Australia Climbing Adventure_THE MUSICAL_Total Eclipse from Cedar Wright on Vimeo.
Wednesday, 18 August 2010
Friday, 23 July 2010
The Little Devil...
1 hour on the metro and bus / 2 hours in Berlin airport / 1 ½ hours to Frankfurt / 1 ½ hours in the airport / 11 hours to Singapore / 1 hour in the airport / 10 hours to Sydney / 1 ½ hours in the airport / 1 ½ hours to Melbourne / 6 hours in the airport / 1 ½ hours to Hobart.
Aided by my lack of sleep over the last 72 the travelling time itself was not such a big problem and I slept for a lot of hours on the various planes. However the entire journey was probably the worst I have ever had due to my blocked sinuses from my illness the week before. Every time the plane took off and gained altitude it felt like my head was going to explode! Each time this feeling lasted for around 2 hours, and really was agony, so much so that I was almost sick from the pain.
Every flight was the same, but each flight I took was one closer to being there, and finally I arrived in Hobart, met my friends and drove to our accommodation - a small cabin down near a beach on the south of the island.
The next week was to be a non-stop whirlwind of epic proportions involving monstrous hikes, monstrous cliffs and monstrous monsters... but unfortunately I can’t share too much of it with you at this time due to exclusivity commitments with Sender Films – but rest assured, all will be available in glorious Technicolor detail later this year... Check it out
What I can share is as follows...
After escaping from the Jungle, stumbling into a fine dining restaurant stinking to the high heavens and covered in dirt, taking a few rest days, partying to surprisingly good drum and bass and enjoying the company of new friends, everyone felt like the time had come for a little more climbing... and what better way to end our trip than with a quick ascent of the Tote!
Situated at the end of Cape Hauy, the Tote is accessed by a pleasant 2 hour stroll (a walk in the park compared to the last few days) through lush vegetation along an ever thinning peninsular. Towards the end the trail turns rockier and steep cliffs develop on either side leading to the crashing waves hundreds of feet below. Eventually you get to see what you have been waiting so long for... and it does not disappoint – The Totem pole is simply majestic, and if truth be told, a little intimidating!
We had begged, borrowed and stolen all the info we needed to be able to access the route – essentially an awkward scramble down took you to a ledge level with the top of the pole, where 2 shiny bolts made the ab to the base and the following swing across the chasm a very pleasant experience – that is until the first big wave rolls in leaving you soaked to the skin! The last thing to remember is for the second not to detach from the ab-line, for reasons that will soon become clear...
The first pitch in its own right would rank as a 3* route anywhere in the world, even if you do have to climb the first part of it over wet rock with soggy chalk. The rock quality is excellent and strange, often in cut ripples and flakes are a joy to climb. The crux comes at around 2/3 height and is a surprisingly balancey affair that keeps you on your toes. This leads into pleasant jugs to the prominent belay ledge and the first chance you really get to appreciate where you are and what you are doing.
The second pitch is simply superb and in my opinion is possibly the best route I have ever climbed – I can’t remember another pitch that made me smile this much. For almost 40m you climb one of the most striking, perfectly situated arêtes on the planet; the rock quality is amazing, the holds impeccable and the moves fascinating. Protected for most of the way by slightly spaced bolts which can be supplemented by trad gear as you approach the top, the route feels go-ey enough to be really enjoyable, but never dangerous.
On arriving at the ledge just below the summit, you are greeted by a further 2 shiny bolts making belaying a breeze. After bringing up the second and quick cruise up to the summit to pose for the necessary hero shots (well it would be almost rude to come all this way and not stand on top of the damn thing) the final exciting chapter is ready to begin. Fixing the ab-line you have patiently dragged up the whole way, an exciting 20m Tyrolean lands you back on the mainland with huge grins still firmly plastered to your face.
A day later I was stood in Hobart airport waiting for my plane back to the mainland and contemplating the events of the last week. Tasmania had been an incredible experience that had tested me in new ways and taught me many new skills. The main objective of the trip had been a great success, we did what we came to do, and got out alive – but the thing that had made the entire trip worth it, was those few hours of bliss climbing the Totem Pole. What a route!!!
