DJ Disasters: X-Press 2

When it all goes wrong...

Every DJ has one.

A night when everything that can possibly go wrong does – and it does so in spectacular fashion. ClashMusic brings you DJ Disasters, featuring some of the most respected figures in the dance world reminiscing about those moments when it all went badly wrong.

Famed for their multi-decking techniques – once using 12 in just one show – X-Press 2 are one of the most enduring groups in British dance music. Ashley Beedle may have left, but DJ Diesel and DJ Rocky can still pull in crowds across the globe.

New album ‘The House Of X-Press 2’ is out now, with the duo attempting to concentrate on an eight hour stint behind the decks at A Night With…

First, though, they have a confession to make.

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We’d just taken on a new tour manager and his first long distance gig was a trip to the Acafest in Acapulco, Mexico.

Our flights were with Air France and we were flying via Paris. So we tip up at Heathrow on a Thursday afternoon to get our flight, all good so far. The weather’s a little misty but we’re not overly concerned.

Eventually we realise that a lot of flights are delayed, including our one. Consequently we are delayed around 3 hours and miss our connecting flight to Mexico. We arrive in Paris and are told that as we’re in transit, our luggage, including record boxes, will have to stay air side. The people at Air France are very apologetic and give us all a wash bag with a free t-shirt and pack us off to a nice local hotel with a voucher for dinner. We get to the hotel and regroup. All is not lost, we can still make it to Mexico in time for the gig, on the Friday night.

So we get up nice and early the next morning and breakfast well. Back at CDG all goes well and we check in for our new flight to Mexico City. When we check in, we’re told to collect our luggage in Mexico City before getting the connecting flight to Acapulco. No worries.

At last we’re on our way and everyone settles down to the inflight entertainment. 10 hours later we land and head to the carousel to pick up our luggage before continuing on. We wait. And wait. And wait….

Nothing. We’re now the last people in the baggage hall and our connecting flight leaves in 30 minutes.

Our new tour manager is looking a little panicked now, so we head off to find the baggage people to find out what’s happened. Not much joy there, they give us a number to call and tell us to hurry to the next flight. Off we run.

Too late. The gate has now closed and our flight has departed. Back to the airline desk, hopefully for another flight that will still get us there in time. It’s now around 8 in the evening and we’re playing at 12 midnight.

“We’re very sorry but today is no more flight Acapulco.”

Bugger!

We ask if there’s anything else they can do to get us there and explain that we’re performing that night, even though we’re still without our records. We’re told that the airline can lay on ground transport for us, and it will be around a 4 hour drive.

Well we’ve no other option so in the car we get. Along with a newly married Mexican couple on their honeymoon.

Away we go into the night and some awful weather. We hit a roadblock in some mountains at one point and have to take a massive detour. The weather clears but our set time comes and we’re still in the car.

We eventually arrive at our hotel around 1 am, hoping that our records might be there, sadly they’re not so we couldn’t play even if we wanted. We start to check in and are then told we don’t have reservations. By now we’re pretty much ready to explode but our, by now frantic, tour manager steps in and works out that we were due to check in the day before and that’s where the issue was. All sorted in the end. We check in and tell the tour manager to call us if the records turn up, otherwise we’ll see him for breakfast.

Needless to say, there was no call.

Saturday morning we wake up to a glorious day in Acapulco and head down for breakfast. Our TM has some good news. He’s managed to sort out another slot for us to play on the Saturday night on the same stage that we were due to play on the Friday and, even better news, he’d found our precious vinyl. It was waiting at the airport and he was heading down there after breakfast to pick it up. Hero!

We spend the rest of our Saturday lazing by the pool and catching up with other DJ mates who were staying at the hotel also.

Saturday evening and we think that it’ll be a good idea to sound check, considering how our luck had been going the last 2 days. We head down to the festival site and it’s fantastic. Our stage is on the beach backing onto the sea and surrounded by palm trees. The sound check is perfect and our spirits are lifted. This is going to be amazing!!!

On our way back to the hotel and we’re marvelling at the huge bulbous clouds forming out at sea. “They’re storm clouds.” Says one of our crew. NIce one, just what we want to hear, we all joke.

Back at the hotel we have an early dinner and retire to bed for a few hours sleep before the show. I’m awoken from my slumber by the phone ringing. It’s our TM. “Have you seen outside?” He asks. “No.” “I suggest you have a look.”

I part the curtains and am greeted by armageddon. Trees are being blown horizontal, hail the size of golf balls is pummelling the hotel and there’s just short of a hurricane ripping through Acapulco.

I get back on the phone and he tells me that the whole festival has been blown away.

Bugger again!

Back to bed.

Wake up the next morning and go home.

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A Night With… X Press 2 hits Basing House on Saturday 21st April.

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