20 years of anything is a long time, particularly when we live in a world where most things have a pretty short shelf life these days and it's becoming increasingly difficult for music to stand the test of time. Cream, however, is a brand that has ridden through two decades of change and has managed to stay just as current now as the day the very first party was held at Nation in Liverpool.
Just taking a quick look back at what was going on 20 years ago, things were different. American Presidents were throwing up on Japanese Prime Ministers laps, the Cold War was coming to an end, Liverpool FC was playing its 101st season, Nirvana released 'Smells Like Teen Spirit', Michael Jackson released 'In The Closet' (...weird) and R Kelly sung 'She's Got That Vibe' - all equally decade defining moments, of course - all the while some guy called James Barton, along with friends Andy Carroll and Darren Hughes, were running what was to become the most recognisable club name in the world, and I was 6 years old. Quite the achievement.
Now, having spent another season in Ibiza it was initially weird enjoying a Cream party on a Saturday night. Having said that, returning to the UK a mere 8 hours before it all kicked off ensured I was able to contrast the two clubbing environments Cream most regularly occupies in a particularly efficient manner. First things first; Liverpool Cream is colder than Ibiza Cream. Liverpool Cream isn't a 'polished' as Ibiza Cream, or rather Amnesia. Liverpool Cream isn't as a massive as Ibiza Cream. But then these three things all come together to add to some of the things that made Liverpool Cream great in the first place - the cold means you appreciate the sweaty proper dirty rave scene contained within those hallowed warehouse walls that reek of history, and the relatively smaller crowd size (still massive with a 2900 capacity) makes for a comparatively more intimate experience.
As you can imagine, the entire night came off as an extended 8 or so hour 'Cream Classics' mix CD, one that I would buy should it appear on iTunes, with every DJ that I managed to see dropping house and trance tracks I'd not heard for many a moon. The first set I caught was from Pete Tong, unfortunately arriving a little too late in the night for John Digweed, and it was cool to see him clearly relishing his return up north, ploughing through classics like Bassheads 'Is there Anybody Out There?' in its full 9 minute glory and A Guy Called Gerald's 'Voodoo Ray', but mixed quite nicely in with one of the standout tracks for the Hot Natured Crew at their Paradise parties - 'Benediction' - a fine example of that deep house, vocal-heavy sound that was so popular over the island this season.
Over in the main room we were treated to ultimate fun-time DJ Fatboy Slim, making his first return to Cream Liverpool in 10 years, and as expected he ran through the huge back catalogue of tracks we all love him for. Here's one you might have heard of - 'Right Here Right Now'. As you can imagine the room descended into absolute bedlam and lunacy, with that theme continuing throughout his set.
Back then to the courtyard for none other than Paul Oakenfold, who had taken time out of his no-doubt busy schedule state-side, to gift music to our ears. Of course, classics came thick and fast, but more of the trance variety as the sound of the room changed from Pete Tong. Honestly, the last time I saw Oakenfold was at Cream Ibiza in 2008 and I feel he wasn't at his best in that period. Now, with those long locks removed and his love for DJ'ing seemingly returned in all its glory, Oakey dropped the oh-so-spooky Brainbug 'Nightmare' in preparation for Halloween perhaps, with the recent hit by Markus Shultz and Ferry Corsten 'Loops & Tings' also going down very nicely. Track of the set had to be Universal Nation's 'Push', released back in 1999, it hit a note with many of the more 'experienced' (old) clubbers on the floor, but equally the younger kids who love a good classic as much as the next guy.
It was an absolute trance party from here on in, right through to Rob Harnetty's set at the 5am mark. I've been yearning for a trance classics night all season with the Cream lot, and it never happened. So the hour I caught of him was an absolute delight. I'll mention two tracks and you'll understand why. The Thrillseekers 'Synaesthesia' and Ayla 'Ayla'. The Thrillseekers is probably my favourite trance track of all time, and it was this sort of music that kept me from going back to see Carl Cox for so long.
So, saving the best till last with a non-techno set from all round legend Carl Cox was an entirely appropriate way to finish off my night. He's become just as popular in Ibiza for his alternative funk and soul sets at Sands as he has his techno raves at Space on Tuesdays. They are legendary, and although the environment on this occasion was of course your typical club space, the feel of the party was quite similar to Sands, on the beach in Ibiza. OK, I know there are glaring differences in my comparison (the lack of sand and sunlight for a start) but in talking about the 'vibe' of the party I felt like I was back in Ibiza, and I liked it. Of course it is all down to the choice of music, reading the crowds reaction and merely the presence of such a character like Carl Cox. When he grins, the crowd grins, when he pumps his fist, the crowd pump their fist, it's that simple.
Mixing old with new tracks, like many DJs had opted to do throughout the night, was a great formula. Joris Voorn's hugely energetic 'Incident', Eric Prydz piano laden 'Pjanoo', CLS' classic 'Can You Feel It', Mark Knight's much improved (in my opinion) remix of Fathless' 'Music Matters', and the more current 'Party Non Stop' by Pirupa should give you a little insight in to how he floated between the new and old, and it worked perfectly. It created the perfect soundtrack for my exit of the club, opting for the stroll-to-the-beat method, I can only imagine how awesome I looked.
With the night over, I remember thinking that Pete Tong said it perfectly during his set; "this is where it's going on!". Indeed this is where it's going on, and has been for the last 20 years. All you other promoters out there let this be a lesson to you! We shall rendezvous back at Nation in another 20 years.
