STUDIO 89: THE LAST DANCE

Cardiff | December 13th

Hosting impressive line-ups of the most credible deep house and disco from the modest confines of a noodle bar basement on a Cardiff backstreet, Studio 89 has inspired a renewed energy in the Welsh dance music scene. This tiny 150 capacity venue has invited clubbers to join a community where they’re encouraged to unite and let loose with the aid of fancy dress, glitter and beats that never cease to get their feet moving. The atmosphere is intimate yet unpretentious, helping to attract the vibrant cult of followers that are the essence of the party.

Advance tickets for this night – the last ever party at the Studio’s basement – sold out within minutes, and anticipation helps to fill the dance floor from the moment the door is opened. Dave Little, founder of Cardiff’s much loved house and techno club night Backroom is first to get behind decks. With an eclectic blend of the crowd’s favoured tipple – subterranean house and uptempo disco – his set embodies the disco spirit of the Studio perfectly, climaxing with Prince’s I Wanna Be Your Lover. By the time resident Nick Bennett takes to the decks, the dance floor is full and buzzing with energy, and his subsequent set helps to captivate us further with warm Balearic house vibes and plenty of retro disco.

By 3am excitement is brewing for the headline act, Prosumer. A former resident of Berlin’s Panorama Bar, and revered house and techno DJ/producer, Studio 89 could have hardly brought in a more respected name for their final Cardiff soiree. Gracing the decks in no-bullshit attire of t-shirt and three-quarter lengths (no low cut Vs here, please), it doesn’t take long for the heat to rise as the atmosphere heightens and a sea of fists are raised to the air. Crack will forever remember the crowd’s reaction when he drops Loose Joints’ Is It All Over My Face and a rework of Jodeci’s Freek’n You. A proper goodbye to a Cardiff clubbing institution, and you can only hope this isn’t the end for a UK party which got the atmosphere just right.

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Words: Sarah Tew

Photos: Si Close