Max HeyraudThis is Cricky Lyttle’s tribute to the mixes and dancefloor experiences that helped shape Belfast’s club culture identity.
There are few DJs across the country, never mind just Belfast, who embody such a vast knowledge of electronic music while matching it with the DJ skills to back it up. CODA co-founder Cricky Lyttle is one of those artists: truly prolific, a student of the craft of DJing. His approach is reflex-like and unforced, a natural flow that at times feels as though he’s surprising himself just as much as he’s surprising the crowd.
This instinctive style was born from countless years spent on the other side of the dancefloor, soaking in the energy and prowess of DJs who passed through Belfast’s now-dormant venues like the Ulster Hall and Godskitchen at the King’s Hall. Both are referenced in this piece, along with DJs etched into the hall of fame of electronic music, from international heavyweights like Carl Cox and Pablo Gargano to local heroes such as Fergie, Phil Kieran, Col Hamilton, and more, all of whom are referenced in Cricky’s list.
The echoes of those legendary sets still ring through in how Cricky and an entire generation of Belfast DJs learned their craft. These mixes, experiences, dancefloors, and spaces were gospel.
Carl Cox & MC GQ – Vengeance 2 at the Ulster Hall, Belfast, 5/3/1994
For me, the most legendary Belfast set ever. Obviously too young to have attended, but for so many people I know, this was their first rave and every one of them was under age including our very own Blark (who you can spot in the VHS!). Music-wise, it’s an absolute banger filled with some of the best hardcore and hardcore techno around at the time.
Pablo Gargano – Hellraiser 5 at the Ulster Hall, Belfast, 9/4/1993
Another set that was rinsed to death was Belfast favourite Pablo Gargano at Hellraiser 5. This one has all the big Italian hardcore techno classics from Ramirez, Maurizio Braccagni, Immaginazione, etc and starting with Pablo’s Hocus Pocus mash-up at the start. A record so rare there isn’t even an MP3 of it online. Tunes like DJPC – Go To The Moon, Terapia and Orgasmico from Ramirez, Control DC – Ritmo Dell’ Diavolo in the first half, all the big ravey bangers, then into the second half it goes full on acid techno. Lethal mix!
Fergie – Godskitchen at the Kings Hall, Belfast, 26/12/2003
I had to include a set from Fergie! If it wasn’t legendary “Belfast” mixes, I would’ve picked his live at Inver Park set from Larne, but since we’re going with Belfast… I was actually at this one. This was Fergie at peak techno! DK8 – Murder was the bass, Technasia – Acid Storm, Agoria – La Onzième Marche (Phil Kieran Remix), Simon Foy – Inside Out – So many class techno tracks. For me personally, this was Fergie at his peak. A special moment in the set was when he dropped John ’00’ Fleming vs Simple Minds – Belfast Trance, a bootleg of “Belfast Child” by Simple Minds. When it went all quiet in the break, he took the mic and shouted, “Is there anybody from Belfast in the house?” and the place erupted. Class!
David Holmes – Essential Mix, 18/12/1993
You couldn’t do a list of legendary Belfast sets without including the originator of techno in Belfast, the legendary David Holmes, who ran Sugar Sweet and Shake Yer Brain at the Arts College in the very early days. This essential mix is a proper journey through techno. From spacey sounds through to full-on acid craziness. Very likely the first Belfast DJ to feature on the Essential mix in December 1993, considering the Essential mix first started in October that year.
Judge Jules, Col Hamilton, Phil Kieran, Agnelli & Nelson, Gleave Dobbin, Essential Mix New Year’s Eve 31/12/2002, Donegal Square, Belfast
Another one I managed to attend. 17 years old, standing in Belfast City Centre outside the front of City Hall, where Radio 1 had a big outdoor stage set up — free admission and some of NI’s best DJs on the line-up. Tunes banging all the way down Royal Avenue, over twenty thousand people filling the streets, with people dancing on phone boxes, bus shelters, and anything they could climb up onto the whole way down the street. Chants of “oi, oi, oi fuckin oi” and “who gives a fuck” were heard throughout the whole night in the recording.
Notable midnight tune: Tomcraft – Loneliness from the Judge. It went straight into the UK charts at number 1, a few months later too.
Just look at the tracklist to see the vibe at the time. Trance DJs were playing techno tracks like Renato Cohen – Pontape (played by 3 different DJs), Tomaz vs Filterheadz – Sunshine (played by Col and Gleave), and Phil Kieran delivering a one-hour techno masterclass with soon-to-be age-old anthems like Bryan Zents – D-Clash, Technasia – Acid Storm, and Mr. Sliff – Rippin And Dippin. Agnelli & Nelson started with Chemical Brothers – Star Guitar and played almost 100% techno.
Stand-out moment of the night for me was standing in the pissing rain when Gleave dropped Underworld – 2 Months Off. The hairs on my arm are standing on end just typing this.
Running order of the recording:
1 – Judge Jules
2 – Agnelli & Nelson (from 1h05m or so)
3 – Col Hamilton (from 2h00m)
4 – Phil Kieran (from 3h00m)
5 – Gleave (from 4h00m)