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Takin' It Back To Da Old Skool With Richie Rich

Author: Brown_Dog
Monday, April 26, 2004
Mayday! Mayday! The party busters have arrived! Back in the day when UK warehouse parties were held in barren sheds and warehouses, the authorities crashed, bashed and blocked our way of freedom. A new youth movement was born! The old skool rave doesn't just stand for music, fashion and friends… it stands for freedom! And that's what it's all about, coming together for the united cause and having a good time.
So dust off your trainers, get out your baggies & bandannas and tell your mum you wont be home for breakfast cause that old skool Belfast vibe is back as we celebrate Mayday and our free rights to party!


After 15 years of developing Melbourne's Party scene, Tranzfusion sits down with the man behind Hardware, Richie Rich .
We discuss one of Melbourne's biggest partying institutions, Belfast & what to expect from its latest chapter #12. Capturing the spirit of old school music and attitudes, Belfast has become a favourite on the clubbing calendar.

With the lack of "Big Name" internationals what makes Belfast one of the most anticipated parties of the year-

Probably the guaranteed fun night, great music and lots of good smiling faces. I think ultimately its the people and music. The old skool music is all good for fun times, it was just so much happier and fresh than now.

What do you think the main reasons retro parties enjoy such high popularity-

Cause there are not so many, the music was really better then and was where it all really began I guess. People are just happier. And the older crowd from back then come out and they have fun without getting fucked up on drugs like G, Speed, Ice and all these other cheap and nasty drugs around at the moment. I think that is why they are so popular.

The Belfast series has obviously branched out into a NYE party, what was the thinking behind this-

Well Belfast is the best night for me and my crew and friends, and for a lot of other people. NYE is about being with your friends, it's just a much more fun night than paying $100 for any superstar DJ! That's why we did it. A guaranteed cheap, fun night out.

We see you are dusting off the wax to play a set, what can the people expect to hear-

3 hours of all sorts of stuff, urban tracks like Snap's "THE POWER", UK rave stuff like Adamski, The Shamen's "MOVE ANY MOUNTAIN", Acid House from Tyree, Baby Ford and Mr Lee, trance from the likes of Cosmic Baby, Oliver Lieb, CJ Bolland and much more.
You'll just have to come and witness the madness for yourselves!

Belfast revolves around the explosion of the scene from the late 80's to the early 90's, what current tracks do you see yourself playing at retro party 10-15 years from now-

All sorts. There's not as many anthems now as there was back then. Sure there are tracks like Richie Hawtin's MINUS ORANGE & Jeff Mills THE BELLS etc... But they're still not the same. Belfast is about a very special period of time when youth culture worldwide started a new movement that would change the face of youth forever.

When outfitting yourself for the night, in your opinion, what is the perfect Belfast kit-

Baggies, hoodies and I usually were my special Russian Babooshka hat :)
Dress colourful, that's the order of the day. Just be yourself, have a drink, find your friends and have fun. Many people have gotten engaged at Belfast parties including my friends.

What track will get you on the dance floor at Belfast-

Q - MENTAL CUBE, Yazz - ONLY WAY IS UP or Inner City - BIG FUN…could list about 100+!!!

Which track will make you cringe-

AMPHETAMINE - drax sick of that track...

If you could choose one venue in Melbourne that would fit your description as the perfect Belfast site, what would it be-

Shed 14, Victoria Docks :( R.I.P.

Belfast comes in at a very affordable price, as a promoter do you think ticket prices are escalating out of reach for the avera
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