IT HAPPENED almost by accident: a creaky and undersubscribed jam night at the Horn in ST Albans came to an abrupt halt and something was needed to replace it, temporarily at first.

That was Monday July 9 2001, the club was such a massive hit that it became a regular feature. The evening had a relaxed downtempo café atmosphere at first but it soon became apparent people wanted to dance, not just a little, but all night; The tables got fewer as the dancefloor got busier every week.

The philosophy is based on the idea that people will turn out to support quality music any day of the week. The club manages to get some huge name DJs to play, including Dreadzone, Brandon Block, Chris Clarke, and the Drunken Allstars. Hansi says "Knock on enough doors and eventually the odd one will open. Having an angle always helps."

One angle that appears to work is that most DJ's would rather play to an appreciative crowd than to themselves in their bedroom any day of the week. The allure is such that the vast majority that have played do so for free.

HANSI, resident and Monday club promoter, plays on the night regularly. He's equally happy dropping old-skool breaks as he is serving up tasty dub, house, or funk 45s. He's promoted and DJed loads of nights: the seminal Decompression, Club Gala, Fungle Junk, Groove Yaw Thang, and more. Hansi's name has appeared next to some of the cream of the industry: Freq Nasty, Plump DJs, Goldie, Photek, Andy C and Billy Nasty amongst others. It all must have started somewhere. What were his first musical loves?

"Elvis, at the tender age of five. This, however, was followed by the smurfs, probably why I got into hardcore! I'm not sure if my taste has progressed, just widened. I still love Elvis. Not sure about the smurfs though."

So no Smurf's live PA anytime soon then? Hansi says that there are two nights that stand out most, Monday March 17th 2003, his Birthday and St Patrick's Day which was "an absolute corker (what I can remember of it anyway)... ended with Johnny from Big Brother strutting his stuff to my grooves at an unexpected after party". And the other one? "The last Dreadzone, which a lot of old faces came to, it was closest to the buzz I've experienced since the heady days of Decompression"

Ben Belafonic of the Dreadz was extremely complimentary: "That was the best Monday nighter I've ever played, on any continent!"

Text: DAVID VANNEN

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