Subliminal Sessions Ministry of Sound London - 13th

We were looking forward to returning to The Ministry of Sound having not been there for long while. Being such a popular and well known, although somewhat commercial club, we were excited by what a night hosted by Subliminal records boss, Erick Morillo would bring.

Tonight was the launch party of his new 'Subliminal Sessions, Summer 2009' Mix album and was guaranteed to be packed to the rafters with people there for his 7 hour marathon set. We arrived at the club around 11.30 and already a large queue had formed. Through the always friendly yet thorough bouncers and we were in. The Box and the VIP bar were absolutely packed, due the fact the main room hadn't opened yet, but it seemed plenty of people were already having it and well oiled for the night ahead.

Having not been to Ministry for a long time, it was clear that the place had been refurbished and is a really nice venue. There seemed to be a fairly broad mix of people in there and as always with clubs like Ministry a good mix of male of female partygoers.

The club is made of 5 areas. The main room or The Box, which has a balcony accessed via the VIP room (where we would spend most of our time), The Bar, The Loft where the provision of breaks was made and the smallest room The Baby Box .There is a walkway above the bar area which connects both the Vip room and another bar. There is also a outdoor smoking area, with loads of seating space and a burger van if you fancy it, wonder if they make much cash? Drinks are standard club prices with beers being around £4 a bottle, it's to be expected though, with a club that is part of one of the biggest brands in dance music.

Eventually around 12.20am Erick finally appeared and the main room was opened. Immediatly the floor was full and people were clambering on the speakers, keen to feel the full force of Morillo's selection. As always his mixing and enthusiasm behind the decks was awesome and everybody was showing their appreciation at every opportunity. Playing all of the tunes from the new album was obviously going to happen when you had 7 hours to fill. The styles on offer were as varied as they were funky, and definitely kept the party lively.

The only complaint about the main room, is that the DJ booth is raised far from the main floor, and doesn't afford much of a connection between the DJ and the crowd. Indeed, being quite a low light club, it was hard to even see the DJ at times.

The night was guaranteed to be a success and with £20 entry, MOS knew that as well. Right up until 6am the party vibe was in full swing and everyone was in good spirrits, apart from a select few who seemed intent on causing troube, but never actually succeeded in doing anything but making themselves look like idiots.

All in all it was a great night and all of the people we chatted with seemed to be having as good a night as us. If you have never been to any of the Subliminal Sessions at home or abroad, then we can recommend it as a top night. Ministry has and continues to be one of the best clubs in town. A great night.