Review of the year 2004 - Ivan Madeira
I've decided to do a personal rundown on 2004 of what I got up to. I'll also reveal how exactly Hentucky Breaks was conceived.
2004 started of pretty well. New Years Eve is always overrated in my opinion, and people go overboard by spending £50 on a rave or 'trying' to be extravagant, when really they wouldn't mind a small gathering round their place, and the comfort of their own bed, come 2am as they are probably overly wrecked by then. I just don't need New Years as an excuse to go out and have a good time… but hey if there's an opportunity to have some fun I'm there.
I saw the New Year in some seedy club in Elephant and Castle with some friends. That place was nasty, but with reasonably priced drinks, and a few of my mates around me it was a great way to see the New Year in. Well it took my mind off having to start work on my Interim Report for my final year project. 
Most of January was focused on completing that, but I also managed to see my friend in Bristol. He just started University after taking a 'little' break from it all, so we just went up and had some fun there. It was a nice relaxing break from all the stress of the previous weeks of writing an endless amount of technical bullshit; so to go to the Cinema and watch Big Fish whilst drinking a 50/50 mix of JD and Coke. Well it did make the time fly past, and the film was excellent (I think?).
In February things slowed down, after going out a few times after doing my interim report I had to focus on my final project report (plus other assignments). It was a boring time to be honest, but well I had to justify my Student Loan and Overdraft so knuckled down to it.
Though me and Dave (my previous flat mate) got wind that the Freestylers and Scratch Perverts where going to come down to the Academy (Brunel's finest discothèque art thou) for £3. Bargain basement, so we where there.
I have to summaries that this night; after fecking three years at Brunel, showed that they did have people who knew their shit when it came to music, BUT knew how to have a good time. The crowd wasn't too much of one or the other as well, and was properly mixed. It felt like a proper club and not just a bunch of students, drinking cheap booze and chatting a whole load of shit going "wow I'm like at university, how hard am I?" (Well been there done that). The Freestylers played a live set which was refreshing to see as I've seen them at Breakbeat Connection a couple of times, always on the decks.
The crowd where loving it, the Smirnoff was flowing (as it was a Smirnoff sponsored night) and with a load of friends old and new it was a quality night. I look up when I was at the front and looked behind me. Everyone was loving it, and that's the moment when Hentucky Breaks was born. After years of talking it out (use to dream it all up with Heavy D back in my converted garage), I knew I had to put a night on, which would just provoke the same pure and simple vibes. People who like their music, regardless of genre, just out to have a good time. With the Scratch Perverts ending off the night, Dave, Matt and I got a taxi back to our house to ramble on about what a great night it was (and probably the meaning of life got a mention as well).
So I had a plan now to put my own night on, but had a lot of thinking to do for it. Whilst deliberating on that, I thought I should really make a mix tape to show of my DJ skills. I moved on a bit since mixing up old skool hardcore and the rest of it. I had taken up scratching and basic turntablism to aid me in pulling of my new found love of mixing 80s power ballads with some hip hop, breaks, hardcore, indie etc… With a lot of practicing I started to work on my mixtape.It was coming up to Easter, and had to write up my dissertation. It was a busy time as I was getting into the idea of having a night. I put out an idea to my mate of having a night at my friends family run bar, after going there for Dave's 21st. It was an ideal venue really, as it was small but still had space to move if was full, was in South London but central enough for everyone else, and just looked decent. So the wheels of having the night where in motion.
After a night down the Goose in Brixton (a place you don't want to go, but end up because your lazy to think of anywhere else) with a few friends I was asking if they could help me brainstorm a name for the club night. Eventually it dawned on me. 
After a trip to Manchester in 2003 to see a friend, we where looking through the Yellow Pages, desperately trying to find a fast food place to order from (as someone threw the fast food flyers out - Sacrilegious) . Looking through we found some ridiculous names, from your bog standard Dallas to Kebab Nation… then the name Hentucky Fried Chicken came up… I just creased up for ages (fueled by silly amounts of drink I must add). What a name! So my mind flashes and I go, I'm going to use that name! Being a South London boy fried chicken is the food of choice when on the lash (or for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, snacks).
