Beat the system
Last updated 11:36, Thursday, 15 May 2008
It’s become a familiar complaint down the years: Carlisle’s nightlife scene isn’t great, there’s no variety, nothing exciting is happening. But rather than joining the chorus of doom, and the weekend exodus out of Cumbria, DJs Doug Chippendale, Jonny Sharpe and Jonny Hetherington vowed to make their home city’s nightlife better.
The trio now run two dance nights at The Brickyard. Lambhuna is an established success and Doug (aka General Irritant) has now set up Bass Militia; a drum’n’bass night at the Fisher Street venue whose second outing is this Saturday.
The headliner is Logistics, whose debut LP Now More Than Ever scooped Best Album at the 1xtra Bass Awards. “Anyone who knows anything about drum‘n’bass knows him,” says Doug.
Doug will be getting things moving on Saturday in his General Irritant guise before Codename Tyrone, t.One, Gamma Jack and Logistics take over.
Bass Militia is sponsored by Circle Bar and S4 skate shop. The night aims to bring top-flight drum‘n’bass DJs to Carlisle, playing a mix of reggae, dub, funk and drum‘n’bass, along with some harder BPMs and heavy basslines.
Doug says Bass Militia will “get the city booming by bringing in top DJs from a music scene not readily available to people in Carlisle.
“I feel we miss the music culture other cities have. Bass Militia is for real music lovers of all ages and is a healthier option than going up Botchergate to listen to the same generic music from the charts. People should expect a bouncing atmosphere with nice people there for the same reason – to dance the night away carefree.”
In The Brickyard’s chill-out room Lambhuna and Friends will be offering a less intense option. Lambhuna and Friends is seven local DJs. Each has their own style and taste: expect to hear funk, soul, reggae, dub, glam, rock, psych, freakbeat, hip hop, dubstep, disco, big beat and R&B – “proper R&B, not your Beyonce rubbish”.
“With Lambhuna we’re trying to showcase local talent and show that local DJs can be just as good,” says Jonny Sharpe.
The three 26-year-olds have all been DJing since the age of 15. “We’ve all worked on other people’s nights but they haven’t been focused around the music we want to do,” says Doug. “So we decided to give it a go ourselves. We’re trying to pull in big acts with Bass Militia and highlight local talent with Lambhuna.
“You need to stick at it. A lot of people give up after doing one night. But you need to work hard. If you ask anyone in the business they’ll tell you that.
“This is what we’ve done since we were 15 and it’s about time we tried to make something out of it. It’s not just a hobby for us. And hopefully we’ll help keep places like The Brickyard afloat. A lot of people travel away from Cumbria. We want them to have the kind of night they could have elsewhere here in Carlisle. It’s people like us and Lockdown [drum‘n’bass night at Spirit] who are keeping Carlisle’s music scene alive.”
The Lambhuna boys will be playing at July’s Wickerman Festival in south west Scotland and their plans for Carlisle include bands as well as DJs.
“We’re looking at having DJs and bands on alternate months,” says Jonny Hetherington. “We’d like to get Burlesque dancers. It’s just about getting people down and having a good laugh in a relaxed atmosphere.”
n Tickets for Saturday’s Bass Militia cost £7. For more information about Bass Militia and Lambhuna see www.myspace.com/bassmilitiabrickyard and www.myspace.com/lambhunaandfriends
