Honestly, there isn't much music from my childhood that I have any desire to hear in a club in the present day. If you aren't at least mildly embarrassed at your taste from your formative years, then I don't know what to tell you!
However, there are a very limited number of exceptions. Beastie Boys' Intergalactic is one, and I actually had the pleasure of being on the dancefloor when Solomun dropped it at the old Sankeys in the 2013 season. Another is Wu-Tang Clan's Gravel Pit.
That had eluded me in a club setting, up until Wednesday night at Pikes...
It needed a DJ with sheer brass balls to take the punt - and that man was Van Damn.
After Jess Iszatt, Trudy Knight and party hostess Jaguar had put the ground work in earlier in the night, closing duties at UTOPIA fell to the man from Arbroath.
Whenever dropping a risky curveball, you need to have the crowd fully on your side. After a relentless barrage of throwback House anthems and some classic Trance, Van Damn had the whole of Freddies eating out of the palm of his hand. The time was right. GO!
'member what Ol' Dirty said? "Imma f*** your ass up!" Scenes.
Everyone in the joint lapped it up, but few were as animated as Van Damn himself, who loved every second in the booth.
After the lights came up and the contents of Freddies spilled out towards the exit, everybody departed with a huge grin. Me included. Though, I suspect Van Damn immediately retreated to his air-conditioned room to starfish on the floor. Cooked!
Jaguar presents UTOPIA is back at Pikes for its closing party on Wednesday 2 October. Like always, you can sign up for guest list via the Pikes website, which opens a fortnight earlier.
PHOTOGRAPHY | by Hattie Scanlan
