Having covered “The Big Easter Weekend Ticket” trio of treats, it’s time to let another appetising trio of treats take to the DM spotlight, three exceptional events that deserve to have their Easter say, as the weekend hails the return of two brilliant brands form our partying past, well as a special Sunday serving Stephan style, Disco Matt biting into the detail on Discotec, Fiction & Dish.

The strength of the capitals clubbing circuit is its diversity, while the same could be said for its familiarity, a whole host of brilliant brands & popular parties continuing to draw considerable crowds, whether they be the weekly happenings, the monthly gatherings or the infrequent, that dynamic diversity playing out right across London although, undeniably, in the rich playgrounds that are Soho, Vauxhall & Shoreditch. And while we do our best to lay out Best Bites & Short Shouts hat on all three, when it comes to special weekends like this one, it seems only fair to devote some more focussed attention to appetising alternatives that are also pushing the Easter envelope & awaiting your attention. But these are no ordinary events, as each one represents a harping back to the halcyon days of hedonistic clubbing, when underground & alternative were bywords of a scene that still had to remain pretty inconspicuous due to society’s discriminations, a time when blacked out windows, & backyard venues out of the mainstream sights & sounds engendered a surge of scene splendours such as Trade, Crash, Factor 25 & DTPM that very much paved the way for the superb & inclusive scene that we see today.

So to the first of and a Thursday night club of iconic proportions, plus one that was very much at the forefront of that clubbing revolution in the late 90’s nearly noughties, playing out to capacity crowds from its historic home of The den on the edge of Soho, keeping the party & its popularity going for close on fifteen years. But as times on the scene have changed & social patterns have shifted, Thursday’s began to fizzle out and Discotec began to feel the pinch, plans to demolish its home also sealing the clubs fate. But like all the best brands in the business, not least those legendary names we have mentioned above, the desire for Discotec has remained healthy in the hearts of its diehard fans, many of who couldn’t contain their excitement when the news broke of his swansong like reappearance on the scene. However, with The Den no more the clubs original promoter, Laurent Chaumet, quickly looked to his clubbing & promoting pal Wayne Shires & his connections with The Brixton Clubhouse (that is in Brixton before you ask) to secure the venue for this Discotec “Easter Special” event. And Laurent is very excited to be bringing the brand back, telling us “…I am so excited about bringing Discotec back and being at the beginning of the four day break & on a Thursday as well should hopefully prove a recipe for success…” he adding “…the Brixton Clubhouse will add an extra dimension to this dance event, combining inside & out like Dicotec-ers have never seen before…”

With that backdrop and knowing that this Discotec gathering is sure to be something special, let’s dive into the detail this extra special Easter event taking place tomorrow night (Thurs 5^th April) at The Brixton Clubhouse (467-469 Brixton Rd), door opening at 10 p.m. with the event running through to a planned 4 a.m., entry available on the door for just £5 before midnight & then £10 thereafter (bargain!!!). And as for those two spaces, well its very much about upfront, funky & nu-disco house as Laurent & his team welcome Discotec regulars Guy Williams & Femi B to the decks, although the really exciting inclusion for us is the faaabulous Fidel, better known in his (or is it her) Discotec demure as Marron Bitch, this terrific talent having laid down a soundtrack especially for the occasion, so one well worth checking out by going to http://soundcloud.com/fidel-77/fidel-3 & sink into Marron’s magnificent music which will be flooding the so called Saint Club room on Thursday. But alfresco dancing will also be the name of the game, as the Discotec second space will be out on the BCH sundecks (well moondecks really!!), with a brace of Discotec boys on the D.J. decks, Slamma & Jeffrey Hinton sorting the sounds, while MC Brandy will be on the mic & Joy on the drums (percussion to the posh!), with Smirnoff flavours the theme of this outside space & bar, while the Manhunt men will be out in force supplying the eye candy & wearing Andre Christian underwear (yum yum), further information up at https://facebook.com/events/269188593158846/.  

So to the second of this appetising alternative trio of treats and another brilliant brand that was in the thick of that evolutionary come revolutionary movement in clubbing around the turn of the century, Fiction a formidable Friday force to be reckoned with, holding sway at The Cross, a bit of a backyard venue in the relative dereliction of warehouses that was part of the infamous Bagley’s collection of buildings, yet this raw & ready state of the place was an intrinsic part of its popularity, dancing on the tables, swinging from the chandeliers (well lights then!)  & just general decadent dancing delirium was all part of the prolific package. And Fiction’s creator, DTPM’s Lee Freeman, drew a wealth of D.J. talent, some from the huge success that was Trade, both Malcolm Duffy & Fat Tony regular residents of this Friday frolic, while names such as Miguel Pellitero, Cosmo, Harji & Justin Ballard were indelible inclusions, while other names such as Nick Tcheniak & Guy Williams also graced its decks regularly. Spread over three spaces including an outside terrace, Fiction was the first club that boasted alfresco shimmying and with a reputation of being mad, mixed & better for it, Fiction was the forerunner of what is now commonly known as metrosexuality. But, like Discotec, Fiction fell foul both of a change in trends plus the demolition of The Cross, as part of the substantial redevelopment of the whole Kings Cross area and so by 2007 the club was no more, its sister DTPM also facing changing trends & times.

