We asked seven DJs how they picked five tracks to play at a huge twentieth birthday party for Bugged Out
It’s a cliché for DJs to want to take fans ‘on a journey’, so you have to admire Yorkshire-born house DJ Hot Since 82 (aka Daley Padley) for taking this desire literally.
This month (Saturday August 16) sees the debut of Taken: a dark and immersive clubbing experience where ticket holders arrive at a given location and wait to be, well, kidnapped. In this case that means hopping on a coach with blacked-out windows and beginning an evening of subterfuge and not-so-pleasant surprises. And don’t think that Padley gets off the hook just because he created Taken. He’ll be mucking in and getting kidnapped with everyone else.
Once at the mystery venue, Padley will get behind the decks for the whole night, rinsing out thumping house jams until kicking-out time the next morning, when everyone will head back to reality, mystified but hopefully satisfied.
In the lead up to his first party, we speak to Padley about the origins of his abuctive idea:
What gave you the inspiration for this party?
‘It’s a little nod to the old days of illegal raves, when people didn’t know where the party was being held before they went, and whether they were going to a field or a warehouse or whatever. If you’re gonna do a rave, do it properly.’
How would Liam Neeson, star of kidnapping-themed action thriller ‘Taken’, react to being ‘taken’ to this party?
‘I think he’d want to get involved and get raving. He’s a bit too serious in that movie, isn’t he? We ought to show him how to unwind. But then he’d probably put me into a figure-four leg lock. He’s got some moves.’
What can you tell us about the mysterious venue?
‘I want to tell you but I just can’t reveal too much! But I’m quite confident that no one will have ever been there before. All I can say is that it points a little bit north, being a northener myself.’
What would you say to the argument that Taken is a gimmick?
‘The London scene is a bit saturated, with clubs booking the same DJs and record label parties. All I’m doing is offering people a different clubbing experience.’
If someone bundled you into a car and demanded to know where you wanted to be taken, where would you choose?
‘I’d like someone to pick me up in an old Cadillac and take me to New York, back when disco ruled. I’d go to the Paradise Garage club when Larry Levan was playing. That’s something I missed out on.’
Are you hoping to scare people?
‘It’s all about excitement, but at the same time we want to take people out of their comfort zone and if that means frightening them a bit, maybe that’s a good thing.’
