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Chunnel 2 - The Revisit

This time after a very quiet train journey and tube travel I bounded up to the Chunnel Club.

I knew where I was going. I also knew that there would be a bumper crowd, and but not least I was going to get in.

Reaching the venue however I noticed that a huge queue had gathered outside.

But I wasn't going to be humiliated by the minders (or bouncers as we say in England) on the door this time.

"Vince the promoter has allowed a pass", I uttered as I reached the front the queue, via few dismayed looks people who had queued for some time.

"Okay over there, but just wait a minute we've only just let a fair amount of people in", uttered one of the burly head. minders, who had the neck dimensions as Mike Tyson.

"You a reporter?, asked one girl, who started of a group of whom she was who she was with to snigger at me.

"Yeah, sought of, I replied with a grin;

I've come down to do a report about the Chunnel Club".

I didn't even get chance to hear her reply as I was instantly asked if I had

anything else in pockets; sharp objects, etc, etc. by another minder who had sneaked up on me.

"Oh that's too close", I complained

"Look I'm only doing my job.

You'd be the first person to start moaning if some nutter goes off his 'ead,

and starts using his tool wouldn't yah".

"Its not that, but you getting too close to my lunch box mate".

"It brought a smile to your face, didn't it gov, what you worrying about?

"Okay your clean. Just go through and give them your name at the paying booth,

where they will check to see if your name on the list."

"Next"

Motioned on by a few other Charles Atlas styled minders into the direction of the paying booth, I was quite surprised that there was no hiccup, in that department.

"Have a good night, and put good things in your report about us won't ya, the attendant added.

I smiled and continued my jounery into the club.

On entering the club nothing really drastic had changed. It was the same as it looked when the last time I had visited.it However, this time it was packed. Boy was it packed. The Roman and Greek fake/marble statues were still scattered around the House room of I which was in. However, arriving at this time, it seemed so much smaller. I looked down a my watch which read 12.14 PM Sunday Morning.

It was hot believe me; The air itself was full of Dry ice, come fake smoke as the people within the DJ booth seemed to be enjoying themselves spraying the crowd with this irritable substance. The bassline of a particulary that was being played song seemed to enter your very soul entered willing you dance. Yes it was the Sunday Scene/Speed Garage music alright at the moment and the place was bubbling.

I was standing right next to a group of girls, who with their sweet smelling perfume, and revealing clothing cast my mind away from the dry ice tactic that was being employed by the House DJ's of the Chunnel Club. Boy they looked good, but I held myself back from trying to introduce myself to them. Where's the boyfriends I asked myself?

I felt a bit dry, in the throat anyway, and needed something wet, just to clear my throat.

I made my way to the club bar, which was at this moment in time a very hard thing to do. The bar attendant were doing their best but they were being rushed of their feet. No sooner had they served one person, 3 other people were waving (English pounds) 10.00 in their faces, in order to get served.

The girls that I was admiring from close distance, unfortunately had the same ideas as mine, and reached the bar before me. After the last glasses of wine and couple of glasses of beer had been ordered by one of the girls in the group, these were eventually past over to her.

I quickly slipped in behind her to the front of the bar with a few other people already stationed there.

Once there I didn't have to wait long before I was served. I decided to go for a straight and simple glass of Coca Cola, with just a few cubes of ice.

"Whey, hey hey", went the crowd as the first classic was dropped for the night that I know of.

People who were just 15ft away from me on the main dance floor who where smiling and dancing as if the tune had hypnotized them. The DJ that had got them rocking of whom I had recognized from the last time that I visited last was Gary Aldmen.

Helped along by an MC, which is a very usual sight among UK Underground sounding Garage nights nowadays was the Mc called Mc Creed.

Yes, this is London, I thought, the tunes are dropping, everybody going for it, and the girlies..whew!!

A girl who had maneuvered herself right in front of me as I was heading to leave the bar for the dancefloor was full of smiles, and laughter.

She seemed so happy, and carefree, that I had to ask her, her name.

I found out from her that she was from Oxford, and had heard a lot about this club from friends who at work who lived within London. By the time we had both finished our conversation to one another. We hadn't noticed that we were now within the middle of the dancefloor, where it was impossible to hear one another.

She montioned that she had to go and meet her boyfriend and the rest of her crew, but thank me for talking to her and meeting her. I gave her a little peck on the cheek, and saw her disappear into the heaving, bubbling crowd.

I got a sharp reminder that this was a heaving dancefloor, by an Gene Kelly impressionist decided that it was time to take over the dance floor However, he wanted too much room to have to show of his princely footwork. He was good, but to assume that he was going to have the whole of the dancefloor was another matter.

After he had stepped on the 3^rd persons toes, it all took a different turn altogether as it got a bit heated. One man squared up to him, which I thought , "He we go again", and just took a couple of steps back. Just in case you know.But I need not have worried as in the end it all ended up with hand shakes and smiles, with not a bouncer to be seen anywhere!!!!

The DJ of the moment Gary Aldman was playing a much harder Garage set than usual. It seem to be broadering on the sphere of Drum and Bass. The crowd were in such a state at the moment that he seemed to be getting away with it. Just as thought it would get a little more softer out came, " We are E", a pre Jungle classic. The hands went up for this one; people who were stationed on the dance floor put a little more effort in their steps as the bassline and the drum pattern took them to another plane.