But with Lee Freeman having made a respeldant return to the scene just a couple of years ago, Fiction was always on the cards to come back for a series of pop-up parties, although with Kings Cross now a major construction & re-development site, choosing a venue to re-emulate the Fiction feel was always going to be tricky, the fist reunion two years ago round the corner from The Cross a shadow of its former self, albeit that the event was a sell-out. But with Mr Freeman laying down routes in South London & engrossing himself in his own re-development project, the result being The Kennington Pub & Kitchen, it is this new sparkling scene spot that will be playing host to the second re-coming of Fiction, Lee telling us “…I have been hunting around to find the right place and have to admit that this was not the easiest of tasks. In fact, it was so difficult, that I decided to put together my own place and now it’s finished, it’s time to party…” adding about his venue “…The Kennington is just a stone’s throw from Kennington Park, 2 mins from Oval tube (Northern Line), has a great terrace on the front and has been refurbished to the highest standards. Nothing but the best for you! We have to say it’s a bit smaller than The Cross, so ticket numbers will be limited to advance purchases only! It’s a beautiful venue & all on one level too, so no need for all those stairs this time and the bonus is, that we can all get down to that Fiction vibe together…”

So what of the detail, well Lee has already spilled the beans on the venues location & feel, but with the team welcoming back the terrific trio of D.J. residents from days of old (sorry boys!), you couldn’t ask for a better package, as Guy Williams, Fat Tony & Justin Ballard will be mixing it up from re-union start to finish, the running order very much under wraps but likely to be a mish mash in true Fiction style, Lee stating that “… we couldn’t do this without a few of those DJs who contributed to and made Fridays so much fun for 8 years of Friday night hedonism & they’re digging out some old alongside some new tunes too…”. So with this Fiction re-union kicking off from 10.30 p.m. on Good Friday (6^th April), the planned running time taking you through till 4 a.m., but with space relatively limited compared to its historical home, naturally numbers have been limited too and of going to press, it seems that there are only a few advanced tickets left, meaning you should head straight to direct link http://ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=501914&interface to grab your £15 pass, as there is no entry on the door & no guestlist, more information, should you need it, available at http://dtpm.net & http://thekennington.com.

To the third in our trio of alternative treats and we fast forward to Easter Sunday and look towards Shoreditch, the rich playing field of clubs such as Gutterslut, SOS, Trailer Trash & Paradise 45, to mention just a few, while venues such as The Dalston Superstore, The Joiners Arms, The Horse & Groom &, naturally, Shoreditch House, having very much transformed this area into a melting pot of activity. But with the underground splendour that is East Bloc very much heading up this trendsetting east meets west social & clubbing scene, the recent collaborations between Wayne Shires & Tom Stephan (aka Superchumbo) producing one of the true success stories of 2011, “Meat” having very much spearheaded the renaissance of clubbing that harps back to the days of Crash, probably the club that was singularly responsible for totally transforming the clubbing scene segment that we now know as Vauxhall, “Mat” taking the underground excellence of Crash & transporting it into East Bloc with considerable success. However, it didn’t stop there with this brilliant brand, as special parties down in Brixton elevated its appeal, although Tom decided he wanted to brand to grace its exit while at the top of its game, his promoter partner Kris Di Angelis heading off to new projects, leaving our Mr Stephan with the prospect of a re-branding issue, the result being “Dish”.

With two parties already under his belt, the launch in January & another hedonistic happening in March going down a storm, “Dish” in effect a new version of “Meat” but introducing a more dynamic team of D.J.’s, the March affair particularly served up a superb session akin to a three course meal of cavorting, East Bloc proving, once again, a prolific playing ground for this party, meaning that, having re-captured the imagination of east end boys, west end girls & everything in-between, Easter was always going to be the next prize for Tom & his “Dish” team. However, with trends swaying towards Sunday rather than Saturday as being the preferred option, this has also meant that a switch in venue has been required, although in Basing House & having spoken with Tom he tells us that “…Basing House now have an amazing Function One sound system impressive effects & a pretty impressive laser…” and coming from a man that knows the business better than most, this speaks immediate volumes, Tom adding that “…the first two Dish’s have been amazing and this should be even better…”. And to cement that statement with some substance, just take a look at the promo video at http://youtube.com/watch?v=kohSmarNCzI which should pretty much seal the deal on his “Dish” delight or at least whet your appetite for tucking into this sumptuous Sunday soiree.

But what about the Dish detail? Well, as we have said, it switches from Saturday to Sunday, taking place this Easter Sunday (8^th April), also switching venues from East Bloc just across Shoreditch to Basing House (25 Kingsland Rd) and kicking off from 10 p.m. & running through till 4 a.m. As for the D.J.’s on duty, naturally Mr Stephan will be in the thick of the action, although he is joined by Room Service’s & east end boy Dimitry Strigun, along with Dish co-promoter Borja Peña in the main’s meal room, while appetiser servings & hosting will also come from La Pequeña, Melvin and Kane Luke, added to which the way out, whacky & totally outrageous go-go’s, Fer & Claudio will be dishing out plenty of saucy treats, those on top of the pop-up art & visuals drawn from the huge collection that Tom has amassed over the years, these very much needing to be seen to be believed. With Laurent (yes he of Discotec fame) & Benoit on the door, entry is a mere £7 before midnight & then £12 thereafter, more info up at http://facebook.com/events/401956656485367/, while to get a taste of the soundtrack to expect, then we definitely checking out Tom Stephan’s latest compilation at http://soundcloud.com/tomstephan/house-music-girlfriend-you, one packed with banging house beats shout the superb Superchumbo style of sound and one definitely for the collection as well as a tantalising temptation to head across to Basing House on Sunday.

So, that’s our appetising alternative trio of treats, all worth more than just a consideration, each one proof in the pudding of the dynamic diversity that the scene serves up, so well worth soaking up in their own right. (DISCO MATT)