- It's best to get this out of the way: Nic Baird, one of Make Me's founders, is also a full time employee at Resident Advisor. But the truth is, being an RA staffer doesn't get you much editorial bias. Make Me's been going for six years but this is the first time they've been reviewed. I guess, sometimes, it's easy to miss what's under your nose.
It's a shame a writeup's taken so long, as there have been some genuinely great parties along the way. Make Me made a name for themselves booking cult DJs in small, off-the-radar locations. Prosumer, Soundstream, DVS1 and Roman Flügel have all spun for them. A particularly special night saw Ben UFO play for six hours, finishing with a ridiculously good run of old-school jungle.
Their most recent party brought Tama Sumo to Studio Spaces, a tiny and only occasionally used loft in Shoreditch. On entering I caught sight of Make Me's resident, Rupes, trying to DJ with his arm in a sling—apparently he'd fallen over the week before and busted his shoulder. The injury was probably causing him a fair amount of pain, but he was still intent on diving headlong into the party. The scene was a useful analogy for the Make Me operation as a whole. Running events in DIY London locations is hard work. Licensing restrictions, noise limitations and occasionally bank-breaking DJ fees can make it a tough business, but still Make Me plough on.
The party took a little while to fill up, probably due to Field Day festival, which had been going on earlier that day. Certainly some of the early arrivals seemed unusually sunburnt and drunk. But when the night did get going, there was no question this would be one to remember. Seeing a DJ as good as Tama Sumo in a room as small as Studio Spaces will always be fun, but it was especially impressive to hear the Berlin DJ switch the mood as the night progressed.
At peak time, with the place nicely full, Tama dished out raw, hard-edged house peppered with curveballs like Theo Parrish's new one, "Footwork." She grew more diverse as space became more available later in the night, dropping disco, broken-beat and even some Jay Dilla-esque hip-hop. By the end of the night you felt you were in a cozy house party, which is as good a vibe as any promoter could hope for. As the last tune played out and daylight streamed onto the dance floor, I noticed Rupes with a huge grin on his face throwing his one good arm wildly into the air. It looked as though partying through the pain had been an excellent decision.