CREAM @ NATION, LIVERPOOL, APRIL 10 Bank holiday weekend saw Cream return to Nation to show the other so called ‘super clubs’ how to put on a party. The air of expectation inside the venue was immense as Sasha and Erick Morillo were to headline the event with extended sets. The crowd was vibrant and friendly enough to generate comfortable, welcoming vibes. Unlike in other clubbing territories (Sheffield, for example), there was no real pretence or arrogance about those in attendance. The night was not about image, which suited Cream down to the ground. Nation is an enormous venue spread over a single level. It has an almost warehouse-like feel to it, incorporating two large rooms and a slightly smaller third room. Everything about Cream felt like simple clubbing and its glowing best. The warm up DJs were doing their jobs very well, keeping the crowds entertained with enough pizzazz to keep everybody moving. Jorge Jaramillo played a remarkable warm up set for Erick Morillo, dropping tunes like Junior Jack’s ‘Da Hype’ and Ruffneck’s summertime anthem ‘Everybody Be Somebody.’ He even had the courtesy to hold his hands up with a huge smile on his face after making a mistake on the decks. The crowd smiled back and Jorge continued to ram his set home with style. The Audio Bully’s delivered their own typical blend of boisterous house music in the Annexe. Tom was on the decks, leaving Simon to take to the mic and perform his own unique style of rather abrupt MCing. To be fair to the Bullys, the room they were in was far too small, but what they were doing lacked that certain flow and quality that makes a set special. Meanwhile, Sasha had begun the start of his four hour set. The interest surrounding Sasha was so high that people were actually queuing to get into the Courtyard to see him. Something special was clearly taking place, and it wasn’t until about half way through his set that it was really viable to go in and have any sort of space to dance in. Not only was Sasha faultlessly mixing everything from progressive, crisp house to downright dirty breaks, he was enjoying his set and getting as excited behind the decks as everyone else was on the floor. The tunes were absolutely gushing out of the speakers and ripping through the dance-floor as Sasha incorporated the likes of U.N.K.L.E’s ‘In a State’ and Underworld’s ‘Dark and Long’ into his set. It can be quite magical at times to see Sasha play, mostly because he merges so many different shades of dance music into what he does. It has become something of a cliché to say that Sasha is a DJ who can take you on a journey every time you hear him play, but clichés tend to exist because they are true. Sasha came and delivered. Erick Morillo’s three hour set began in the main room at 3 a.m. The joy on people’s faces when he stepped up to the decks was clearly a sign that there ain’t no party like a Subliminal party. Erick rocked Nation right from the start and he played with even more enthusiasm than Sasha. Tune after tune hit the crowds as possibly the most influential man in house music today performed a quality set that was not even to the very best of his abilities. You cannot fault Subliminal for what it has done for modern day house music. Erick rinsed out appealing vocals and chunky bass-lines, even dropping a devastating mix of ‘Sweet Dreams.’ As Sasha reached the climax of his set in the Courtyard the crowd looked genuinely grateful for what he had given them. A rapturous applause commenced as Sasha ended his set with an air of calm about it, handing over to Sandra Collins. It must be hard to follow someone like Sasha and have the room clear before you almost before you have put your first record on. At this point most people seemed to either go home or venture over to the main room to catch the rest of Morillo’s set. Sandra got on with her set and it was really rather good, with lots of broken beats and twisted sounds. Benny Benassi followed the Audio Bullys back in the Annexe and whilst being technically a very sound DJ, he has the sort of uneven tune selection that can make it difficult to really get into his sets. An awkward mix of ‘Satisfaction’ seemed to leave most people a little confused and the room was fairly quiet for the rest of the night. It would be all too easy to slate Benny and what he’s been doing for the past year or so, but he is a real character behind the decks who obviously enjoys what he is doing. At the end of his set he even dished out some of his own flyers and made a real point to thank the few who had lasted until the end of the night with him. A true gentleman and definitely someone to look out for in the near future. As Erick Morillo’s set reached its finale, Simon from the Audio Bullys took to the mic and almost ruined the parts of the set he was chatting over. Simon is not a natural, graceful MC, like Rodney P or Dynamite perhaps, and his sort of flow is best suited to an Audio Bullys set and not a lot else. Shawnee Taylor, who had been on stage singing over Erick’s set earlier on in the night, did a much better job, and unlike Simon, she actually knew where the tracks dropped and where the beats picked up again, which really helps in trying to motivate a crowd. Nonetheless, even Simon couldn’t ruin Erick dropping his own piece of early nineties nostalgia in the form of ‘I Like To Move It’ (the track that rocketed Erick to the top of the UK singles chart in 1994). The energy that was generated in the main room as soon as the riff rumbled across the dance-floor was immense and it felt like the end of a truly special night. Erick took to the mic to thank everyone in attendance and Cream slowly emptied as shiny, happy people took to the streets of Liverpool in search of that elusive ride home. Home > Clubland > ^top