- Lucy Monkman is the latest torchbearer for an often overlooked strain of dance music. In her fast-paced splicing of bass, grime and house, the ex-Rinse and current Radio 1 DJ is the latest exponent of a sound—young, urban, eclectic, populist—whose existence you can trace back through Toddla T (a big influence on Monki), Basement Jaxx and early rave to hip-house. It's always been popular but rarely cool. House and techno purists tend to dismiss such unashamedly fun music, and patronise Monki's ilk as party DJs.
But as Fabriclive 81 ably demonstrates, Monkman has DJ skills as good as any in the game. Hers is a generous, giving style, one that is all about keeping the crowd moving with barely a pause for breath, which requires a 3D, 360°-overview of your source material. Her mixing may be pretty functional, but, like Ben UFO or Optimo, she has an uncanny ability to see connections in mood and tempo between tracks of wildly different styles. Playing one genre is easy; what's difficult is joining the dots among Floorplan's irrepressible "Baby, Baby," a spare grime drum track like Melé's "Angorra" and vintage piano house tracks ("My Day Has Come," FPI Project).
Cheesiness is an inherent peril of such a crowd-pleasing style, and Monkman is not immune. The string-led "Gabryelle" and DJ Haus's clunky rave history lesson "I Can Feel It" are throwaway, but this mix moves at such speed that these missteps barely register. Fabriclive 81 is a blast and one that, in the main thrust of its sound, makes clear that for a younger generation of British ravers, such irreverent eclecticism is hardwired into their DNA.
Tracklist01. FPI Project - Rich In Paradise (Going Back To My Roots)
02. Arma - Vex
03. Deapmash & Raito - Stop (Strip Steve Remix)
04. DJ Dealer & Groove Junkies feat. Chezere - My Day Has Come (DJ Dealer Prime Time Vocal)
05. DJ Haus - I Can Feel It
06. Bot & Tony Quattro - Guess Who
07. Doctor Jeep feat. TT The Artist - Bang
08. Sly One - Cowbell
09. Melé - Angorra + Additional vocals by Chimpo
10. DJ Spen presents DJ Technic - Gabryelle
11. FCL - It's You (San Soda’s Panorama Bar Acca Version) + Adesse Versions - Pride (Dub)
12. Eddie Mercury - A Lo Mejor
13. Floorplan - Baby, Baby
14. DJ Haus - Helta Skelta
15. Kalyde - Infected Ear
16. Melé and Mak & Pasteman - Do You Rex
17. Mella Dee - Rude & Deadly
18. Callahan - Fallacy
19. Tony Quattro - Zulu Carnival
20. Gage - Telo (Sudanim Remix) + Additional vocals by Slick Don
21. Danny Daze & 214 - Las Caderas
22. Golden Girls - Kinetic (Frank De Wulf Remix)