Mothership Of Clubbing Re-Docks"

When we look back across our clubbing life in the capital there is no doubt that times have certainly changed since we first arrived on the scene back in 1990 and it would also be fair to say that our tastes in clubs & the music they play has also changed, we not necessarily moving with the times although with ageing comes mellowness, probably like a good bottle of wine. Mind you, sticking with that wine analogy, we certainly seem to be showing no signs of turning to vinegar, rather in our twenty first year of cutting a stride on the scene, we seem to be just as active as we were back then, perhaps even more so, save for the odd debilitating injury that clearly also comes with age. And talking of coming of age, usually, or at least in old money, twenty one years marks that moment, although in the case of this club, which celebrates its 21^st birthday this coming weekend, there can be no doubting that it came of age many moons ago, the heyday of existence in its first ten, those heady yet heavenly times at Turnmills,  a time when clubbing, especially on a Sunday, was at its most decadently debaucherous and pushing the boundaries, as we did, was packed with excitement & naughtiness.

Iconic Logo

Trade has left on indelible mark on our lives, along with many others, some who like us, are still cutting that stride on the scene, while others will have long resigned themselves to a life less clubbier, the newer generation of Trade fans possibly not even having witnessed those wonderful times when it found itself at what can only be described as its home sweet home. Yes, there is no mistaking that combination of Trade & Turnmills is the bread & butter, the cheese & biscuits or the strawberry’s & cream marriage of the clubbing scene, hardly any other brand & venue association coming close, save for perhaps Salvation & Cafe De Paris. Yet, interestingly, as Trade turns 21,  for nearly half of that time, this mother of all clubbing brands has found itself without a permanent place to lay its hat, venues including The Egg in Kings Cross, Fire in Vauxhall & Ministry Of Sound in Southwark all playing host to occasional events, whether it be the still surviving Christmas Day parties or, naturally, the birthday bashes. Yet while attempting to emulate the feel of Turnmills, The Arches getting the closest, it seems that the clubs ethos has diluted somewhat, not least in the style of music, the crowd it attracts &, of course, the overall atmosphere. 

Turnmills Trade

But before we talk about where Trade will be for it’s 21st, we thought it only appropriate, especially for those of you younger folk who were not around in those heady Farringdon days, to give you just a taste of what it was like to take in a Sunday morning at Turnmills, by, as briefly as we can, paint a picture of an a-typical trip to Trade. Generally, it would start with a 3 a.m. wake up call, followed by a 4 a.m. rendezvous with our Trade baby pal Terry in the early nineties, & Chris in the latter nineties, an arrival at Turnmills doors meaning joining a queue, sometimes for an hour or more, although the wait was worth its weight in gold. Then, with fevered anticipation we would descend the stairs into the main space, the bar the first eye catching sight, a wonder under the arches avoiding the packed “muscle mary alley” (so called as all the hunky men would meet here), then up the steps into our spot opposite the D.J. booth door, from where we could survey all the action on the dancefloor as well as casting our eyes on the D.J.’s at work. And it would be here that we would dance pretty much constantly for the next six hours to the likes of Malcolm Duffy, Alan Thompson, Steve Thomas, Rachel Auburn, Lisa German, Ian M, Tony De Vit, Gonzalo & Pete Wardman. And pretty much nothing would move us from our spot, save a short break for a coffee on the first floor around 11 a.m. or the need for refreshments & to refresh ourselves, hardly a week going by when we wouldn’t be there as the lights came up and when Laurence Malice turned them off again, a midday finish going on till 1 p.m., we eventually crawling out of Turnmills, bleary eyed, into a bright Sunday afternoon, happy days indeed. And if you were part of this era of Trade, then this video clip should bring those happy memories flooding back, http://youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=o_OuDT9Jch0, providing a rare piece of footage from the last event at its legendary home, whilst Laurence Malice’s interview in The Independent is a MUST read for all Trade enthusiasts & inquisitors alike, gives you as good an insight to the club & the man behind the club, so one you should absorb in all its glory by going to http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2011/10/24/laurence-malice-on-after-hours-partying-being-kidnapped-and-turning-away-axl-rose/.

The Future Is Pulse

So, looking to the now, where is Trade laying its hat for its birthday this year? Well, interestingly, they have opted for new club Pulse Southwark to house the event, the place, just off the south side of Blackfriars bridge where both SuperMartXe & Lovechild now stage their scene showings, Southwark as a district having been the home for Trade’s 18^th & 20^th birthdays but a hop, skip & jump down the road at The Arches. Now, following a number of false starts this year, we still have yet to see this new, state of the art clubbing venue, although from what we are told there will be plenty of space to house the hoards of people that will no doubt decide that this 21^st birthday bash will be their Saturday night choice of where to be & be seen on the scene. And yes you heard us right, Trade’s birthday this year will be on a Saturday night, as opposed to the traditional Sunday morning, although the so called coming of age also means that life is a little different, not least that the afterhours phenomenon that effectively killed off Trade’s weekly parties, Beyond, will be joining forces with its nemesis, for an afterparty at Fire in Vauxhall, details on this we will be covering in a separate Weekend Focus post coming up. As for Pulse emulating the days of Turnmills, well those days are definitely over, but we are sure that with the planned artwork, Trade Mark style & the usual prolific production, it will be as close as we could wish for.  

