KURV LAUNCH w/ 50 WEAPONS + TEN THOUSAND YEN
Egg London | 31 January
January 31st: no money and the weather is shit. Considerable relief, then, that there’s an ace new night at Egg called Kurv, who’ve teamed up with some of the most exciting labels from the UK and further afield to help us hit the winter blues head on.
Egg is a great club. Sure, a can of Red Stripe comes in at a cool £5.50, but the place is pretty much the perfect home to a night like Kurv – a spacious setting with a number of perfectly sized and varied areas, which tonight are all used to their full potential. And that’s before mentioning the widely-renowned soundsystem, which takes every appearance up a notch with its thunderous sub-power.
Kurv amply describes itself as a one stop showcase for the best in underground music, and on tonight’s billing you’d do well to argue against that synopsis: a night of sets from two fantastic imprints in Modeselektor’s 50 Weapons and Doc Daneeka’s Ten Thousand Yen, capped by an appearance from bass legend Loefah. Such a hefty spread immediately sparks curiosity about what’s to follow across 2014.
We kicks things off in the Terrace, where we’re met by Manchester’s xxxy, representing team Ten Thousand Yen, who delivers a slamming set of his galvanising, melodic take on a garage/house crossover. Exploring the plethora of alleyways leads us to one of the evening’s 50 Weapons offerings, London bass trio Dark Sky. Whilst it’s an intimate performance, their thick sound has a spectacular impact on the senses. To be honest, we get a bit carried away watching them, but still manage to retrace our steps to the Terrace to enjoy a full hour of big-hitting headliner Loefah. Though still a core prong to pioneering dubstep triumvirate DMZ, his Swamp81 label has seen him become more associated with progressive, underground bass, and this evening’s performance is suitably riproaring.
Finally, sweat-laden, Crack joins the crowd in welcoming Swansea hero Doc Daneeka (who, as the TTY mainman and having released his They!Live collaboration with Benjamin Damage on 50 Weapons, has a foot in both camps) to the stage. An infallible and multifarious set befitting an evening of bold curation, exploring an array of influences and tempos, he serves as the perfect way to crown a great night off. Roll on Kurv 2.
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Words: Jack Bolter + James Coates
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