Frost Bites! Old School Clubbing

Out on the Dock presents Frost Festival, taking over the indoor basement vaults of Tobacco Dock on Saturday 15th November for a club session that brings some of the legendary brands of yester-year together with the most sizzlin’ clubs of now. This week, QX remembers Wig Out, Ghetto and Crash, three legendary clubs that London once shook a tail feather to, which make a welcome return to the spotlight on the big day.

old school clubbingTommy Turntables, Ghetto 

The Ghetto was such a fixture on the gay scene. We can’t wait to re-enact those sweaty Falconberg Court nights. We are dragging down DJs from Tuesday’s Don’t Call Me Babe, Thursday’s Miss-shapes and Saturday’s Wig Out to bring a dose of crazy pop to the Frost Festival.

The Ghetto was truly like a local pub, and people would turn up no matter what night was on. Gay punky kids who usually hung out at Red Eye on Mondays would mingle with fashionistas whose preferred night was Nag Nag Nag on Wednesday, so everyone is gonna feel welcome in the Ghetto room and you are bound to bump into a few familiar faces!

Top 3 Ghetto Tunes 

1. Gwen Stefani – ‘What You Waiting For’
Few pop songs are this close to being a rap song and a death metal song. Pure genius. Gwen did the cloakroom at the Ghetto. Honestly, she did.

2. Missy Elliot – ‘Get Your Freak On’
This gets the Freaks On the dance floor every time. The beat is insanely addictive.

3. Gossip – ‘Standing In The Way Of Control’
No one on earth has a voice like The Ditto but that doesn’t stop the crowd from trying as they stomp their way through this indie-pop classic.

 


Guy Williams, Crash

Crash was one of the true original underground house nights. A real hotbed of quality percussive driving house music blended with a sexually charged atmosphere that always made for an eventful gig, or night out on the frequent occasions I’d visit if I wasn’t playing.

Crash Top Three 

1. ‘Just The Way That It Is’ (Waifs & Strays Mix) – Lisa Moorish
Totaly love this remix, with a sexy b-line, cool vocal and punchy stabs it really works the floor.

2. ‘No Guarantees’ – D Ramirez & Guy Williams
My latest release with D Ramirez, one of my favourite of my own productions and getting lots of support across the board.

3. ‘Ronda’ (Oxia remix) Clarisse Remix – Kiko
This is a pure driving atmospheric percussion driven track that will get the hips swinging in Crash!

 


Neil Prince, Wig Out 

Everyone has a special place in their heart for the Ghetto and it was great that Wig Out was an unashamed out-and-out pop night, taking pride of place on the Saturday night.

Promoter Simon Hobart made it a democratic affair, insisting on a request sheet being placed by the booth. There was an anything goes approach. I once played the theme to the Mysterious Cities Of Gold and from then on it would always appear on the request sheet, so I guess you could say that was my signature song for ‘Le Wigs’!

I always used the smoke machine too much, too, which would set the fire alarm off. Thankfully, it was silent – was that legal? My personal favourite memories of Wig Out come not from inside the club, but from staying on the door with Lee (hot tattooed artist in shorts, taking the dollar) listening to the infamous Craig Parker tell us his stories of run-ins with men and living with his nan.

Wig Out Top 3 

1. ‘Who Do You Think You Are’ – Spice Girls
Nothing epitomised the fun care-free atmosphere of Wig Out more than the Spice Girls, so I’ve chosen this fan favourite.

2. ‘9 to 5’ – Dolly Parton
Keeping the trashy pop spread across the decades was part of Wig Out’s charm and Dolly always got an outing!

3. ‘Crazy In Love’ – Beyonce featuring Jay-Z
I remember when I first heard this, I thought it was OK. And then when I first heard it in Wig Out, it suddenly made perfect sense. An absolute monster!


• Out on the Dock – Frost Festival is at Tobacco Docks (50 Porters Walk, E1W 2SF) on Saturday 15th November, 9pm-4am. 

 
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