What do you want from an old school night?

[Jiglo]

......in a big top, saw dust, strobes, basic laser and huge sound system.....just as it should be.

Common minded and cool people are the key, great dark, dingy and loud location, real music from the era not just anthem bashing and good potions or bar.
..........

S

Sounds good and reminds me of Moors Fest a few years back when it went from a few of us chatting outside a big dance tent, to instantly piling into a dark Big Top and going for it the rest of the night. Not sure it had the lasers and strobes mind, but i've cited this night as one of the best nights out in years and all it took was pricking the ears up to ''L.....F.....O.....'' It really felt like we'd traveled back in time to some dark old warehouse

 

[ivan]

acid, new beat and some early techno, ticket would have been circa £30 but the venue would have been true to the era and a free bottle of champagne.

that sounds boss.

 

[djperkins]

...big tiptops for less than a quid...free poppers...piano's that bleep.

 

[djperkins]

^^^^^That sounds pukka, summer would be a good time to plan sumthin more...xmas doo's are more having a soshe and hookin up wi old friends innit...there are toooo many creative individuals on here all pulling in slightly different directions to agree with a poll...needs to be a juke box to satisfy all...or a 3 room, multi dj, extraviganza with everyone gettin nutted...or not...a super megamix of 15 minute, pre mixed contributuions from the top OSA boys? could just stick it all on a cd then and get a naked lady to D....2 naked ladies to DJ.

 

[wayne]

I want great music good friends and no trouble that's all I ask !

 

[woody]

FFs, Dan's (& others) pulled his finger out for a thankless task, and organised something to get us all out as a group again, i dont give a fuck whos playing, or what styles they play, im just grateful they have the chance to spin for us...

No wonder the IMH nights fizzled out eh?

And how the fuck do people who aint shown thier face think that Jenks is all Piano (this is aimed squarely at the facebookers)?
Its everything from Chicago, Prog, Italo, and yeah a spattering of Piano, a real good mixed bag and all DJ's following a common thread musically throughout the night, so far they have been the best regular Oldskool nites IMHO.phones:

Nice one for the IMH shout David And at last, a decent thread like the days of old

For me, a night has to be planned thoroughly by the promoter, and it has to have a a slow and gradual build up to a peak, imo the penultimate set of the night should be the fastest in terms of tempo with the last hour a little bit slower with more "feelgood tunes". Personally,I think the warm up is very important and people often take it for granted, and go bashing their biggest tunes out from the off, which very often leaves the next DJ with no where to go.

It is very difficult to plan this, if the DJs you have on usually play a multitude of styles or "just wing it" and have no idea what they are going to play, and the night invariably ends up with more peaks and troughs than a yorkshire dales pig farmer.

I think variation of styles and genres is important as is the proportion of well known / unknown, as there is nothing worse than DJs thinking they are too cool for the crowd and playing a full set of weird obscure shit and completely ignoring the fact all the crowd have fucked off into the other room. Andy Weatherall did this at one of the Hacienda nights at the Rainbow and there was about 30 people in a 1000 capacity room

If for example I was DJing for the entire night.. I would start off with some 80s house, stuff like Krush - House Arrest, and other reasonably well known stuff, that as Shooms (you **** ) mentioned, gets your head nodding and your feet tapping away and starts the feelgood factor flowing.

I would then move it up a notch to some 120-123bpm ish house or italo, stuff like Karma m'baby (as debs mentioned) with something like sterling void - I dont wanna go, mixed in with some progressive building numbers.

I would continue to steadily increase the tempo through the night, with the penultimate set consisting of faster and darker beats, with technoey stuff mixed in and a few more well known tunes for good measure.

Then finish the night off with a mixture of classic house, piano anthems and a good random out of context/ genre tune dropped (Rock the scubar anyone) to leave everyone going out on a happy high. Mick was particular good at the last set of the night at Hazydayz, with many end of the night tunes I went online and bought the second I got home. Womack and Womack - Teardrops, Ten City - Thats the way love is, Phase II - Reachin' to name but a few

That would be my perfect night

 

[Jiglo]

Some of the best planned nights turn out to be a disaster and some of the best nights happen completely unexpectedly by sheer chance of the right mix of magic, releasing the chemicals that trigger the neurons to fire up the endorphins.

It's like when you start mixing tunes picked randomly and sometimes you think ''Well that was a bit crap'' and other times you're bouncing off the walls with a big cheesy grin on your face, as you've found those magic ingredients (then realised you didn't press record). I guess you can only plan an event so far, but every now and then you witness something really special happening and walk out of a place with your head torn clean off thinking ''Wow! I really didn't expect much, but that was amazing''.

Like walking into the right tent at the right time at a certain festival and seeing something out of the ordinary happening. Best live act at a festival event for me was such an occasion. Walking into Stumblefunk on the last night at Beatherder a couple of years back and seeing The Mouse Outfit tearing it up. The very few Youtube vids (from other nights) show them as a so so funky hip hop band, but the near riot when the music cut out at midnight (being the last night due to licensing laws) with cries of ''One more'' and the sound guys almost getting attacked for cutting the music on the dot, suggested otherwise.

