Crack Mix 500

To the NYC Downlow we go with Block9’s own GIDEÖN. Recorded at the pop-up queer nightlife wonderland – the first of its kind at Glastonbury, and a club often touted as one of the best in the world – way back when, in 2010, it’s a sweat-soaked session that encapsulates many of the moods and nuances unique to the Downlow. The whole thing’s built to make you groove; flush with life, with plenty of singalong moments and drag legend Jonny Woo on hosting duties.

Photography: Martin Perry

As one of pop’s most innovative minds, and with a career spanning four decades, Neneh Cherry’s work has been defined by the pushing of creative boundaries and moulded by an appetite for eclecticism. It’s fitting, then, that this 2014 mix recorded at Maceo’s – Block9’s fabled crew bar – sounds like a joyride through Cherry’s Olympian-sized pool of musical interests, cramming in everything from Donna Summer’s I Feel Love to ESG’s Moody via Tessela’s roof-raising Hackney Parrot and so much more, with surprises at almost every turn.

Let’s keep this one short and sweet, shall we? Masters at Work turned Masters of the Downlow back in 2017, when the vital New York duo, comprised of “Little” Louie Vega and Kenny “Dope” Gonzales, touched down for an hour-and-a-half of inexhaustible bangers. A hefty slice of house heaven.

Since the mid-00s, Hannah Holland and Josh Caffé have done more than most to usher in a gritty underground sensibility to LGBTQ+ nightlife. Fixtures at your favourite parties, and often the organisers too (we really miss those Batty Bass all nighters), the longtime friends and collaborators influenced the sound, the vibe, the hedonism that has come to define queer raving in 2023. See for yourself in this unforgettable 2014 b2b. Legends in their own right, together? Iconic.

What a treat. A dynamic excursion through a peak-time, late-night NYC Downlow, led by the most eminent of guides, Midland. The energy is palpable and the vibes are high throughout this archive set – recorded back in 2017, and familiar to some, perhaps. An ideal way to bring our walk down Block9 memory way to an end.