- Love Fever's inimitable blend of house and glamour has been bubbling away in darkest recesses of east London for a couple of years. The self-styled "Modern day wannabe playboys with a zest for intrigue" pride themselves in spurning the big sweaty venues of mass consumer clubbing in favour of private spaces, photo studios and, in this case, one of London's most intimate clubs. The Nest, which housed their latest event, headlined by Jimmy Edgar, is one long subterranean dance floor, bordered by cosy little booths on one side and a bar on the other. Dimly lit by Love Fever's trademark neon heart, it was the perfect hangout for a lazy New Year's Day.
San Soda and Red D didn't disappoint. The pair pitched their set perfectly, providing party music of the highest calibre, but nothing too heavy for the fragile ears of New Year's Eve stragglers. The forthcoming FCL rework of Audiojack's "Stay Glued," was a particularly big success, and older disco cuts like West Phillips' "Sucker for a Pretty Face" went down a treat.
Berlin's Jimmy Edgar was a relatively weird choice of headliner for a party that's made its name with deep house, especially considering his set was a melange of UK bass music, hard techno and early '00s electro. The audience were divided: some skulked off visibly offended while others resolutely stuck to the floor. Even so, to the connoisseur, Love Fever somewhat disappointed by failing to provide the "very special guest in keeping with the pedigree of last year" (the pedigree of last year being Move D, Trus'me and Bicep). Given their great track record in curating superb lineups, it's a shame that Love Fever should begin 2012 with a party slightly let down by a mismatched roster. Still, as the brand grows into a record label in the New Year, we can hopefully assume that bigger and better things are to come.