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Mardi Gras 4 - Article for Ravers Digest (circa 2007, one of the last things I wrote for the publication)
I was trying to find this on the Ravers Digest archive but it is not there and that made me sad. So I decided to post it here so I can find it when I want. An oldie but a goodie, from a time in my life that I thought of for a few years as "closed". But I learned there is no such thing as a "semi-retired raver", and I find myself still going out when I can find a worthy enough event and my body allows me to indulge in such activities.
Enjoy the article!
The night of Mardi Gras 4 was perfect. It started with getting from north of LA to San Bernardino in a record time of one hour and ten minutes, and ended with getting a green and white piece of kande that reads "I love ganja" from an adorable little girl at her first rave. But I am getting ahead of myself.
I got off work that night earlier than expected, hyper and excited for Mardi Gras 4. I had been waiting all week for this evening to come, and now it was finally here! It felt like Christmas. I quickly transformed from mild-mannered, steakhouse hostess to aggressive, black and cammo junglist. After grabbing a naked juice and a double shot of espresso, I was ready for anything! I put Portishead into the CD player, and cruised from the mountainous retreat known as the Santa Clarita Valley down the 210 towards the industrial jugular of the Inland Empire. On the way, I got a phone call from Mark, letting me know that he, his wife, and Rob, would be rolling out from San Diego to come check out the debauchery. This news amped me up that much more, the whole Ravers' Digest crew would be united together for the first time since TAO! I felt absolutely electric and my car practically danced up the freeway.
When I pulled into the parking lot of the Hudson, I was shocked to see that it was already overfilled. Cars wandered aimlessly thru the packed aisles, praying to the lot gods for a spot to materialize. I followed suit, and happened upon a spot, far in a dark corner of the property. I wasn't comfortable parking that far, alone, with my camera and valuables, but I was more concerned with getting inside the party before DJ's Rabbit & Mad Hatter started their set at 11pm. This gave me about 10 minutes to get going. So I muttered a prayer for good vibes and karma to the air surrounding my car, then proceeded to cross the dimly lit, brisk parking lot to the entrance of the venue. There were so many people in line! I was blown away by the turnout. I managed my way to the front, where my camera. press pass, and I were welcomed inside, thanks to DJ Rabbit's guest list (thanks again Rabbit, you and Hatter ROCK!).
I had never been on the "other" side or the "Hudson" side of the building before, so I decided to make a quick round of the facility before going on stage to photograph Rabbit and Hatter. I weaved my way thru the writhing crowd to the main stage on the Hudson half, and when I saw how large the dance floor and the stage were, and the glory of the laser/light display setup, I knew this would be an appropriate place for the likes of DJ Irene and Lenny V. to lay down their sets. A tingling anticipation swept thru me; I hadn't seen DJ Irene since the red carpet club in Hollywood now known as the Vangard used to be a dirty rave venue called Qtopia (hey who remembers that?).
After assessing the scene, which I found to be very visually appealing, I made my way back over toward the Hudson side, just in time to catch DJ Rabbit starting his set. I bounced upstairs towards the stage, which was a balcony set up, overlooking the multi-level dance floor below. At the top I found someone I had been looking forward to meeting, DJ Siesta Soul! We had been corresponding online, but had never met in person, so I was excited to make his acquaintance. He was a jolly fellow, but the poor bastard had the unpleasant job of herding bystanders away from the turntables. People, if you are gonna stand near the DJ, give him at least four feet of breathing room, okay? The last thing we need is for someone to bump the tables or the DJ and screw up the mix………
I had never heard Rabbit or Mad Hatter's music before, so I was curious as to their style and approach. Within a few minutes of Rabbit touching the stylus to the first record, I could tell I would enjoy the set. Hard, beautiful, trance music poured out of the speakers, embracing those below with its warm, loving embrace. The lasers seemed to feed off the energy produced by the bass; I felt almost hypnotized by the beat, inhaled, and smiled. I felt at one with the universe, and all my cares, worries and stresses from that other world, the one outside of the rave, seemed to melt away. Use of a microphone amped the crowd up that much more ("What up everyone!!! Who is having a good time??!"), and the whole room seemed to bounce in unison. Unfortunately, Mad Hatter wasn't able to join in due to some complications with the CD decks, but other than that, the set was flawless.