Tuesday, 15 June 2010
My alarm woke me at 3am, I remembered the decision that needed to be made, and allowed myself to fall back to sleep as it just felt so good :) There will be plenty of other opportunities to party in the future, sometimes you just have to listen to what your body is telling you!
We woke at around 10am the next morning – having slept for almost a whole day :) and felt pretty good for it. Lana took us to view the “east side gallery” which is the longest remaining intact section of the wall, covered in paintings by national and international artists. The paintings were all recently restored (original artists invited back in 2009) and so the wall is very beautiful to look at
We said our goodbyes and thankyous to Lena and returned to Fabians where we would spend our last night. After packing my bags, I was ready to go and began to make plans for leaving for the airport in the morning. To my surprise, my 9am flight turned out actually to be at 9pm, which opened up a whole lot of new options...
I wanted to be really tired for my big flight so dancing all night and staying awake all day seemed like a perfect idea, the only trouble was it was Sunday, and where in the world has clubs open all night on a Sunday? Berlin of course ;)
Sara had a 7am flight followed by a day of work so made the smart decision to go to sleep. I left the house at around midnight in the pouring rain and headed to the Goldengate which i was very happy to find was still going strong – full of psyched people and good music. I stayed until around 4.45am when I left to meet Sara and walk with her to the metro Station to say goodby, then I went back to the club for round two until about 8.30 when I left to take the keys back to Fabian so he could go to University.
36 hours later I would be sat in Tasmania, about ready to get into a real bed for the first time in way too many days. Adventure and excitement are on their way... the story is just begining
We woke at around 10am the next morning – having slept for almost a whole day :) and felt pretty good for it. Lana took us to view the “east side gallery” which is the longest remaining intact section of the wall, covered in paintings by national and international artists. The paintings were all recently restored (original artists invited back in 2009) and so the wall is very beautiful to look at
We said our goodbyes and thankyous to Lena and returned to Fabians where we would spend our last night. After packing my bags, I was ready to go and began to make plans for leaving for the airport in the morning. To my surprise, my 9am flight turned out actually to be at 9pm, which opened up a whole lot of new options...
I wanted to be really tired for my big flight so dancing all night and staying awake all day seemed like a perfect idea, the only trouble was it was Sunday, and where in the world has clubs open all night on a Sunday? Berlin of course ;)
Sara had a 7am flight followed by a day of work so made the smart decision to go to sleep. I left the house at around midnight in the pouring rain and headed to the Goldengate which i was very happy to find was still going strong – full of psyched people and good music. I stayed until around 4.45am when I left to meet Sara and walk with her to the metro Station to say goodby, then I went back to the club for round two until about 8.30 when I left to take the keys back to Fabian so he could go to University.
36 hours later I would be sat in Tasmania, about ready to get into a real bed for the first time in way too many days. Adventure and excitement are on their way... the story is just begining
Monday, 31 May 2010
Help Zalia
Help Zalia!!!
Appeal by Anna Piunova (mountain.ru):
...A dreadful accident happened about a week ago in Turkey with Zalia, a daughter of Salavat Rakhmetov, famous boulderingist, he won World Championship 2005 in Munich at the age of 38.
Sure, you’ve heard about him.
Salavat lead the pitch, his wife belayed, when huge block of rock fell down directly to their 5 y.o. daughter, she’s still unconsciousness, in intensive care in a Turkish hospital, she has pulled through four surgeries (amputation of a hand, sewed big toe on a leg, stuck in the spokes of a broken arm and a leg).
But she needs one more heavy operation - damaged crashed skull fragments fell into the brain.
Doctors are waiting for swelling of the brain reduces to allow the operation for removing these fragments.
The problem is that her medical insurance expires tomorrow, and she’s still not transportable because of the injuries.
Hospitalization can last from two weeks to a month. And the cost (w/o surgeries) will be approximately $74,000.
Rent of a special aircraft for the transportation of Zalia home is about $49,000.
In total she needs $123,000.
If she’s alive.
So let’s try to co-ordinate and to find money for Zalia. It is not so easy.
But all our children grow up near the cliffs.....
Your possibilities to help Zalia (please choose the most economic and most trustful option for you):
1. Possibility:
(we propose this for all internatinal donations, because it’s the best working and by far cheepest option for those)
You can donate, to a PayPal account that was also established to help with foreign donations.
