Newest resident Ashley Ford (left) with Pete De Momme

FIVE years is a flash in clubbing terms.

Nearly five years ago, Synergy was the newest nightclub on the block, Pete Tong headlined Rhumba’s Castle gig, Pure looked set to shut forever, and a little-known electronic outfit, Clique, was born.

Masterminded by Pete De Momme and Carl Scott, the club night debuted at Synergy, pushing a unique brand of tech house music and garnering an overwhelming following.

In that time Clique has established itself as one of Jersey’s coolest underground club nights, acquiring a loyal crowd, far outliving its original home and now, in 2010, entering a brand new phase.

This weekend De Momme and newest resident Ashley Ford host Clique’s newest incarnation, Subtech, marking the start of another exciting 12 months for the brand.

‘Subtech is geared towards continuing to provide a comfortable environment, where like-minded, forward-thinking individuals can express, stimulate and educate themselves fuelled by only the finest fusion of house and techno, courtesy of their residents and international guest DJs alike,’ claims De Momme.

With no plans to stray from the original Clique ethos – that’s to bring to Jersey the very best in cutting edge electronic dance music – 2010 could well be the brand’s best yet, with promised headliners Mr C, Fergie and Mauro Picotto, plus a healthy injection of new talent, too.

Pete De Momme

What’s the concept for Subtech?
‘Subtech will continue to deliver what we promised from the start with Clique – namely, quality tech-house music for party people in a comfortable environment … simplesh!’

How is Subtech different from Clique? Why the need for a new club night?
‘It doesn’t differ from the original ethos as it’s still under the Clique banner, it’s just that we thought we could do with a bit of rebranding for 2010, just to keep things fresh and interesting really. Oh, and because Subtech is a cool name for a night, no?’

How has the audience for electronic music in Jersey changed since Clique set out?
‘Well the crowd is naturally getting younger and they are definitely more clued up, thanks to the internet, which helps develop their individual taste. That can only be a positive thing. We’ve also managed to retain a lot of our original crowd who have followed us since our Synergy days, so we have really good mix of people at the moment. That always makes for a top party!’

Why do you think Clique has lasted so long?
‘Because we’re still really passionate about what we do and have never sold out! I mean, when we started out we used to put on guest nights where we needed a full house just to break even, which everyone thought was mad, but people would come down and support us and we gained respect for it. We’ve managed to build a solid club night based on the music we love and are delighted that we’re still as relevant as ever and are still pushing the boundaries after all this time. Vive la Clique!’

Do you have plans for Subtech to host any special guests this year?
‘Well as it’s Clique’s fifth birthday this year, we’ve got a few of our favourite guests lined up, including Mr C, Fergie and Mauro Picotto, plus we’ll be introducing a couple of exciting new faces, as always. People can keep up to date by checking our facebook and myspace pages.’

And what are your plans for the brand, this year and beyond?
‘We’re just going to keep rocking the free world, and staying true to ourselves, and we’ll see where that takes us.’

• Subtech hits the new-look Pure on Saturday from 10 pm with resident DJs Pete De Momme and Ashley Ford. This week they will be joined by Jozef from Slovakia.
For a taste of what to expect, check out these links to some of Clique’s past live mixes for free download:

• Residents Take Control: Cliquism at Pure June 2009: Pete de Momme Live

http://www.music.je/cliquism/cliquism_residents_27.06.09_petedemomme.mp3

• Residents Take Control: Cliquism at Pure December 2008: Pete de Momme Live

http://www.music.je/cliquism/cliquism_residentsnight_6.12.2008_petedemomme.mp3