My First Time at Colors Lnd

Διονύσης, or Denny as we know him, is the newest addition to the MEOKO family. Only 21 years of age and recently moved to London from his hometown in Greece, Denny has a neverending passion for all things house and techno and his enthusiasm is highly infectious. Denny lives and breathes dance music and we love that! When we discovered some months back that Denny had NEVER actually been to a club in London, we concocted a plan to make his wildest dreams come true by sending him to some of the city's most-loved raving institutions and underground parties, whilst also asking him to document his adventures...

It's been quite a few months now since my last "first time" experience back in July in Ibiza. During the months that followed I didn't miss 'clubbing' here in London as I was going out almost every weekend with the MEOKO family. What I have missed however is the excitement I experience every time I sit down and type words for you to read. After consultation with MEOKO, we decided on my next new destination… Colors has been running for 8 months already, every event has a different theme, and from the whispers I’d heard, this was a party to get excited about! Last weekend, “White Heaven” was my first time…

22:30 

It was about this time when I searched on TFL how to get to the 'Bloc' venue aka Autumn Street Studios in Hackney Wick, where Colors 8th chapter - WHITE HEAVEN was kick starting at 23:00. I’d be there by midnight which is quite a travel if you live in West London as I do. Even if it's long sometimes, I always find the process of 'discovering' new locations and different venues fascinating! From my point of view the party starts from the moment you receive the postcode to the destination…

By midnight I’d found the alley that leads you to Autumn Street Studios and as I was walking I faced a security guy wearing a cowboy hat saying "good evening sir the party is this way". My first impression was obviously that his dude is awesome. I haven't met this kind of security so far in London. Most "security" tend to be quite weird and bossy; they give me quite a look when I tell them "Calm down dude, I'm here to party".  These guys though put me in the mood before I even entered the venue! Unfortunately I wouldn't say the same for the girl who was in front of me during the usual "check". Love, you really need to consider better places to smuggle your drugs rather than the first pocket of your bag! At the entrance I got "stamped" by the reception girl and I walked through the venue. The first thing I saw after the cloakroom was a nice couch area which was separated by walls creating 4 rooms and the bar on the left. I put my ear piece ear plugs in and after I bought myself a refreshing beverage from the bar, I entered the gig space. I looked around and loved the decorations, apparently this effort goes into every party! White balloons on the ceiling, trees coloured white with nicely dimmed lights and an amazing Colors logo at the back of the decks which looked like little clouds. Welcome to White Heaven, you're in the sky now ready to fly!

00:30

I received my first slap in the face, so to speak, when finding out that Tomas Rene, is Dyed Soundorom's younger brother. As one of the Colors residents he was warming things up nicely with a range of deep low frequencies and delicious crisp kicks and clean hats. Building an atmosphere is the top task for all warm up dj’s, and Thomas didn’t disappoint, providing groove in combination with unexpected trippy sounds and vocals that built up in a very smooth and enjoyable way…

It didn't take long until I got the second slap a few minutes later when I met Guilhem Monin and Stephane Ghenacia, the Colors promoters. I suspected that Stephane might be related with Dan Ghenacia as soon as I saw his last name and I was proven correct. Stephane is Dan's younger brother. It almost seemed like Apollonia in their youth, if Guilhem was Shonky's brother it would be mad! I caught up with the lads and after having a nice conversation with both promoters about Colors I started to have a better picture of what this project is all about. Guilhem is very familiar with the scene in London having been here for 7 years already, performing as a regular at Kubicle and Lo*Kee. Stephane didn't have to say much as he let the music speak for itself later on. Guilhem was on "promoter" duties for this one (Guilhem and Stephane swap duties every event) so I didn't have the chance to listen to him performing. Having listened to his MEOKO mix however, I knew he could play :) 

1:15

I felt like going for a smoke so I headed out of the venue. It was cold as fuck but there was no other option. In the smoking area I met Valentine, a French girl who gave me a pretty good view of why most Colors fans are so 'into' their parties and why they've been so supportive. For her, everything began on Facebook and then spread word of mouth from friend to friend.. Everyone I met personally knew at least one of the promoters – everybody was related through friendship in one way or another…this is the basis for the very best parties. Another French girl I met, Savina, had been in the country only a week and she travelled all the way from Portsmouth just for the party. How cool is that?  

1:40

As I returned back to the venue the dynamic of the crowd was now bright and clear in my eyes. It was getting really busy I started noticing the crazy outfits! Sailors, bunnies, angels with wings, girls with white lights and feathers on their heads and bodies were the outfits that stood out. Most of the people were dressed in white and that was proof of the dedication of the crowd. By the time I reached the DJ booth Rob Mello, an old school jockey from the London house scene was now at the decks, Rob was headlining the event and he had the crowd exposed to some great dance moves with his tunes. When he dropped "Discoteca" from Exchpopture people went mad! Everyone was sharing the same excitement, smiley faces and friendly people all over the place!  (link for track rob was playing)

4:15 

By this time Stephane was at the decks and the party was at it's peak. I made it to the front where people seemed totally into the music dancing in a harmonic way following the beats as they flew. Stephane's music selection was developing in quite a wide variety; House and Disco tracks were turning into acid jams and deep house masterpieces. You couldn't really say what the next track would sound like as Stephane's mixing techniques were manipulated in such a delicate way. For the following one and a half hours the crowd didn't seem like leaving the gig space and Stephane was pounding the room in an energetic and passionate way. You could totally feel the party mood everyone was experiencing. Even at the couch area people were dancing, drinking and having fun. Most of them were waiting for the after party to begin which was meters away from Autumn Street…
6:05

Although the music eventually stopped it seemed like the night had just begun. It certainly didn't feel like I was there for 6 hours; time went by so fast! People now were leaving the venue and they were heading to the after party, this time a smaller group of individuals. They were the ones who contributed the most for this night to happen. Even though I wanted to follow unfortunately it was time for me to say goodbye to the guys and make it on my way home. Nice breakfast on the tube and some endless sleep until the next day…

If you haven't been to a Colors party yet you should definitely go and check it out! Join a bunch of amazingly creative people expressing their love for music through colours! Many thanks to Adrienn, Guilhem & Stephane for the hospitality, it was a night to remember and a project which I will visit again and again from now on! Last but not least huge respect and big bravo to all 3 as they managed to donat £250 to the DEC Philippines Typhoon Appeal after the "White Heaven" party! Music really does bring people together. Until the next time, here’s to an amazing Christmas and New Year!

Yours truly, 

Denny

MEOKO Photography by Maxine DL