In this text, I would like to assess the above-mentioned club from the point of view of its suitability for hosting drum and bass parties. The club’s owners, it must be said, had adhered to a somewhat different format until last week, so the news of a Drum’n’Bass party being held at Red Club was somewhat unexpected, while the news of two parties being held on 19 and 20 December gave reason to think that D’n’B was not an entirely occasional guest at the club and that these events might acquire a certain regularity.
I will try to form an impression of the club’s most significant components as such, in order then to create an overall picture. I would like to warn in advance those who enjoy spitting at their monitors that this text is the author’s personal point of view and in no way claims absolute objectivity.
Entrance: I must say that this turned out to be one of the club’s weakest points: we stood at the entrance for about 30 minutes. However, this was caused not by limited capacity, but rather by organizational problems. At that time, a rock band was performing on the first floor, which meant that even the large club could not accommodate everyone who wanted to stay until the end of the concert, along with a fairly numerous crowd of jungle people. One can only hope that the organizers will anticipate these problems in future and resolve them in advance. Face control at the club is fairly relaxed, apparently due to the nature of the events held there and the audience associated with them. While we were standing in line, none of those wishing to enter the club encountered any problems, although, for example, at Port club many of these people would probably have been sent home.
Interior: This element prompted fairly mixed opinions, since the setting seemed to me to have been created for a somewhat different atmosphere. Overall, however, the club’s design is pleasant and deserves good marks.
People: It is difficult to judge this based on the single party I attended, so I will only say that the crowd that day was quite positive and had come in large numbers to get another dose of their favorite music. I was pleased by the people of fairly respectable age who apparently remained after the rock concert—some of them jumped higher than the most energetic junglists. There you have it, gentlemen—drink vodka, no drugs—stay clean.
Sound: One of the most important components of any Drum’n’Bass party. On the first floor, the sound left a fairly good impression; it can be compared with the solid sound at Port club, except that, unlike that venue, the sound engineers did not cut the frequencies so important to this music for the DJs. The situation was somewhat worse on the second floor: the sound seemed not very deep and somewhat harsh to me, so the drums hit you in the brain. This sound is unpleasant to the ears, but very suitable for the feet.
Lighting: In my view, this is the club’s weakest point. On the first floor, only the stage was lit properly, while four little lights and a strobe that had been switched off for no clear reason do not constitute lighting. This is connected with the fact that live performances take place in this area, and naturally the main emphasis is placed on lighting the stage.
Bar: The prices here are not the same as at Pyatnitsa, but that was to be expected. Overall, however, they are quite reasonable: beer—50 rubles, vodka—50 rubles, juice—30 rubles. I cannot say anything about the variety, as I did not take an interest in it, but a cocktail made from pineapple juice, cognac, and something else was quite all right.
Security: They handled their primary duty perfectly—to stay out of the way. In fact, I did not see any security guards on the dancefloor, in front of the stage, or anywhere else (perhaps they were not actually there, or perhaps they professionally blended into the crowd and turned into shaggy junglists). I encountered these people only at the entrance and, unlike at the well-known club, did not encounter any rudeness from them. The security at Red Club also does not consider it beneath them to greet visitors when they arrive and say goodbye when they leave.
Conclusion: Based on everything said above, we have not yet found a worthy replacement for Tunnel, but another good club where our favorite music is played has appeared in our city. I very much hope that event organizers will pay attention to this club: it is worthy of all kinds of events and may become one of the favorite places of St. Petersburg’s junglists. Thanks for this also go to the organizers and participants of the Squash Session vs. 2Step party, who helped form such a positive point of view.
SPbDnB Team, St Petersburg, 21 December 2002
