Aberystwyth Arts Centre
Sat 8 Oct
It’s 10pm and you’ve just finished your last can of lager, listening to Original Pirate Material and waiting for your taxi to arrive to take you and your mates up Penglais Hill. Next thing you know you’re climbing the arts centre steps one by one as the queue moves forward. The crowd in the queue is littered with every generation and walk of life you could imagine and you can hear the dull thump of the sound system emanating from inside the Students Union. Reaching the entrance you meet a giant with a shaved head and a luminescent jacket. Presenting the nice man your ticket for entry he gives you a stern look up and down and shows you to a table at which a woman asks you to empty your pockets. After picking up your change and tobacco off the table she straps a wristband to your arm. Whilst you’ve been going through the entry process, you notice the music that was once a dull thumping sound is now a array of deep basslines, rapidly beating drums, hype-men acting as overture to their MCs and the buzz of the crowd. Accompanied by the laser-esque lighting effects and the glances from sweating shifty faces. You’ve made it to Black House.
In my experience of Black House events this is how a night typically begins. Veterans and newcomers alike will recognise this process. I came across Black House in my first year studying at Aberystwyth (rather naive and fresh-faced), four years later and I haven’t missed one since. This time around I was returning to Aberystwyth as a graduate with Black House presenting ONE and the Hospitality crew taking over the main stage. So many people patronise these events due to the certain fact that a plethora of dance music and its culture is represented at Black House — from house to jungle and everything in between.
This year Hospital Records brought us one of their original golden-boys of their label, Danny Byrd. Byrd once again drew a crowd through his own version of accessible liquid drum’n’bass accompanied by fellow Hospital Records’ producers Fred V & Grafix and Krakota. However, the most memorable performance of the night on the Hospitality stage was a hip-hop artist named Ocean Wisdom of High Focus. There was a display of masterful lyricism from OW and mind-boggingly rapid flow supplemented by his hype-man who milked the crowd with a similar mastery. OW is very quickly making a name for himself in the world of UK hip-hop and for the thirty minutes he performed in Aberystwyth the hip-hop fans will have had a reminder of why this is the case.
Black House once again succeeds in blending the big names with the local DJs and performers. The event often acts as a platform for aspiring producers to make a name for themselves and put their work out to the public. I spoke to a young bassline DJ called Redline with similar aspirations in the music industry. Redline directed me to the silent disco (which was an experience in itself) in all its dubby madness, adding an exciting new element to Black House alongside the roller disco. Sammys House Party was another room within the SU that predominately consisted of techno, breaks and house. I’m not quite sure exactly who ‘Sammy’ is but his party was full of clean cut productions and “whoop”-inducing drops. With notable performances from ALOKA (heavy breaks) and the local techno collaborative named Modular, including a back-to-back set from MULKERN and IOS. Seeing off the night in all its hedonistic glory.
While attending a Black House event you often have to remind yourself that you’re actually in the small seaside town of Aberystwyth. A town that is usually overwhelmed with its student population, for a few nights of the year turns into a Mid-Wales mecca for mainstream and underground ravers. A chance for the people of the seaside towns and country villages to let loose and enjoy a ‘proper’ night out.
words CAMPBELL PROSSER
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