The ‘One Night With.’ concept is built around a pretty simple list of things. A big name underground headliner, an extended set, a crowd there for the right reasons, and the intimate confines of one of Leeds’ best small clubs. Get those things right and a good night is pretty much inevitable.
There’s absolutely no doubt that an all night set is any DJ’s ideal booking as well. Constraints are lifted on the depths of a record collection that can be reached for, and more often than not the pleasure this freedom brings can be felt from the headliner’s energy, if you stand close enough to the DJ booth. This is especially true of ever a Leeds favourite, David Moufang, or Move D to most. As one of the friendliest and most personable DJs in the circuit (if you follow him on social media you’ll know what I’m talking about), he’s always remarkably at one with the crowd who’ve paid to see him play, and Friday’s appearance was a classic example.
Andrew Kemp and Alex Richardson of the down to earth community led collective Brudenell Groove kicked off proceedings as the Wire basement filled and filled; warming up with mid-tempo tracks like Cottam’s ‘B Side EP 2’. By the time Move D stepped up at 1am, the venue was full to bursting. 50 less tickets sold and dancing would’ve been more liberating it has to be said, but you’ve got to get out of this mindset sharpish to enjoy the night.
Disco will always be the most crowd-pleasing genre to be heard in a club, since much of it gives the novelty of being able to sing along. Indeep’s ‘Last night a DJ saved my life’ gave everyone this pleasure (it would be rude not to drop in the classics), as did Kenix’s ‘There’s Never Been’, taking things funkier. But track of the night had to be Love Drop’s ‘The Buzz’, one of many modern and fresh nu disco reworks on the genre of days gone by. To keep a crowd engaged for such a long amount of time, not to mention quite literally within just four walls, you need the conviction to colour outside the lines a little.
So that’s Move D, Optimo and Roman Flugel all paying the sweaty basements of Wire and Hifi a visit this year so far. The next edition’s going to be One Night With. someone great, and we all know it.
Julia Connor
(Image: http://crackmagazine.net/article/music/move-d-feature/)