I was informed by my lovely assistant that I would be reviewing the Jimmy Van M gig on Friday – she even went to the trouble of sending me the set times. Might I just say now how happy I am at having an assistant to help me with this assignment (Hi Missy Wright). I had just rocked up to the Empire for another instalment of music reviewing when I spied the man in question even before the night had started. There standing out the front near the entrance and chatting to a young couple was Mr Jimmy Van himself. Being the ever inquisitive fucker that I am I sidled up to latest Balance 10 CD producer and asked him a few questions. He was impressed that I had been listening to his Balance CD and that I had said I was interested in his choice of tempos (his Balance 10 mix CDs are labelled Down, Mid and Up tempo). He explained that it was to capture the feel of his set rather than to have a collection of tracks just played back to back- soulless like.

Armed with this information I stepped inside the club to get a picture of the night before I entered the lions den that is the Middle Bar. After trying miserably to chat to some cute girls I staked a claim to an outside couch on the middle floor, usually very highly sort after with the new smoking laws but as it was early I found it easy to snavel one. So tucked neatly within the confines of the newly constructed social pariahs club I involve myself in some brief but yet enlightened conversation with a few randoms. One who broached the subject of photos stealing his soul; needless to say I did not take a photo of him.

From my perch high above the slightly empty streets the sound was being generated from all sides. The mall was packed with early evening revellers getting in their kicks before lock-out. The crowd so far is an easy going mix of guys and girls out on what is just a normal Saturday night. All wanting to pack in as much fun into the last night of the weekend before mundane Monday-jobs, lives, debts, hassles- all forgotten for one last night of pure hedonism. On one side is a trio of young males sharing a smoke and debating the finer points of some artists’ latest offerings, a large body builder type on the other side is trying hard to crack onto two young females who are trying equally as hard to ignore him as they puff away on their smokes (I think they are trying to send him smoke signals….now how do you send- “piss off idiot”-in puffs of smoke…hmmm)

Strolling back inside I sit next to a few people who look like they are here for the Jimmy Van M set. The time is nigh and the sweet tunes of Fergus and Mike (Logic Crew) are slowly given way to the Belgian’s up-tempo house and electro-tech. Although the crowd is a little thin on the ground, the ones that are here are ready to party and make noise they did. Stomping feet and clapping of hands were had after some of the better tracks- whistles and hoots could be heard as well in acceptance of the tunes that Jimmy was cranking out to the crowd. I heard snippets of all three CsD in the set with highlights being the older school ones I recognised like Brian Eno, Aphex Twin and Depeche Mode mixed in with my name sake SpeedyJ. Over all a good night had by all, looseness was abound as this reporter bayed his farewells and had to leave early…which was a good thing as Jimmy had the same idea and finished his set early as well.