Speedzone Tour 2009 @ KL Tower

There’s nothing quite like the feeling of partying shoulder-to-shoulder with 10,000 revelers to the beats of world-class DJs. Many would shun the close proximity of sweaty bodies, but JUICE just doesn’t mind taking late night showers. If you ask us, it’s a small price to pay for the overwhelming joy of the beat that never stops.

Such was the scene at Speedzone Tour 09. For the 6th consecutive year, the official Malaysian Grand Prix dance festival was set to thrill us at KL Tower. And how do you top yourself after half a decade of outdoor rave extravaganzas? Well, with the superstardom likes of Paul Oakenfold, Judge Jules, Nic Fanciulli, Tall Paul, Alexandar Technique, Ricky Stone, Daniele Davoli, Joey G and Eugene, of course. And that was enough to have KL’s party population gravitate towards the iconic landmark.

When JUICE got there, the streets were backed up all the way up the devil’s behind with cars honkin’ away. We had to park at a neighbouring office complex and walk 15 minutes just to get to the foothill. After that, it was another 10 minute hike up KL Tower. It wasn’t that bad as we could already hear the music thumping and our steps and excitement grew bigger with the beats.

Upon entering, the scene was like something out from It’s All Gone Pete Tong ! The crowd was restless and some people where frenetically looking for their friends. One thing about this event sucked though. We can understand if people aren’t allow to bring in their own water, but charging 10 bucks for a can of coke is just plain evil!

Anyway, twilight was upon us and DJ Joey G had already set the pace for the night with his garaged-notes over at the Speed Arena (which was the larger of the 2 dance floors that night). Daniele Davoli wasted no time in taking over the decks. While the Juicy Ibiza 2008 producer revved up the beat with his glamorous remixes, there was no denying that the heat went up a notch by the alluring Paul Oakenfold.

When the legend stepped up to the decks, the mere sight of him sent the crowd into a frenzy. As our bodies got closer to each other, Paul spun tracks from his latest album Pop Killer, leading us to euphoric heights. As the clock struck midnight, the sky above KL Tower exploded with fireworks choreographed to Paul’s pulsating tempo. A sea of hands rose up and for a split second, we were one.

We headed over to the Red Arena after that as we were already hallucinating from the lack of oxygen. Along the way, we hooked up with an old friend who couldn’t stop talking about DJ Alexander Technique’s set. Apparently, our old amigo had been hanging out at the Red Arena since sunset ’cause “larger dance floors are for try-hards…”, whatever that means….

Anyway, according to him, Alexander was “a mash up genius” and Tall Paul, who came on after, was a “real aggresive &*%^”. Right. Not that JUICE is doubting our old friend, but seeing is believing. (Read our interview with DJ Alexander Technique here).

Nic Fanciulli got us believing with his infectious deep tech and dark grooves. Though we only caught the last half hour of his set, that was enough to convince us that the rising young DJ has the gift of the beat. By the time Ricky Stone came on, we were knackered. Nearly 6 hours of non-stop dancing had our legs crying out for rest, so we decided to sit down and chill. Ricky spun some pretty awesome tunes including a remix of The White Stripes ‘Seven Nation Army’. Before he was done, the volume took a sudden drop as the party had to come to an end. Ricky stopped and then spurred on his audience to shout: “Turn it back up again!” The powers that be couldn’t contain the crowd’s need for loud music. Ricky got what he wanted and so did the crowd. One up for the ravers!

As the final beat came to an end, we heard Judge Jules over at the Speed Arena say: “Don’t kill the messenger! Thank you and have a good night!” Well, time speeds up when you’re having a good time. We’re already getting geared up for next year’s Speedzone!

Speedzone Tour 2009 went down at KL Tower on Saturday 4 April 2009. Check out the action in our gallery!

Images SpeedZone Entertainment