Encroaching overdrafts and a swarm of house parties occupied the majority of the Hyde Park population this Saturday 24th October, allowing plenty of room for movement beneath the technicolour galaxy at MiNT. Alas, this did also mean that dance moves were tentative throughout the majority of the set from Little Dragon’s representatives (Fred Wallin and Erik Bodin). Taking to the decks from 1am-3am (everyone’s tiny minds blown by the prospect of Daylight Saving time), the boys gave a pleasing set, but it didn’t reveal to be anything spectacular.

A great variety of genres were acknowledged and appreciated by all the beings in the room – a little bit of funk, a drizzle of disco and many well selected bassy beats – with the two DJs box stepping each other trying to negotiate the cramped booth and reach the decks. They doled out DJ Koze and KiNK but all that was blown out of the water with the arrival of the main event. Suitably satisfied and smiling following Little Dragon’s stint, the opening tune from Leon Vynehall (Trus’Me by Nards) was the ultimate introduction.

The mop-topped Brightonian read the crowd and the vibe perfectly – an admirable talent by any DJ – and with no glimmer of emotion on his face, dropped tune after tune, each generating a wave of nods and grins of approval through the crowd. He interspersed his own recognizable tech-house material, but didn’t revel in his own glory despite unanimous adoration, his set featuring the likes of Moodymann, Axel Boman and Stuart Ojelay (a few cheeky shazams enlightened my musical fascinations throughout the night). As expected, the hours flew by (even with the additions of another), and still Vynehall did not break into a sweat or bat an eyelid. The same, however cannot be said for the crowd who were clearly getting in their weekly cardio. In conclusion a successful session that would have generated serious FOMO.

Flora Tiley

(Photo credits: Debug)