Mad March Party: The Aftermath

The latest installment of the Mad March Party will surely go down as the maddest of them all. With rave veterans Amnesia House co-promoting the one-off Old Skool and Jungle special, the event was filled 1300-strong with whistles, glowsticks (hmm), fluffy boots and boiler suits. Never in my years as a student struggling to push DnB thru the system could I have imagined such a rave up in the Union!

Killz kicked things off with Bensun in the Jungle room, with a crate-digging mix of classics and rarities that set the tone for the evening. Local legend Ratty followed with MC Devious, entertaining the up-for-it crowd with tight mixing and fine selections.
Meanwhile the extravagantly decorated main room saw the return of my boy Joker to the Union, alongside the enigmatic MC Spee (Dreadzone), warming up the eager ravers with a quality Old Skool set. Amnesia dons Stu Allen & MC Man Parris stepped things up a gear, launching into a set crammed with classic anthems - 'Shooting Star' was a particular highlight. By the time N-Trance came on the building was buzzing with pure vibes. Their double act PA went down a storm, although I missed 'Set You Free' :-(

Back in the Jungle room Ray Keith stepped up, battling technical problems to deliver a relentless set of Jungle anthems and Dread Recordings classics. Killa could be seen by the speaker brocking heavily to 'Dark Soldier'. Myself, Devious and Spee rotated and mixed up the lyrical styles - good fun.

Pressure favourite Nicky Blackmarket really got the masses bumping, dropping big tune after big tune. Its always pure vibes when MCing with the veteran Junglist, and I stepped up my levels to keep up the energy 'til 3am. The crowd were rocking right to the end, refusing to be stopped by the inevitably tight curfew - always the sign of a good night.

Old Skool legend Slipmatt closed out the packed main room, blazing thru the classics and throwing in a heavy jump-up breakbeat section for good measure. Amnesia's managing director told me it was their best event in years, and its easy to see why. Great vibes, tunes, lighting and decorations ensured that everyone went home smiling (or gurning). Amnesia is rumoured to be returning for an independent rave up in July.

Congrats to Mikey for the success of the night. Respect as always to Joker, Snappa, Big P & Nipper for the jokes missions. Fuck clueless pre-pubescent hotel doormen.

Photos will be posted soon.