Battle-worn. Arguably the most appropriate words to describe host for Chibuku’s sixth birthday, Nation. A once sacred destination for the country’s clubbing pilgrims has seen better days. Grimy and somewhat dilapidated, the venue has several gaffer-taped holes in the floor. But that’s why most of the 3,000 amassed guests love it. The enigmatic, endearing appeal permeates the people within it to generate a truly awesome atmosphere.

Whether Chibuku will ever reach the pinnacle set by Cream in the 1990s is debatable. There can be no doubt, though, that the magnetic pull of the birthday line-up would draw people in. And keep them there. Cultish stalwarts the Beat Monkeys warmed things up nicely with a party starting hip hop mix, moving seamlessly into their favoured territory of dynamic electro-break beat. Proceedings were definitely underway. Over in the main room, De La Soul DJ Maseo arrived fashionably late to spice things up with Latin-tinged samba, jazz-funk blends and, of course, a range of hip hop, all in all an interesting mix. Interesting because, while he dropped classic tunes like Notorious B.I.G.’s ‘One More Chance’, Beyonce’s ‘Crazy In Love’ also came into play. Why?

The annexe, meanwhile, played host to an explosion of drum ‘n’ bass. Rolling, bubbling, rinsing; there are surely a few other cliched catchphrases to describe the night’s entertainment. From Andy C’s cutting and scratching hip hop and d ‘n’ b to Dillinja’s old school mix to Swamp’s defcore, the only people not moving were probably dead. MC IC3 maintained the hype with a frantic, furious rapping technique. True lovers of the genre were not disappointed.

Gilles Peterson maintained the flow in the main room with a selection of up-tempo, bass-heavy samba, which was nice. Mr. Scruff remained as enigmatic as ever, standout tunes being delicately crafted treatments of Pharell’s ‘You Got it Like That’ and Kanye West’s ‘Gold Digga’. All sound good? Admittedly there was something to cater for all tastes. Inevitably clashes occurred – that’s no surprise, with the amount of performers, just a few rooms and a few hours to fit them all in. No complaints there.

But those who wanted to see 2 Many DJs may well have been upset. Signs with 'arrive early to avoid disappointment' woulld have been advisable as the initial trickle of people turned to a tidal wave, meaning a minimum wait of half an hour for fans. Admittedly not ideal, but then that's the price of popularity.

All in all, the night was a success. Yes, there were massive queues, yes the venue’s a bit run down, and yes there were clashes in the line-up. But if everything was perfect, shiny and problem-free, it just wouldn’t be the same.