- With their second party at Cargo, FACT chose to showcase the talents of emergent DJs and producers Shortstuff, The Heatwave and Floating Points, alongside Noodles and El-B, two of the figures who most strongly influenced the initial development of the garage and 2-step sound.
Shortstuff's tough, sinuous, intricately percussive funky bashment set an appropriate tone, introducing strands of house, garage and even Baltimore that would be picked up later in the evening. Shortstuff's rolling, plunging basslines segued effectively into Floating Points' eagerly anticipated set, and Cargo's second arch filled quickly to a shuffling hip-hop jam, the crowd engaging immediately with guest singer Fatima's honeyed vocals and luminous stage presence.
Floating Points' set progressed steadily through deep house and warm Detroit techno, and while the crowd remained somewhat subdued, Floating Points spun with uncommon charm and charisma, his set providing a compelling insight into the musical preoccupations and influences of one of 2009's most promising producers. The Heatwave's set opened with The Bug's "Poison Dart," the crowd responding immediately to the familiar ferocity of the track's piercing refrain before Riko took up the microphone, and the DJ and MC maintained a furious pace for the remainder of their performance, Heatwave pausing only to reload the turntables following Riko's frequent, laconic commands to rewind.
Ultimately, this party was about celebrating the pervasive influence of the headliners. Noodles' raw, muscular garage rhythms clearly demonstrated why he is considered to be such a key inspiration to producers like Martyn and Burial. The recent release of Tempa's The Roots of El-B has gone some way to elevating the profile of one of the most influential, yet curiously underrated, figures in contemporary club music, and El-B's set reflected elements of the full spectrum of bass music upon which he has exerted such an incalculable influence. He ably traversed dancehall and bashment, although seemed at his most powerful when negotiating his way, via skittering, fractured dubstep back towards his own, older material. The persistent woodblock riddim that led into a brisk, crisp rework of "Serious" was genuinely thrilling.
FACT's thoughtfully curated night was designed to show how one generation of producers has influenced another, and it did so admirably, showing that the UK scene is currently buzzing with energy, and that it has been for quite some time.