I loved this track myself, and also couldn't help by shouting out"Rewind Selector", a few times .

Every body was rocking to this.

I took time to slip of the dancefloor in order to gather my thoughts and to look around abit.

I could hear the DJ bringing in another track via the ending of the "We are E" track.

But my mind wasn't on that. I noticed that the Chunnel had a very diverse crowd this evening, which brought out the best in everybody. From Ragga's to the Soul heads, to the larger boys with their Holsten Pils bottles in their hands, to the girls dressed to kill, and some of them with dresses that seemed to be sprayed on!!!

As I stood by a wall in front of me I noticed a group of girls were in good spirits, dancing their socks off to DJ Ramsey, who had just taken the DJ helm.

Ramsey, who is reknown for playing styles closer to Drum and Bass instead of Garage within his set shocked me a maybe a few other people that were playing close attention via his first couple of tunes They were broadering on the Soulful Garage tip.

The first credible tune that I can remember in which he dropped was called, "What you want" by Industry Standard. The place went mental as the vast number of the crowd who were on the dance floor were singing the words of the classic Uk tune. He then decided to play an Armand Van Helden version of "Night Life" by Kim English; and once again he had the crowd eating out of his hand. .It seems as if everybody knows the words of this song.

The group of girls beside me and in front of me had really let their hair down, most of them were beckoning a few men that were close by to dance with them! Look at me please I was begging in side, but they glace didn't reach my own!!!

That song that he played does it all the time; but I wish he would play the Master of Work Version, which is a little less harsh….but who am I to complain. It was working.

Ramsey, had clearly had hit on a winning formula, and was going for it for all it was worth.

Out came another classic within his set such as "It gets better with time" TuffnJam, UK, and " Got to get together", by Grant Nelson, UK; which really did bring a roar.

Even the Mc had to stop Ramsey, in mid flow, and ask him to "Rewind selector". "Hitch it back, hitch it back" to the delight of the crowd of course he did so.

The pace was fast and furious, with no indication of slowing down. They do say though that when your having fun, time flies; and they're right. I looked at my clock it read 3.30 am already. I decided to go for a fill up at the bar. There I got into another conversation with another girl, who explained that she was from Liverpool, England originally, but was staying in Oxford.

As the ice was eventually broken between us as I explained where I was from, and what I was doing here (I don't know if she believe me) she explained that she would be moving down to London to live. I found out from her that this style of Garage was only stating to make its way in the minds of clubbers.

The majority of people that she went around with were into progressive house and very hard trance style of House music.

She like liked this kind of House music, but her friend and Boyfriend,( who was in the other room

) preferred their house music to be hard.

As another friend came to greet her, I took my queue to leave them, and wonder down to the chill out area. A large amount of people had already gathered all the seating their, and it looked as if they were to stay for some considerable time. It was still only 4.00am. Most of them looked worse for wear. But some of the people hear were chatting as if there was no tomorrow. I was looking for a place to sit for a few moments just rest my feet. Eventually, a couple had decided that the rest period was over for them, and it was time to resume normal service on the dance floor.

I quickly gathered the one of the seats in which they had just vacated. I was glad of the rest. Whilst I was there I noticed a multitude of people of all ages coming to rest their warey feet. From some of the prettiest girlsthat any man is willing to see to blokes ringing with sweat, and the shirts tied to their torso!!!

I looked at my watch, which read 4.555am, and noticed that the club was only just beginning to thin out, but not that much.

The music was getting softer, USA sounding. I asked who was the DJ on the stand at the moment. I got a reply of, " Sorry, I don't know", a couple of times to my answer. But eventually, a girl who was a regular at the club explained to me that it was DJ Reckless.

The DJ who was black and male, and was sporting a dyed Ultra Nate styled hairstyle, was getting cheers for every track that he seemed to be dropping.

Plutonic's, "Addicted to love", "Can I get Witness, by Ann Nesby /Mousse T, "Cover Ups" by Cover Up vo1 (Joey Mustapha) all had the crowds roaring again.; and dancing with a fever that I thought that was lost at this stage of the evening.

He dropped track after track, which met with the crows approval. Whistles. Cheers came his way, as the crowd were well impressed in taking them on a jounery of the softer sides of House music.

Then he dropped "NightLife" by Kim English , in which it was already dropped by Ramsey a couple of hours earlier.

But he played the Master of Work Version which brought the House down. People all around were in fine voice when he cut down the volume of the song to allow people to sing at the top of their voices. "That's where I want to be . Its in the Night Life ah hah That's where I want to be"

Reckless, continue on that theme even dropping "Where Love lives", by Allison Limerick which even surpass Nightlife!!!!

6.00am came too quickly for me, and for many others, who were a bit stunned and startled to the lights to come on to end this nights proceedings.

Many people clapped the DJ, whilst others whistled their acknowledgement to him.

He bowed in a threatical way to them, and then waved them good-bye!!

I didn't know when the lights came on that there was still so many pretty girls around. They must have been hiding somewhere all this time.

Ah well next time. Now the jounery home!!!