Tommie-Lee & Liam Haynes Presents : Maidstone Day Rave at Dusk2Dawn
This new venture promised daytime summer vibes on the Dusk2Dawn outdoor terrace kitted out with camo netting, all kinds of inflatables from
flamingos to beach balls and hand made decorations to make it look extra
tropical and ready for the pumping summer beats!
Venue
Dusk2Dawn was a surprising choice as a venue. Rarely used
for raves, the club is more often used for your typical weekend out on the
town. With this in mind it came as a shock that the outdoor terrace area of the
club fit the event perfectly.
The terrace area provides a medium size floor space
perfectly suitable for 200-300 people and brings you within touching distance
of the DJs giving you an intimate boiler room esque setting. Aside from the
floor space the rest of the area is open planned with tables and seating in
the corners. It also comes with a retractable roof which completely covers the
terrace; providing a perfect solution for when the weather is miserable.
An inside area more commonly used for the venue's regular
shenanigans was also open for use containing some additional floor space as
well as a bar and high quality seating area.
Venue Staff :
The staff at the venue were incredibly friendly and welcoming. From the outset they lent a hand to help set up the venue ready for opening and throughout the night were joining in with the fun and getting a groove on.
Heat :
The outdoor terrace area can get a little stuffy at times as essentially it's like a greenhouse when covered over. That said there's areas to get away from the crowd and cool off if needed but should they hold more daytime summer events they may want to consider some ventilation or fans to keep the temperature comfortable.
Drink prices :
Drinks prices were very reasonable with beers, ciders and
mixers all at around £3 and soft drinks at £2.
Crowd :
It was very much a local affair with many familiar faces and long standing supporters of the DJs on the line up. Feeling like an extended family reunion the atmosphere was full of energy and high spirits. Aside from friends and familiars there were also some new faces spread across a diverse range of ages to enjoy the festivities which we love to see.
Production/sound :
Production :
Fantastic use was made of the surroundings not leaving a
single pillar or roof untouched whether it be with an inflatable monkey, hand
made tropical decorations or giant balloons. This gave a real concrete jungle
picturesque feel to the proceedings and got us all in the spirit for a day of summer vibes. The venue itself
also had a good offering of base lighting outside in the terrace area to set
the scene with some moody colours.
The sound quality did have slight issues towards to start
of the day but was resolved in fairly quick fashion. The venue may however want
to look at a refresh on their sound system for future events.
DJ Sets
Two White Boys
First up opening were "Two White Boys" making
their second appearance under the Haynes brothers. Their set was a fine blend
of funky vocal house slowing building up to some bouncy tech house vibes.
Dropping "Lola's Theme - Shapeshifters (Purple Disco Machine Remix) had
the crowd settled in and grooving along nice and early. Later on in the
set one track that really got the crowd moving was the classic by Crystal
Waters, "Gypsy Woman". This track was a remix from Richy Profond which has been doing damage on the dance floor throughout the summer and brought that bouncing tech house beat to the set. Overall a top draw set to start things off and set the day up nicely for what lay ahead.
Milc & Biscitz
After playing alongside these guys at the likes of Mojo,
Chatham (oh the memories) and The Source Bar, Maidstone for events such as
RMRS, it was no surprise to see Tommie and Liam bring in their good friends to MDR.
They carried on where Two White Boys left off bringing their popping tech house
style to the party! With years of experience these two know exactly what the
crowd are looking for and they sure did deliver. Dropping everybody's favourite
"Camelphat - Hangin' With Charlie" was bound to make waves and did so without a doubt; being greeted with a rapturous cheer from the crowd. Another great set
from these guys.
FGTN Toys
Up next, the
industry nice guys, Umit and Graham. These guys have decades of experience
between them behind the decks, so it's no surprise to see them smashing out
sets left, right and centre lately. There's never a dull moment with these guys
playing and their set at Maidstone Day Rave proved this. They kept the crowd
glued to the terrace dancing all the way through which was a great sight to
see. Dropping the brilliant uplifting track from Kölsch, "Cassiopeia", this emotion filled anthem has almost enough to bring a tear to your eyes and really draws you into the set. Solid track selections once again from FGTN Toys.
K&K
Next up were the guys behind the brilliant "Peaceful Crowd". This track has been featured all over the
globe, dropping this was a must and it had everyone dancing along to the classic feel good beat. It's really no surprise that it's been supported by some big of the biggest names in the
industry including Sam Divine & Sonny Fodera. Another track we just had to pick out was their emphatic new release on Sleazy Deep/Tech Label, "Kraze". This new one from the duo is already beginning to show signs of being as successful as "Peaceful Crowd" with support
from huge names like Joseph Capriati and Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac.
Tommie-lee & Liam Haynes
Taking over from
K&K were the head honchos, Tommie & Liam. Being close friends with
these guys it was a pleasure to accept the responsibility of
reviewing their event. After previous sets blowing us away, they had a lot of
work to do and they did just that. With the experience they have between them
it's no surprise they are specialists in their track selection, going for a
blend of pumping hard hitters and vocal classics. "ANOTR - Cultural
Decline" brought the stomping tech vibe to their set, a track that
really gets the crowd going and kept them locked to the dance floor. The classic from Armand Van Helden, "You
Don't Know Me" featured later in the set and had everyone singing along. It's one of those tracks
that instantly brings a smile and you just cant help but sing along! Another ingenious set from the boys.
Spike O'Connell
Finishing off the night was another of our good friends
Spike, being huge fans of his production and sets we couldn't wait to see what
he had to bring. The brilliant mind behind "Ironing Board
Sessions" brought his usual thumping high energy style comprising of tracks like the awesome "Leftwing & Kody - Malinke". The Maidstone crowd went strong all the way till the end of the night and Spike showed his true
quality with some wicked track selection, as well as proving why he has played
at some of the biggest clubs across the South East & London supporting
some huge names along the way!
Overall
A great day and we thoroughly
enjoyed it. Another example of the progression being made by Tommie and Liam, pioneering some new ideas whilst also bringing in a host of great local talent rather than
going for a big headliner. The boys behind "Haynes & Friends"
really do know how to throw a party filled with a great vibe and even better
people. The venue is one to keep an eye on for future events although will need some improvements to the sound system and additions to lighting would be good to see. Staff however were great and the crowd loved it. Our highlight being the
layout with the decks being positioned right in front of the crowd bringing that
intimate, boiler room esque vibe. Bring on the next one! 3.5/5
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