JUST FOR YOU
Oval Space, London | May 4th
It’s a good thing the second instalment of the Just For You event series, curated by Joy Orbison and presented by Black Atlantic and Hinge Finger, fell on a bank holiday. This was no mere club night, it was a proper rave, a night in Hackney to remember.
There was a whole lot happening in the area that night, but Oval Space was the place to be. As we filtered in with the rest of the revellers during Hinge Finger co-runner Will Bankhead’s set, things hadn’t quite reached full swing. Which is a shame, he was laying some substantial foundations, as to be expected by anyone familiar with his multi-faceted The Trilogy Tapes.
By the time Workshop Records boss Even Tuell stepped up the atmosphere was truly gathering momentum, his commanding set grounded in connoisseurs cuts of house and techno. The theme of the night was not familiarity and fondness, but brave obscurity and a cohesive, immersive continuity. Mixes were seamless, the dancefloor never faded and the crowd never waned.
P-Bar queen Cassy continued in this vein with a masterful display. The only breaks in dancing were for moments of applause and whoops of appreciation, a constant demand for more that didn’t go unanswered. Drawing on all her extensive experience and expertise, she kept much of the character that you find in her own productions such as Alexandra throughout her set, but with a heavier sentiment and amped up attitude.
Cassy was billed as the headliner, but of course there was always likely to be an elevated degree of anticipation as her set bled flawlessly into Joy Orbison. His display summed up the night’s intentions, and the ideology behind his curation. Like recent release Froth, in collaboration with Boddika – which did make an appearance – and his consistently developing production output, there was something reassuringly challenging and progressive about the whole event; a sense that young Peter O’Grady is not only constantly pushing himself to higher levels, but it taking the UK electronic scene with him. The whole billing produced one of the most complete events we have experienced at Oval Space, which can only further demonstrate its standing as a top venue.
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Words: Claude Barbé-Brown
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