Atomic Jam
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Atomic Jam is one of the largest and the most influential Techno events in the United Kingdom.
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[edit] Overview
The event was founded in Birmingham, UK in 1995 and the first event was at the Que Club, Birmingham in August of that year. Richie Hawtin was headlining the event.
The club continued at the Que Club until 2003 every six weeks, apart from a break in the summer, with the birthday nights taking place in August or September. In 2003 the Que Club closed, leaving Atomic Jam without a home. The event moved firstly to The Sanctuary in Digbeth and then to the Custard Factory before it's original venue was re-opened.
After 5 years, Atomic Jam's original venue the Que Club has reopened as the Q Club. It was announced in early May 2008 that Atomic Jam would return to the venue in the last quarter of this year.
The 13th birthday event was held on 22 November 2008, and another event was held on 7 March 2009.
The 14th birthday will be held at the Q Club on 21st November 2009.
[edit] Music Policy
The music at Atomic Jam is techno in the main room, advertised on the flyers as 'techno and beyond'. Dependent on the DJ, the music earlier in the night is more Detroit style techno and classics warming the crowd up. As the evening progresses, the music becomes harder and more rolling. The individual guests give each night a different flavour, usually with a resident finishing for the last hour. The resident until 2002 was Tony Work, and residents are now Chris Finke who plays a more acidic set and Ade Fenton who has a more cut up style.
Room two is drum and bass, sometimes hosted by Broken Minds and featuring the likes of Grooverider, Andy C, Optical and Jumping Jack Frost.
Room three is no longer in operation due to lack of space at the Custard Factory, however at the Que Club room three was in the chapel and hosted sound systems such as DIY, Babble, Smokescreem and Aura Orange.
Room four is the Breakbeat / Electro room hosted by residents Brothers Bud, which over the years has welcomed the likes of Dave Clarke, Radioactive man and Billy Nasty dropping purist Electro sets.
[edit] DJs
Atomic Jam has introduced many of the major and minor players on the techno scene to its clubbers, and is renownd for the quality of its resident DJs. These are Ade Fenton and Chris Finke who play techno, and Ratty and Fallout who are drum and bass DJs.
Selected list of techno DJs who have played at Atomic Jam:
The Advent Dave Angel Adam Beyer Joey Beltram Steve Bicknell DJ Bone CJ Bolland Dave Clarke Colin Faver Funk D'Void Richie Hawtin DJ Hell Oliver Ho Robert Hood Holy Ghost Nathan Gregory Ignition Technician Valentino Kanzyani Neil Landstrumm Chris Liebing Chris Liberator Derrick May Jeff Mills Joe Mull Billy Nasty OVR (Regis & James Ruskin) Gaetano Parisio Trevor Rockcliffe Rolando DJ Rush James Ruskin Daz Saund Ben Sims Slam Luke Slater Space DJz Speedy J Suburban Knight Surgeon Sven Väth Umek Claude Young DJ Skull Colin Dale Joey Beltram Gayle San Juan Atkins
[edit] Live Acts
Over the years live acts have appeared at Atomic Jam, adding a more improvised feel to the music. Eat Static were the most regular of these, although they have been absent since 2003. Other live acts that have appeared are Bandulu, Green Velvet, Technasia, Speedy J and Radioactive Man.
[edit] Special Events
In 2002, Atomic Jam hosted an arena as part of the Godskitchen Global Gathering, offering techno from 4pm until 7am. It is also part of Drop Beats Not Bombs which also operates at the Custard Factory. In the past decade Atomic Jam has held nights at The Depot in Bristol, Turnmills in London, the Marcus Garvey Centre in Nottingham and at various universities around the midlands.
