AWOL
The Live Recording at The Ministry of
Sound
Up until the end of last year the
country’s premier Drum & Bass night running regularly at one of
London’s most prestigious venues was the Paradise Club. Taking place
every Saturday night for two and a half years, AWOL quickly became
known as the testing ground for new material. DJ’s and producers
would go to AWOL to hear their tunes played and see what sort of
reaction it got from the AWOL massive, giving them an indication of
how the track would do on a wider scale. With resident DJ’s every
week like Randall, Micky Finn, Kenny Ken, Darren Jay and Gachet,
AWOL attracted masses from as far afield as Manchester, Liverpool
and beyond.
AWOL has since moved from the Paradise Club and now has a Thursday
night slot at the Ministry of Sound, a club that’s well capable of
taking on board the menacing B-lines that AWOL are famous for.
As we reached the Ministry of Sound, we were met by the sort of
queue that you would expect to see on a Saturday night, rather than
a Thursday. I wondered if all these people had jobs to go to the
next day or so if like me, they had decided that tonight was far too
important to miss. The reason being that tonight was to be recorded
for the new released album, AWOL ‘Live’ At The Ministry Of Sound.
The album includes 15 exclusive VIP mixes which had not been
previously heard anywhere else. To celebrate the occasion, tonight’s
session was running until 6am rather than the normal 4am finish.
The vibe inside the Ministry was electric as the DJ Rizzy warmed up
the place nicely. The MC’s for the night, Fearless and GQ, gave him
a helping hand as they prepared themselves for the start of the live
recording. There was strictly not admission to the club whilst
recording was in progress, so the places filled early and everyone
found their space in the main arena.
As the recording started, everyone knew that what we were about to
hear would be history in the making.
Never before had all five resident DJ’s played back to back. Darren
Jay kicked off the proceedings with three tracks then Randall, Kenny
Ken, Gachet and Micky Finn followed on in turn. Each DJ played three
exclusive tracks which doesn’t sound like many, but after countless
reloads, it actually amounted to a 75 minute back to back set.
Tracks included, ‘Melody Madness’ by Cool Hand Flex, ‘Fire’ by
Prizna, Kenny Ken’s ‘Everyman’ and a track called ‘AWOL’, which has
been made especially for the album by Micky Finn and Aphrodite.
All in all I can only describe the whole experience as tearin’, it
had to be heard to be believed. The AWOL massive were in good voice
and made plenty of noise as usual, and not just for the recording,
but right up until 6am. If you’ve ever listened to one of the AWOL
tapes, you’ll know what I mean.
The album was released on 31st July on Ministry of Sound Recordings
and will be available on all formats, including DJ friendly double
vinyl, a worthwhile addition to any record collection. It’s worth
bearing in mind that all 15 tracks were exclusively remixed for this
album and won’t be available anywhere else.
Alternatively, you can make your way to AWOL at the Ministry of
Sound and hear the tracks as well as the newest material currently
doing it in London. You can be sure that if there are any new tunes
about you will hear them at AWOL first. So, if you like your dub
plates then you’ll love AWOL.
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