Trade Babies Beats

With the bricks on this birthday bash beginning to build up into a fuller picture, the venue & the night now sorted, what about the most important element of any Trade party, the music? Well, given the line-up it should be top draw Trade style as usual, big hitters of recent times, Pagano & Nick Denton in amongst a sea of stars from those magical days of Turnmills, main room men of that time,  Pete Wardman & Gonzalo (he didn’t use Rivas then) also in the mix, while we are sure Steve Thomas & the face of Trade, Nick Tcherniak may surprise us with an impromptu back-to-back performance to match that wonderful one at Fire a couple of years ago. But the list goes as lite lounge originals The Sharp Boys & Fat Tony are there, while the long list extends to the likes of Daz Saund, Leonardo Glovibes (suggesting a Megawoof style room!), to Andy Farley, Rosco & Ross Homson (a hard house room for sure!), while the team also welcome special guests Monika Kruse (check out her interview at http://dontstayin.com/article-14593)& the legendary Smokin Jo who, together with Jon Byrne & James Nardi, complete a line-up that has something for everyone, from Trade babies of old, to lite lounge enthusiasts, through to those more used to the modern face of this 20^th century colossus celebrating 21 years making music & now firmly in the 21^st century. Plus, judging from the line-up, our guess is that there will be three, maybe four rooms, although as usual, the team are keeping these details very much close to their chests.

The Face Of Trade

So what can you expect from the music?, Well, house, progressive house, hard house, harder house & techno house, although we were hoping to find a Trade 21^st birthday compilation release to promote, while as of going to press we are still waiting for one, but what we can do is share links to podcast pages of some of the stars of this coming Saturday’s show, The Sharp Boys up first with two recent releases that give a nod towards what to expect from their set, both Sharpcast Episode 9” & the special promo edition worth picking out from their page at http://sharpboys.podomatic.com/. Then there is Nick Tcherniak, the so called face of Trade, as, with the exception of Tom Fuller, it would be Nick that Turnmills regulars would see first, although these days, Mr Tcherniak is better known for being behind the decks rather than in front of them, his set on Saturday one not to be missed, an idea of the kind of treats in store available by checking out his latest podcast, “Everybody”, at http://nicktcherniak.podomatic.com/, which includes the track of the same name, recorded with studio partner Steve Thomas (or Janet to his Trade pals) along with vocals from Lizzie France, who performed live at Trade’s birthday last year. Another name pretty synonymous with Trade and one who kind of stepped into the vacant shoes left by the prematurely lost Tony de Vit, is Gonzalo, his main room sets in the latter 90’s, pure memory making magic, we pinning our hopes on Mr Rivas to produce a podcast devoted to Trade’s birthday, although his “Cums Deep & Penetrating” mix is as close to the mark as we can get it, well worth a listen at http://gonzalorivas.podomatic.com/, although like Nick’s, his set on Saturday is one you should be around for.

Devoted To De Vit

Now we mentioned that name didn’t we?, Tony De Vit, no preview look at any Trade birthday would be complete without a mention for him and while he may have passed onto a better place 14 years ago now, his memory still lives on in many people’s minds, not least those Turnmills Trade babies that, like us, are still circling the scene, or at least pitching up to these annual birthday bashes. And in terms of giving those of you not accustomed to the full on high speed hard house sets that we used to enjoy week in week out on the Turnmills main room, just check out this video clip that, without visuals, introduces you to a real de Vit anthem, “Are You Ready” (http://youtube.com/watch?v=oWIzTYVUcIM), this track along with a host of unmissable others to be found on his “Global Underground” album & one we will be digging out & dusting off for a few plays before heading out from home on Saturday night. But with a never-ending list of YouTube clips available to mark the memories left by this legendary D.J., here are just a couple that give you an idea of the magic that this man created every time he played, http://youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=dfzkHmCQySQ chronicling another Tony anthem “The Dawn”,  while the full 9 minute feature of “I Don’t Care” at http://youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=OWaWPx3hUa8 evokes the pounding & pumping surge of excitement that used to race through our veins while Tony was masterminding a Sunday morning spectacle of a set as he used to do with consummate ease.

Go There! Be There!

Right, with you now surely in the mood for this Trade “A Journey To The Dark Side” event, all we need to do is to run down the detail, we once again stressing (more for Trade enthusiasts of old) that this is a Saturday night, rather than a Sunday morning party, Pulse’s doors opening at 10 p.m. and the event running through to a “superlate” finish. Now, if you haven’t yet got your ticket then best you get on the case pretty quickly, as we expect this to be a sellout, or at least a roadblock affair, advance £15 entry available online by going to http://www.clubtickets.com/gb/2011-10/29/trade-21-a-journey-to-the-dark-side, where you can also grab the joint £25 option which gets entry to the afterparty, “Ultimate”. However, if you prefer grabbing a ticket by hand, then Soho outlets Prowler, Clone Zone & 50 have them on sale, while for the foolhardy, there may be entry on the door, but expect to pay more & wait a long time to get in (so you know what to do!!). And, why not join the Trade mailing list at http://tradeuk.net, as by doing so, you get the chance to be included in the draw for free VIP passes to the party, while with our ticket already in hand, you can expect to see us on the Trade dancefloor come this Saturday night, reporting on it all, so if you do, come say hi, naturally making sure you “Go There! Be There!” (DISCO MATT)