Nothing sets a night off to an awkward start like quiet music. After this year’s ‘Correlation’ release and a cracking Boiler Room set in Helsinki, I was looking forward to a night of audacious, funk induced grooving to Space Dimension Controller’s spacey beats, not polite conversation over barely audible tunes.
Luckily by the time he began his set, the music was at a respectable volume and the modestly sized crowd was ready to cut some shapes. As a contact lens wearer I have previously met Wire’s smoke machine with apprehension, as the only thing more awkward than quiet music is a contact lens drying up and falling out, leaving the wearer perilously lacking in sight, groping through the darkness on a fruitless search to salvage it. However, on Friday night, as ambient synth chords soared over 80s inspired slap bass, it definitely added something to the futuristic atmosphere.
The past few months have seen a huge hype surrounding Storm Queen’s ‘Look Right Through’, despite it having been originally released in late 2010. The song reached number one on the UK singles chart and has been hard to escape of late. Thankfully, Jack Hamill aka Space Dimension Controller bypassed it in favour of their 2012 release ‘Let’s Make Mistakes’, which, with its sonorous vocals, luscious bass synth and buoyant, stabbing organ was a highlight of the night.
Hamill moved seamlessly from his own electro-funk and disco offerings, to tech house and beyond, displaying his technical ability as well as his eclectic tastes. Todd Terje’s ‘Snooze 4 Love’ features early on in his well respected Boiler Room set, and he decided to drop it again on Friday, the ambient melody and relentless bassline going down a treat.
Old school garage fans, which seem to be in abundance on the Leeds club scene, were not ignored, as Jhelisa’s ‘Friendly Pressure’ sample, made famous by Sunship’s bouncy UK-G remix, was discernible above innovative percussion and rousing chords.
The Irishman kept momentum throughout his two hour set, ending with a Latin infused percussive delight, cementing his status as one of the most exciting and diverse DJ/Producers of the moment.
Charlotte Bickley