After Rabbit came one of my favorite trance DJ's of all time, DJ Samurai!!! Luckily the CD decks were up and running at this point so he could work his magic. I was so excited to be breathing the same air as the man while he was in action I could hardly contain myself. Samurai's set was at the same time slot as DJ Irene's (of course, damn I wish there were 2 of me so I could watch them both simultaneously!), so I reluctantly pulled myself away from his set so I could go catch the last half of hers.
The main room was in full swing. Mardi Gras themed masks, sexy lingerie, and colorful glow sticks were everywhere! It was indeed a glorious feast for the senses. The RD crew and I met up along the way to the front of the stage, where I showed security my press pass and business card. However, the security guard wouldn't let me onstage. I argued, begged, pleaded, but he wouldn't budge. I was frustrated. All I wanted to do was get some good close-ups of Irene! Then I noticed Siesta Soul onstage, watching Irene work the decks. I sent him psychic messages to turn his head and notice me, so I could accomplish my mission. After about 30 minutes, right when I was going to give up and go dance in the center of the crowd, Siesta Soul turned his head. I saw a look of recognition cross his face, and he pointed at me, then waved for me to come onstage. I pointed to the stubborn security guard, and Siesta walked over. "She's cool", he said. Just two words, that's all it took, and then I was within 5 feet of the goddess herself.
She remixed some of my favorite records ("They know what is what, but they don't know what is what…they just strut…what the fuck?"), and she played some mixes new to me also, including "Sweet Child of Mine". It was sick!
One of the things I love most about seeing Irene live is that she is always having such a damn good time. She was laughing, smiling, throwing her hands in the air, screaming at the crowd, taking pictures and video……she seemed to be having more fun that anyone on the dance floor. Quite a statement, considering the craziness that was going on out there; girls mounted on friends shoulders, lightshows galore, people dancing on tables and countertops, freakin' awesome, complete, madness.
As DJ Irene's set neared its end and Reza got ready to take over, AMS impressed me yet again with a gorgeous balloon drop. Hundreds of balloons dropped lazily down from the ceiling onto unsuspecting, pleasantly surprised ravers below, right as the house music built into a bass ridden frenzy. It was like New Year's, but without the whole new year thing. I love it when production companies do things like this. The little details make the event huge, and keep us loyal subjects wanting more.
I love Reza and always enjoy his music, but he had the same time slot as another deejay I hadn't seen in many years; Mystre! So I left the main room and headed back to the balcony to bask in the glory of Mystre's trance. I still can't believe he was there. Back in the day it used to be "Mars and Mystre" and then things kinda fell off and so did some of the deejays from that time. And there he was, a legend just feet from me. Of course his set was fantastic and didn't disappoint in the slightest. There was so much talent at Mardi Gras 4 I almost felt dizzy.
At 3am, Mystre's set was coming to a close, and another legendary deejay was starting his set in the main room, so I migrated once more from the balcony to the stage. Lenny V. is an especially important deejay to me personally because my first rave, Cotton Mouth 2000, was thrown in honor of his birthday. I feel he is partially responsible for influencing my now 9 year addiction to raves. Like Mystre and Irene, I hadn't seen Lenny's name on a flier in a very long time.
On my way to the house room, I decided to pause for a moment and take a breath of fresh air, which in my language means going into the jungle room and getting a dose of some ¾ time beats. It was like stepping into another world, just the way I like jungle rooms to be; with green lights, no strobes, and plastic plants and shrubbery enshrouding the stage and speakers. I found the popping circle, but my legs were starting to punish me for being on them for more than 12 hours, so I just kind of hung out and soaked up the rough and tuff d'n'b being mixed up by APX-1.
