Seasons, Street Soul and Shoreditch
Everything changes, especially trendy parts of London
Hi there! I hope you’re well? I mean that too! Let me know how you’re getting on, if you wish. It’d be nice to hear from you. It’s a funny old time of year, this. Isn’t it? I know a few people going through some stuff at the moment so if you are too, remember there’s alway someone to talk to and that life changes constantly. If you aren’t happy with things at the moment, hold on and keep the faith. If you are having a grand old time of it, appreciate it. Life’s all about the bright moments, which is important to remember as the darkness draws in. Anyways, enough of my gothic pep talk, let’s crack on with the culture shall we?
Radio
MarshMeLLo is no stranger to this Substack. I’ve posted about the excellent “Moonlighting” party she hosts. Her radio show is also excellent. “Midnight Marauders” is a fortnightly, Sunday evening show on NTS. As well as having excellent taste in music. MarshMeLLo uses her platform to shine a light on others, which I love. The latest show features an interview and guest mix from Lora S who runs FLOORJAM, a space that celebrates underrepresented talent in electronic music. Listen here
There’s been a bunch of new shows added to the LWSTD-FM roster recently. One that I have particularly been enjoying is This Wide Night by Johnny Feeney. It’s a glorious ambient hour, that’s perfect for a Sunday evening chill or a lunchtime stroll. Listen here
By the way, LWSTD-FM are accepting submissions for one off radio shows for the next Open Air, which will broadcast at the end of November. If you’re interested and ready to apply, apply here. If you are interested and want to chat about it first, get in touch with me. I’ll be happy to help.
Music
Let’s start with two new releases from the wonderful I Travel To You label. The first is a gorgeous synth laden cover of Angie Stones’ “I Wish I Didn’t Miss You” by Dangerous Goods. The ambient dub mix is also fabulous. It sounds like a dream of lost love. It’s great to see Street Soul getting more airplay nowadays and these two tracks are fantastic examples of the genre. Buy it here
The second release is for the dancefloor and is from Sheffield’s Nonna Fab. We Still Out Here is an NY influenced jazzy, punky, post disco/ proto house pumper. With remixes from Comb and Admin included in the EP, all three versions are excellent in their own way. The keyboard lick and driving bass powering each version, as they move respectively from gig to disco to rave. Buy it here
Taking us deeper is Vinny Villbass and the Windows Remixed #2 EP. I found out about this from Megan Leo, who provides a cavernous version of Ski Station. It’s all slow chug and echo until a guitar riff rips through the sonic landscape and sets the groove. Foot stomping stuff. Sommerfeldt’s remix of Go To Stay is one to lose yourself to on the dancefloor. Buy it here
Life
Shoreditch hasn’t been good in a long time. We all know this. Who knows what caused it. Was it that it got gobbled up by the city? Was it because Plastic People closed? Is it because it now resembles Chigwell on a Friday or Saturday? All we know is that it sucks. What I love about London though is how it can surprise you. Shoreditch surprised me on Saturday just gone. I had tickets to the Unskinny Bop Zombie Hop, the Halloween special of a queer disco that’s been running for 20 years. Zombina & The Skeletones were playing and the DJ’s after were having a riot. It reminded me of when east London’s evenings were full of indie and rave kids going to the Pleasure Unit or BGWMC or the Vibe Bar and there wasn’t a man’s bare ankle in sight.
Pre drinks were had at Rain Dogs, a new cocktail bar on the northern end of Brick Lane. This is one of the best new bars I’ve visited in a long time. The cocktails were excellent, the staff knowledgeable, music was spot on and the ambiance perfect. I really wasn’t expecting this. If I’m drinking anywhere on Brick Lane it’s usually the Pride of Spitalfields; my favourite pub in London. Rain Dogs is definitely somewhere I’d visit again when in the area though, should I need a change of scenery and a change from pints.
Being reminded of Shoreditch 20 years ago made me think I was 20 years younger, so I decided to go to the Cause to check out Balearic London. The clocks had also gone back so I had been gifted an extra hour of dancing. Balearic London are putting on some of the funnest parties in London at the moment. The music has that “anything goes” Balearic spirit to it, with a more playful energy. DJ’s Sarahtonin, Ben Gomori, ArianeV and Gaucho were doing a one for one rotation that demonstrated how in lockstep the four of them are. There were lots of smiles and some sequence dancing on the floor as Balearic London showered the crowd with joyful tunes.