Even if you don't eat it often, you will always keep it close to your heart (literally as the fat clogs it up and stays there till you're 6ft under). But I needed to add something random on it, and I thought Breaks, to give it that 'zainy' edge. Oh yes! It's like so unique isn't it? Well it made us laugh, and if I thought people would remember it, then why not? So this is how the name came along.
With the name all sorted and confirmation of the night and date, Hentucky Breaks was under way. On top of this I was writing up my dissertation/final year project, so times where getting stressful. I started to deliberate further on the nights and thought my plan was lacking something. I didn't just want to have a night of random music, because let's be honest so many other people are doing it. Then I thought about all the random clubs I've been to in the past 3-4 years, and then one moment stuck out. I remembered at the first Breakbeat Connection, that they had a Graffiti Mural which was painted on the night. All the proceeds from that where donated to charity. I thought that was quality personally, and was the added touch to the night. It wasn't in your face, MUST GIVE MONEY! It was just there! Well I decided that I should give all the proceeds to a charity. But I didn't want to be a you must give money to charity, you must do this. I wanted it to be focus for the night, but I didn't want to create a gun to the head "must donate" atmosphere.
After hours of researching, I found a charity which seemed relevant. Teenage Cancer Trust seemed the charity of choice! They aren't as known as Cancer Research UK, but they where focusing on other problems of Cancer such as recovery and how that should be looked upon. From that I sent an email out to them, got a called a little later from Paul at TCT to have a meeting.
I drew up a business plan (thank you Engineering Law & Business module I was studying at the time for helping me on that), and went down to explain the intentions of the night. After getting the thumbs up from the Board (sounds well scary), everything was set. The night was confirmed, and DJs/MCs where sorted (as a favour to myself and the night, big respect there), the bar was 100% sorted (again free of charge, thanks again for that Maria/John) so it was all go.
I couldn't believe that from a night out in the Academy, to random emails to friends just gauging their opinions on my intentions had actually culminated to holding a proper night. Around this time the dissertation had been handed in (oh yeah baby), the mixtape had been completed (pure agro with that, as I lost the save file on my computer, so had to do it again), so all was left was my final exams and promotion left for Hentucky Breaks. Around this time I also got the website up and running. This was a basic self-taught HTML website which I programmed (thanks to James for the help), which I put on some free web space with a bought domain name. Everything was rolling and gearing up for Hentucky Breaks.
The exams where over, University had officially ended. After our last exam it was a rather strange feeling, which remained for about a week after finishing. Our house had been planning a week of madness for sometime before our final exam which was to start with a 2 day BBQ round our house. I invited a whole load of friends, and told people from Uni to come round. 
To my surprise quite a few Uni people had already set of to go home so quickly. I guess it was time for them to call it a day and go back to where they like it best… fair enough. But anyway the BBQ was mental, with a whole load of people who I haven't seen in ages (Ed's return from the States, Tolu's return from some random bush from the night before) it was a classic weekend. The BBQ went on for around 3 days, then we headed of to Brighton to see Ed and rave it up in some 80s cheese club. Then the next day went to a car meeting with Matt in Reading (Big up the SXOC boys and girls). With trips to Oceana, Sheringham in Norfolk, a trip round my mates place, Essex and some free car show. It was a busy old week, and felt I ended Uni in style.
Now it was the build up to Hentucky Breaks. Myself and John (bar manager) where getting nervous. Before the event we mainly were flyering and promoting a bit and just getting everything in order. Then the day came, which by chance was the day I found out my degree results.
Smashing… I was properly nervous come the day, I tried checking my degree results online but as per usual with Brunels lovely computer system there was a immense surge of students all doing the same thing and crashed the website. So I just focused on the night and got it all in order before opening time. With the footie on the tele, and people arriving in drips and drabs I was getting a bit nervous. But, the TV came off, the music came on and around 10-11ish and the pub crowd had started to fill the place out. Overall the night was a great success as can be read HERE and over £600 was raised for Teenage Cancer Trust, which was a figure that exceeded my expectation.
