STORIES & CULTURE
Music, artists, labels and stories from the underground.
#north-east
For anyone who grew up buying music around **Stockton-on-Tees and Teesside**, Sound It Out Records was much more than somewhere you went to buy a CD or a piece of vinyl.
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When looking back at the history of rave music in **Teesside and the North East**, there are certain names that appear again and again across different clubs, promotions and generations.
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DJ NRG – The Colosseum and the Roots of North East Rave Before the New Monkey. Before North East Makina became a sound recognised around the country. Before YouTube, SoundCloud and downloadable rave sets.
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When people talk about the history of **Makina in North East England**, there are certain DJs, MCs, clubs and promoters that repeatedly appear.
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When people talk about the history of North East Makina, attention often turns towards Sunderland's **New Monkey**, Newcastle or Gateshead. But **Middlesbrough and the wider Teesside area developed its own generation of DJs, MCs and ravers** – and one of the names from that early scene was **MC Hyper**.
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For years people have talked about Makina as though it belongs to another era.
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If you were involved in the North East rave scene during the 2000s, there is a good chance you came across **UltimateBuzz.net**.
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When talking about the North East's Makina, hardcore and rave scene, **Stretch MC** is a name that deserves to be remembered.
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For a generation of Teesside clubbers, **The Cornerhouse in Middlesbrough** was one of those venues you didn't easily forget.
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For anyone interested in the history of clubbing and nightlife around Stockton-on-Tees, **The Colosseum in Norton** is a name worth remembering.
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For anyone who remembers nights out in Stockton-on-Tees during the 1990s, **Bianco’s** is one of those names that may bring back a few memories.
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For anyone who went clubbing around **Teesside in the late 1990s and early 2000s**, the name **Millennium** will bring back some memories.
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If you spent time around Middlesbrough town centre, there’s a good chance you remember **The Crown**. Sitting prominently on the corner of **Linthorpe Road and Borough Road**, the huge building became part of Boro nightlife — but its history goes back much further than its days as a pub and club.
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For generations of clubbers from Teesside and across the North East, the name **Tall Trees** brings back some serious memories.
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If you went out drinking and clubbing in **Stockton-on-Tees during the 2000s**, there's a good chance you'll remember **Zanzibar**.
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Brad’s Bar, Stockton-on-Tees – Remembering a Teesside Nightlife Venue
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A North East Makina & New Monkey Legend
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Explore Hangar 13’s place in Sunderland’s rave story, its connection with DJ Scott and the archive recordings keeping a chapter of North East makina in earshot.
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Remembering K2 in Billingham: its La Ronde roots, its place in the town’s nightlife and the local history left behind after the building disappeared.
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Get to know Initialize Events, the TS1 Promotions-powered North East rave brand connecting live events, radio showcases and streams with hardcore, makina and old-school dance music.
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Get to know SoundScape Dance Festival, the Bishop Auckland event bringing DJs, MCs and dance-music fans together in the North East.
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Discover MC Banks’s Middlesbrough roots, his account of reaching the New Monkey and makina sessions with MC Wizard, Simpson and Crazy-T.
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Explore MC G-Force’s place in North East rave through his own account of starting on the microphone, an acknowledgement from MC Banks and remastered After Dark and Colosseum recordings.
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Discover DJ & MC Attack through North East rave archive recordings, from Colosseum sets with Techno T and Stompin to credits alongside DJ Scott.
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Explore MC Stompin’s connection with North East rave through New Monkey archive recordings, his DJ Nitro collaboration and listening recommendations for discovering makina.
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Explore MC Techno T’s place in North East rave through Colosseum recording archives, an MC’s early influences and a Newcastle event listing.
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Discover Makina Arena, a Newcastle-based independent label supporting Makina and hard dance through digital and vinyl releases, artist collaborations and demo submissions.
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A look at Monta Musica’s Newcastle roots, Makina and hardcore catalogue, DJ-and-MC recordings, current releases and role in preserving North East rave culture.
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How Rewired Records combines North East Makina releases, DJ-friendly music, producer education and practical tools for the next generation of rave artists.
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Meet Echoes Events, a North East platform bringing DJs, MCs and underground dance music together through live events, recorded sets and local collaboration.
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How Newcastle, Sunderland, Teesside and surrounding towns built a fiercely local underground through raves, Makina, MC culture, independent clubs and DIY organisers.
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Read on WGR ↗How a fast Spanish rave sound became a distinctive part of North East England’s musical identity and MC culture.
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