Patterns, Brighton

Around eight months since being reborn from the ashes of Brighton seafront clubbing institution Audio, Patterns has quickly asserted itself as the spot for the city’s house and techno scenes to converge upon.

Tonight is a perfect example of this. UK hero Ben UFO takes to the low-ceilinged basement alongside Cologne’s queen of wigged-out club trips Lena Wilikens, who is ably assisted by the talents of local boy Mehtola, while Donga of Well Rounded Records takes control of the heavily fauna’d second room.

We arrive at the tail end of Mehtola’s set which sees him root through a perfectly pitched selection of deep and powerful house. Wilikens took over just after midnight, with the room already full to capacity (a number of regulars reported tonight as being the busiest they’d seen the club since it opened). She delivered a heaving, straining mass of EBM and acid-influenced techno, by turns spooky, gnarly, and krauty. She played a faster, straighter set than we’ve become accustomed to (those of us who devour every mix of her’s that ends up online at least), but it was exciting to see her pushing her already signature style to nippier ends.

BUFO jumped on around 2am, and immediately got down to business – flitting effortlessly, effusively and exuberantly though myriad permutations of tough, crunchy house, weirdo percussive workouts and ten-ton techno. Ever the digger (and gilded promo receiver), it was almost impossible to nail down any recognisable piece of released music from Ben’s selections, though we’re pretty sure a cut from Kowton’s new album pummelled its way out of the speakers at one point. And as the pure euphoria of Pearson Sound’s Blanked echoed and swirled around the basement, closing time came and went. An extended encore of perfectly destructive jungle served to wring any remaining sweat from the heaving throng. We leave some time after the official curfew, twisted Amen breaks ringing in our ears.