I guess talented DJ's make the chance of a perfect night more probable due to them being able to read the crowd and change to accommodate if something isn't working, and your pre arranged set DJ's can be too clinical and boring with no chance of changes.

 

[BOD]

I dont really go out expecting to recapture anything like what it used to be like if Im honest. Im more than happy just to get together with some of my like minded friends and have a giggle and hopefully some decent tunes in the background. Dont think I could ever go out in the frame of mind to dance from the second I get there to the finish as Im past that now. Would much rather catch up with people who I havent seen in ages. A bit of a boogie too obviously goes down well and theres always going to be some tunes that suit your frame of mind at the time its playing. The only time have danced most of the night over the last few years is probably Jenks as it was like a total flashback to some of the best years of my youth and was pretty damn close to the original night,sweat dripping from the roof and all lol. Like we have all said on here, we can pretty much cover every range of music between us on this site alone and are always going to have a tune at some point that each and everyone is going to enjoy at some stage of the night. How often do you spend outside a venue on a night that on paper should be your perfect night, but were people are in hysterics talking bollocks, or back at someones gaff after doing more of the same, and this becomes more of a memory of the night than the night itself? The mashup after is probably my perfect night now Come to think of it, that really is when the music starts coming off the racks at someones house that really gets you going as you may not have heard it or ID something you have always wanted

 

[Davey T]

I dont really go out expecting to recapture anything like what it used to be like if Im honest. Im more than happy just to get together with some of my like minded friends and have a giggle and hopefully some decent tunes in the background. Dont think I could ever go out in the frame of mind to dance from the second I get there to the finish as Im past that now. Would much rather catch up with people who I havent seen in ages.

Couldn't agree with you more on these points mate. There's nothing quite like those nights from back in the day and certainly for me nothing will ever recapture that. That's not to say the nights now aren't good, it's more a personal thing which i probably put down to age and dare i say becoming slightly more mature in my outlook...responsibilities n all that :|

I've never particularly been much of a dancer but was definitely more so when i first started out; i think seeing myself going wild on video from one of the Helter Skelter nights wearing an illuminous workman's jacket whilst holding a glow stick in each hand gurning into the camera kind of put me off lol...what was going through my head when i shouted my mum in the room to see me on camera i'll never know...caught in the moment - that's being 15 for ya!

I love nothing more now than having a drink (or whatever) and a catch up with a bit of foot tapping, head nodding and the odd arm in the air appreciation thrown in for good measure.

I agree with a lot of points made in this thread and don't necessarily disagree with others but what we can't lose sight of is that people are always going to have differing views, different tastes in music and different ideas about what makes a top night. Those who know me will know my preferred style is italo house. Irrespective of that, i do like other genres and my record collection is certainly diverse.

I am fortunate enough to be given a slot at this doo which i really appreciate - it's been a while since i played out so i'm already feeling the nerves and reading this thread has certainly made me re-think my approach which i guess can only be a good thing. I was never gonna play all out piano and i've never been one for playing anthem after anthem...not my style. I'm no professional or expert behind the decks and i certainly don't pretend to be but hopefully with this night being exactly what it says on the tin (an OSA crimbo doo) peeps just wanna have a good night rather than crucify the DJ for his or her selection.

 

[wayne]

Couldn't agree with you more on these points mate. There's nothing quite like those nights from back in the day and certainly for me nothing will ever recapture that. That's not to say the nights now aren't good, it's more a personal thing which i probably put down to age and dare i say becoming slightly more mature in my outlook...responsibilities n all that :|

I've never particularly been much of a dancer but was definitely more so when i first started out; i think seeing myself going wild on video from one of the Helter Skelter nights wearing an illuminous workman's jacket whilst holding a glow stick in each hand gurning into the camera kind of put me off lol...what was going through my head when i shouted my mum in the room to see me on camera i'll never know...caught in the moment - that's being 15 for ya!

I love nothing more now than having a drink (or whatever) and a catch up with a bit of foot tapping, head nodding and the odd arm in the air appreciation thrown in for good measure.

I agree with a lot of points made in this thread and don't necessarily disagree with others but what we can't lose sight of is that people are always going to have differing views, different tastes in music and different ideas about what makes a top night. Those who know me will know my preferred style is italo house. Irrespective of that, i do like other genres and my record collection is certainly diverse.

I am fortunate enough to be given a slot at this doo which i really appreciate - it's been a while since i played out so i'm already feeling the nerves and reading this thread has certainly made me re-think my approach which i guess can only be a good thing. I was never gonna play all out piano and i've never been one for playing anthem after anthem...not my style. I'm no professional or expert behind the decks and i certainly don't pretend to be but hopefully with this night being exactly what it says on the tin (an OSA crimbo doo) peeps just wanna have a good night rather than crucify the DJ for his or her selection.

I am a piano monster and stubborn with it so that's what I will stick too I've got thick skin as well

That aside I am really nervous and honoured this is the first time I have played out in a very very long time I hope I don't disappoint

 

[ste huxley]

DJs - My advice, take it or leave it, play wtf you want, I certainly will be doing

So what if one tune doesn't go down as well as another - BIG GEEE

The music will be ace and the atmosphere with us all in the place will make it even better