Photo: Urban Outfitters
On Friday night, Beat Bar welcomed legendary crate digger Rahaan all the way from Chicago. DJing around the world since the 80s, Rahaan Young has become rightly regarded as one of the best disco DJs still spinning records today. Joining Rahaan was Bradley Zero, NTS radio DJ and Boiler Room host, who made the trip from his new stomping ground of Peckham, South London back to his hometown of Leeds to start the night’s proceedings.
The night began disappointingly empty and Bradley Zero began his set playing to an empty room. As his Peckham-based Rhythm Section and monthly Principals party in Shoreditch have become staple events within the capitals nightlife, Bradley is probably used to playing to a lot busier rooms.
As it neared 1am, although the venue was nowhere near capacity, Bradley’s selections were definitely encouraging the small crowd who were there to dance and enjoy themselves. It was refreshing to see a crowd who were so devoid of pretensions and who were genuinely interested in the music. Space on the dance floor is not always a luxury found in Leeds’ nightclubs and everyone was definitely making use of this rarity.
After Bradley Zero’s set finished with a round of applause, Rahaan stepped up armed with his record bag filled with wonderful disco grooves. Carrying on where Bradley left off, Rahaan encouraged the crowd to keep dancing through the night. Every track he played seemed to be one of those tunes that, although you’ve never head it before, you instantly made a mental note to find out what it was.
It is a shame in some ways that Rahaan’s selections were so eclectic and rare that it will probably be difficult to find any of the tunes he played but ultimately that’s part of the magic of seeing a DJ play with a record bag as big and diverse as his. The whole night was very impressive, a magical moment shared by only a few.
Alex Roadnight
So procrastinate for a while and put on this outstanding Boiler Room nu-disco set from Bradley Zero and a classic track from Rahaan:
Rahaan – ‘Make Me Hot’ (Chicago Service EP) [Lumberjacks In Hell]