Theo Parrish + MCDE – Live @ Studio Spaces E1
aaamusic | On 11, Dec 2014
Friday 5th December, London
The Hydra club series HQ has well and truly cemented its place as the greatest curators of serious dance music here in London…
These winter lineups that they’ve been smashing out each weekend at their adopted home, Studio Spaces E1, have been of the highest calibre and, a result, The Hydra has positioned itself as a kind of London Warehouse Project. Tonight’s Sound Signature X Running Back showcase features two of the heaviest of hitters: the relatively elusive Motor City Drum Ensemble and demigod Theo Parrish. I mean, talk about a nice lineup…
Studio Spaces E1 is a perfect place for a rave: two main warehouse rooms are connected by hallway bars, plus there’s a rooftop smoking area. Folks spend minimal time queuing at the bars (nice to see an efficiently staffed club) and maximum time queuing for the loos (more toilets please!). The sound system is one of the best these ears have heard in London in a while – unlike many East London clubs, the bass is pitched perfectly, allowing the more subtle, nuanced intricacies of a DJ’s music or mixing to be perceivable, whereas others ramp up the bass, drowning out everything else.
First up out of the two masters of melody is Germany’s Motor City Drum Ensemble – a reportedly hard man to book (admittedly, though, he was in London very recently for a Corsica Studios night). After witnessing a disco heavy B2B set with Floating Points at this year’s Dimensions Festival in Croatia, it’s great to see and hear him doing his own thing, entirely in his element. MCDE mixes soulful house with intelligent disco (rather than the borderline cheese of Dimensions) and melodic techno, occasionally flirting with percussive, tribal dance music. In short: bloody fantastic.
Theo Parrish seemingly wasn’t content with his billed three house set and took to the decks in the other room a tad early. One can never have too much Theo though. The sweaty Studio Spaces floor pulsates with the glorious sound of classic Detroit electronic music. Parrish oozes soul and sophistication, with his melodic house containing flourishes of hip hop and house. However, what’s most surprising is just how much uptempo techno he drops; much more than usual. We’re not talking industrial Germanic techno, there is still plenty of melody, but it’s certainly harder than his usual sets, at least in places. Naturally his mixing is completely on point; this is one of the most internationally respected DJs in the world, after all. A predictably fantastic set.
The Hydra have some great nights coming out, including Ostgut Ton with Marcel Dettmann this Friday and a mega Bugged Out NYE party featuring Erol Alkan and George Fitzgerald, plus Four Tet B2B Daphni on the 1st. On the basis of tonight, I can safely assume these will be the best raves over the next few weeks…Enjoy.
Click here to see The Hydra listings for December and January…
Photo: courtesy of ShotAway.com / Chris Cooper via Supreme Being. See more by clicking here…
