How Tidy Trax embodies the loud, proud spirit of Northern hard house – DJ Mag

When it takes place next year, Amo says Tidy 25 will offer a rare opportunity for those who came to their first event, which he remembers as a baptism of fire, very homemade, to recapture that moment of their youth. Pontins hasnt changed in 50 years, let alone 20, he chuckles. Many iconic clubs have lost their venues Creams home was demolished, Turnmills where Trade was closed down, but Tidy 25 will feature the same smell, the same dancefloor, the same euphoria.

It will also boast, largely, the same DJs. Pulling in stars from across hardcore, hard house, trance and the tougher end of house. Its a summation of the scene they were central to creating, an ecosystem of events that stretched from Leicesters Storm to Insomniacz in Sheffield, and from Synergy and Goodgreef in Manchester to Promise in Newcastle. But its also a sign of how little those at the top have changed.

This is the impetus behind Tidy Pro, the labels new production school. Hard house became niche, so it became quite insular, admits Amo. Now were seeing that wheel turning again, so we have the chance to bring new talent through. Offering mentoring and classes on components such as arrangement, composition, programming breakdowns and riffs, and mixing down, Tidy Pro aims to have the old guard help bring through a new generation.

Part of the wider renaissance, they point out, is that those who came to their first few weekenders, perhaps even meeting the person they married at a Tidy event, potentially now have teenage kids who have grown up around their music.

I was influenced by my parents music when I was a kid and I still listen to it, says Andy, who tells us his own 18-year-old son has absorbed a love of hard house from being around it. Hard houses love of dressing up, from bright 90s clubwear to full-on outre outfits, often proves mind-blowing to twenty-somethings, says Amo, whove only ever been to a Defected party, where theres one blue light and everyone is standing still. They come to a Tidy party and see people dressed as washing machines, jumping around and having the time of their life.

The first time they saw a Tidy logo tattooed on someones back the size of a dinner plate, the pair began to realise the fanaticism behind hard house and the strength of their brand. For Andy, Tidys weekenders have followed in the footsteps of Northern soul, the 1970s dance phenomenon that first turned UK holiday resorts into meccas for young dancers looking for hedonism. The basis is a tribe of people coming together to celebrate their thing.

Like Northern soul, Amo goes on, hard house is an entirely non-commercial music, barely represented on radio so its built around a culture of going out and dancing. This created a close-knit community. Hard house is the punk rock of dance music, he says. Such is its emotional resonance, every week Tidy gets a request for the instrumental version of Til Tears Do Us Part by Heavens Cry, one of the labels biggest releases, to play at a wedding or a funeral. This is a culture that people have grown up with.

Follow this link:

How Tidy Trax embodies the loud, proud spirit of Northern hard house - DJ Mag