REZERECTION FEATURE

BezerectionhasmovedonfromtheirnageoftartantecllroandlightsficksThomDibrinremembersflteoldnez fondywhidbelow) Jim Byers antic’patestho event’sfirture.

That was the rave that was

Thetacootoldnaz...

ick a cliche, any cliché, from the Clubber '5 Big Book Of Rave C lichés, and you’d find it in action at Rezerection. Light sticks windmilling from podiums. White gloves smeared with Vicks vapour rub. Happy faces covered in orange and green day-glo body paint. Even that hoary old chestnut, resurrected from the 605 be-in random sharing of affection.

While all these things would normally have made us wince and look the other way in embarrassment. at Rezerection no one gave a monkey’s, except those who had come to judge. deride or deprecate according to their preconceptions. We didn’t give a monkey’s about them either. Because Rezerection gave us the freedom to do exactly what we wanted to do.

It also gave us the biggest cliché in the whole book: the one that made the two-hour wait in the queue almost pleasurable. the one that smoothed over the paranoia of the search on the way in, the one that kept us sane on our Sunday

ASHLEY WALKER

afternoon come-downs, was that we were all doing the same thing.

The bi-monthly trip to Rezerection became the high point in our posse’s calendar. We were the CAPS: The Old Age Posse of thirtysomethings, and we were proud to rave. Our raver friends, the teenagers with whom we spent hours comparing notes. were proud to have us in their number.

It all changed, of course. We moved on. bought flats, got new jobs or partners and generally drifted away. Not from eachother. we are still great friends, but from an event which was changing too. The music became harder. faster and darker. The laser show no longer made us gasp. We discovered more intimate places to do our dancing, more sophisticated clubs to go to.

This summer’s Event V, the 58th Rezerection. will most likely see us back. No matter that the cheesy tartan techno we once loved has been confined to one tent, there are four other stages to choose from. 1 might even buy a light stick. although I won’t be wearing white gloves or day-glo paint. That would be too much. 1 like to think that the feeling of unity, the unfettered abandon of dancing till dawn will have survived and that I’m still not too old to enjoy it.

Dawn of a new daze

n my worst nightmare, I’ve been kidnapped by a bunch of tartan techno nutters. We’re ripping across the city in a souped-up Escort XR3-1 with tinted windows, shiny alloys and a huge spoiler while the hardest hardcore rave music thumps out of abnormally large speakers. Suddenly, I’m at Rezerection: hardcore rave hell, and there’s nothing 1 can do about it. I’m surrounded by 15,000 saucer-eyed dancers, lost in a sea of squealing whistles, white gloves and light sticks. It’s far too hot and the music - if you can call it that is repetitive and aggressive. A relentless barrage of beats pummel my aching head like a flurry of punches in the face while the crowd jogs furiously on the spot in a mindless druggy trance.

TICKETS

Tickets are £29. subject to booking fee, and must be purchased in advance ~ they are not available on the night. Tickets can be ordered by Switch/credit cards up to and including show day, and will be mailed or

collected from the venue on show night. I'lcltet W

Blaqovr:

I 23rd Precinct: 0141 332 4806

I Virgin: 0141 226 4679

I Notorious Vinyl: 0141 204 1616

Elllhttrgh:

I Virgin: 0131 220 0925

Bass Generator: 0131 556 8761 (till 10pm on the day) Rez Information & Credit Card/Switch sales line: 01661 844449.

ASHLEY WALKER

fire

authorisatith

Scary, shaven-headed, tattooed strangers offer me sweaty handshakes and shout meaningless babble (‘Aa’m fuckin’ oot ma box man . . .’) in my ear. Pallid, skeletal Scottish bodies (jaws

TICKET INFORMATION

GETTING THERE

By car The Royal Highland Showground at lngliston is situated between Edinburgh and Glasgow on A8/M8. Follow signs for Edinburgh Airport.

By bus - Glasgow: The Citylink Glasgow to Edinburgh service runs at 15 minute intervals from Buchanan Street and stops on the A8 main road at lngliston. For details, call 0990 505050.

Mckinnon’s Coaches, Glasgow are providing a bus service to and from the site. Call 0141 880 7788.

By bus - Edlnburgh: Airline 100/200 service between the city centre and Edinburgh Airport departs from: I St Andrew Square: 7.55pm, 8.55pm. 9.55pm.

I Waverley Bridge: 7pm. 8pm. 9pm, 10pm.

I Haymarket: 7.07pm. 8.07pm. 9.07pm. 10.07pm. I Departure times from Edinburgh Airport:

9.30am, 10.30am.

moving uncontrollably, little bits of white foam at the comers of the mouth) jerk under the heat of the lights. It’s very, very scary.

In reality, it’s not as bad as that (apparently) but the word Rez has always frightened me. Unbelievably, the time has come to cast aside my snobby attitude and check out the new- look Rezerection for the very first time. Why? Because, Rez Event V has more to offer than I’d ever thought possible. It isn’t just a ‘rave thing’ anymore; there’s a bewildering and refreshingly diverse array of musical styles on offer from garage, house. trance, acid and techno through happy hardcore, drum ’n’ bass and jungle. Alongside all the usual Rez-type regulars Lenny Dee, Bass Generator, Technotrance, etc are several names that dramatically transform the nature of the event.

So I’m about to leave the designer-cool confines of my safe little Edinburgh clubs and see what’s it like for myself. 1 can’t ignore it any longer. This isn’t just another rave- orientated Rezerection, it’s a bona fide music festival. And guess what? 1 can’t wait.

Bass Generator. Edinburgh is providing its own bus service to and from the site. Call 0131 556 8761. By troll Nearest main line stations are Waverley and Haymarket. Edinburgh.

(III THE NIGHT

Entry strictly by ticket only. No admittance after midnight. Stringent searches will take place. No admittance with drugs or alcohol. Strictly over 165 only - proof of age/1D will be requested. If you leave the venue you will not oe allowed back in. Chill“! Facllltlos

An extensive indoor area with no music is situated next to the cloakroom and the Temple of Isis. Crew 2000 will be providing a drug information unit. Free drinking water is available. For further details call the Rez V Information Line on 01661 844449.

The List 16-22 Aug 1996 95