Feeling refreshed, I decided it was time to go see Lenny V. Security remembered me this time, so getting on stage was much easier than when I was trying to photograph Irene. The crowd was still going strong, and Lenny seemed to feel the loving vibe and return it to them ten fold. After about 20 minutes, someone came up to me and told me there were too many people on stage. Yeah, but I am a journalist trying to get some good pics of Lenny. Doesn't matter, off you go. Oh well, I was getting too tired to fight. I had gotten some decent pics, so I sauntered off to take pictures of the back of the main room, and then I went back to the balcony to check out X-Phactor's trance. I had been running around like a mad-man, taking hundreds of pictures and trying to hear as many deejays as possible. And since I drove myself into the Inland Empire from the Antelope Valley to cover this party, I was sober. Needless to say, I was starting to burn out. I enjoyed X-Phactor's set too, and as it neared its end, I decided to take the next half hour off and go disappear back in the Jungle room. At this point it was after 4am, so the crowd was starting to thin out a little. I found a corner in the back of the room where I could put down my camera and backpack for a few moments and just dance to the sound of Mikey B., nothing else. It felt nice, and I decided that it had been an excellent night. Then I remembered the long drive ahead of me, and how it was supposed to rain that morning, so I decided it was time for me to leave.
I went back to the corner where I had stowed my belongings, only to find that an entangled couple had planted themselves in the very same spot. I excused myself as I squeezed my way past them to grab my things. The girl looked up at me and said, "It's okay. It's my first rave! What's your name? Do you want a piece of candy?". Normally I would reject such a colorful offer, but something about the look in her eyes; the innocence, the purity, the perfect awe of being exposed to a world she didn't, until this night, knew even existed, melted my cold junglist heart. So I graciously accepted her offer, only to realize that I had nothing to offer in return. Once again, she said that was okay, and she looked at her bracelet laden wrists thoughtfully. After a moment, she interlocked her fingers with mine, and carefully slid the selected bracelet off her wrist and onto mine. This may have been her first rave, but someone taught her the old-skool style of trading candy beads. For the millionth time that night, I smiled, and felt that this interaction had somehow completed my adventure, and now it was appropriate for me to leave. I grabbed my things, and stepped out of the shelter of the Hudson/Gotham into the rainy streets of reality.
It wasn't until the next day that I actually looked at the bracelet that the little girl in the jungle room gave to me. If junglists were to wear candy, this would be it. I love green and white, and yes, I love ganja. Whoever you are, you read me like a book, and thank you very much for the bracelet. I haven't taken it or the smile off since Saturday……………
Thanks to AMS Entertainment for throwing a sick event! Thanks to DJ Rabbit for hooking it up with the guestlist! And mad thanks go out to Siesta Soul for helping me get pics of Irene! I love all you guys and look forward to my next bass fix………..
Enjoy the article!
The night of Mardi Gras 4 was perfect. It started with getting from north of LA to San Bernardino in a record time of one hour and ten minutes, and ended with getting a green and white piece of kande that reads "I love ganja" from an adorable little girl at her first rave. But I am getting ahead of myself.
I got off work that night earlier than expected, hyper and excited for Mardi Gras 4. I had been waiting all week for this evening to come, and now it was finally here! It felt like Christmas. I quickly transformed from mild-mannered, steakhouse hostess to aggressive, black and cammo junglist. After grabbing a naked juice and a double shot of espresso, I was ready for anything! I put Portishead into the CD player, and cruised from the mountainous retreat known as the Santa Clarita Valley down the 210 towards the industrial jugular of the Inland Empire. On the way, I got a phone call from Mark, letting me know that he, his wife, and Rob, would be rolling out from San Diego to come check out the debauchery. This news amped me up that much more, the whole Ravers' Digest crew would be united together for the first time since TAO! I felt absolutely electric and my car practically danced up the freeway.
 | |
| some of the RD crew at their finest |
When I pulled into the parking lot of the Hudson, I was shocked to see that it was already overfilled. Cars wandered aimlessly thru the packed aisles, praying to the lot gods for a spot to materialize. I followed suit, and happened upon a spot, far in a dark corner of the property. I wasn't comfortable parking that far, alone, with my camera and valuables, but I was more concerned with getting inside the party before DJ's Rabbit & Mad Hatter started their set at 11pm. This gave me about 10 minutes to get going. So I muttered a prayer for good vibes and karma to the air surrounding my car, then proceeded to cross the dimly lit, brisk parking lot to the entrance of the venue. There were so many people in line! I was blown away by the turnout. I managed my way to the front, where my camera. press pass, and I were welcomed inside, thanks to DJ Rabbit's guest list (thanks again Rabbit, you and Hatter ROCK!).
