An absolutely beautiful remix by Metrik, who has been producing absolute brilliance over the last few years. The first time I properly saw Metrik perform was at Global Gathering 2013. He was by far my biggest the highlight of the festival. Metrik is on his way to being one of the best in the drum and bass genre, and is about to release his long awaited album ‘Universal Language’, which goes on sale at the end of this month. I would strongly advice investing.
Six hours of madness.
WHEN I SAY ANDY, YOU SAY C…ANDY…C…ANDY…C. That’s right, when you hear this being chanted at an event, you know the ‘executioner’ is on stage, and is more than likely sending the crowd crazy with his impeccable mixing ability. Andy C is a god, a true living legend amongst the drum and bass genre. When he is on stage, you get the feeling it was always his destiny to produce/mix drum and bass. He has been around for years, and is considered as one of the pioneers of the genre. When he first got into the industry back in the 90’s, he used to play sets filled with jungle, but has now moved on to producing ferociously fast-paced sets which still carry his early jungle influence. His six hour set was not only ferocious, but it was eye-opening. Andy took the crowd on a journey, going through the whole spectrum of drum and bass. For example, some segments of the mix would be dedicated to his jungle roots, and some segments would be dedicated to liquid drum and bass. This was eye-opening because it made me realise how diverse the genre actually is. It was something not many DJs could pull off, but Andy never disappoints.
The master, the legend, the god of drum and bass.
Andy C’s six hour set is easily up there in my top three most memorable music events. It was only the second ever six hour set he had done in his career, meaning it was a historic occasion for him, and for the lucky people who bought tickets to the event. The enthusiasm he showed on his pyramid-styled stage, and the pace of his mixing was phenomenal. His set was full of double drops and naughty tempo changers which had the crowd roaring. Like me, you are probably wondering how he was able to DJ for six hours straight at such a high intensity. To be honest, I really don’t know. The only breaks he took were when he quickly darted to the toilet while a song was playing. It also really shocked me how faultless his set was. You would expect that after looking at a laptop screen for four/five hours you would lose concentration, but he didn’t at all, he got better and better as the set went on.
He may not have been the centre of attention, but he sure did impress.
The night may have been all about Andy C, but it wouldn’t be right to not mention Frankee, who warmed the crowd up for two hours beforehand. Frankee didn’t get any special stage set-up, as the main DJ booth had been primed ready for Andy to take control. However, this did not matter though, because at the end of the day it’s all about the music. I was very pleased with Frankee’s set to be honest. In the past I haven’t been too keen on his style, but he pulled off an impressive performance. It was teaming with bass heavy songs that had the crowd getting more and more excited for the main show. He knew he wasn’t the act the crowd had come to see, but he still had a smile on his face the whole way through, something not enough DJs have nowadays.
Want to see what an Andy C intro is like? Then watch this video and admire. Some of the switches he pulls off are incredible.
Conclusion
A truly memorable night that will live long in the memory. Andy ended the night by taking to the mic to give an emotional speech about how far him and his label RAM Records have come over the years, and to thank the crowd for their support. It was a fitting way to end a historic night.
Highlight of the night – Andy C’s stunning intro
Disappointment of the night – Having to go home.
Rating-9/10
Let me know what you think!
If you haven’t heard Matrix & Futurebound’s forthcoming single Don’t Look Back, then you NEED to give it a listen. It is a stunning song that will definitely be heading to the top of the charts. This song means a lot to me, because I actually first heard it last year at Global Gathering during their set. The song had no vocals, but I was in love with it. I tweeted the duo after the festival and asked them what the song was, but they said it had not been finished yet. After nearly a years wait, I was ecstatic to find out it had finally been released! To me, it’s a real summer song that will always remind me of my first festival, Global Gathering.
A good sized room with a brilliant crowd
It was my first time attending a Viper Recordings event, and it will definitely not be my last. It was a truly incredible night that was near perfect. The venue, the lighting and the music were all on top form.
In particular, the lighting needs a special mention because it was magical. There were strobes and lasers going the whole night. I find the lighting at an event makes a huge difference to the atmosphere. If the lighting is in sync with the drops then it makes the experience that bit more special.
The spectacular lighting at Fire
There is no doubting the fact that Viper Recordings is a very underrated label. It is undeservedly overshadowed by giants RAM Records and Hospital Records. There are some brilliant DJs signed to Viper, many of which were present at the Decade of of Viper event.
An outstanding line up
Viper really outdid themselves with this event. Normally most drum and bass nights only have one or two big headliners, but this event had five in my eyes. It’s tough to pick my favourite act of the night, but I would probably pick Matrix & Futurebound, who are the heart and soul of the label. One of the most annoying things about line ups like this is the obvious issue of set clashes. Most disappointingly, DC Breaks and Brookes Brothers clashed. At the time I hadn’t seen either of these acts before, so I ended up seeing 30 minutes of each, which wasn’t enough to fully appreciate the structural brilliance of the sets. Alternatively, I also think Six Blade deserve a special mention. It was my first time seeing them perform, and I was really impressed. They played a brilliant fast-paced set that had the crowd roaring. They’re an under rated, talented duo who deserve more publicity.
Conclusion
A great night that was very special due to the fact that I had not seen half of the acts perform before.
