MIXTAPE: Donald Jenkins

From old skool to old bastard. Should middle age stop you from being a raving reprobate? Poet Donald Jenkins’ debut spoken word theatre show Still Raving In Your 40’s questions his legitimacy. As a fanboy, MC, DJ, promoter, squatter, hedonist and recreational dancer, Jenkins has been addicted to the rave scene’s sweaty underbelly for over thirty years. Does he now look like an inappropriate adult in a room of fresh-faced ravers? Isn’t it time to consider how this habit has affected him physically, mentally, and financially? Isn’t it time he grew up and gave it all up? 

The Born Lippy produced show, which is part of the Newcastle Fringe and premieres at Alphabetti Theatre on Tuesday 23^rd-Wednesday 24^th July, shines a light on the tales of the underground: Ouseburn’s once small but impressive illegal free party scene, amyl nitrate sweat pits, 4am flyer touts and coded drug deals. Jenkins’ story details his journey into this world through his dad’s shared love of music, being taken to blues gigs at an early age, reliving the thrill of attending his first raves to putting on his own club nights, constantly chasing the high of the 90’s.  

Altern-8 – Infiltrate 202 

Originally set up as kind of rave novelty act, Altern-8 captured my imagination as a child, dressed in their boilersuits and neon dust-masks. Too young to get into raves in ‘91, I boarded Newcastle’s infamous Tuxedo Royal nightclub, attending under 18’s events to get my fix of Altern-8, Shamen and The Prodigy. Like many great old skool tunes, Infiltrate 202 is made up of layers of samples, wearing its influences on its sleeve. Candi Staton’s earworm hook drives this excitingly ominous hardcore classic, balancing dark and light vibes to perfection.  

TTF – New Emotion  

There are so many dance tunes that celebrate desire, not of a sexual nature but of the euphoria of the rave itself. Scottish diva Mary Kiani sums it up best on this ‘92 tartan techno anthem: “What a feeling, it’s like a new emotion”. It certainly was for a generation first discovering ecstasy and being lovingly welcomed into a room by a thousand hugs and handshakes.  

Dye Witness and The Night Raver featuring DJ Trevor and Mc Cyclone – This is the Future  

I used to attend a monthly rave called Judgement Day that ran for the second half of the 90’s at Newcastle University Student’s Union. This epic trance-core banger often got dropped, fusing Dutch and Scottish influences – uplifting strings, bouncy 303’s, multiple drops and hand in the air breakdowns. Cyclone’s archetypal rave MC voice declares: “This is the Future, do you understand?” Back then I certainly did. Now whenever I hear this phrase in my head, I worry about what unexpected global event is lurking around the corner.   

Wedlock – I’m the Fuck you Man 

As rave splintered into sub-genres in the mid 90’s, I went off in the direction of gabber, the extreme style that originated in Rotterdam, known for its fast, hard and repetitive beats. Gabber is the ultimate fuck you music and this track shouts it bluntly, mixing jungle breaks, rave stabs, stomping 180bpm kickdrums with the very apt LL Cool J sample taken from rap hit Mama Said Knock You Out.

Aphrodite/Amazon II – Music’s Hypnotizing  

From all-nighters at The Sanctuary in Milton Keynes to weekly jaunts to Stepaz 1 at Rockshots in Newcastle, drum ‘n’ bass soundtracked a lot of my nights out in the 90’s. This underrated jump up d’n’b track lures you in with a spring in your step beat and woozy diva samples taken from New York disco anthem Raw Silk’s Do It To The Music. This adequate workout goes on for nearly four minutes, lulling you into a false sense of security before suddenly – boom! A second absolute wobbler of a bassline reignites every dancer in the room.