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Ayia Napa 12-19 July 2002. Solomon Malcolm - He's there again.

This year the numbers appear to be down. Some would say it is the result of the travel industry feeling the effects of Sept 11th 2001. But in Ayia Napa’s case there has been serious competition from Faliraki on the Greek Island of Rhodes. Napa’s Bookings were said to be down by 15% or more and Falaraki’s went up by over 30%.

Following the incidents of violence last year in Napa which led to DJs and Mcs being deported for working without permits, there were those who predicted the probable demise of Napa with Faliraki the new place to be.

Faliraki hit the scene following the Club Reps TV documentary series screened last year. It followed on from the Ayia Napa ‘Fantasy Island’ documentaries on Channel 4 (Both on English Television), that many locals were not in favour of, because it gave the wrong and misleading image of Ayia Napa.

The ‘Club Reps’ show was also guilty of the same thing, especially as the British tabloid press ran stories non stop of the sordid goings on of British holidaymakers and the Club 18-30 Holiday reps. Such images tend to attract lager louts, and the 'boys on the pull' and 'laddettes' culture looking for quick and easy 'holiday romance'.

So maybe the locals of Ayia Napa breathed a sigh of relief that the unruly and immorally behaved lager louts from Britain, would be giving them a miss for somewhere else.

However their Greek counterparts made it clear that such behaviour wont be tolerated. The UK press was awash with stories of British tourists being arrested and jailed for what they would see as high spirited behaviour such as ‘mooning’.

Drunken brawls which were common place were being clampdown on. Tragically, the reputation for lewd sexual behaviour, may have contributed to over 11 rapes of young female tourists, by locals, and fellow British tourists. It would appear the locals and police have gotten fed up with the clubbing holidaymakers already before it had time to take off.

The DJs and promoters from Napa who were also working there, told me they were not too impressed with Faliraki. It is far smaller and has a different vibe, which attracts the lager louts and has no beach bar like at Nissi Beach.

There was less trouble in Napa this season, but I was told each night at least 3 or 4 punch ups were taking place out there (Faliraki,Greece). I had the opportunity to fly out there for one day, via Athens with some Djs but declined. As I was only out for a week I thought I would make the most of Napa just in case we ran into problems out there. The stories I was getting back did not make me feel too interested in going anyway (Falirki,Greece).

One thing that would always put Ayia Napa on the map are the ‘Ayia Napa’ garage compilation CDs that come out every summer. This year was no different with one hitting the shops entitled: 'Ayia Napa Back in the day’. Well like the ‘Ibiza’ compilations that come out each year, you tend to hear the same familiar tracks with little surprises!

My friend Haji Mike, a Cypriot Journalist and radio DJ commented:

"More mention should be made of the Radio 1(*England) presence, and the fact that they have stuck by Ayia Napa while some of the Uk garage and house people stayed away and opted for short term cash returns in Faliraki".

Another thing I noted was that the Ayia Napa veterans keep coming back. A lot of the faces I saw in clubs and on Nissi Beach from last year and before returned again. There are those who jump and follow the latest trends, ie Faliraki, but the diehards keep coming. The two places are different but perhaps one reason why Napa may do well in longevity terms. Once bitten, you want more!

Whereas Faliraki finds it feet, and the sleazy trash TV documentary makers are out there filming for another Club Reps series, who knows whether it would become a major clubbing destination. Ayia Napa seems to have managed to reinvent itself and evolve musically. Last year there was more RnB and Hard House and Trance. This time round Jungle/ Drum and Bass hit the scene with a vengeance.

For the first time major promoters from London such as Licence 2 Rave and Matrix arrived bringing over the big name djs and MCs to Napa for the first time. Some may have thought it could be a costly gamble as you never know if it would work.

But how wrong they were. MC Shabba and MC Det tore down the Gas club where License 2 Rave are residents. That was one WICKED night and proved the Napa audience is up for it. Remember 'no long ting business' in Napa, you have to be real and the crowd loved drum and bass. Also in the after party at Insomnia Det and Shabba kicked ass with the Uk Garage MCs present, CKP especially, bigging them up and paying their dues.

Thursday nights drum and bass promoters Matrix rocked the Rise club with the said duo along with Navigator tearing up the place. Well done you guys.

There were also drum and bass nights at Spot club as well. It will be a matter of time before the other big name jocks arrive, Fabio and Grooveride, Bukem, Goldie, Randall, et al arrive Mythology also had a couple of Old Skool nights too. So Napa is one hell of a place for musical diversity. As stated before, it is not just for Uk/2-Step Garage.

One of the original garage clubs in Ayia Napa, in fact one of the most talked about ones before I arrived in 1999 was the Spot Club. All the regulars of course remember it. However last year it was closed and another promoter took over the venue re-naming it Club Desire.

Unfortunately it was forced to close mid season, as some clubs could stay viable due to the above mentioned problems of lack of cooperation between clubs, who signed up the big names on exclusive deals.

Well this season it was noted that the biggest name in the UK Garage scene, Radio 1s Dreem Teem trio (Uk Garage - England), made it clear they would not doing exclusive residencies in Ayia Napa.

Well in 2002 the famous Spot Club returned and featured as expected top name line ups such as DJ Luck, Timmi Magic, MC CKP among others. Yes those nights were rammed out and the famous vibe returned again.

For those who did not know, the Ayia Napa clubbing scene was effectively started off by Nick Power at the Kool Club in the mid 90s. Not one to rest on laurels, the Kool Club and has gone from strength to strength, with funky house and were based at Club Mythology.

It was voted best club night in Ayia Napa for 2001. They were given official recognition of this fact in the Escapades 2002 summer holiday brochure, which did an interesting feature on Nick and the Kool Club’s role in the development of Ayia Napa.

Pure Silk one of the first London based Garage Promoters to set up a residency in Ayia Napa and brought out the first Ayia Napa CD. This year they moved to Abyss from their original home at Pzazz. The Thursday night raves had the usual high octane atmosphere that one expects with Pure Silk. They were wicked. The Gas Club had the names but Pure Silk had the vibe Good on ya lads.

The Gas Club appeared to have gone out of its way to corner the garage market. This year they had EZ, Heartless Crew, and Pay As U Go on exclusive residencies. My only criticism is that they must have doled out big bucks to have those big name residents.

Unfortunately the Gas Club is one of the worse clubs in Ayia Napa and looks the same as it was when I first visited in 1999. All the others make a very good effort and it is in need of some serious decorating. Maybe they are shelling out more that what they are taking in. Please this is not a slight against the owner whom I know personally, and is very nice bloke.

Insomnia was of course the main UK Garage venue with all the top name jocks and MCs. The difference this year, was that it was not purely garage. For the first hour or so, it is RnB and then Garage so everyone is entertained. Club Aqua opposite the Spot played funky house and old skool and was also a popular venue. The infamous River Reggae Bar was busy as usual. This time with a live dj playing the tunes out in the open. However they closed the upstairs Hard house and Trance club, making it 100% reggae.

This is copyrighted. If you would like to use the text or any of the images please contact Mr.Carl Brown(Ipswich, England) and Solomon Malcolm(London, England) and to do so.