I had never been on the "other" side or the "Hudson" side of the building before, so I decided to make a quick round of the facility before going on stage to photograph Rabbit and Hatter. I weaved my way thru the writhing crowd to the main stage on the Hudson half, and when I saw how large the dance floor and the stage were, and the glory of the laser/light display setup, I knew this would be an appropriate place for the likes of DJ Irene and Lenny V. to lay down their sets. A tingling anticipation swept thru me; I hadn't seen DJ Irene since the red carpet club in Hollywood now known as the Vangard used to be a dirty rave venue called Qtopia (hey who remembers that?).
After assessing the scene, which I found to be very visually appealing, I made my way back over toward the Hudson side, just in time to catch DJ Rabbit starting his set. I bounced upstairs towards the stage, which was a balcony set up, overlooking the multi-level dance floor below. At the top I found someone I had been looking forward to meeting, DJ Siesta Soul! We had been corresponding online, but had never met in person, so I was excited to make his acquaintance. He was a jolly fellow, but the poor bastard had the unpleasant job of herding bystanders away from the turntables. People, if you are gonna stand near the DJ, give him at least four feet of breathing room, okay? The last thing we need is for someone to bump the tables or the DJ and screw up the mix………
I had never heard Rabbit or Mad Hatter's music before, so I was curious as to their style and approach. Within a few minutes of Rabbit touching the stylus to the first record, I could tell I would enjoy the set. Hard, beautiful, trance music poured out of the speakers, embracing those below with its warm, loving embrace. The lasers seemed to feed off the energy produced by the bass; I felt almost hypnotized by the beat, inhaled, and smiled. I felt at one with the universe, and all my cares, worries and stresses from that other world, the one outside of the rave, seemed to melt away. Use of a microphone amped the crowd up that much more ("What up everyone!!! Who is having a good time??!"), and the whole room seemed to bounce in unison. Unfortunately, Mad Hatter wasn't able to join in due to some complications with the CD decks, but other than that, the set was flawless.
After Rabbit came one of my favorite trance DJ's of all time, DJ Samurai!!! Luckily the CD decks were up and running at this point so he could work his magic. I was so excited to be breathing the same air as the man while he was in action I could hardly contain myself. Samurai's set was at the same time slot as DJ Irene's (of course, damn I wish there were 2 of me so I could watch them both simultaneously!), so I reluctantly pulled myself away from his set so I could go catch the last half of hers.
The main room was in full swing. Mardi Gras themed masks, sexy lingerie, and colorful glow sticks were everywhere! It was indeed a glorious feast for the senses. The RD crew and I met up along the way to the front of the stage, where I showed security my press pass and business card. However, the security guard wouldn't let me onstage. I argued, begged, pleaded, but he wouldn't budge. I was frustrated. All I wanted to do was get some good close-ups of Irene! Then I noticed Siesta Soul onstage, watching Irene work the decks. I sent him psychic messages to turn his head and notice me, so I could accomplish my mission. After about 30 minutes, right when I was going to give up and go dance in the center of the crowd, Siesta Soul turned his head. I saw a look of recognition cross his face, and he pointed at me, then waved for me to come onstage. I pointed to the stubborn security guard, and Siesta walked over. "She's cool", he said. Just two words, that's all it took, and then I was within 5 feet of the goddess herself.
She remixed some of my favorite records ("They know what is what, but they don't know what is what…they just strut…what the fuck?"), and she played some mixes new to me also, including "Sweet Child of Mine". It was sick!
One of the things I love most about seeing Irene live is that she is always having such a damn good time. She was laughing, smiling, throwing her hands in the air, screaming at the crowd, taking pictures and video……she seemed to be having more fun that anyone on the dance floor. Quite a statement, considering the craziness that was going on out there; girls mounted on friends shoulders, lightshows galore, people dancing on tables and countertops, freakin' awesome, complete, madness.
As DJ Irene's set neared its end and Reza got ready to take over, AMS impressed me yet again with a gorgeous balloon drop. Hundreds of balloons dropped lazily down from the ceiling onto unsuspecting, pleasantly surprised ravers below, right as the house music built into a bass ridden frenzy. It was like New Year's, but without the whole new year thing. I love it when production companies do things like this. The little details make the event huge, and keep us loyal subjects wanting more.
