Trancentral - The Drome,  Friday 24th November 2000

"It was meant to be a quiet weekend" - Drew, 9.15am, London Bridge tube.

A plan that had clearly got left behind at some point as I find myself queuing up at the Drome, alone at midnight on Friday night. Keith, Nessi and Steve are inside. Steve, who passed initiation at the Drome only two weeks ago, has come racing back for more punishment.

I'm weighted down with more equipment than Boba Fett. Phone, Camera and new for tonight, Digital IC Recorder. A dictaphone of credit card thickness, 60 minutes of recording time, and the potential to provide all sorts of interesting website material. Security raise a collective eyebrow, but I'm in. 

Takes a while to find the others, who are already far gone. The club layout is totally different from Ful-On-Fest. If the Drome ever open up all the rooms at once, it's going to be nearly the biggest club in London. It cannot be understated what a great venue this is. In the techno room is some of the very best lighting I have seen lately. Intelligent use of strobes, spots, and those spinning swirly coloured ones. Ooh we like that a lot. 

The enormous chill-out room is superb. The floor is covered in cushions and casualites. There's a body massage service and a stall selling various fruit. Again the lighting - video projections and a horizontal spot - is excellent.

As for the music, we are based mainly in the hard trance room, which keeps us going right through until 7am. At this point, we are flagging but a new DJ comes on, playing the best tunes of the night so far. The night ends at 9am Saturday, but this DJ is so good that the time flies and we're having great fun. So who was the DJ? We go up to have a look. DJ Welly is about 7 or 8 years old and is playing Hard Trance, mixing and scratching superbly well, at 9am to a few hundred hardcore trancers who are totally in awe of pure the talent on display. If he can do this now, what will he be able to do in twenty years time? A real star in the making for sure. Can't wait to see him again soon.

And as for us - check out the photos and soundbites to see the sheer mess of it all.

Trancentral is a well established event and it's clear to see its lasting appeal. And combined with the Drome, fast becoming one of our most favoured venues, this sort of night is very special indeed.

Click here for the sound-bites from the bunchofcaners digital dictaphone.

Click here for the photos from the night.