Long before I was old enough to go clubbing, I longed to experience the dance floor.
I fell in love with dance music from an early age, starting when I was in my early teens. My two older brothers were into a lot of 90’s dance music, acid house, and rave so I frequently heard acts like Altern8, Prodigy, Utah Saints, KLF, and Ultrasonic getting played in the house. The first dance records I loved and that really captured my imagination were records like Liquid – Sweet Harmony, Adamski – Killer, and KLF – What Time is Love.
I would be so envious when my older brother would go clubbing to the Fubar, Diesels, or big events like the Rezerection. I’d hear mixtapes of events and wish I’d been there.
I would collect records, posters of events, CDs, and mixtapes. I started DJing using my brother’s old record decks and enjoyed the thrill of getting the bus to Edinburgh to buy vinyl at Fopp to seek out new records and white labels to make my own mixes. I’d make mix tapes for some friends, my brother, and my Dad who happened to love his Trance and House music.
For my 16th birthday, my dad took me clubbing in Ibiza for the first time. He was eager to experience the nightlife himself and immerse in a culture often considered beyond his age.
We went dancing in Es Paradise and Eden in San Antonio Bay. It was a wild, memorable experience I’ll never forget, the grandeur of the club, the high energy of the crowd, and the pulsating sound system that carried us onto the dance floor all night. I loved the communal atmosphere and the uplifting energy and there seemed to be no judgment about my dad dancing like a teenager either (with his cap on back to front) which put me at ease.. No one cared, everyone was lost in the music.
This experience clearly made an impact and shaped the direction I was heading. I moved to Edinburgh to study Dance Music Production. In the early 2000s Edinburgh’s club scene was thriving, vibrant and diverse. I frequently went to nights in the Liquid Room, Ego, Honeycomb, Cabaret Voltaire, The Venue, and Studio 24 which opened me up to different styles of dance music, Deep House, Breakbeat, Electro, and Techno. I was always dedicated to seeing an array of DJs from Carl Cox, John Digweed, Derek Carter, Danny Howells & The Youngsters. The dance floor was a sacred place, a time to connect, experience new sounds and styles, have fun and feel inspired, meet like-minded people, and bring some colour into life. Sunday night at Taste was a special night. The atmosphere and music at Taste were like no other, always unpredictable, with DJs Fisher and Price playing a variety from Funky House to Progressive and Techno. There was something different about this club night, the crowd and the energy were always spectacular.
Through my 20s I went to clubs in Glasgow, San Francisco, New York, Sydney, and Perth, and went to many festivals, Gatecrasher and Creamfields where me and friends would dance for 12 + hours. For me clubbing, as I’m sure many others, was always entwined with drink and drugs. Although I’ve always genuinely had a passion for dance music and clubbing I couldn’t really imagine ever going to a club night without taking any stimulants. In my teens and 20s, it was almost unthinkable. There was, for me, a deep association with clubbing and intoxication. The dance floor was a place I found a release and a deep connection to music but taking stimulants seemed to diminish my low self-esteem and help me dance with more ease.
These years were marked with many moments of elation, euphoria, and connection but the downside began to take a toll. After nights out I’d often get dreadful debilitating hangovers which took a toll on every aspect of my life. I would often get crippling social anxiety for days and weeks after, feel low and depressed and find it hard to cope with any life issues. I felt ashamed of these feelings and didn’t feel comfortable sharing them with anyone, not even friends. I would often make excuses and avoid going out. The effects of partying began to erode my motivation, self-esteem, and confidence and I realized that I had relied heavily on stimulants for easing my awkwardness and anxiety. Unfortunately, I felt like I needed to be intoxicated to have a good time. The scales had tipped and the bad started to far outweigh the good. Toward the end of my 20s, I had to give up drinking completely as the aftereffects weighed too heavy on my life, and for me, it just wasn’t worth it. As a result, I fell away from the club scene.
Finding Good Clean Fun club night has brought so much back into my life that I thought I’d lost. As a sober club night I was hesitant to go, can I dance sober?
I loved it from the first night I went to over a year ago. The night has a real positive community spirit and the music is incredibly uplifting, funky, and soulful. I love the varied styles of House, Disco, and Soul music sounds Amy Rodgers brings and the different guest DJs, Queer History of Dance Music, Hot Towel, Hot Mess, and Jonny Wilkes have all been excellent.
The night has introduced me to new music, local DJs, friends, and other creatives and reignited my love and passion for dancing and making dance music. I also met my partner on the GCF dance floor. I’ve experienced those same euphoric feelings on the Good Clean Fun dance floor, the same connectedness, the same joy from the music, this time completely sober. For me, It’s challenged my own perceptions and relationship to socializing, alcohol, and clubbing. It feels liberating and freeing to go out dancing again and be part of such a night.
I am grateful for Good Clean Fun as I think it’s an important, much-needed sober alternative club night, where people can still connect and dance to great music.
Memories, Dance Music & Clubbing
The playlist is a collection of dance music that I’ve loved and connected with through the early years on and off the dancefloor.
