Drumcode Halloween Special

Matt Caldwell goes down the front at Beyer’s legendary fright fest

Words : Matt Caldwell

Adam Beyer’s annual Halloween visit to the capital has become an essential date in the diaries of those with a taste for the label’s vast roster of talent and 2013 saw team Drumcode prove once again why they’re recognised as one of the world’s leading brands for underground electronic music. Back once again at the suitably dark and spooky arches of Great Suffolk Street, Beyer invited along a team of heavyweights to celebrate the label and their rock-solid presence in the capital. The resurgence of events in industrial feeling venues in the UK once again proves effective and is another notch to add to the belt of London Warehouse Events, who are firmly at the forefront of an epidemic of superb electronic music events in unique venues across the city.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

There’s no doubt that the huge success of the 2012 event gave this year’s night an instant and thoroughly worthy pre-event hype that saw tickets fly and social media explode with interest in weeks and even months leading up to the event. Drumcode’s reputation for consistent quality in line-ups almost ensured the night’s success before the gates opened, but let’s not take anything away from the team behind the event as it was, as expected, a thoroughly breath-taking affair from start to end. With the extra weight of a Jaded endorsed after-party at Corsica Studios (which featured some insane B2B2B action) added to the equation, every Drumcode follower in the country and even a collective of diehard international revellers were ready and waiting for this one.

Line-up

Arch 1

Adam Beyer

Joseph Capriati

Alan Fitzpatrick

Nicole Moudaber

Arch 2

Adam Beyer (Early set)

Ida Engberg

Reset Robot

Support from Mark d’Ground and Joe Morley

DOWN THE TUNNELS

With the help of an immediately strong timetable from the start of proceedings and an effort from the promoters to have the venue busy early on, it wasn’t long at all before Arch 1 was heaving with vampires, werewolves, smoke, lasers and a barrage of 808s and 909 sounds that swirled down the length of the tunnel, which almost seems purpose built for Techno acoustics.

The venue was well fitting for the shadowy occasion and with Tech sorceress Nicole Moudaber stealing the show with a typically ferocious set of beautifully dark and twisted beats. I was not surprised to hear she’s been having a monster year and having not seen her in a couple of years, I’m obligated to agree; she definitely is on sublime form right now. Favourite with many of the Drumcode followers and a highly demanded name on the London circuit, Joseph Capriati was firing on all cylinders with a classy blend of new sounds, likely including new tracks from his forthcoming album. True to his style and form that’s earned him the title as one of the kings of underground electronic music, he delivered a concoction of fine sounds that excited the crowd about what’s around the corner for Techno music as a whole.

Home country hero Alan Fitzpatrick was on duty from around 1AM and was responsible for the transition of nodding heads and early hours toe tapping into all-out arms beating the sky and militant marching of the crowd that he’d seemingly put under his authority. Headliner and Drumcode pioneer Adam Beyer can go anywhere in the world and have full control of any crowd he has laid in front of him and London is no different. He’s a legend for a reason and once again he showed it with a devastating set that sent the crowd wild into the early hours. There is no one who does main room dance floor focused Techno like Beyer and that’s why he’s still regarded as a hero of the music styles that he’s mastered.

Possibly intentionally, maybe not – the second arch had a distinctive flavour of Drumcode’s little brother label Truesoul, with ida Engberg and Reset Robot on the bill as well as a second appearance from Adam Beyer. Dark and subby Tech-House was the order of the night and with the entire venue at capacity way before the peak hours, both arches remained full for the night. LWE and Drumcode done a fine job of preparing the event and proved again why London is currently a must stop city for global Techno brands from all around the world. With the warehouse environment showing no signs of slowing in the UK, we can hope that yet more full-blooded Techno nights emerge in this format and when they do, they would do well to look at LWE and Drumcode for some pointers.

Rating 9/10

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