I went to Ministry of Sound last night to see Armin Van Buuren - it's only taken over 10 years for me to actually come to this iconic place and I've done it before I turn 30. That's one thing off the tick list : )
I've been into Dance music on and off since about 1992. My original interest mainly came from watching Top of the Pops (when it was still good) with my parents, going to school discos that played current tracks and my disco dancing. Yes, I went to classes with girls that did those crazy spangly competitions and tried to make themselves as Oompa Lumpa-ish as possible (they were good times! lol). Especially with the disco dancing side of things, I landed up having lots of dance cds from a young age and would love nothing but to dance round my kitchen to lyrical tracks (something I still enjoy doing now : p).
On top of this, my gran's best friends son was a DJ in the making, so we would hear about some dance music stuff through him. It's weird to think of all the loud music we would hear coming up through the living room when we visited and yet that was the beginnings of his International stardom (yes, it paid off for him!)
So, early to mid 90s - good dance music! End of the 90s, it feels like something went horribly wrong. Probably because pop music (in particular girl and boy bands) to over. Not that I'm complaining, it added a nice bit of cheese to my collection, but dance music went bad! There are irritating songs like "Sweet like Chocolate" and "Swing it Back" that to this day it makes me cringe to hear. Then this followed with not only a good few years of mainstream garage but also more bad music without lyrics - awful!
Start of the 00s I had become well and truly the indie rock chick I was always destined to be. I not only paid to see a huge amount of acts in the next few years, but I also went to a lot of gigs for free due to my street teaming work : ) Sweet! Dance music was alright but still not worth listening to unless it was backtracking on Kisstory.
And then Ibiza happened. In 2006 my boyfriends mates planned on going to the Island for another round of clubbing, drinking and fun. I have to say I was kind of sceptical (TV never really gave it good coverage and I didn't want a holiday full of idiots) but the guys (who had mostly been before) said it wasn't like what was portrayed and it was a good break. So 7 of us booked the trip and off we went. I have to say, clubbing is so much better out there. Ok, sometimes you are packed in like a jam sandwich, but the experience and the euphoric feel is like nothing I have ever felt before. Sometimes the view around you is immense, maybe being chilled by ice cannons for a split section where you can't even see your hand in front of you or maybe the baseline is just so heavy your heart is literally pulsating out of your body - it is insane! That and every club and bar is different, offering another experience to your holiday. And aside from that you wear whatever you want, have beautiful weather around you and there is enough shopping, water sports and other activities to keep you entertained when your awake and not clubbing. But the best thing about the trip, was re-finding my love for dance music, it hadn't gone away, it was just sleeping : ) Whilst out there we went to Pacha, Amnesia, Cafe De Mar, Eden, Manumission and an array of other places. We listened to DJs from across the world playing banging tracks and we stayed out late and most of all we had fun doing. We also chose a great year, as 2006 turned out to be brilliant for the revival of good dance music. It is thanks to this holiday that I know about Paul Oakenfold, David Guetta, Paul Van Dyk and Armin Van Buuren (to name a few). Ibiza is also now opening it's doors to other styles of music, so getting to see Futureheads and a few other non-dance acts was also great. If you love music, it is definitely worth going. These days, you never know who will be on the billing! : )
Now, I'm standing in Ministry of Sound - I finally got to come. Everytime I have tried to visit one of the big clubs n town, something has happened and I haven't been able to go. Asides from Pacha in London, this is the 2nd 'big' club I have been to. Some of the greatest acts of dance music that have been created have played here and it was cool to absorb that and the music around you. Even if I don't get the chance to come here again, I can say I have been (especially as they are currently unsure if it is going to be knocked down) and that in itself seems like an achievement.
Today's post title comes from Snoop Dogg Vs David Guetta's Sweat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnEXrbAQyIo&ob=av2e @davidguetta @snoopdogg
I've been into Dance music on and off since about 1992. My original interest mainly came from watching Top of the Pops (when it was still good) with my parents, going to school discos that played current tracks and my disco dancing. Yes, I went to classes with girls that did those crazy spangly competitions and tried to make themselves as Oompa Lumpa-ish as possible (they were good times! lol). Especially with the disco dancing side of things, I landed up having lots of dance cds from a young age and would love nothing but to dance round my kitchen to lyrical tracks (something I still enjoy doing now : p).
On top of this, my gran's best friends son was a DJ in the making, so we would hear about some dance music stuff through him. It's weird to think of all the loud music we would hear coming up through the living room when we visited and yet that was the beginnings of his International stardom (yes, it paid off for him!)
So, early to mid 90s - good dance music! End of the 90s, it feels like something went horribly wrong. Probably because pop music (in particular girl and boy bands) to over. Not that I'm complaining, it added a nice bit of cheese to my collection, but dance music went bad! There are irritating songs like "Sweet like Chocolate" and "Swing it Back" that to this day it makes me cringe to hear. Then this followed with not only a good few years of mainstream garage but also more bad music without lyrics - awful!
Start of the 00s I had become well and truly the indie rock chick I was always destined to be. I not only paid to see a huge amount of acts in the next few years, but I also went to a lot of gigs for free due to my street teaming work : ) Sweet! Dance music was alright but still not worth listening to unless it was backtracking on Kisstory.
And then Ibiza happened. In 2006 my boyfriends mates planned on going to the Island for another round of clubbing, drinking and fun. I have to say I was kind of sceptical (TV never really gave it good coverage and I didn't want a holiday full of idiots) but the guys (who had mostly been before) said it wasn't like what was portrayed and it was a good break. So 7 of us booked the trip and off we went. I have to say, clubbing is so much better out there. Ok, sometimes you are packed in like a jam sandwich, but the experience and the euphoric feel is like nothing I have ever felt before. Sometimes the view around you is immense, maybe being chilled by ice cannons for a split section where you can't even see your hand in front of you or maybe the baseline is just so heavy your heart is literally pulsating out of your body - it is insane! That and every club and bar is different, offering another experience to your holiday. And aside from that you wear whatever you want, have beautiful weather around you and there is enough shopping, water sports and other activities to keep you entertained when your awake and not clubbing. But the best thing about the trip, was re-finding my love for dance music, it hadn't gone away, it was just sleeping : ) Whilst out there we went to Pacha, Amnesia, Cafe De Mar, Eden, Manumission and an array of other places. We listened to DJs from across the world playing banging tracks and we stayed out late and most of all we had fun doing. We also chose a great year, as 2006 turned out to be brilliant for the revival of good dance music. It is thanks to this holiday that I know about Paul Oakenfold, David Guetta, Paul Van Dyk and Armin Van Buuren (to name a few). Ibiza is also now opening it's doors to other styles of music, so getting to see Futureheads and a few other non-dance acts was also great. If you love music, it is definitely worth going. These days, you never know who will be on the billing! : )
Now, I'm standing in Ministry of Sound - I finally got to come. Everytime I have tried to visit one of the big clubs n town, something has happened and I haven't been able to go. Asides from Pacha in London, this is the 2nd 'big' club I have been to. Some of the greatest acts of dance music that have been created have played here and it was cool to absorb that and the music around you. Even if I don't get the chance to come here again, I can say I have been (especially as they are currently unsure if it is going to be knocked down) and that in itself seems like an achievement.
Today's post title comes from Snoop Dogg Vs David Guetta's Sweat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnEXrbAQyIo&ob=av2e @davidguetta @snoopdogg
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