- Consistently unearthing new names for sell-out events over the past few years, it has been hard to avoid two of Northern England's most prominent nights—Louche and Jaunt. Their recent unification with the Red Bull Music Academy at London's Plan B further cemented their reputation as quality purveyors of house and bass music. Upon entering Plan B, it became clear that the club would match the collaboration perfectly. Housing an expansive main room with sofas adjacent to the dance floor, the atmosphere remained as offhand as a house party. The room was merged together from decks to walls by tropical lighting, a bliss reminiscent of house spots like Mint or Lightbox, where washes of acid blue, racing green, and electric pink soaked overhead till 6 AM, giving the party a distinctly Ibizan temperament.
Unfortunately, however, it faced the logistical nightmares of not expecting a sold out reception and the subsequent queue, cloakroom and bar overload. Nevertheless, the crowd taking in Midland's early set was aflame with excitement, his recent mix of Lee Jones' "Duvel" garnering a particularly warm response. As ever, the producer demonstrated his ability to seamlessly blur the contours of genre effortlessly, the entire set being impeccably mixed while nursed by the venue's Funktion One sound system. Venturing downstairs for a timeout and catching Braiden was an unanticipated treat. The Londoner delivered despite a small crowd, going on to drop Eats Everything's "Entrance Song" to full approval.
Photo credit: Drea db
Just after 2 AM, Julio Bashmore took over. A remix of Faith Evans' "Love Like This Before" slowed the pace, while Bashmore's recent "Well Wishers" captured the ethereal disco vibe that the Bristol native stamped all over the night. His own "Battle for Middle You" came at the close of his set, as sofa dwellers gravitated to the decks—even Bashmore himself could be seen murmuring the "People get up, stomp your feet, let's get down" mantra.
Upon starting his set, Shonky looked less comfortable than he was at his last Louche appearance (the party's birthday in Leeds), perhaps rocked by the curse of a front row that had duly headed for the bar. The atmosphere took a while to regroup, though he eventually found his feet. Unsurprisingly, the throngs didn't depart until the last minute, signaling the close of a successful joint venture between three quality outfits.