For more information and donation, this way visit the site:
http://sharmenhope.com/zaliya/
2. via WESTERN UNION:
we propose this for all internatinal money transfers, for people who can not donate
The data for Western Union:
RAKHMETOV Salavat (Kipaevich)
63 & 8470; 8399932
28.04.2009 - 28.04.2014
Moscovskaya oblast, g. Odintsovo
ATTENTION: When you have received the Western Union transfer code, send it to the reference person Anna Piunova: info@mountain.ru
3. Possibility:
national and international Banktransfer (SWIFT) to Salavat’s bank account. It seems like this is not possible from all countries.
For Euro Donation
SWIFT-code: SABRRUMM011
SBERBANK (OPERATONS DEPARTAMENT)
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
Acc.& 8470;42307978100020001331
Name RAKHMETOV Salavat (Kipaevich)
-For USD Donation
SWIFT-Code: SABRRUMM011
SBERBANK (OPERATONS DEPARTAMENT)
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
Acc.& 8470;42307840900020002150
Name RAKHMETOV Salavat (Kipaevich)
4. Possibility:
The turkish search and rescue team (AKUT) opened an account for Zalia
this account is useful for money transfers from turkey. At the moment it’s not possible to donate from other countries than turkey to this YTL-account!. A €-account will be opened maybe later. The money will be given here in Antalya directly to Salavat by trustful climbers. A copy of the bankstatement of this bankaccount will be given to Salavat.
NAME: Hakki Gokceoglu
BANK: Garanti Bankasi Konyaalyi Subesi
Sube Kodu: 412
NR.:6666748
IBAN: TR53 0006 2000 4120 0006 66667 48
5. Possibiliy:
(we propose this for all internatinal donations, from tuesday on, because it’s the best working and by far cheepest option for those):
A PAY PAL account directly on Salavat’s name will be opened on tuesday. We will publish the data for this as soon as posible
Thank you for your heart and take care
links:
http://mountain.ru/article/article_display1.php?article_id=4496
http://www.lezec.cz/clanek.php?key=8679&nazev=mountain.ru__shani_pomoc
http://sharmenhope.com/zaliya/
...A dreadful accident happened about a week ago in Turkey with Zalia, a daughter of Salavat Rakhmetov, famous boulderingist, he won World Championship 2005 in Munich at the age of 38.
Sure, you’ve heard about him.
Salavat lead the pitch, his wife belayed, when huge block of rock fell down directly to their 5 y.o. daughter, she’s still unconsciousness, in intensive care in a Turkish hospital, she has pulled through four surgeries (amputation of a hand, sewed big toe on a leg, stuck in the spokes of a broken arm and a leg).
But she needs one more heavy operation - damaged crashed skull fragments fell into the brain.
Doctors are waiting for swelling of the brain reduces to allow the operation for removing these fragments.
The problem is that her medical insurance expires tomorrow, and she’s still not transportable because of the injuries.
Hospitalization can last from two weeks to a month. And the cost (w/o surgeries) will be approximately $74,000.
Rent of a special aircraft for the transportation of Zalia home is about $49,000.
In total she needs $123,000.
If she’s alive.
So let’s try to co-ordinate and to find money for Zalia. It is not so easy.
But all our children grow up near the cliffs.....
Your possibilities to help Zalia (please choose the most economic and most trustful option for you):
1. Possibility:
(we propose this for all internatinal donations, because it’s the best working and by far cheepest option for those)
You can donate, to a PayPal account that was also established to help with foreign donations.
For more information and donation, this way visit the site:
http://sharmenhope.com/zaliya/
2. via WESTERN UNION:
we propose this for all internatinal money transfers, for people who can not donate
The data for Western Union:
RAKHMETOV Salavat (Kipaevich)
63 & 8470; 8399932
28.04.2009 - 28.04.2014
Moscovskaya oblast, g. Odintsovo
ATTENTION: When you have received the Western Union transfer code, send it to the reference person Anna Piunova: info@mountain.ru
3. Possibility:
national and international Banktransfer (SWIFT) to Salavat’s bank account. It seems like this is not possible from all countries.
