Flammable Liquid 20-Year Anniversary Reunion URB Magazine Review by Michael Tullberg

barry — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 19:49:58 +0000

Twenty years. Good God. Has it really been twenty years? Has it really been two decades since Flammable Liquid, L.A.’s most beloved of all old-school rave after-hours, began blazing its historic trail and setting the city’s nocturnal underground alight? Have the ones who’ve been there from the beginning really gotten that much older? And can that magical vibe from all those years ago be resurrected in this second decade of the twenty-first century? Well, yes, yes, yes, and YES, respectively, as this 20^th-year reunion party proved on this cool September night. Even as Nocturnal Wonderland raged far away in San Bernardino to tens of thousands, the several hundred who were at Flammable Liquid laughed at the mere idea of going all the way out there for yet another by-the-numbers massive. There was no fucking way they were going to miss this very special moment, when the original lords of old-school house that catapulted the L.A. rave revolution into the stratosphere dusted off their vinyl (yes, vinyl…you remember what that was, don’t you boys and girls?) and busted out the grooves for the happy faithful. And make no mistake, such grooves were in abundance this night, a night where long-separated friends and colleagues came together once again to celebrate the vital role that Flammable Liquid played in the long history of SoCal electronica.

Even before those in attendance set foot on the dance floor, they were already subjected to the original Flammable Liquid atmosphere, in the form of an honest-to-goodness map point. This by itself wouldn’t be so much of a surprise, except that this map point, as well as the venue, were both to be found in West L.A.! As any old-school L.A. raver will tell you, the last time a rave map point was in West L.A. (the Sahara Desert of Los Angeles night life) was…well, actually they probably couldn’t tell you. Big props to the FL crew who found the new virgin location in the last place anyone would expect. The venue itself was a good old fashioned soundstage—just one big room, as it was so often back in the day. The genius was that the buildings and trees which surrounded the gig soaked up most of the ambient sound, performing the all-important task of not pissing off the neighbors. Methinks this place will be up for future similar events—it could really work for a while if played right.

Outside on the smoking patio, old-time house and rave fanatics reminisced happily about glorious parties of yore, and the various paths their lives have taken since those glory days. OG club kids made their customary appearance (they’ve been making the rounds of the “reunion” parties, like Parliament’s a while back), while younger, newer fans sometimes struggled to make sense of this older generation’s vibe. Inside, the music was a non-stop smorgasbord of classic L.A. DJs, and the pioneering sounds they brought that launched the scene in the first place. There was literally something for everyone…and an open bar to boot!

Early arrivals to the party were treated to something exceedingly rare—a DJ set by the one and only Eli Star. For those not familiar with the history of the L.A. rave scene, Eli was not only a DJ, but one of the promoters of Magic Wednesdays, the only major rave-oriented Hollywood club in the Nineties. Magic Wednesdays was an exceedingly important club, as it was one of the major points of the SoCal rave circuit where local up-and-coming DJs of the day—like Christopher Lawrence, Sandra Collins and others—could hone their skills before the most discriminating of dance club audiences. As a result, Eli was one of the major players in the scene for a while. However, once Magic Wednesdays ran its course, Eli slowly dropped out of the scene almost altogether. It was extremely heartening to welcome back him back this night, his first L.A. performance in many years.

Star then handed things off to Mark Lewis, who…well, what more can be said about Mark Lewis? I mean, few others have so consistently brought super high-quality house for as long as he has in this city, it really is something to take note of. L.A. should consider itself lucky to have been the home of this British expat for so long. Then the night really kicked into high gear, courtesy of another rare performance by the one and only Electric Sky Church. History Lesson #2, kiddies: back in the Nineties, Electric Sky Church was one of the most beloved of L.A. electronic music bands. Their tribal rhythms and glorious vocals set them apart—they really touched a vital part of the L.A. rave scene and created an extremely devoted following. It was a pity that they ultimately couldn’t stay together, but this night, James Lumb and Roxanne Morganstern happily got back together for this reunion performance—and the crowd couldn’t have been happier. ESC’s set brought that wonderfully happy, warm vibe that made the rave scene at its peak so special.

And the night wasn’t even halfway done! In fact, it got kicked into a much higher gear at this point by another house über-veteran: Barry Weaver. This also marked the point where the serious vinyl started being broken out…kick-ass old-school house that brings the funk right down through the floor. The crowd responded to Weaver’s selections in a big way, bringing the indoor temperature up and the good times with it. Little wonder that he was a prominent member of Funky Techno Tribe…but that’s enough history lessons for one day. Weaver eventually proceeded to make way for Steve Loria, who being the longtime force in L.A. house music that he is, had little trouble keeping things chugging right along. How often over the years has he done that…? No idea, but the man has it down pat, and that’s what matters, especially when considering who was going to follow him—the always impressive figure known as Doc Martin. The Doctor is in the house! As any SoCal house fan over 30 will tell you, if there is any man who truly hits the definition of an L.A. house legend, it’s Doc Martin. From nearly the very beginning, Doc has brought the biggest, the best and the sweatiest forms of house music, without ever sacrificing his street or underground credibility in the process. Doc was undoubtedly the major reason why a lot of the people showed up this night, and true to form, he did not disappoint. Delivering one of his trademark long-form sets, Doc shepherded the happy audience well past the wee hours, into the early predawn light that just began to creep across the sky around the 6:00 AM closing time. Kudos to the Flammable Liquid staff for bringing back a great piece of partying history. Let’s hope they can do it again soon.

michaeltullberg.com

michaeltullbergphotography.blogspot.com

PHOTO SHOOT 2004

barry — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 03:46:12 +0000

The one and only remaining photograph I have from a 2003 photo shoot for a now-defunct Denver, Colorado magazine called E-Gen. The photos were taken by my friend Christian Thomas Hynes.

TOGETHER AS ONE 2009

barry — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 21:16:19 +0000

BIG BANG THEORY – PORTLAND, OR – 03-13-10

barry — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 00:34:47 +0000

Photos C/O Alex Henkens

ARRIVALS, DENVER, CO