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 Saturday 1st April, a day that 7000 people had been
looking forward to for what seemed like ages. After
a much acclaimed “Christmas & New Year” party at
Wembley the World Dance Organisation were ready to
step into 1995 with the first of their events for
this year at Lydd Airport. The April Fools Ball
promised a few surprises as well as the Infinity
Beam, the brightest laser system developed, which
was to be used for the first time in Europe.
The line up for the night was impressive, mostly
Drum and Bass but with enough Happy Hardcore to keep
everyone satisfied. There was no Micky Finn this
time round, but the inclusion of Randall and Kenny
Ken seemed a positive step forward for the World
Dance crew . It’s refreshing to find an organisation
that can look at the scene and see what the raving
massive want when they go out. With their ninth
event now taking place at Lydd, you would think that
they would be running out of fresh ideas for the
setup, but the main hanger area looked completely
different once again. The stage was in the usual
position, but this time there was an elevated dance
platform which stretched the length of the hanger.
There were also dance platform at both ends of the
arena making it seem a lot larger than normal,
rather than having them in the centre. Another new
feature was the balcony which was against a back
wall. It was patrolled all night for safety reasons
which limited the number of people on it at one
time, but was popular nevertheless. The lighting on
the main arena was definitely what I could describe
as intelligent which made you geel like you were
inside a club rather than a big, cold aeroplane
hanger.
There was all the usual extras that the World Dance
massive have come accustomed to. Fairground rides, a
massive chill out tent, merchandise stalls hot and
cold food and drink and even jesters in full
costume. I’m sure the jesters were there just to do
everyone’s head in!!
We made our way to the main arena just before 11pm ,
when the DJ Hype was due to start. He was about 15
minutes late so the Vinyl Groover played overtime.
The place filled quickly as everyone prepared
themselves for the first Drum N Bass set of the
night. There was a feeling of excited anticipation
as the Happy Hardcore faded out and the Hype stepped
up to begin his hour. His first selection for the
night couldn’t have been more spot on. As the first
few bars of “The Lighter” filled the main arena the
whole place erupted and within a minute of his
arrival, Hype had his first rewind of the night. His
set continued in much the same way, slipping in a
few timeless classics like ‘Valley Of The Shadows’
which went down well with the World Dance massive.
 Swanee was up after Hype and played to his usual
high standard. It was during Swanee’s set that I
realised I couldn’t hear the music quite as clearly
as what it should have been. It may sound stupid,
but there were certain places in the main arenas
where the quality of sound wasn’t as good. I realise
the difficulty in filing such a large area with
sound, but a few people said exactly the same thing
to me after I had noticed it myself. I must admit it
did prove a great deal throughout the night, but
that really was the only thing I could find fault
with on the night.
The place was rammed at 1am when Kenny Ken took
control. It was his first appearance at World Dance
since last summer and the masses welcomed him back
with open arms. It was nice to see him back on the
World Dance roster, a definite favourite with the
massive. The DJ Vibes followed Kenny Ken, a World
Dance regular and a huge hit with the happy crew.
It was while I was in the chill out tent that I met
up with some people that I hadn’t seen for ages,
which really does sum up what World Dance is all
about. Any other night I would go out purely for the
music, but World Dance is the exception to the rule.
The people and the atmosphere at World Dance are the
main ingredients for its success. There is such a
wide cross section of people who attend you can’t
help but meet all sorts of people. The vibe that
World Dance have created and maintained is a credit
to them, and one that other organisations will try
and fail to match.
It was back to the main arena at 3am for the well
overdue return of Randall. And what a comeback it
was, he completely tore the place up. The reloads
were coming thick and fast as Randall presented an
hour of ruffness that I think even he would have
been please with. The noise level was exceptional
which reflected the missives appreciation for all
the DJ’s playing their part. Bug up the Randall for
the best set of the night. Let’s hope that his
return marks a permanent place on the World Dance
agenda.
Slipmatt’s versatile style was tested to the maximum
when Grooverider’s late arrival meant he had to play
for longer than the allocated hours. Slipmatt
actually held it down for an hour and a half so
respect to him for that, but to be honest, after 90
minutes of Happy Hardcore I was praying for
Grooverider’s arrival. He eventually turned up at
5.30, half an hour later but no one was complaining.
As usual the Rider played to perfection and made
amends for being late, although his set only lasted
about 45 minutes. By this time we were into the last
hour of the night, with Eliis Dee finishing off the
evening in fine style.
If you were wondering what happened to the Infinity
Beam Laser System it was there but not working to
its full potential. The power supply to it was
faulty which resulted in the laser only working to
half its full strength. But I have been promised by
World Dance that the Infinity Beam will at the next
event and in full effect, so don’t miss that one.
The next World Dance event is to be held at Wembly
June 10th - Summer in the City will be very similar
to the World Dance beach party of last summer, but
with a few extra surprises.
Respect to Chris & Jay from World Dance. Nice to
meet you both and well done for another excellent
night. See ya at the next one.
Love Lisa
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