Highlight of the night – The sheer wealth of brilliant music on in both rooms
Disappointment of the night – Didn’t get to see Koven’s opening set, which turned out to be fantastic
Rating – 8.5/10
I have just come across this on youtube, and I could not be happier. Their set was absolutely incredible at Building Six, one of the best I have ever seen them do.
Have a watch of the video and see what you think!
Without doubt my favourite Hospitality to date.
It was an unforgettable night with brilliant music, an amazing atmosphere and a really friendly crowd
My decision to attend this event was a last minute one where I literally bought a ticket hours before the event. Leeds being only an hour away from Manchester on the coach was too much of a temptation.
Set in the middle of an unknown city to me was the Leeds O2 Academy, an unlikely venue for such an underground feeling, exhilarating and absolutely breath-taking Hospitality. It was my first time in Leeds, and I now see why the city is renowned for its strong dance music culture. The venue itself is a very good one; much bigger than other O2 Academies I have been to. I have to give credit to the lighting and audio technicians as they did an amazing job with the stage and speaker set up. The powerful strobes were flashing all night and the bass tremors from the speakers were unreal.
A shot showing the brilliance of the lighting rigs in the middle of the room
Hospitality Leeds was a near perfect night, where the majority of the acts were absolutely incredible. The night was opened by the chilled out, bass filled sounds of Etherwood at 21:30, who disappointingly had a minimal crowd due to his early set time. It’s such a shame for the acts who are on first and last at these nights because the crowd numbers are always very low. However, as the time moved closer midnight, the main room filled and the atmosphere was amazing. The crowd were roaring all night and the music was absolutely brilliant. It was one of those nights where all my favourite songs played. Perfection.
The Line up
An absolutely incredible line up. Prior to the event I was definitely most excited for Friction, who is easily one of the best drum and bass DJs around at the moment. I saw him play a 2 hour set the previous week at Motion Bristol and didn’t think he could pull it off a second time, but he did. However, S.P.Y was the act of the night for me. He annihilated his 3-4am set. His style of music has noticeably changed over the last couple of months, as he now masterfully incorporates jump up in to his sets. I have always liked S.P.Y, but have never been amazed by his sets; until I saw this one.
Want to see the madness? Watch the clip below of S.P.Y’s set to get an idea of the brilliant music and lighting that was on display.
Fred V & Grafix also deserve a mention after they produced a cracker of a set. After their set finished, Fred V did his usual and wandered into the crowd to get closer with the fans. unfortunately, I only found this out after the event which was a bit gutting!
Fred V surprising people in the crowd!
The only real disappointment was the final set of the night, Royalston’s. Before the night, I had seen him once before at Hospitality London, and wasn’t too impressed. His slow style of dark drum and bass sounded rather repetitive on the night and wasn’t the best way to end the night after the previous brilliant, intense acts. However, he is a DJ who is on the up after recently releasing his first album, so it will be interesting to see how he does.
Conclusion
A breath-taking night that will live in my memory forever. It will definitely be hard to find a better on.
Highlight of the night – S.P.Y’s mind blowing set
Disappointment of the night – Royalston’s extremely slow set
Rating – 9.5/10
If it wasn’t for Royalston’s downbeat set, then I would have given the night a 10.
Was there any better way to spend Valentines day? Definitely not.
Run is a drum and bass night that is held at Motion nightclub Bristol every few months. It is always a brilliant night that plays host to some of the biggest DJs around.
The Line up
Since experiencing Motion for the first time last year, I have been a regular there ever since. The club was a perfect place for these acts as the size of it complimented the intensity of some sets. Most of the acts produced very dark, heavy sets that the crowd were loving.
Incredible Set
The act of the night was easily Friction, who did a two hour set. His perfect mixing absolutely obliterated the other DJs, who looked like amateurs compared to him. I have seen a lot of sets on my travels, and I would definitely put his set as my second favourite behind the Andy C four hour set I saw at Motion last Winter. He is very similar to Andy C in the way he manages to keep a high intensity throughout his sets. I had only seen Friction twice before his set at Motion, and I will now definitely be trying to attend a lot more of his Shogun events in 2014.
I would absolutely love to relive this set, as I really could not criticise it at all. Friction is definitely an underrated DJ in my eyes, because most people focus on RAM Records and Hospital Records, but he really is doing wonders for his Shogun label.
Want to see see what Friction was like? Watch him drop one of my all-time favourite songs below: Doctor P – Sweet Shop (Friction vs Camo and Krooked Remix)
Even though Friction was incredible, the night as a whole wasn’t as good as other Motion nights I’ve been to. It all felt a bit slower and less hectic than usual Motion drum and bass nights. Shy Fx’s set in particular felt very slow and as a result struggled to get the crowd roaring. However, the night as a whole was still brilliant and well worth the money.
I would definitely recommend that the people reading this go and see Friction if they haven’t already, and attend Motion for a RUN night, because they really are special.
Conclusion
A really enjoyable night that will always be remembered because of Friction’s outstanding set.
Highlight of the night – Friction’s two hour set
Disappointment of the night – Shy Fx’s set
Rating – 7.5/10
Friction’s Five Minute Mini Mix
This mix is incredible. Once again Friction shows us why he is one of the best DJs around. I’ve seen Friction twice in the last month, and he has been unreal both times. In this mix he somehow fits in 79 songs…
Click on the link above to view it on soundcloud.
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