Akufen and Jane Fitz in London

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  • Cartulis Day has endured a significant amount of upheaval over the past few months. The London party's old home, Crucifix Lane, permanently shut its doors in April due to a nearby Network Rail expansion. The recent closing of a number of popular nightclubs seems to have hit hardest in South and East London, where a wealth of on-point parties are now having to circle around an ever-diminishing pool of decent clubs. It's heartening to report, then, that Cartulis Day's new home, Autumn Street Studios, recaptures some of the scruffy magic of Crucifix Lane. More encouraging still, their first party there on June 26th was musically their most interesting and cohesive yet. Arriving in time for a rare UK appearance from Akufen, I was greeted by the usual cast of Cartulis regulars. A friendly babble of woozy Europeans, industry folk and the odd pissed 50-something, it's a musically clued-up crowd with few of the pretensions that blight other East London parties. Akufen and his intricate back-catalogue might not seem the ideal candidate to warm an already sticky dance floor, but the French-Canadian fully delivered, adding the right amount of punch to his tracks' cerebral designs. Sometime Cartulis resident Jane Fitz followed, expertly building momentum with a blend of mostly Tribal-era UK bangers. Adjectives like "solid" and "dependable" undersell Fitz's unique talents. Above all, the Hackney DJ has a knack for deploying her diverse collection just at the right moment, making her the ideal resident. Dutch super-diggers Avos brought it home from 4 AM until 6 AM. The duo didn't match Fitz for flow, but their records were frequently sublime, the best music Cartulis was treated to all night. Stitching together obscure breakbeat and richly textured techno, they ensured a raucous atmosphere until close. The atmosphere was particularly electric when the blinds were raised to dazzling sunlight, exposing the club like a grotty East End Panorama Bar. As good as the music was, though, the dance floor was patchy all night, hinting at the problems still facing parties like Cartulis Day. But if you like a bit of space to wiggle about in, then this was just another enjoyable evening in Hackney Wick.
RA