In recent times our escapades have been such that we have been spreading our wings beyond the capital more than we did, recent trips into Europe to Berlin, Paris, Brussels & Antwerp evidence of our extracurricular activity, the dividends these excursions pay, coming at the expense of missing out on events back in the capital. Add into the equation a period of illness that lay us low for chunks of December & January and it comes as little surprise that a handful of important parties passed us by. That said, even when this has happened before, we always tend to fit in a Sunday morning clubbing trip, if only for three or four hours, although looking back across our calendar it had been a whole seven weeks since we had stepped foot in Area in Vauxhall, a situation a year or so ago, completely unheard off.

So, having missed out for all this time, yet with a looming trip to South Africa, there was no way that Beyond was going to be overlooked, fervent plans having been made and seeds sown in a number of people’s minds that we would be back in our spot come Sunday, 11 hour flight ahead or not. Plus, with the cries & calls for our attendance running into double figures, there was no possible way that we couldn’t, as we love to say, be there, so be there we were as we headed to Area in Vauxhall from a previous pulsating party up in Angel, arriving at Beyond’s entrance at a little past 4 a.m., early we here you cry, but with a special start of 3 o’clock, this “Erotica” themed event was already well under way. Mind you, with Patrick Lilley’s Queer Nation also running in Area, the busy vibe was a tad deceptive, the buzz from the outside space indicating that that party had been going for much longer. Indeed, the marked absence of master of entrance ceremonies, Tom Fuller, was another indication that the venue logistics was

With heavenly hostess Chrissy Darling, resplendent in an eye catching outfit as always, sorting our entry into the club in her usual exuberant style, we were in through the entrance and round to drop our bits & bobs off before braving the Beyond main room, the sound streaming through the doors as they opened & shut, an indication that it was already rocking & rolling. Indeed stepping into the space, we had to duck & dive past a sea of bodies, many already stripped down to the torso and sinking into the superb sounds Beyond promoter & D.J. Jonny marsh was masterminding. Eventually making our was to our spot, we immediately felt at home, indeed it really felt like a home-coming, no spot, no space & no club anywhere near as comfortable as this, the brilliance of Beyond already beginning wave its magical wand all over us. But with no refreshments in hand, we had to make a quick dash to the bar next door, taking a moment to catch up with Queer Nation’s Clington Forbes who seemed pleased with just how well their night had gone and who beautifully it blended into Beyond, The Chapel Room still in QN mode with Supadon selecting the sounds while the terrace had guest D.J. John Hawthorne mixing the music.

But it was the main room that was calling us back, a quick dip outside not lasting that long and with 5 a.m. just gone our presence, having been requested a few hours previously, was now required, the arrival on our spot shortly proceeded by a text message from a certain D.J. stating “We are here!!”, invoking our reply “Here we go then!!”, Mr Pitron the message sender & requester, now in position and ready to rock Beyond to its foundations. Plus with fabulous flock of friends in close quarters, including Steve’s endearing & charming partner, Celso, otherwise known as Mr Brazil, not to mention that adorable Andrea along with her “Czech crowd”, the smashing Stephen (aka Miss Cougar) as well as the usual familiar faces, we settled into our spot swiftly as Steve stoked up the atmosphere with some rip roaring renditions, loads of new tunes intermixed with old Beyond classics and plenty in-between, “Downpipe”, “Souk”, “Commander”, “Addicted” &  “Bodyshine” to mention just a few, all helping invoke plenty of doing the Disco Matt moves from us in our crazy corner. Indeed, such was the intensity of Mr Pitron’s performance, his head was very much buried in his music, the magic he was creating requiring equal amounts of attention, the Area lighting now in full swing, the podiums filled by gyrating guys & girls, and the Beyond screens & signage all adding to what was becoming another one of those enthralling experiences which we love so much.

