The Spirit of '94: Pi-Eyed NYE Meltdown

Club culture has become increasingly manufactured over the years; where once there were illicit warehouse parties packed out with amiable revellers in questionable attire performing yet more questionable jaw gymnastics, now there is a distinct air of self-importance to many events and an often overhyped realm of club promotion.

For one, the emergence of the derisible money-spinning EDM movement in the US, with its oddly clean-cut looking ravers and caricatured superstar DJs, could not be further from either the attitude which birthed the music in the inner cities of that nation, nor the party scene in Europe which embraced that music with open arms. Yet, even on a smaller scale and within the more musically palatable end of the contemporary clubbing spectrum in the UK, pretension often rears its ugly head and some events feel more like an exercise in forced hipness and contrived self-expression than a coming together of like-minded clubbers.                 

Of course, there are still many for whom a convivial atmosphere is fundamental to the agenda of any worthwhile club outing, alongside the music. Brothers, Jake and Josh Goldsmith, threw their first Pi-Eyed party in the summer of 2010 and the intention from the outset was to capture a certain ambience. According to Jake, the venture has its roots in their desire to create a club that had “all the vibe and ethos of an illegal party; not to take ourselves too seriously, but also put on a good night.”

With their promotional material emblazoned with a Pi-Eyed yellow smiley face, and with an emphasis on unbridled merriment as well as on the music, the allusions to the heyday of UK dance culture are somewhat overt. “Both of us are fans of the old skool rave scene”, adds Josh. “Even though neither of us are old enough to have been a part of it, we appreciate how much influence it’s had on dance music as a whole. The whole ethos of a rave was to have fun and that’s what we’re trying to recreate.”

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“Pi-Eyed is bringing back the rave, one overdraft at a time" – Jake Goldsmith

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Another important element of Pi-Eyed’s manifesto is the dedication to allow free admission to their nights. “The idea of the free party came from the start”, explains Josh. “We want the night to be as inclusive as possible and a heavy door tax can be off-putting for a lot of people. Although financially crippling for us – and any generous sponsors can always give us a shout – we feel the idea of a free event brings together the idea of the old raves back in the day.” In other words, Jake jokes, “Pi-Eyed is bringing back the rave, one overdraft at a time.”

So far, the Goldsmiths are enjoying themselves despite their depleted bank balances and, looking back at the nights they’ve hosted, they struggle to pick a definitive favourite.“Each night we've put on has had its own special something,” says Josh. “Herv is definitely one of our favourite guests to have play. We listen to his recording from the night constantly – a huge mix of old skool rave, breakbeats and hardcore that just blew everyone away.”

Herv Live @ Pi-Eyed June 2011 by Pieyed on Mixcloud

“Dave Skywalker was another winner”, says Jake. “He's got so much energy when he's mixing and that gets everyone going mental. Having the Electrikal Soundsystem back in 2011 was another highlight too. It blew the roof off of La Cheetah that night – proper shelf-wobbling business.”

As with their Hogmanay party last year, the range of sounds on offer is as diverse as the guest’s names are colourful. “We've been really lucky to have such a good line up,” says Jake. “DJ Skull Vomit is such a good producer, knocking out thrash-metal influenced breakcore bangers to proper mess up your neck with. USA Kings' mixes are something else – a huge selection of party tunes mixed in with the breakbeats and hardcore. Bassbin Terrorizer we've known for a couple of years now and we've been meaning to get him up for ages. He's one third of Bangface's Hard Crew Heroes and he smashes out the hard DnB like no one else.”

The lineup also features The Parliamentalist, whose repertoire is based around mashing up excerpts from political speeches, TV sound bites and countless comedy vocal samples, weaving them throughout full on breakcore sets. “We've had him up a few times now”, says Josh, “but he's just too good not to book. His tunes are wild and hilarious, making you seriously dance about and piss yourself laughing at the same time.” Then there’s Gash, adds Jake, “who puts together such a great mix of juke, bassline and techno that flows so seamlessly. The Perished Gusset boys have been doing great for themselves since they started. They've managed to encapsulate the word fun into the vessel of the one hour mix, mixing every style under the sun, from massive mash-up pop hits to ridiculous breakcore and playing an obscene amount of tunes in a very short amount of time.”

The Parliamentalist Live @ Pi-Eyed June 2011 by Pieyed on Mixcloud

Among the other names on the bill, Horror Boogie Records boss Dave Shades is a frequent collaborator with the brothers. “He’s pretty much our favourite DJ in Glasgow”, says Josh. “He smashes out the booty and bassline and his turntablist-style mixing is amazing to watch. We're very proud to have him as a resident. Squish Kibosh is also returning after his superb set last year, mixing up techno, electro and acid to devastating effect. Finally, we've got Alcane and Rob Data, two of the boys from the 48K Crew who have been doing amazing things in Glasgow over the last year or so. They've got a great collection of old rave classics on vinyl and whenever they play it always makes me feel like I'm raving about in 1994.”

Crucially, the night promises to have the kind of carefree atmosphere that has made Pi-Eyed so popular with its regulars over the years. Fun is a word that comes up again and again when Jake and Josh discuss the night and this spirit was in evidence at their last NYE party, when they ushered in midnight with a donk-augmented version of the theme from Countdown before Dave Shades let rip with a pounding ghetto edit of Ray Parker Junior’s Ghostbusters. The ensuing dancefloor carnage, which spilled over onto the stage, was the kind of moment that makes festive clubbing so enjoyable and Pi-Eyed are intent on creating the same vibe again. “This year we've got a piper, pyrotechnics and a load of free whiskey to give away”, Josh reveals. “You don't want to miss this one!”

The NYE Meltdown will cap off a busy year for Jake and Josh, who have branched out and taken the Pi-Eyed party on the road in 2013. They hosted a takeover at In The Face in Brighton, took part in the “DIY festival”, Audiobean in Kent, and Josh grabbed a spot on the lineup at Bangface in London in September. Before they bring in the bells at the end of the month, they’re also set to team up with Audacious for a party in Edinburgh and then onto another takeover, this time at SUUB in London. As for what they have planned in 2014 and beyond, they are still formulating their plans. “We'll almost definitely put a big night on in Glasgow around June”, says Jake. “But usually things just fall into place nearer the time. You'll definitely be hearing from us anyway.”

Dave Shades Live @ Pi-Eyed June 2012 by Pieyed on Mixcloud