- Friday, August 20th, was my first time clubbing at Brickhouse and as I walked down Brick Lane that night there was an energy that put me in good stead for the rest of the night. I queued up and made my way through a secluded black door and into the club. By the time I'd bought a round of drinks and checked out the astroturfed smoking area, Max Cooper and longtime DJing buddy Jeet—together known as Xircus—had stepped up to the decks and were filling the spacious triple story dance floor with deep warm-up techno, all synth chords and groovy basslines.
The club filled up rapidly, but amongst the haze of grinning faces there were a few concerns niggling at the back of my mind. Why was the lighting set to a garish baby blue, and why did all the staff seem so miserable all the time? Upon scrutiny, the venue had a quasi-corporate hotel chain feel to it and this made the party feel rather at odds with the venue.
Photo credit: Richard Barabas
No one seemed to care all that much, though, especially as the bucephalus-bouncing-ball of Max Cooper's "Inhale" hit the speakers. It received the most rapturous response from a crowd that obviously appreciated the bouncy techno electronica he is fast becoming renowned for. As the night progressed, there was something delightfully shameless about the whole thing: No chin stroking here. But just as I had found a nice spot on the dance floor and had got locked into the groove, the lights were switched on and we were left with a final rendition of Liquid's "Sweet Harmony" to cling to as our final song.
The party had just got going and, well, there wasn't much I could do about it ending now. Obviously the 3 AM finish was due to a venue licensing restriction of some sort, but it certainly but a damper on the evening. Nevertheless, complaining about the night finishing made me realise just how fervently I was enjoying myself.