Despite this early start to Steve’s set, it had the feel of his usual slot of 9 a.m., yet as Mikey D arrived, pausing to give us a welcoming hug & hello, we realised that the night (or was it day) was still young, Mr Dower’s 7 a.m. start nearly upon us. But such had been the magnificence of another precision perfect Pitron performance, we were praying that the duo might invoke an impromptu back-to-back performance, the type which we had enjoyed on a number of occasions here and one that was the making of The Week when it launched in London back in September last year. However, it was nearly time for Steve to wave his fond farewell for another session, but not before his all-time anthem “Here Comes The Rain” sent the whole main room wild, including Andrea who was once again by our side, we spinning on our spot in a dancing dervish, Steve even popping his head over the D.J. parapet to check we were there and enjoying the last few moments of his magnificence. And we were, there being no doubt in our minds that that was one more of those purple patch Pitron moments we were so lucky to witness & wonder at, the man a pure genius and only one of a handful of D.J.,’s (well three actually) that rocks our boat enough to make us dance from set start to set finish, as we had done here.

Feeling very much back in the Beyond grove, at home and with so much more to look forward to is this specially extended “erotica” event, it was now time for Mikey D to assume the controls, he doing so superbly, blending the beats left behind by Steve into his own signature style of sounds, similar to Steve’s in some respect, yet delightfully different in others. With a combination of slightly tougher edged euphoric tunes, intermixed with vivacious vocal tracks that found resonance resplendently, we hardly drew breath, the two our non-stop dancing marathon we had just experienced, continuing into three & four, as Mr Dower’s delightful deliveries made sure we continued to spin on our spot in synchronisation to his sounds for the duration. But we were also waiting for the sings of the “Erotica” inspired event to show its hands, the evidence so far a little thin on the ground, indeed our cougar loving pal pointing out the very same thing to us as he wafted in waving his fan furiously. Yet, just as he had uttered those words, out came Elektra Paris & her band of beauties, the far end springing into life, spearheaded by a massive red “X” in flashing light, the smoke effects & laser lighting all adding to the sultry feel of the show.

But our devotion was much more to the dancing, Mikey soon re-engaging us with a string of superb sounds, a brilliant remix of “Happiness” hitting a high, another re-work, this time of “Elevated” doing just that and even a cute & crafty mix of Pagano’s “Loca” giving his set a progressive feel to match the uplifting euphoria of before. So, it was of little surprise that we hardly moved from our spot for the whole of his set too, like Steve, Mikey playing so perfectly that it would have been a crime to go cavorting elsewhere, the choice in the other rooms capturing their own crowds too, Hifi Sean in The Chapel room weaving his own future house magic, while Fat Tony up in the Terrace space storming another Beyond morning as he now seems to do with rapturous regularity. But as good as all this choice was and indeed, as good as Paul heron’s follower in the main room was too, by the time Mikey had done with his delectations, our legs were worn and our mind was pointing us towards some respite before our mammoth flight to the southern hemisphere, South Africa looming, meaning it was time for Beyond to bow out. However, lasting until about 10.30, so in actual fact for most of Mr Heron’s spectacular showing, this had been our longest stint a substantial time, but the call to rest was strong than the desire to dance, so we waved a fond farewell to this awesome afterhours, wending our way home to reflect on yet another breathtaking Beyond that cannot be beaten in our books.

Well, it seems we have pretty much said all we need to about our latest expedition to this enthralling event, Beyond for us now being more than just a cavort in a club or a dive onto a dancefloor, but an all-encompassing experience of pure & unadulterated brilliance that cannot be beaten. Yes we may have been away for a while, so you could claim that we had broken out of mundane monotony, but those of two words which will never come to describe this outstanding outing or any other beyond bash for that matter. With the combination for Steve Pitron & Mikey D in the main room, together with a supporting cast that includes the likes of Paul Christian, Hifi Sean, D’Johnny & Jamie Head, it doesn’t get any better than that anywhere and the injection of guest D.J.’s like Paul Heron, Gonzalo Rivas & now Pagano (so why not Brent Nicholls?!?!?) helps to diversify the delivery and keep the offer fresh, although we cannot escape the fact that Alan K was sorely missed. That said, we had a truly tremendous time at this Beyond “Erotica” event Steve Pitron’s precision perfect performance topping our tree, meaning we can’t wait to be back for more. (DISCO MATT)

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