With University over, I wasn't sure what to do. I knew I was taking time out from finding a 'proper' job which I could put my degree to use; but I had to get some employment. Finding temp work would be a bitch around this time, but whilst job hunting, I decided to go out and enjoy the last of my student overdraft. One of the highlights of the summer had to be T in the Park. I bought the spare ticket of my mate and went up to spend a few glorious days up in Scotland. It felt like a mini holiday almost, and was much needed after being so busy for the past 9 months. I saw so many bands and artists it was unbelievable. I was 'yamming the music down like cook food'. Also I met some great people there, who just knew their shit, baffling me with their immense knowledge of music, but also having a good laugh. It was an experience which I must endure again when the festival season kicks off again.
After getting back from the festival, I started to sort out the next Hentucky Breaks. After a date was confirmed with John; which coincided with one of the last major nights at Matecana due to changeover in management, the next night was sorted. 
With my graduation ceremony thrown in for good measure (which was actually good believe it or not), and the lovely task of finding some job to pay my way things got busier again. This Hentucky was to also celebrate my 21st birthday. Despite being a week before my birthday, I wasn't going to be in London during the actual date. After John helping out again big time with this night, we where good to go again.
I learnt a lot from my first hand in promotion, and changed a few things. Overall the night pulled in a crowd which didn't consist of friends (and friends of friends), but more randoms came this time. Despite less money being raised, it was still on the same level of success as the previous night (mainly due to the bar not being donated this time), but the name had begun to spread. More activities where on the night, with a dance competition, and tequila boy and girl it was a fun filled evening. This has again given me more ideas on how to make the next nights better.
After a week passing from Hentucky, it was officially my 21st birthday. So myself and a few of my friends decided to spend the weekend in Edinburgh. After Ed and I where impressed with it so much before, we had to make a cheap but bloody long Megabus journey up there for the weekend. As the festival was going on, it was really bustling. Our first day there, we managed to catch a bit of comedy theatre, which to brutally honest was shit. If I knew the name of it (as I have that memory burnt from my brain), I would expose them! But hey still good to see something a bit different. At the evening we got tickets to see Andrew Maxwell. Apparently he was getting rave reviews, so we went for it. Must say this guy is fucking heavy! His jokes where on point, mixing in a bit of social-political commentary, without being all Mark Thomas on you. One of the particular highlights of the show was when he was making a joke about pirate radio in London, and was talking about some club in Old Kent Road. Quiet a lot of the crowd, though in a similar age group didn't really get the jokes, but he saw the United Colours of Benniton poster group spread out in two rows, and he was communicating the joke more in our direction. That made the performance just a little bit person…But anyway you had to be there… (well that goes for this whole review, I'm sure a lot of you have clicked off already, so I can type what the hell I want and you wouldn't know have know that I cussed your Mu….anywho).
With a big of Haggis, a play called Paper Tigers which was quite dark but very good I thought and some really annoying Japanese Drums that was the end of that holiday… and the beginning of my life in the world of 9-5: The Graduate Years.
We got back from Scotland at 7am in the morning, and I started my first day of work at 9.30am. With no sleep on that shitting coach, and a quick shower and change round Jose's, "I felt like shit" was an understatement. Once you join the working world, a whole load of motivation is taken out of you. So working on Hentucky was hard work as when I would get home, all I would want to do is eat my dinner, watch a bit of tele and go to bed. Fucking great… was this what was waiting for me when I started my proper job? After a few weeks I was in that whole routine mode, but I snapped out of it. 
Coupled with moving 25minutes up the road to Vauxhall with my brother and two friends I decided to get on with Hentucky and just go out again. I decided to go and see more gigs and carry on with seeing live music, I saw Mr Scruff, Ian Brown, Jazzy Jeff (well he made it seem like he was live), The Roots… and have many more people I've got planned to see in the new year. Also with trips to Brighton, Bristol and seeing old friends at Brunel (hmm the three B's), "Stella got her (his) groove back".
Well that's it until December really. The new mixtape is now out, as I've been blabbing on about for ages now things are looking up for Hentucky. For 2005, well I plan to bring out more mixtapes (from other Hentucky residences as well), and more nights! Also a few more productions and a whole load of content, it's not "Riverside Mother Fucker" for Hentucky yet.
