Raindance Saturday 28th October 2000 9.00pm - 9.00am The Drome, London Bridge

Got in just to hear the end of Herman's set, if the start and middle were as good as the end I'm gutted I missed it. Connie was on next (take it nothing to do with old MC Connie who used to MC for SS?), and his set was fucking superb, dare I say it approaching Rob Blake levels?!! Usual mix of great 91/92 hardcore, but not afraid to drop stuff you don't usually hear - E-Lustrious Dance No More being my highlight. His mixing was also top, proper vinyl trickery, half the time he had only played the first 30 seconds of track 1 before starting to cut and scratch track 2 in :) makes me very happy :)

Whizzkick next - hadn't seen them before, so wasn't sure how good they would be. Fucking SUPERB. Probably best PA I've seen since old Prodigy days. Matt C sort the CD out! Incredible crisp breaks, proper jump around mayhem, ahhhhh God you had to hear it....

Onto Ratpack...regulars will know how much I normally rate the Ratpack, buuuut I have to admit when taking someone along who HASN'T heard that set 15 times in the last 2 years, they are mighty impressive. Also dropped a BLINDER of a nuskool breaks tune. I start to get a bit hazy after this point...I think it was Glen Aston next? Good set anyways, quite a bit of 93 creeping in from this point which got the crowd going again, and I was well happy cos I'd just bought Champion Sound that afternoon and it got played :) Was it him that also dropped Pennywise? Went down a storm!

We left during Jacknife's set, no amount of anything was gonna convince 27 yr old back to carry on :(

The highlights:

• Wicked security - straight in with tickets (which is what should fucking happen), no search cos 'they're alright' :) Must be my innocent demeanor :)
• Oldskool tune of the night - Liquid is Liquid for me, no question. Who dropped it? Ian/Matt?
• New unknown track - Omen/Old Spice music with kicking breaks and ever louder bassline? NEVER heard before, someone put me out of my misery please?
• Top RD atmosphere, one thing still have going is that the crowd are still the finest to be found.
• And finally, ultimate highlight...hearing Smarrte's tune (several times :). Can't tell you how good that was, first time I heard it PROPER over a system. Second play was best for me, cos was jumping around with Ian, Matt & Rolf at the time, fuck knows how big our grins are gonna be in that photo :)

Shouts to Matt C, SmarrtE, Matt B (why do I only ever see you once at these things?!), man like Maxx Vinyl, Dave Curran (good to meet ya!), and anyone I forget blame state of my head, I haven't been to bed yet and (proper grown up bullshit) we have people arriving for dinner in and hour and a half. Like leading a fucking double life this is... :)

Up for the next one :)

Mike Ainley