For Euro Donation
SWIFT-code: SABRRUMM011
SBERBANK (OPERATONS DEPARTAMENT)
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
Acc.& 8470;42307978100020001331
Name RAKHMETOV Salavat (Kipaevich)
-For USD Donation
SWIFT-Code: SABRRUMM011
SBERBANK (OPERATONS DEPARTAMENT)
MOSCOW, RUSSIA
Acc.& 8470;42307840900020002150
Name RAKHMETOV Salavat (Kipaevich)
4. Possibility:
The turkish search and rescue team (AKUT) opened an account for Zalia
this account is useful for money transfers from turkey. At the moment it’s not possible to donate from other countries than turkey to this YTL-account!. A €-account will be opened maybe later. The money will be given here in Antalya directly to Salavat by trustful climbers. A copy of the bankstatement of this bankaccount will be given to Salavat.
NAME: Hakki Gokceoglu
BANK: Garanti Bankasi Konyaalyi Subesi
Sube Kodu: 412
NR.:6666748
IBAN: TR53 0006 2000 4120 0006 66667 48
5. Possibiliy:
(we propose this for all internatinal donations, from tuesday on, because it’s the best working and by far cheepest option for those):
A PAY PAL account directly on Salavat’s name will be opened on tuesday. We will publish the data for this as soon as posible
Thank you for your heart and take care
links:
http://mountain.ru/article/article_display1.php?article_id=4496
http://www.lezec.cz/clanek.php?key=8679&nazev=mountain.ru__shani_pomoc
http://sharmenhope.com/zaliya/
Monday, 17 May 2010
Friday...
After a lazy day, where all our “sight-seeing” plans failed to materialise, Sara and I took the metro to meet our friends for a BBQ on a rooftop. This was all the information they gave us, and so I innocently imagined it would be on the roof terrace of someone’s apartment or something similar. Not in Berlin!
Fabian met us on the street and led us down a small alley towards what looked like some sort of old abandoned factory. We climbed over a tall fence, and followed him towards the building where he led us through a window into the damp dark building. He had conveniently brought a torch to lead the way, which we were very grateful for as it was pitch black inside, and we followed him through twists and turns, up many flights of stairs until suddenly we were climbing out onto the roof to be greeted by around 15 or 20 other people.
The view from the roof was amazing, especially once the sun went down and the lights of Berlin were switched on. Unfortunately we had arrived a little later than originally planned and the grill was rapidly getting cold. We tried our best to cook some sausages, and got surprisingly close to succeeding before hunger got the better of us and we ate them regardless with fingers crossed for no ill effects!
Our base for the next few days was going to be with a very friendly girl called Lena that had kindly offered us a place to stay via Couchsurfing.org. We met up with Lena a little later on, dropped our bags off at her place and accompanied her to a friend’s place for some pre-party drinks. Things in Berlin don’t get started until around 3am so my pre party drinks involved a few cups of strong coffee as well as the usual bottles of cheap sparkling wine – classy ;)
Lena had told us she would take us to some of the more “ugly” clubs for the real Berlin experience and so the venue for tonight was to be a little different to Watergate. Situated in an old railway repair station, M.I.K.Z wasted no money on fancy furnishings, but was full of friendly people, psyched for the music, to dance, and make new friends.
The music was pretty good, but the DJing left a little to be desired and sketchy mix’s between records were not uncommon. I had fun, and it was nice to experience it, but in the future I would be more inclined to stick to seeing the “bigger” DJ’s in the better known clubs as I can get the M.I.K.S experience most nights in Innsbruck. Later that morning we went back to Watergate for an after party. It was in the downstairs section of the club, where all the windows are clear so daylight was allowed to light up the whole place. This really seemed to change the atmosphere and I had a lot of fun dancing in the sun.
Eventually our tired muscles got the better of us and we went back to Lena’s place at around 11.30am to grab some sleep. Sleep came quickly and we woke only at around 6pm when our bellies began to cry out for food. A very brief and sleepy trip out of the house found us eating in a very authentic Indian restaurant in on Kreuziger Strasse, which is famous for its many elaboratley decorated squats, and discussing plans for later that night.
