RMRS 'La Fiesta' Raving For Molly, 2nd September 2017.

On September 2nd we saw the return of one of Kent's most reputable brands; RMRS. It's previous running saw masses of success and we were indulged with huge headline acts including Hannah Wants, Disciples, Blonde and Endor just to name a few, leading to a final residents party which we all thought was the final ever RMRS. Thankfully two former RMRS residents had other ideas.  

Enter Alex Niechoj and Micky Crist. Local born and bred South East DJ/Producers were firm favourites of the brand and saw potential for a relaunch of the party under "The New Era". What direction will they be taking the brand with this new launch? That we are yet to know but if they continue where the last RMRS left off, we can only see success being the end result. 

The local following for their premiere event "La Fiesta" was huge right from the outset. Support flooded in from the announcement of the relaunch with excitement rapidly growing as we came closer to the launch night. For the final weeks leading up to the event you could say Facebook timelines for Medway and Maidstone were hijacked by RMRS! 

Thankfully it was for very good reason and one part that made this event truly special was that it was in memory of our beloved friend, Molly Mclaren. The power of music is incredible. It's a horrible realisation that we live in a world where people can do unspeakable things and take from us our closest friends and family. RMRS was a perfect example of how music can bring us all together in the face of such awful tragedies. Every soul in The Source Bar danced together in Molly's memory and celebrated her life at her favourite event, the way she would have wanted. Whilst there is nothing that can change the world we live in, it cannot be overlooked the power of music to fight the pain and hate in the world. 

In memory of their beloved friend Alex & Micky promised to bring RMRS back bigger and better and the two put a lot of time, effort and money in behind the scenes to make sure we all had the best experience possible. RMRS curated a line up consisting of exciting fresh local talent pumping out the best tech house bangers in the main room. Social Festival resident Chris Nottingham brought his brand K3PT back to the courtyard and carefully selected a group of  well versed DJs to keep all rooms of the venue in full swing. 

This is a special mention to Alex & Micky - Molly was definitely looking down on you with that beaming smile of hers as you carried on her favourite event. She would be so proud of you both as we all are too and we are humbled to review your event in her memory. 

Production

The production for the event was pitched as being Maidstone's very own mini elrow. The main room of The Source bar was transformed into a tropical extravaganza kitted out with cargo netting hung from the ceiling. This became home to an extensive arrangement of inflatables dangling onto the dance floor to set the scene. Everything from little monkeys to beach balls were scattered across the enclosed main room of The Source. Co2 cannons were also in full swing and fired excitement into the room on every big drop. The DJ booth found itself enclosed in a brilliantly hand made beach hut, keeping you immersed in the tropical vibe from every angle. Even the ravers got their own tropical touch from the moment you walked through the door as Hawaiian leis were handed out filling the dance floor with even more colour. Of course, it couldn't be a mini elrow without a confetti cannon! One of the first times we've seen this in effect at The Source and it went down a treat. Seeing Micky Crist at the reins of a confetti cannon shouting "Oi Oi" has got to be a lifetime highlight for us. 

DJ Sets

Two White Boys

The opening set initially billed to be Lee Rayment & Rob Jones but a cancellation saw Lee bring his fellow white boy Harry Peters to the decks with him as Two White Boys made both their RMRS and main room debut at The Source Bar. The crowds swarmed in early and were ready and raring to go, so the pressure was on with this also being possibly the biggest crowd they'd played to. The duo became accustomed to the setting well and started the night off with a steady paced tech house set. Reading the crowd well they delivered some fine selection with tracks like the fan favourite Pirupa's bouncy 2017 release "Check This Out", resulting in ecstatic cheers from the room. The reaction grew the atmosphere in the room and and with every track built confidence into their stride which really began to show throughout their set. A little change in style came with Dennis Cruz' remix of "Claptone - The Drums". With this track comes a more bass heavy drop which again the crowd reacted to perfectly. A well performed opening set which is always a tough task, setting the tone for the night ahead but this proved easy work for the Two White Boys. 

Milc n Biskitz b2b In & Out  
Next up we're the long standing residents of RMRS, Milc n Biscuitz B2B In & Out. Having played for RMRS from its conception; whether it was at Mojo or The Source Bar, they've consistently brought top draw sets and proved to be a formidable addition to the lineup.  True specialists of their trade and no surprise they were kept on as residents. Carrying on where Two White Boys left off they continued the bouncing beats with Mihalis Safras's new release on Hot Creations, "One Stop To Babel". This track is an absolute stomper and it boomed it's way through the main room's sound system. The b2b pairing also brought a more mellow and groovy side of their set with "Eats Everything & Justin Martin - The GettUp". A track that has been making waves across the scene since it's release on Dirtybird.

