Diary - Atomik, Storm, Nassfeld & more!

Tuesday, 31st March 2009

I hope you’re all fine and dandy, I’ve just got back from what seems like a lifetime on the road, having just a few days to do my washing from the Canadian tour, I set off for Sheffield for my lecture at Sheffield Hallam University two weeks ago and got back last night, taking in Leeds, Prestatyn, Coalville and Austria on the way home.

I have no problems with my nerves djing in front of thousands of people, but talking to a room full of students scared the bejesus out of me. They were very kind though and it seemed to go well, the lecture was titled ‘Successful Event Management From An Artist’s Perspective’, which was basically me recounting my various horror stories that have happened, like monitor speakers falling onto my head whilst djing, people getting past security onto the stage to grapple with me etc, giving the students an idea of what can go wrong and how to avoid it.

The following day after a couple of nights spent on my sister’s farm with the drains all blocked I headed off to Leeds to make a tune with young Jon BW which has a working title of “Play” (for his album out end of April on Tidy). We came up with a corker and I played it the very next night at The Atomik Weekender in Prestatyn. That’s the beauty of today’s technology, unlike a few years ago when you had to wait for an acetate to be cut which could take ages and cost at least 50 quid…

So The Atomik Weekender was awesome, busy and just as good as any other weekender I’ve played at up there -it was nice to see some new faces as well as the regulars. I love seeing all my dj pals at these kind of gigs too and it’s often the only time we get to hang out all together. It can be a lonely job on the road so I really look forward to these events for that reason nearly as much as the djing.

Next morning nice and early I drove to Coalville for Storm VS Tidy at The Emporium, managing a few of hours kip at my hotel before being collected by my mate Shaggy and heading down to the club. I was really pleased at how busy it was considering there was a weekender on only a couple of hour’s drive away, but I guess Pontin’s isn’t everyone’s cup of tea…Storm and Tidy have their hardcore clubbers and they were out in force that night. It was a wicked atmosphere and I loved every minute of it - I’ve been djing there for over 10 years now and it’s still good - that club just has something magic about it…

I drove home that Sunday regretting the kebab I had at 3am; not so much the quality of the food, but the time that I ate it. 24 hours later I was on a plane to Nassfeld, Austria and that’s where I’ve been for the past week. I have to confess it was more play than work, I had been booked for the cancelled ‘Snowside’ festival there, we had our flights and accom paid for and I was no longer able to go to Snowbombing due to me being booked for Finland this weekend, so we decided to go anyway. Work hard play hard that’s what I say…

This weekend I’m off to Finland to play at Fury in Helsinki, Finland on Sat 4th April, it’s a couple of years since I’ve played in Finland so I’m really looking forward to that, then it’s Wildlife @ The Ice Factory in Perth on Sat 11th April, that’s one of my favourite clubs and on Sunday 12th of April it’s RIOT! at The Ministry Of Sound in London which is gonna be amazing, then a massive drive up to Barrow in Furness also on the 12th April for Good Greef ‘s Boat party on Princess Selandia.

Come and say hello if you’re in the area and as always, take care, love Anne xx