Shine City

Cold getting busy in the city that shine .. /profiles/turnstyle runs effect on some of Christchurch styles n' vibe.

10 May 2003

Having been away for a while and always keeping a tap on what's going down, I was not about to miss a chance to visit ChCh.

There have been a few recent editions to the ChCh 'night-out' scene which I really wanted to visit. Home, Carbon, Zinc .. names which to me implied a shift from the old idea of venues in ChCh.

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Collecting some friends and setting ourselves up for a night out by eating in and sharing stories...

Prepared and in a Taxi our first destination was Zinc.

The front Bar of the Civic on Manchester street... in its day has been many things, if not more of an old schoolers bar than anything else. Its most recent incarnation is a stylish spin on the natural atmosphere of the bar.

With an elemental name and clean-fluro up-lit bar... the roomy feel of high ceilings and couch settings makes it a natural for after work drinks. ChCh is nurturing its urban culture and upturned collars and moleskins are being traded-in for stiff striped shirts and cut skirts. designer elements'

The scene was a bit preppy for my taste but becoming a local wouldn't seem difficult and the bar would evolve in the later hour to a more diverse city set of discerning players...

Featuring a roomy floor level Dj booth (which I failed to see in action) Zinc is holding a breaks weekly and the standard house fare. Despite potential the Sound system could afford some subs to extend their dynamic range.

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With a few beers and compulsory shots of tequila we were off to Home.

Including a daytime restaurant... the concept of home is straight up & down designer space. Let down by the sound system again, I concluded that home blurs into a place to hang out more than get down.

Dividing areas and edgeless seating, I liked the library room! The lighting decor creates a Dr. No vibe with oriental nuance, retiring to the rooms with books insisted in gin and conversation. Here you could attempt to exhibit your cultural instinct, or slouch into an intimate interlude unbothered.

Home is stylish' without being cool, but gets mistaken for being trendy when really it represents environments that are as individual and comfortable as our own homes.

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Onward and forward, heading downstairs to a tried and true venue - Carbon.

A space that was defined by the notorious 'Liquor Lounge, it has always promoted 'to me' an excess of consumptions and liberal application of good times. Completely worth while!

Undeniable, with low ceilings, downstairs entry, Carbon takes full advantage of that underground feeling and concentrates squarely on making things as dark and smoky as you like.

The sound system this time... is a local built system with fabulous faults but excellent resulting performance. This night Fable had taken over for the evening to exploit the extensive range of local producer talent in the d'nb scene.

More tequila defiantly suited the onslaught of pure kiwi beats, matching the shameless environment of organized show boating.

For me it is intensely stimulating to see peeps' drop tunes on each other that are entirely kiwi born n' breed. With the conscious raising rhyme awareness from Mana lifting that intensity further. Total witness to the dynamic of fresh MC's battling for the mic, testing supremacy against failure, and then stepping up again.

Carbon was too smoky and to dark, leading to borderline behavior that was; given the context, entirely acceptable.

Respect to Fable for a s'wicked night and shouts to the massive for supporting the excellence that always has been the Christchurch Drum & Bass scene.

/

Christchurch is a gothic city of flat 'ness and settled swamp features.

Still to me it is has an edge. In order to break the mediocrity of local culture it takes precision talent, passion and perseverance. You can naturally get sucked down in ChCh... so while shit may always float, truth transcends.

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My stumble to the taxi stand detoured to sit if front of the new Gallery. : defiantly shiny and modern designer'y. If civic consciousness can be defined by buildings, ChCh is trading its conservative views for the investigation of sophistication.

more photos !

'Cold getting busy in the city that shines ...'
Quote: G-dog , Nil State, 1994