There would be a great night at Arenaclub that I was quite motivated to go to, but on the other hand, the thought of a good night’s sleep, getting to see some of the sights of Berlin and also being fully recovered for my upcoming trip was also quite tempting. One choice was definitely more fun than the other, but one choice was also more responsible. I really didn’t know what to do, so figured I would sleep a little more before making my decision...
After a lazy day, where all our “sight-seeing” plans failed to materialise, Sara and I took the metro to meet our friends for a BBQ on a rooftop. This was all the information they gave us, and so I innocently imagined it would be on the roof terrace of someone’s apartment or something similar. Not in Berlin!
Fabian met us on the street and led us down a small alley towards what looked like some sort of old abandoned factory. We climbed over a tall fence, and followed him towards the building where he led us through a window into the damp dark building. He had conveniently brought a torch to lead the way, which we were very grateful for as it was pitch black inside, and we followed him through twists and turns, up many flights of stairs until suddenly we were climbing out onto the roof to be greeted by around 15 or 20 other people.
The view from the roof was amazing, especially once the sun went down and the lights of Berlin were switched on. Unfortunately we had arrived a little later than originally planned and the grill was rapidly getting cold. We tried our best to cook some sausages, and got surprisingly close to succeeding before hunger got the better of us and we ate them regardless with fingers crossed for no ill effects!
Our base for the next few days was going to be with a very friendly girl called Lena that had kindly offered us a place to stay via Couchsurfing.org. We met up with Lena a little later on, dropped our bags off at her place and accompanied her to a friend’s place for some pre-party drinks. Things in Berlin don’t get started until around 3am so my pre party drinks involved a few cups of strong coffee as well as the usual bottles of cheap sparkling wine – classy ;)
Lena had told us she would take us to some of the more “ugly” clubs for the real Berlin experience and so the venue for tonight was to be a little different to Watergate. Situated in an old railway repair station, M.I.K.Z wasted no money on fancy furnishings, but was full of friendly people, psyched for the music, to dance, and make new friends.
The music was pretty good, but the DJing left a little to be desired and sketchy mix’s between records were not uncommon. I had fun, and it was nice to experience it, but in the future I would be more inclined to stick to seeing the “bigger” DJ’s in the better known clubs as I can get the M.I.K.S experience most nights in Innsbruck. Later that morning we went back to Watergate for an after party. It was in the downstairs section of the club, where all the windows are clear so daylight was allowed to light up the whole place. This really seemed to change the atmosphere and I had a lot of fun dancing in the sun.
Eventually our tired muscles got the better of us and we went back to Lena’s place at around 11.30am to grab some sleep. Sleep came quickly and we woke only at around 6pm when our bellies began to cry out for food. A very brief and sleepy trip out of the house found us eating in a very authentic Indian restaurant in on Kreuziger Strasse, which is famous for its many elaboratley decorated squats, and discussing plans for later that night.
There would be a great night at Arenaclub that I was quite motivated to go to, but on the other hand, the thought of a good night’s sleep, getting to see some of the sights of Berlin and also being fully recovered for my upcoming trip was also quite tempting. One choice was definitely more fun than the other, but one choice was also more responsible. I really didn’t know what to do, so figured I would sleep a little more before making my decision...
Sunday, 16 May 2010
FREE RANGE TURKEY #8 - All Good Things...
FREE RANGE TURKEY_dispatch #8 from camp4 collective on Vimeo.
Another amazing dispatch - Renan, you killed it again! Dont suffer too much in Alaska ;)
Cheers guys for an amazing time out there, it certainly brought a lot to my life...
A privilege and a pleasure ;)
Thursday, 13 May 2010
I left my last post promising you to upload parts of my expedition diary soon, so here it is...
But before you read on, know that this won’t be one of my typical climbing blogs, and may include thoughts of a random, seemingly unrelated personal nature.
Climbing is great, it’s my favourite thing in the world but it is not my whole world! There are many other things I enjoy, and many other things that I feel make my life more complete. Hopefully the following posts might give you a little look at the life of James – just another random person on this planet, rather than James – the climber...