Micky Crist b2b Alex Niechoj
Now for the new head honchos, Micky Crist b2b Alex Niechoj. These two have formed a indispensable partnership behind the decks whilst playing for RMRS. This collaboration has seen them bring back RMRS the exact way they'd hoped. The main room never has a dull moment when these two grace the decks and it's clear to see why. As close friends they bounce off each other bringing charisma and flare to their sets. This time round saw a whirlwind of older classics and new rollers. The track "Finder" by Ninetoes is one that always brings a cheer from the crowd and it was no different on this occasion, with smiles lighting up the room for a pure classic of the house genre. Alex also brought out his bass heavy tech house style with the wicked "Fisher - Ya Kiddin". This track being a personal favourite of ours as it's hair raising bass drives through the speakers  Yet again, another solid set from Micky & Alex.

Walkin'Talkz
Next up were Walkin'Talkz (Matt Shipley b2b Frank Dempsey) making their debut for RMRS. The Motive boys have enjoyed a lot of success lately, both as a brand and individually. With Motive hosting nights at Egg LDN as well as their residents featuring for Abode in their bank holiday take over of The Source Bar, leading to Walkin'Talkz being announced for one of the most anticipated festivals of the season; Abode In The Park. 

Walkin'Talkz set was full of energy, really keeping the crowd going into the early hours of the morning. "Did You Take My Money" by Juliet Slkora & Return Of The Jaded certainly did some damage on that main room system, grabbing a great reaction from the busy crowd that was still partying strong. The duo continue to progress with their sets and this time round saw the introduction of  their very own track "Baby Momma". Walkin'Talkz demonstrating their production value very early on and performing another brilliant set.

Hesmer b2b Max Gilman 
Two more residents of Motive followed after Walkin'Talkz to take on the closing set. These boys were also making their RMRS debut, with Hesmer coming in as a late replacement for Vincent Mackay. Hesmer and Max provided the crowd with a pumping tech house set that saw the night through until the lights came on at 05:30am. It's a tough task to keep a crowd into the early hours of the morning but the boys made light work of it, keeping everybody glued to the dance floor and dancing along to their wicked selection of tracks. "La Fiesta" by Max Chapman is one of the highlights of underground production recently, combine that with the main room speakers of The Source Bar and the crowd is yours. Hesmer & Max delved deeper into their archives, the atmosphere still electric as the sun began to rise but the crowd wasn't moving from that main room as they dropped another piece of genius with Eli Brown's absolute monster of a track "Rave Weapon". The release on Of Unsound Mind has been tearing apart dance floors all over the world recently. a great set to finish off the night 


K3PT - Courtyard

Chris Nottingham's brand "K3PT" also made it's long awaited comeback to the infamous Courtyard on the night. On a night where the main room was popping, it was important to have the Courtyard bouncing for some healthy competition and divide the crowd between the two rooms equally. 

Bringing in a line up full of exciting local talent, it was always going to be lively and there's nothing better than hearing the Courtyard sound system blasting out stompers all night. The DJs spanned across house and techno genres with tracks like "Detlef - Jaydee" dropped by none other than K3PT's main man Chris Nottingham, bringing a bassy tech house setting. "Sugar Hill - Feeling For You (Hk The Mix Edit)" played by Benny Ataari even brought a groovy disco vibe to the night to change things up and keep the atmosphere alive. All of the DJs dug deep to find their biggest and best tracks keeping our live stream of the event popping throughout. The atmosphere matched that of the main room; bouncing until close. We can definitely see K3PT featuring back on the bill for events in the near future.

Overall 

RMRS relaunch of The New Era proved to be a truly exciting and atmospheric gem of an event.  The level of custom production and sheer thought that was put into the construction of the night was incredible.  Credit goes out to Alex and Micky for all the hard hours they put in to make the return better than ever before. A strong selection of DJs behind the decks kept us locked into the proceedings with banger after banger in both the main room and the courtyard. It's no surprise the night stayed so busy until the very end. The crowd was lively and happy, with no trouble at all. A successful relaunch for RMRS, we're looking forward to the next installment! 8.5/10 #RavingForMolly🌼💛