Over A Decade of Dance Floor Carnage.....

That is what happens when a couple of upstart promoters become addicted to house music. First it was a social thing amongst friends at the odd party, then it became a regular fixture, and before long it was the harder stuff; world class DJs, bigger parties and no sign of it ever stopping.

In 1999 two friends put on a night in Carlisle’s Mercury Lounge, inspired by some great nights at the recently departed Carlisle house institution, Perfect, and the globally renowned Shindig in Newcastle. Progressive house was the order of the day back then, with a young Stel Alexander travelling the length of the country from London to play the first of what was to become many legendary sets. This was the birth of Uber’s first incarnation, Lucid.

Ably supported by local residents DJM and Jay Wykes, Lucid marched into the new millennium with a growing reputation, and then a chance meeting in Matt’s DJ shop with Annan’s prodigal son, Ki Creighton, brought Lucid to exciting new levels

Having indulged in debauchery with some of the great and the good of the mid 90s scene at Cream in Liverpool, Lucid was put in touch with a rising star that was making a few waves on Merseyside. That rising star was called Yousef, and after a move downstairs to The Page night club and a legendary night courtesy of the man who was to eventually become the Ringmaster of his own House dynasty, Circus, the Lucid bandwagon hurtled onwards.

The bookings of Paul Jackson, Futureshock, Jazzy M, Paul Bleasdale, Rocky, and Seb Fontaine (hot foot from Radio 1) showed that Lucid had come of age in the industry, barely a year after it began.

But this was a mere prelude for the next chapter of indulgence: July 2001, Legends night club; Tom Wainwright, Carlisle’s own Lil’ Devious, that man Yousef again and the return of Seb Fontaine… so good they had to open two nightclubs to cope with the demand, with a packed Legends and Twisted Wheel witnessing a night that saw almost a thousand people losing the plot – way beyond anything Carlisle had seen before.

The Legends era enjoyed three glorious years of diverse bookings, from Allister Whitehead to Judge Jules, from Graeme Park to Sander Kleinenberg, with Lucid loyalists Tom Wainwright, Seb Fontaine and Yousef coming back more than once, and lest we forget the resident noise makers Ki Creighton, Jay Wykes, Stel P, Barry Darnell and John Mull; but surely the crowning glory was that night with Danny Rampling. It was to be the start of a long and glorious relationship with the House Godfather who continued to support the night in each of its different guises.

It was Rampling that came back to give Lucid an emotional send off in ’05: a successful link up with fellow Carlisle House-heads Refine ensured that Lucid went out on a massive high; but far from being the last rites, this was merely half time.

Refreshed and raring to go, Lucid returned for a new party, Uber. Having done so much with Lucid there was no choice but to push the envelope even further.

Yes, Uber conquered America.

No sooner had Kenny ‘Dope’ Gonzalez, Sandy Rivera and Justin Long jetted in from New York and Chicago respectively, Uber made the slightly shorter journey to Lowther Street and set up camp at Club Concrete.

Having moved to an intimate venue with a great sound system and crowd to match, Uber went bananas. Todd Terry, DJ Sneak, Pete Tong, Darren Emerson, MYNC, Lottie, Tim Deluxe, Tim Sheridan, Tom Middleton, Lee Mortimer, The Inland Knights, Switch, X-Press 2 and Paul Woolford all came to Carlisle , with Rivera, Long, Rampling, Jackson, Yousef and Stel coming back for yet another fix…and all in little over a year.

More quality followed in the shape of Calvin Harris, Nic Fanciulli, Justin Martin, Erol Alkan, Danny Howells, Luke Solomon, Hot Chip and Derrick Carter, but despite being entitled to rest on its laurels, Uber pushed the envelope further and took the party on the road. Ape-X in Newcastle, Leeds' legendary Back to Basics, Circus in Liverpool, and The Wickerman and Kendal Calling festivals have all seen Uber fly the flag with some of their top acts from the past like Justin Martin and Danny Rampling, but also showcase some variety with the likes of Mr C and Jesse Rose.

While the away trips continue to be part of the Uber ethos, back home it was time to remember the good times and move on from Club Concrete to take up residency at Carlisle's newest club The Melting Pot. With more creative control and the chance to diversify the bookings, Uber went for a spot of Disco Dancing and brought in Greg Wilson for a memorable opening night. But within weeks, disaster struck, as The Melting Pot was forced to close because of fire, which left Uber homeless for 2011. This was not to be the end of the road, however.

While The Melting Pot was being stripped down and refurbished, Uber went across town to The Wall to deliver two of the biggest nights Carlisle has ever seen. As part of the Radio 1 Big Weekend, Uber was bestowed the honour of hosting the after parties, and what parties they were. For the first time ever, Carlisle saw DJ sets from Annie Mac, Riva Starr, Kissy Sell Out and Jaguar Skills; alongside Uber loyalists Calvin Harris, Pete Tong, Erol Alkan and Yousef. It was without doubt Uber's finest hour, and was more than enough to keep them occupied while their permanent home at The Melting Pot was being restored.

The world stars keep coming but so too do the same old faces that make Uber what it is; some behind the scenes, some behind the decks, some doing both; in no particular order, take your bow Matt Tyson, Ki Creighton, Mike Barty (plus the whole Annan invasion), Mick McCall, Jay Wykes, Danny Fowler, Barry Darnell, Peter Thompson, Mike Boorman... they all love Uber.