One of my other main loves in life is music and dancing – there is something I find very special about a room full of strangers instantly being transformed into friends when the lights go down and the bass goes up. Dancing is also one of the more efficient ways to burn calories, and in my opinion is certainly a lot more fun than running 10k every day. Before my expedition, I had no idea what musical opportunities would emerge whilst I was away, and so assuming the worst, I decided the “sensible” choice would be a weekend of decadence and debauchery in the party capital of Europe! My music tanks would be well topped up, i’d be at fighting weight for the fun to come and also ready to sleep on a rather lengthy flight... Enjoy ;)
Monday 29th March - 2010
Its 9am on Monday morning and I have just come home from a club called Goldengate. Partying in berlin is crazy, there are so many options, so much good music, so many people, and the partys go on and on and on – and when the normal parties end, people go to the Goldengate! It is basically a very grimy and dirty building under one of the metro lines. Its cheap to enter, cheap to drink, plays good music and is full of people who dont care to much about anything else
So lets start from the beginning, but before I continue I should apologise in advance for any “questionable” writing skill or glaring mistakes in the following lines. Whilst I feel pretty good, how I actually look from an outsider’s viewpoint is still up for debate, and so the same probably applies to my writing and choice of words. Oh well, at least it might be amusing to look back on...
So yes, Thursday...
I arrived in Berlin, with heavy bags and tired legs. Meeting friends old and new at a metro station at around 11.30pm, we all walked together back to their house which was fortunately not too far away. Thursday night had always been marked down in my mind as a night to sleep, but the guys had other ideas and excited talk of partying filled the air. I decided I had to motivate, if for nothing else but the sake of group dynamics. I looked online at the listings for the various clubs, and saw something at first I could not believe – Laurent Garnier, possibly my favourite DJ of the moment, was playing at a club called Watergate, one of the coolest, trendiest clubs I really wanted to visit!
Motivation was no longer a problem, quite the opposite in fact ;) We got ready, went out and found Watergate. On arriving at the club there was a group of very well dressed, trendy looking people talking with the door-men. There were two guys, two girls, all good looking, the kind of people who normally push past into the VIP section but not tonight! They actually got turned away! This made me a little concerned for our chances of getting in and I began to worry that the club might already be at capacity! I need not have worried, as on reaching the door-man, he simply asked us for the name of the DJ, and on replying LG, we were let right in!
This was my first experience of Berlin clubbing, and I liked it! It’s not about what you dress like, or how much money you have - just all about a love of the music :)
As could be expected, Laurent played a great set that was both long and eclectic. Watergate has a very powerful soundsystem, and when when I first entered the club i was blown away by the intensity of the Bass – It really made the whole place vibrate! The music started off as minimal Techno before moving in standard Techno, and then getting really crazy!
First LG dropped some hard drum and bass tracks, which I actually really like in small doses. He played about 4 tracks back to back from this Genre which really energised me and found me bouncing up and down like a mad man ;)
The style then changed to more funky, with lots of trumpets and other Jazz inspired sounds. Latin style followed the funk, which is a sound I like a lot and always gets my hips swinging ;) (if you want to get a better idea about this type of music listen to the track “la Mezcla” or any sets by Luciano
After latin came the style I really like Laurent for at the moment, the smooth vocal inspired remixs. Some of my favourites are Everything in its right place, a Radiohead track and The End, by The Doors
At around 6.15, we started to talk about leaving to save some energy for the rest of the evening. I knew LG had more gems he was just waiting to play, so decided on staying for 4 more tracks, after which I promised the others we could go. My fingers were crossed for something truly special to finish the night on, and Laurent did not let us down as the 4th track he played after deciding to leave was probably his most famous track ever – “the man with the red face”. What a brilliant way to end the night!
But that wasn’t quite the end, one last thing that is worth mentioning is the amazing floating river terrace attached to the club. As we went downstairs to retrieve our coats, we noticed it was light outside and decided to spend just a few minutes sat on the terrace, enjoying the early morning sun. This has to be one of the best views of any club in the world, and with a slightly fuzzy head it seems even more perfect...
But before you read on, know that this won’t be one of my typical climbing blogs, and may include thoughts of a random, seemingly unrelated personal nature.
Climbing is great, it’s my favourite thing in the world but it is not my whole world! There are many other things I enjoy, and many other things that I feel make my life more complete. Hopefully the following posts might give you a little look at the life of James – just another random person on this planet, rather than James – the climber...
