December 6, 2000
Corporate Hospitality: London Gainsborough Studios
Tonight we're partying in three rooms, spinning through genres, conjuring a pre-Christmas spirit of reckless abandon...
If you have to go, go with grace, style and a lot '80s funk beats. That seems to be the thinking behind this farewell block party for East London's Gainsborough Studios, a vast warehouse space once used by Alfred Hitchcock. This is a perfect club venue, and deserves to have been used more than it was to host shindigs like this one - sadly, it's been bought up by the suits and will soon be converted into luxury flats for loaded Shoreditch wankers.
But don't shed any tears just yet - tonight we're partying in three rooms, spinning through genres, drinking hefty amounts of booze and trying, as best we can, to conjure a pre-Christmas spirit of reckless hedonism. Helping us along the way, Jon Carter's dropping propulsive house beats in the Nuphonic-sponsored main room, warming up the crowd for Jarvis Cocker, who basically spins the entire Strut Records 'Disco Not Disco' compilation, along with Playgroup's pounding, filthy 'Make It Happen' and Salt'n'Pepas 'Push It'. The Pulp mainman may be no great shakes when it comes to mixing - hey, celeb DJs don't even have to try - but, as is to be expected, he has impeccable taste,
Upstairs, the mood is a little but angular, a little bit atonal. Twisted Nerve are co-hosting this room with Mo'Wax, but there's a lot more post-rock shenanigans going on here than blunted breakbeats - it's Dakota Oak Trio, and they don't really fit, their jazzy, Television-tinged explorations bringing the dancefloor to a standstill. Andy Votel and James Lavelle fare better, both bringing on the eclectic beats. Nice.
Downstairs again, where we find Campag Velocet toting nadsat and lethal percussion. Pete Voss is the only man who can make playing the maracas look like a combative gesture, and he's generously bolstered by massive waves of jet-plane guitar as the band roar through 'Drencrom Velocet Synthemesc' and 'Cacophonous Bubblegum', as well as a clutch of caustic newies. It's epic and oppressive, and afterwards we need some relief. Which is just as well, since Smith & Mighty are on in the main room, slowing the pace down to a crawl with their sweet, soulful dub grooves.
This is how club nights should be - messy, mad, mixed-up and mind-expanding. Au revoir Gainsborough.
Christian Ward
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