's fuckin stupid.

the night was fun, but there were a lot of hassles and it cost a fortune betweens cabs, tickets, coat check and $6 drinks.

the other great thing was seeing so many people i rarely see. most of my friends from the jungle scene were out. and there were a few tribers that i ran into. total appologies as i didn't get to talk to anyone very long. i was kind of drunk and my friends i came with and i were constantly battling the crowds to get back on forth to the drinking area.

pornstar - pleasure to play race car games on that huge tv. i will be by there sometime soon
mofo - didn't get to talk to you that long, but it was nice to see you again. we'll make plans to get trashed sometime soon
tella - saw you for about 2 seconds while i was fighting to go get drinks. hopefully i get to talk to you sometime soon
airbag - haven't seen you in a long time now
ninjetta - it was cool to hang out with you in coat check and then lose you for the rest of the party
madhatter - another 2 second meeting
i can't even remember who else i saw there from tribe... ah well

best part of the night was crashing at my friends hotel room at the habor castle. swimming, hot tub and sauna action in the morning was really nice.

CC