Hot Dub Time Machine

THERE can't be many people who haven't wondered what it would be like to travel through time.

So for those of you who would like to, help is at hand thanks to Tom Loud and his time travelling dance party, Hot Dub Time Machine.

The Australian-born DJ's show is about to hit South London with a bang and will feature Tom as your musical guide taking in a veritable feast of songs from the last seventy years or so.

Part greatest hits dance party, part club night, part visual show and part surreal experience Hot Dub Time Machine is essentially a journey through the history of pop.

You can moonwalk, mashed potato and macarena your way along to some of the best in groovy tunes starting in the 1950s and ending in 2014 - all in one evening.

So expect a bit of everything with Stevie Wonder mixed with acid house, ska, Beyonce, plus some Led Zeppelin and the Beatles thrown in and you get the picture.

The whole experience will arrive at the London Wonderground on July 3 for a two week residency and for fans of music and dancing it is not to be missed.

Tom, an avid clubber, came up with the idea a few years ago when he realised he was "too old" to be staying out all night raving.

"I was always heavily into clubbing but now I'm in my mid 30s with a wife and kid, and although I still enjoy partying I don't want to be staying up clubbing til 5am - I'm too old!" he laughs.

"I also didn't want to be listening to acid all night. I realised there was a gap in the market for a two to three hour dance party with a load of cool and varied musical styles and which didn't take itself too seriously."

And so Hot Dub Time Machine was born and has since enjoyed a series of successful sell out events at venues around the world.

"I love the feeling of community you get," says Tom. "There's always an awesome atmosphere with everyone having a good time, there's lots of singing and dancing and much jollity!

"It's great fun and people just let their hair down and have a good old boogie."

All the songs are presented in strict chronological order but with thousands if not millions of tunes to choose from, how does Tom get the final list?

"There is always a real mix of styles and genres and that's very important," he says. "It's very interesting because you get a different cross section of people at each show.

"You have to gauge the crowd so generally I like to walk around beforehand, have a chat to people and get a sense of who's there and what they are likely to be into so I can tailor the evening.

"I do always go with a bit of a list because it's always good to be prepared but I also want to make sure that people have the best time.

"I make sure I include plenty of recognisable songs and ones that people love but I do like to sneak a few curve balls in there," he admits.

"There will also be a few that maybe people had forgotten about or weren't familiar with or didn't know how awesome it was.

"There is so much great music out there and good music is consistently being made so it's about finding the gems, sticking them on the decks and getting on with it.

"So, you should expect to hear the likes of Elvis alongside Kool And The Gang, the Beatles plus all the 80s cheese, Bon Jovi and then the 90s hip hop, acid and techno stuff with Beyonce and the White Stripes. The list goes on!"

But it's not just about the music. Tom and his wife LuLu make sure the experience is complete by incorporating videos to go with each song.

Some are the original video the bands made but some are what Tom describes as a "mash up" of images all of which are projected onto a big screen.

"My wife is in charge of the screen," he says. "It is technically awesome and it makes it a real immersive experience."

And he says he's looking forward to bringing the gig to London.

"London is the perfect place to bring Hot Dub Time Machine and I love the Wonderground's spiegeltent.

"It's a really special venue and somewhere where you can really rock out and have a good night so it's going to be awesome."

Hot Dub Time Machine is on at the London Wonderground between July 3 and July 19. Tickets from £12.50. Visit the box office at www.londonwonderground.co.uk or call 0844 545 8282.