- Twitch is three friends who have been hosting some of the world's most respected jocks in Belfast for several years now. For their recent fifth birthday celebrations, the trio served up a double-header in the form of techno veteran Function and South London's Joy Orbison. Upon arrival, the back room of the Queen's Student Union hosting the party was pleasantly lit with an orange glow as people relaxed on white leather sofas. Joy Orbison then took to the DJ booth as the queue at the bar began to transfer to the dance floor. He picked up where the residents left off, drawing in the crowd with a series of deep and hypnotic tracks like Frankie Feliciano's edit of Laid's "Punch Up." Further along, Orbison skilfully blended in "Ladywell," one of his own productions, the crowd reacting particularly positively as the track's jacking bassline and stabbing piano keys gave the room a boost, its uplifting R&B-inspired vocals peppering the sound system as groups of girls sang along.
The party was in full swing by the time MK's classic rework of Nightcrawlers' "Push the Feeling On" burst through the sound system with its rhythmic early '90s trumpets. As his set drew to a close, Orbison brought the tempo down, spinning some engaging and soulful music which included the garage of Roy Davis Jr's "Gabriel." Finally, he ended with The Weeknd's anthematic "What You Need."
Next door, Function was busy moulding the atmosphere with a selection of deep, brooding techno, which saw the party's old school rave heads gather in front of the DJ booth watching his every move as he twisted and turned knobs on his TR-909. It wasn't long before the mood began to intensify as the James Ruskin refix of Steve Rachmad's "Work" boomed out through the new sound system. The room brimmed with bodies as the night hit its peak, as techno classics in the form of Lemon 8's "Model 8" and Robert Hood's remix of "Red 2" from Dave Clarke were lapped up by manic, sweat-drenched revellers. The only relatively subtle moment throughout Function's set was DJ Rolando's "Knights of the Jaguar," which provided a suitable ending to a brutal yet beautiful DJ/live set by a techno maestro.
At around 3 AM, the house lights flicked on and a barrage of bodies still filled the dance floor as they swayed and cheered to Function's ambient encore. If licensing laws in Northern Ireland weren't so restrictive, I have no doubt that the party would have kicked on for at least another few hours.