Mixmag Big 3 January 2016

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big 3

the best parties of the last month

LONDON

Silver City Series: A Decade Of Saved Records

IT’S BITTERLY COLD, fireworks blooming above the tower blocks for Bonfire Night.

Yet at Fire in Vauxhall, Nic Fanciulli and his Saved crew have got their own bangers ready. They’re here to mark a decade of Saved Records, the revered tech-house label behind heavyweight goodness from the likes of Matthias Tanzmann, Pirupa and Lauren Lane, [[1L]] JANUARY 2016

among others, since 2005.

Tonight’s antics are part of the wider Silver City Series, an autumn/winter programme that’s brought the likes of John Digweed and Andy C to iconic London venues like the Roundhouse and O2 Brixton. But it’s Lauren Lane who’s holding sway over Fire’s packed dancefloor tonight. She’s moving the crowd with slinky tech-house vibes, a highlight the heavy ‘Throwin’ Down’ by Wade.

Next up is Swiss ANTS resident Andrea Oliva. He enters with ‘Swipe The Card’ from Mat.Joe, turning the crowd into a sweat-fest filled with smoke and lasers. It’s fitting when Andrea, looming large over the decks, drops tribal thumper ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ by Thick Dick, instantly turning things up a notch.

Nic. “We’ve worked with some extremely talented artists, and put on some amazing parties around the world, and we couldn’t have done it without the support of our fans. We’re looking forward to another decade!” PATRICK SWIFT

VISIONSEVEN.CO.UK

WHO PLAYED Nic Fanciulli, Andrea Oliva, Stacey Pullen, Lauren Lane, Mark Broom, Ninetoes, Mark Fanciulli, Italoboyz, Rob Cockerton, Ross Evans + more WHERE Fire, 39 Parry Street, South Lambeth Road, Vauxhall, London, SW8 NEXT PARTY 17/12 Christmas Is Saved, Dickens World, Chatham; 31/12 Sasha Pres Last Night On Earth, Electric Brixton

This makes way perfectly for the main man, Nic Fanciulli. The monumental ‘Just’ from Bicep sets the tone, girls in scrunchies and crop tops clambering onto the platform below the decks. “We’re so proud to be reaching 10 years,” says

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BATH

Origins WHO PLAYED B.Traits, Origins Sound, Trebor, Reckless, Lower, Luca, Tokn WHERE Komedia, 22-23 Westgate Street, Bath NEXT PARTY 22/1 Dense & Pika and 26/2 Moxie @ Moles, Bath; 5/2 Bicep @ Komedia, Bath BATH ISN’T KNOWN for its dance music scene. But with a huge student base, and with Bristol nearby, it’s surprising there isn’t more history of electronic music in the city.

Origins has changed that recently, steadily building since it started at student venue The Porter three years ago. Initially booking artists ranging from Applebottom to Eton Messy, it quickly moved to Moles, which has a 35-year history at the fore of the city’s nightlife. When the venue burned down in March last year, Origins was left homeless while it’s being rebuilt.

Speaking before the night, promoter Daryl Hoadley explains: “Komedia’s a great venue, but Moles feels like home.

We’re looking forward to getting back there.” And they’re not the only ones, with the Origins crew selling out their December return to the rebuilt venue in less than 24 hours.

When Mixmag arrives, residents Reckless & Lower are warming up another sell-out event. The crowd dance with real eagerness, and you get a sense, as headliner B.Traits steps up, that this

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B.Traits

is a highlight of their clubbing calendar.

She starts by slamming out techno like Shall Ocin’s ‘The Mist’, interspersing it with massive summer tracks such as the Bicep edit of Dominica’s ‘Gotta Let You Go’ and Bjarki’s ‘Wanna Go Bang’.

“It was a good vibe in there,” she says after her set. “The room has a great energy. It’s a younger crowd, but they’re clearly educated in music.”

Trebor and Origins Sound close the night and it’s clear people here pay heed to the residents as much as the headliners. Third Son, who has broken out of the Origins circle, has seen releases on labels including Noir and Suara, so real quality is passing through their ranks.

A 3am finish feels early if you’re used to going out in bigger cities, but it

means that when the party closes with Armand Van Helden’s ‘I Want Your Soul’, the crowd is still in rapture.

Origins have also been running nights in London and Bristol, bringing the likes

history could not be starker. But crisp sound, lively punters and enchanting visuals hold it all together.

Karma Kid weaves through genres and eras, Nero’s ‘Blinded By The Lights’ remix combining trance-like melodies that enrapture dark angels, ‘sexy’ male nurses and a Cameron/pig duo alike, before Skepta’s shoutier vibe brings us more in tune with the room’s history.

In Tom & Jerry masks, Lancastrians Bondax maintain the ‘anything goes’ ethos. Jungle’s ‘Time’ is a welcome blast of funk, and it only seems right that they drop ‘All I See’. Zombies, witches and demons sing along like a crowd of cartoonish villains being musically exorcised in a Simon Pegg film.

TCTS has little trouble seeing us through to the end, with Oliver $ & Jimi Jules’ ‘Pushing On’ an anthem for tonight’s inmates who’ve no need of early release. In one of many forays into house music’s past, ‘Blue Monday’ has

creatures of all ages strutting to that iconic bass, proof of the unifying power of music. Then, as the night draws to a close, bodies spill into Lancaster’s historic streets. Unlike the convincts before them, most can’t wait to go back. GORDON STRIBLING

of Hammer to the Capital. Hoadley smiles: “We’re about being a party.

Growing it seems natural, but Bath is still our focus. We’re getting big – but we don’t want to get too serious.” ROB MCCALLUM

LANCASTER

A-Wing

KHRIS COWLEY, TONY TK SMITH,

WHO PLAYED Bondax, Jax Jones, Karma Kid and TCTS WHERE HMP Lancaster NEXT PARTY Three shows TBA across the Easter weekend 2016 WE WIND TOWARDS the building, the chaos inside contained by thick walls.

It’s only once we heave open the door that we fully appreciate what’s inside.

A Wing, a disused prison in Lancaster, now hosts events from right across the spectrum of electronic music. Tonight it’s Bondax & Friends. As if the line-up and unusual venue weren’t enough, the added Halloween element promises to make this a truly unique experience.

We edge up the stairs past a sign reading: ‘No Prisoners Past This Point’.

The names of former inmates are scrawled on the walls. In the booth Karma Kid drops ‘Canoa’. With the levels quickly filling, the contrast between the evocative tribal music and the building’s

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Bondax