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[Report] Classix (NL)

To ring in the new year, another hardcore party finally saw the light of day in Maastricht (NL). About a decade ago, the city was renowned for countless gabber nights, which now seems more of an exception. Considering the party was called “Classix”, you can understand this brought back a lot of memories. Therefore, we couldn’t afford to miss this one!
A lot of people who had witnessed the old days, came back for a visit, so the atmosphere was great. Apart from the familiar faces, the location proved to be very cozy as well, especially because of area 1. The arches of the old castle only added to the ambiance. I personally like this type of venue a lot. Unfortunately, the room was very crowded at 11 PM already, which meant you had pretty much no opportunity to dance, which we really needed after two months without any parties.
Strange thing was that, despite the amount of visitors, it wasn’t all that hot. Some even complained about it being too cold. Also surprising: area 2, where the clock was turned back even further, seemed bigger than the main area. This was just another regular partyroom, without the significant arches but with a lot more space to dance, which many eagerly took advantage of. After Mol’s oldschool set, Dr. Rude changed the tempo with lots of old Belgian jump records, some in a regrettable remix-version. Nevertheless, there were highlights such as “Direct Disco”, “Fuck On Cocaine”, “Funky Serious”, “Drop That Beat”, “Da Bootleggers – Fresh Beats”, “Tricky Nation” and, since Bountyhunter was late, a few hard hitters like “Like A Shot” and “Dancefloor Hardcore”.
Having caught some breath again, we were up for another visit to the main area. It had gotten a lot less crowded, which gave us a chance to dance decently to the incredible tracks played by the Early Bastards. Just imagine “Brothers In Crime – Kickin’ It Around”, “Bass-D & King Matthew – The Witch”, “X-Factor – The Underground”, “Psylocke – Pump It”, “Boomin’ Track”, “In The Name Of Love” and “To Da Rythm” being played in one rocking set! 

Time to rush over to area 2 again, where Freeze’s set had the same level of originality to it. Last year, we witnessed a few of his astounding sets and today again, his record selection was one of a kind. After warming the place up with “Fire & Blood” and “Groovebird”, he picked up the pace with “Promo - Broaden Our Minds”, “Dj Delirium – Surrender Your Dreamz”, “Ectomorph – The Fall Of Babylon”, “I Wanna Rock Ya”, “Emphasis On Hardcore”, “I Won’t Stop Rockin’” and “Tripax – Rumblefuckas”. Again, he confirmed that lesser known dj’s are very much worth keeping an eye on for the true music lover. 
For a set like this to truly leave its mark, the sound system is of course very important. In area 2, there were no complaints as far as we’re concerned, but it was a shame that the main area had a less intense sound. Something for the organization to keep in mind for the next editon on the 31st of March, which was already promoted via flyers and posters with a very striking, almost festive design. This leads us to conclude that the party had already proven itself beforehand, as well as on the night itself, given the amount of visitors and overall quality of the event.
In the main area, both Vince (pounding away with tracks by Kotzaak Klan and Neophyte’s “Ik Wil Hakke”) and Miss Zelda ended the night in style. Even though, in the absence of an MC, the stolen mic and its new owner spoiled things for a short while, the tracks spoke for themselves: “Omar Santana – Da Joint”, “Delta 9 – Atomizer“ and “Leathernecker” did their work and sent the early aficionados home smiling. The next edition is already marked in our agenda and hopefully this means we will see a new, long-lasting series of hardcore parties in Maastricht again.