I love Reza and always enjoy his music, but he had the same time slot as another deejay I hadn't seen in many years; Mystre! So I left the main room and headed back to the balcony to bask in the glory of Mystre's trance. I still can't believe he was there. Back in the day it used to be "Mars and Mystre" and then things kinda fell off and so did some of the deejays from that time. And there he was, a legend just feet from me. Of course his set was fantastic and didn't disappoint in the slightest. There was so much talent at Mardi Gras 4 I almost felt dizzy.
At 3am, Mystre's set was coming to a close, and another legendary deejay was starting his set in the main room, so I migrated once more from the balcony to the stage. Lenny V. is an especially important deejay to me personally because my first rave, Cotton Mouth 2000, was thrown in honor of his birthday. I feel he is partially responsible for influencing my now 9 year addiction to raves. Like Mystre and Irene, I hadn't seen Lenny's name on a flier in a very long time.
On my way to the house room, I decided to pause for a moment and take a breath of fresh air, which in my language means going into the jungle room and getting a dose of some ¾ time beats. It was like stepping into another world, just the way I like jungle rooms to be; with green lights, no strobes, and plastic plants and shrubbery enshrouding the stage and speakers. I found the popping circle, but my legs were starting to punish me for being on them for more than 12 hours, so I just kind of hung out and soaked up the rough and tuff d'n'b being mixed up by APX-1.
 |
| DJ Dyloot, who also performed on the Balcony Stage |
Feeling refreshed, I decided it was time to go see Lenny V. Security remembered me this time, so getting on stage was much easier than when I was trying to photograph Irene. The crowd was still going strong, and Lenny seemed to feel the loving vibe and return it to them ten fold. After about 20 minutes, someone came up to me and told me there were too many people on stage. Yeah, but I am a journalist trying to get some good pics of Lenny. Doesn't matter, off you go. Oh well, I was getting too tired to fight. I had gotten some decent pics, so I sauntered off to take pictures of the back of the main room, and then I went back to the balcony to check out X-Phactor's trance. I had been running around like a mad-man, taking hundreds of pictures and trying to hear as many deejays as possible. And since I drove myself into the Inland Empire from the Antelope Valley to cover this party, I was sober. Needless to say, I was starting to burn out. I enjoyed X-Phactor's set too, and as it neared its end, I decided to take the next half hour off and go disappear back in the Jungle room. At this point it was after 4am, so the crowd was starting to thin out a little. I found a corner in the back of the room where I could put down my camera and backpack for a few moments and just dance to the sound of Mikey B., nothing else. It felt nice, and I decided that it had been an excellent night. Then I remembered the long drive ahead of me, and how it was supposed to rain that morning, so I decided it was time for me to leave.
I went back to the corner where I had stowed my belongings, only to find that an entangled couple had planted themselves in the very same spot. I excused myself as I squeezed my way past them to grab my things. The girl looked up at me and said, "It's okay. It's my first rave! What's your name? Do you want a piece of candy?". Normally I would reject such a colorful offer, but something about the look in her eyes; the innocence, the purity, the perfect awe of being exposed to a world she didn't, until this night, knew even existed, melted my cold junglist heart. So I graciously accepted her offer, only to realize that I had nothing to offer in return. Once again, she said that was okay, and she looked at her bracelet laden wrists thoughtfully. After a moment, she interlocked her fingers with mine, and carefully slid the selected bracelet off her wrist and onto mine. This may have been her first rave, but someone taught her the old-skool style of trading candy beads. For the millionth time that night, I smiled, and felt that this interaction had somehow completed my adventure, and now it was appropriate for me to leave. I grabbed my things, and stepped out of the shelter of the Hudson/Gotham into the rainy streets of reality.
It wasn't until the next day that I actually looked at the bracelet that the little girl in the jungle room gave to me. If junglists were to wear candy, this would be it. I love green and white, and yes, I love ganja. Whoever you are, you read me like a book, and thank you very much for the bracelet. I haven't taken it or the smile off since Saturday……………
Thanks to AMS Entertainment for throwing a sick event! Thanks to DJ Rabbit for hooking it up with the guestlist! And mad thanks go out to Siesta Soul for helping me get pics of Irene! I love all you guys and look forward to my next bass fix………..
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