One of my other main loves in life is music and dancing – there is something I find very special about a room full of strangers instantly being transformed into friends when the lights go down and the bass goes up. Dancing is also one of the more efficient ways to burn calories, and in my opinion is certainly a lot more fun than running 10k every day. Before my expedition, I had no idea what musical opportunities would emerge whilst I was away, and so assuming the worst, I decided the “sensible” choice would be a weekend of decadence and debauchery in the party capital of Europe! My music tanks would be well topped up, i’d be at fighting weight for the fun to come and also ready to sleep on a rather lengthy flight... Enjoy ;)
Monday 29th March - 2010
Its 9am on Monday morning and I have just come home from a club called Goldengate. Partying in berlin is crazy, there are so many options, so much good music, so many people, and the partys go on and on and on – and when the normal parties end, people go to the Goldengate! It is basically a very grimy and dirty building under one of the metro lines. Its cheap to enter, cheap to drink, plays good music and is full of people who dont care to much about anything else
So lets start from the beginning, but before I continue I should apologise in advance for any “questionable” writing skill or glaring mistakes in the following lines. Whilst I feel pretty good, how I actually look from an outsider’s viewpoint is still up for debate, and so the same probably applies to my writing and choice of words. Oh well, at least it might be amusing to look back on...
So yes, Thursday...
I arrived in Berlin, with heavy bags and tired legs. Meeting friends old and new at a metro station at around 11.30pm, we all walked together back to their house which was fortunately not too far away. Thursday night had always been marked down in my mind as a night to sleep, but the guys had other ideas and excited talk of partying filled the air. I decided I had to motivate, if for nothing else but the sake of group dynamics. I looked online at the listings for the various clubs, and saw something at first I could not believe – Laurent Garnier, possibly my favourite DJ of the moment, was playing at a club called Watergate, one of the coolest, trendiest clubs I really wanted to visit!
Motivation was no longer a problem, quite the opposite in fact ;) We got ready, went out and found Watergate. On arriving at the club there was a group of very well dressed, trendy looking people talking with the door-men. There were two guys, two girls, all good looking, the kind of people who normally push past into the VIP section but not tonight! They actually got turned away! This made me a little concerned for our chances of getting in and I began to worry that the club might already be at capacity! I need not have worried, as on reaching the door-man, he simply asked us for the name of the DJ, and on replying LG, we were let right in!
This was my first experience of Berlin clubbing, and I liked it! It’s not about what you dress like, or how much money you have - just all about a love of the music :)
As could be expected, Laurent played a great set that was both long and eclectic. Watergate has a very powerful soundsystem, and when when I first entered the club i was blown away by the intensity of the Bass – It really made the whole place vibrate! The music started off as minimal Techno before moving in standard Techno, and then getting really crazy!
First LG dropped some hard drum and bass tracks, which I actually really like in small doses. He played about 4 tracks back to back from this Genre which really energised me and found me bouncing up and down like a mad man ;)
The style then changed to more funky, with lots of trumpets and other Jazz inspired sounds. Latin style followed the funk, which is a sound I like a lot and always gets my hips swinging ;) (if you want to get a better idea about this type of music listen to the track “la Mezcla” or any sets by Luciano
After latin came the style I really like Laurent for at the moment, the smooth vocal inspired remixs. Some of my favourites are Everything in its right place, a Radiohead track and The End, by The Doors
At around 6.15, we started to talk about leaving to save some energy for the rest of the evening. I knew LG had more gems he was just waiting to play, so decided on staying for 4 more tracks, after which I promised the others we could go. My fingers were crossed for something truly special to finish the night on, and Laurent did not let us down as the 4th track he played after deciding to leave was probably his most famous track ever – “the man with the red face”. What a brilliant way to end the night!
But that wasn’t quite the end, one last thing that is worth mentioning is the amazing floating river terrace attached to the club. As we went downstairs to retrieve our coats, we noticed it was light outside and decided to spend just a few minutes sat on the terrace, enjoying the early morning sun. This has to be one of the best views of any club in the world, and with a slightly fuzzy head it seems even more perfect...
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