- For a while there, London promoters became so obsessed with finding unused warehouses that TBA became the city's most popular venue. Yet in their quest for the untapped, essentials like the soundsystem, toilet facilities and cold refreshments were often forsaken, much to the punter's chagrin. Secretsundaze have always bucked that trend, managing to unearth interesting spaces that don't scrimp on the key components.
OK, so Studio 338, with its high-gloss tiling and faux-fancy décor, does look like a Blackpool strip club from the inside, but the outdoor terrace is just fine, especially considering how hard it is to find decent open-air spots in London. Well, sort of open-air—there was a glass gazebo covering the area, which did a fine job of containing the sound and the ever percolating atmosphere. That people could dance 360 degrees around the sunken DJ booth made the whole space cauldron-like, with the man in control very much at the centre of it all.
By the time I arrived that man was the diminutive Floating Points. He soundtracked the arrival of most of the party's attendees, transforming what was a chatty crowd enjoying the sun into an attentive mass growing ever more sweaty. He did so with impressively quick-fire but seamless mixing, going from 7-inches to 12-inches and back again without the slightest jolt. Quick-licked funk, soul and disco made up the early part of his set, before he settled into more of a house groove with classics like Danell Dixon's "Dance, Dance."
Portable came next with a set that was rather unremarkable. The South African looked the part, always staying busy on his various bits of kit, and his singing into a vintage AKG mic added a nice element, but his loopy, liquid beats were rather staid. Not so Omar-S. Rocking a pair of flame-red trousers, the FXHE boss toyed at first, slowing things down for a few records before kicking on with—as usual—plenty of his own jams, plus edits of Yazoo's "Don't Go" and even Ten City's "That's The Way Love Is." With the cauldron now doused in darkness, deep red and purple lights brought that extra bit of energy. It was perfect, frankly. All James Priestley had to do was stoke the fire, and he did so effortlessly until some time past ten.
Despite the various residencies and festival stages they host around Europe and the UK, a Bank Holiday afternoon in the London outdoors, with a warm sun high in the sky, is secretsundaze's most natural habitat. Add in wise programming and DJs who did just the job required for the time of day, and it's no wonder this one really did Go Bang.