South West Four 2007

United Kingdom | by Nick Bruce | 10 September 2007

The theme of this year’s English summer has been water. Aqua. The Brine. Whatever you want to call it we’ve had buckets of the stuff: the wettest May to July since 1766, floods across the country, houses washed away and our beloved festivals turned into mudbaths after torrential rainfall. Someone up there is either having a massive laugh at our expense, or I’m going to have to start building a bloody great big boat…

But wait.

Would you believe it.

On undoubtedly the biggest weekend of the summer - August bank holiday weekend- something remarkable has happened. The grey clouds have disappeared, the sun is beating down, and, looking up to the sky, watching planes circle overhead against an azure blue sky, we could be in Ibiza. Because today, on Clapham Common in south west London, 20,000 revellers are shunning the Balearics in favour of something bigger and more exciting. 20,000 sun-kissed worshippers have their hands up in the air, in recognition of the awesome event that is South West Four.

Started in 2001 as little more than a large backyard party, SW4 has grown to become one of Europe’s biggest dance one-dayers, with a line up that has been consistently astonishing for the last few years.
Today, the line up does everything but disappoint: Paul Van Dyk, Roger Sanchez, Pete Tong, Eric Prydz, Steve Lawler and Sasha are all taking to the stage along with many more A-list DJs. It’s almost all a bit too much really.

Heading over to the Ibizan Underground tent to go and see Steve Lawler at half one on a Saturday afternoon is like Keith Richards being thrown a packet of fags mid-set: sheer bliss. Lawler is one of the most consistently excellent DJs and producers on the scene, and his set – all tough, dirty electro- coupled with the hot sweaty atmosphere of the venue, makes for an awesome introduction to the day’s proceedings, setting the tone for things to come.

Emerging into the blazing afternoon sunlight, dripping but elated, we head over to the Bedrock International tent to check out both Sander Kleinenberg and Eric Prydz. This tent is as tough as Ibizan Underground and every punter has their hands in the air as Kleinenberg, the man who has mixed for the likes of Royksopp and Justin Timberlake, takes them on a journey through dance, backed by the amazing audiovisuals he has become world-renowned for. Eric Prydz keeps the audience jumping with an amazing set that is surprisingly a lot harder and less vocal than the tunes with which he has had so much chart success. 

By the time we leave Bedrock our group has collectively lost about three hundred pounds through sweat, so it’s over to the bar for a beer and some noodles - which in my opinion are the greatest energy source known to man (little tip though: don’t cover your noodles in the chilli sauce, as I did. Within seconds my mouth was like Dante’s Inferno and I had to down about thee pints just to quell the searing heat within). It’s then over to the main stage to catch Pete Tong and Roger Sanchez.

Arguably two of the most influential DJs in the world (Sanchez was the main consultant for Pioneer when they designed and launched their revolutionary CDJs, and Tong’s Essential Selection on Radio 1 has launched a plethora of new DJ talent), both Tong and Sanchez play sets that confirm why they are so massive. At this point it’s late afternoon and the crowd at the main stage is huge: almost two thirds of the festival are now in front of the stage and both Tong and Sanchez in their respective sets feed off the collected mob like they are mana from heaven. Tong, as main stage host, does a fantastic job in keeping the crowd going and wanting more. Although this is not difficult, when the acts you are introducing are Sasha and Paul Van Dyk.

Sasha has been hailed as one of the best DJs at reading the crowd, knowing what they want, then giving it to them, taking them on a journey. Whether this personal interaction is lost in the massive, open air arena of a festival is unknown: what is known is that Sasha’s set is simply incredible, a mind-blowing journey through trance, breaks, progressive and deep house. The DJ sets at SW4 are like the stepping stones up toward some higher plane: each one goes a little further than the other, taking the audience higher and higher…until they get to the day’s apex, and Paul Van Dyk.

Voted the world’s number 1 DJ for a second year running means Van Dyk’s reputation precedes him and after a couple of minutes on the decks, it’s not hard to see why this man is so big. Where other DJs throughout the day have played the tunes, got the crowd going, but have never really created an atmosphere by getting into the set themselves, Van Dyk is all over the place: leaping, punching the air, shouting, getting the crowd going like it’s the first basement gig he ever played in his native Berlin. And the crowd react well. Really, really well. There isn’t a single person who doesn’t have a huge smile on their face, nor is there anybody standing still: even those that have perhaps indulged in a little too much throughout the day are dancing, shook apart by Van Dyk’s line of techno. If each set is a stepping stone to a higher plane, then 20,000 people in Clapham have found that - and they’re not about to let it go.

One only has to look at SW4 mathematically to understand how great the festival is: 20,000 day tickets sell out in record time. A sister festival is launched in Cardiff to cope with the huge demand. 5,000 people get turned away, ticketless. The festival is huge. And deservedly so. But to look at such a day mathematically would be inappropriate. Events like South West Four are all about emotion and the emotional experience guests go through. They are about thousands of people coming together, about experiencing the same feelings, about enjoying the common bond that is dance music. They are about taking you out of the everyday and transporting you to a place that is truly magical.

For any discerning dance fan, South West Four is the best day in London bar none. Which must surely make it one of the best days in the entire world.