Thursday 16 June 2022

United Dance @ Stevenage Arts & Leisure Centre, Stevenage 16/06/1995

 

Swanne

For the 2nd time in 1995 we are at United Dance at the Stevenage Arts & Leisure Centre. This time we're here for the launch of the first in the United Dance compilation series which was released the following Monday.

These compilations were happy hardcore ones and were pretty big in the rave scene at the time. They were even big enough to get advertised on the TV.

The series went up to number 6 in 1997, but by the end of that year Eruption who ran United Dance was clearly losing interest in happy hardcore and started including house DJs like Brandon Block and Alex P on the line up as well as forming Ruff Driverz with Bradley Carter.

Slipmatt would mix a couple of anthems compilations covering 88-92 and 92-97 before United Dance got sold to Slammin Vinyl and become more of a drum & bass and UK garage specialist which included them releasing a UK garage compilation in 2000.

All 5 DJs, Slipmatt, DJ SY, Seduction, Dougal and Vibes who mixed the first compilation appeared on this night. Interestingly though the sets for all these DJs differ a fair bit tune wise to the compilation. The DJ SY set has the biggest overlap of 4 tunes, Seduction has 2, Dougal and Vibes have 1 each and Slipmatt doesn't have any.

There was drum & bass at this night too albeit with few DJs than happy hardcore. The set I have posted is the Swanne set because this has both drum & bass and happy hardcore in it.

The drum & bass tune that appears the most is "The Lighter" by Sound of the Future which appears in every drum & bass set. These are the new for 1995 drum & bass tunes:

Dillinger - Believe The Bass

Lemon D - Jah Love

Xcelle - Why

Solution - What Can I Do?

L Double - All Lighter Massive

Raggadeath - Why Ask Why

Dr Wootang - Original Wootang

The happy hardcore tune which appear the most is "Toy Town" by Hixxy & Sharkey, no doubt I'll be saying this frequently for the rest of the year. These are the new for 1995 tunes:

Alchemist & Fade - Awakening

New Motion - Looking 4 Love

D-Zyne & DJ Fury - The Horny Raver

DJ Supreme & Sunset Regime  - Flying With The Rhythm

DJ Supreme & Sunset Regime - Sky

Force & Styles - All Over

Hardheads - I'm A Gabber Baby

The Director - Digital Revolution

Scott Brown - Turn This Mother Out

Cheddar - Cheddar III

New Motion - Break Release

Vibes & Wishdokta  - Motorway Madness

Seduction & Eruption - Bust The New Jam

Seduction & Eruption - Break It Down

Brothers In Crime - How Deep Is Your Love

M-Jay & Dan-Vee - The Sun Always Shines

DJ Isaac - Happy Hardcore Freak

The Director - Pump Up The Bass

Scott Brown - Systematic

Future Primitive - Ban This

Undercover Elephant - Short Fuser

Bass D & King Matthew - You Are My Destiny

Notable tunes on that list include the New Motion ones. They were the members of Force & the Evolution who weren't Force & Styles and this was the first release on UK Dance record which was owned by Force & Styles. The Force & Styles tune was the 2nd release.

Another one of note is "Motorway Madness" by Vibes & Wishdokta which I believe is the final yet to be heard Wishdokta tune before he went on to pioneer UK garage under his real name Grant Nelson.

As usual the Clarkee set was geared more towards the Dutch and Scottish records and there was still an overlap with what he was playing and what the happy hardcore DJs were playing. Brisk and Druid were very much happy hardcore but were very much geared towards the Dutch and Scottish records and the rest were more English tunes.

The next United Dance event would be in August ahead of the release of the 2nd compilation. 

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