Love Ranch, 1992
10 Likes
Wasn’t sure if this was re-posted elsewhere.
5 Likes
Very few clubs make me shudder when I recall them, LR is the exception & only went a couple of times
1 Like
not sure if this tribute version of Smokebelch by Darren Price of 808 State has been posted before. it’s ace.
Edit - not 808 State member! Thanks for corrections
2 Likes
Pricey was Underworld’s DJ (and Boy’s Own), not 808State. Was that not Martin Price who was in 808?
1 Like
Yes, the Darren in 808 was Darren Partington.
Martin Price also had something to do with Eastern Bloc the record shop on Oldham St & was quite a formidable character 
1 Like
I never went but I’ve heard similar from a couple of people. What was it about it? The psychedelic skinhead thing?
Too much chisel
4 Likes
The party ruiner supreme 
3 Likes
Fact of the Day: - It was at Maximus where Weekender was filmed
Very prog musically although they did have Rampling
2 Likes
Sometimes it was fun but it was chaos and not the cleanest of experiences : )
Piccadilly have the Sounds From The Flight path Estate comp to order if any folks missed out!
x
1 Like
Can you tell its love ranch by the psychedelic skinhead behind him?
It was also where another over hyped (and dodgy imo) night was held - Taboo
Its Justin Robertson isnt it ? Who is Psychedelic & a crew cut but…
Re LoveRanch - My take is Sean McKlusky saw how Dave Beer was mktg basics as a bit rock n roll ( lots of Mixmag writeups) & took it loads further
Remember a story about a banner that said ‘Peace in What fucking Valley’, theyd usually have a (terrible) live act
1 Like
Is it? Could well be Justin.
The bands were often god awful. im fairly sure the bay city rollers played one night.
It was about the most druggy night out you could find. I can barely remember a single tune that was ever played
Meat Beat Manifesto played live I think. D Ream too.
Banners were confrontational.
It was a way of life. Wednesday through to Monday. Tuesday off and repeat
3 Likes
A search for a flyer image led me to Miles Thunder old blog which is a v good description
Kinky Disco, housed in the large, fairly tatty Shaftsbury’s probably led the way, providing a haunt for every bloke from the home counties with a King Charles perm and pair of leather trousers. The parties were fun but without question, it was rival night Love Ranch that gained the most notoriety.
Promoted by Sean McLusky and Mark ‘Wigan‘, fresh from their exploits at The Brain on Wardour Street, it took place every Saturday in a chrome and mirrors abomination on Leicester Square called Maximus. It really shouldn’t have worked but somehow, with strikingly designed flyers and a ‘fuck you’ attitude, it captured the zeitgeist perfectly. Whilst long locks still flowed at Kinky Disco, the clippers had come out at Love Ranch and ID Magazine ran a whole article on ‘psychedelic skinheads’ ostensibly because three people in one club had cut their hair.
But the affected Love Ranch attitude was a bit much. They had a banner on the dancefloor that said ’This Is Where It’s Fucking At’ but if you were where it really was at, you didn’t need a banner to tell everyone.
London was now in the grip of progressive house, which has become a byword for boring, convoluted music for blokes but there was actually some very exciting records being made at the beginning. It was a really a reaction to the more slickly produced music from New York, Rome and Rimini. The early progressive house producers started to reclaim harder edged sounds we had grown used to the days of acid house, set them in a new context, forging a distinctive English sound. And in these earlier days, DJs mixed this up with European and American records. We went to one of the early Puscha parties and heard Andy Weatherall, Danny Rampling and Sasha dropping new progressive house, alongside Belgium techno, and Miami deep house. And for brief a moment in time, it really felt like the future.
13 Likes
Great read.
I have admittedly very vague memories but wasn’t Love Ranch the first place with a 6 am licence.
That’s my excuse for going anyway 
Live mixes from the AW60 fabric night.