The future, the future and the stuff of legends

DMZ 2, 7 May 2005, 3rd Base Brixton.

As it said on the flyer, meditation it is, but along with the seriously deep vibes that float around 3rd Base during DMZ, comes the entire body work out. Stomach, head and feet are all feeling the strain of 8 hours of bass weight hitting my insides but I could have danced all night it was that good. Alright, I pretty much did dance all night thanks to the incredible tune selection. I don't think there was one tune that wasn't worthy of at least a nod of the head or a shake of the derriere- Digital Mystikz b2b Loefah and Sgt Pokes, again providing 2 hours of pure power in the form of all those new Coki twisted bass line riddims floating around (Haunted again receiving countless rewinds), soulful Mala beats (Anti-war dub, Forgive) and half step head rockers from Loefah (another new beat with a wicked vocal sample) as well as all the bits from Random Trio, Skream and D1 that make up the DMZ playlist.

Not to say it was just about the DMZ set- oooooh no, Pinch and Chef did an astounding job of warming up a crowd that took a while to defrost, between them dropping everything from Appleblim's Girder dub (sounded heavy!) to some Skreamz classics. D1's set was even better than I expected- the mans decksterity culminating in a heady and heavy Neverland mix which shook the dancefloor into action. Also wicked to hear the original Dubstep Allstar Hatcha with Crazy D on full form - there's something immensely soothing about Crazy's voice with the heads in the crowd creating a choir to sing along to the 'itchy' line (Blim and Engine Room guilty) and Hatcha indulging us in everything from new Benga to old Hatcha proved he's still one of the dons of the dubstep dancefloors.

SLT's Bandit and Q Gritty also shook the place up, dropping a hardcore, energetic mix of Toasty style breaks, Grime and Dubstep including Jazz Lick which hasn't been heard for a while but was greatly enjoyed, alongside the mic skills of MC's Vicious and Dangerous winding up the dancefloor with the already infamous 'gash' at the front.

Undeniably though, it was Horsepower who really rocked the church. In a body rocking, head nodding homage to the roots of the DMZ sound, Benny Ill and Lev Jnr alongside an extremely upbeat Pokes, treated the 5 am stamina gang to an hour of the baddest, fattest, heaviest Jungle. I wasn't around during the Jungle days- (far too busy doing my homework), so up until now, my journeys through it's subbed out, dubbed out, drum-wise soundscapes have mostly involved listening to it in people's houses whilst they provide a commentary as to why DnB is shit these days. Horsepower provided a much needed opportunity to hear it as it might have sounded back in the day- on a big soundsystem surrounded by big people.

Amongst the selection, a couple of tunes that I've never had the chance to bruk out to until then, including 'I Bring U The Future' (Booooooo!) and Dillinja's 'You Don't Know' which myself and a now bouncy crowd (not forgetting the rowdy SE25 crew in the corner) truly made the most of. So, to Horsepower, thank-you for what was perhaps the most appreciated lesson in music since my first Dubstep venture to Forward around a year ago. To all the loyal heads on the dancefloor and to the DMZ team; here's to 8 hours spent living for the moment with each moment being a tremendous tune, a smiling face or a wicked conversation.

Pics coming soon...

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