Drag Wars
Dodgy Sam has persuaded the Meremere drag strip to let us put on a free party after the Lightspeed Dragwars. I've never been to a drag race before unless you count the one I once saw in Amsterdam on Queens Day. Sam has managed to get a truck, generator and PA donated by sponsors so all it's costing is our time.

I wish putting on a party was normally like that. Promoting club nights is a harsh business to be in. You can do all the right things and then something like bad weather or an unexpected clash with another night and you can end up owing thousands. It can be a cut throat business, and a ton of hard work for very little money, but the feeling you get when a night goes off is amazing. It's like being on a constant quest to put on the perfect party, the sort that people will remember in years to come.

The last event we put on as TMet was First Contact in Hamilton last June. We were told that we were doing it at the wrong time of year, and that we would never get Aucklanders to travel to Hamilton. If I get told I can't do something I just want to do it even more. We had an amazing time, broke even and made a lot of new friends. There's some great pics online which show the awesome lighting from the lovely David Eversfield at Optic Shock in Auckland.

First Contact Pics:
Set 1 [thanks to Jenza and Brodie at Twisted], Set 2 [thanks to Bluang3Lat Twisted], Set 3 [thanks to Gedda at Biggie].

Rooooadddtrriiiippp!!

Wonderland was amazing, one of the best outdoor parties I've ever been too. 5 zones set in a stunning forest with bush clad mountains on every side. The lasers, the projections and the sets were all sublime. Chelfyn tried out a new semi-live show with decks, effects (chaos pads), CDJ-1000s to play in tracks from our label.

He even managed to mix with Huhu grubs landing on the platters attracted by the UV light. These things were the size of my hand and in no way daunted by the bass. I called Dodgy Sam at the UPFM studio and did a live broadcast from Wonderland. I was running around from stage to stage, sticking the mobile up by the speakers and interviewing random munters. It was incredible to think that my mobile signal was bouncing off a few satellites, going to the studio in Auckland and then out to the world on the net.

On the way back we enjoyed a brief visit to Wellington where we saw the Lord of the Rings exhibition. The attention to detail is amazing and I can confirm that the lifesized cave troll has a (rather small) willy as I peeped under his skirt. Wellington had a really funky, laid back vibe and I'd love to spend some more time there. The people we met were all lovely.

After Wonderland we went to Pakiri Beach for a mini-break. Pakiri is about an hour and a half drive north of Auckland on the east coast. It's the epitomy of a perfect beach with soft white sand, and great surf. We were given a VIP tent pitch overlooking the beach (Clayton's folks run the holiday camp) and broke in our new boogie boards.

There was excitement when Gwynneth Paltrow was spotted frolicking in the surf but we were feeling too relaxed to move. My dream is to buy a campervan so that we can tour this amazing country. This road trip to Welly has wetted my appetite. The furthest south that we have been so far is the tip of the South Island for the very last Gathering in 2001. Chelfyn was booked to play and we were really looking forward to it. Unfortunately our 4WD broke down on the Desert Road (one of the last places in New Zealand you want to break down), and we had to hire a van. To cut a long story short it wasn’t the best roadtrip I’ve ever had, but this one has restored my nomadic urge.

Dancing outdoors in daylight
Chelfyn and I are off to Wonderland in Wellington on Friday. It's Wellington's biggest outdoor party and Chelfyn is playing the trance zone. I love outdoor raves as there's nothing more decadent than dancing outdoors in daylight.

I was a hardcore raver when I lived in the UK. I fell into the fluoro-coloured world of the Bristol techno underground and joined Mutant Dance, a UV dance troupe who put on illegal raves also known as Free Parties. In the summer they were in out in the country and in winter we used to 'borrow' warehouses. I got to dance at most of the big 90s dance parties like Tribal Gathering & Megadog, and was a dancer in techno band MJ-12 for 3 years. I even met the Queen once while off my head and covered in UV paint.

It's strange looking back on my life in Britain. We've friends from Bristol staying right now. Charles, one of the Bristol Ravers and Chelfyn's mate Ali who runs Naked Voices. Ali brought over a copy of Heat Magazine which I used to buy weekly when I lived in the UK.

After two years away from the celebrity obsessed mindset it was a real shock to read it again. I had no idea who most of the stories were about having missed the last couple of years of Big Brother/Poptarts etc. 'Exclusive! Silly bint gives up party life because all the men are dogs!' 'Shock! Celeb walks down street!' It's like people are so busy feeding off the 'fabulous lifestyles' of the rich and vacuous that they forget to have a life themselves. Ali says it's because it's so shit living in the UK, the media has to distract people with tits, soaps and celebs.