- Though some might turn their noses up at it, Lee Foss's commercial success with Hot Natured serves as testament to the group's undeniable influence on the scene. It's fitting, then, that Foss was on the road promoting new Hot Natured material as far afield as South America, leading up to their debut live show at the legendary Brixton Academy.
An international club like Pacha is a very different kind of gig. Whatever the mode of transport, you are left on the edge of a busy highway with a walk that gives you a chance to size up the glamorous Pacha crowd. Planted to the booth's right was a small platform which gave a viewpoint of the mainly local audience.
Franco Cinelli began proceedings with some dark tech house, aptly warming up the crowd. When Lee Foss came on, he reset the energy with some slightly more downbeat grooves. It wasn't long before the familiar voice of Anabel Englund came in for "Reverse Skydiving," ushering the Hot Creations brand of sexy house music to the floor. Foss then began laying on the sound the label has been cultivating to great success. Ali Love's voice was ever-present, and why not? The man's inimitable vocals are becoming iconic in this brand of house music.
For a while, Foss looked like a moody teenager dressed in his wife-beater and posing for photos. Still, he seemed like a DJ confident of his own capabilities, despite a few off mixing moments in what was otherwise a no-frills technique. There were definite nods to the UK scene with the likes of Disclosure's unapologetically poppy "Latch," following on after Shadow Child's stomping remix of "Angels."
It was an impressive haul of heads who stuck around for the full three-and-half-hour set, and Foss definitely had his tail up as a result. Of course "Benediction" was a dead cert for a crowd pleaser and indeed he couldn't resist—the crowd responded with a frenzied singalong. He followed on with the unreleased "Magic Carpet Ride," which also rang gloriously through the potent sound system. Foss himself seemed happy enough at the end of it all, and rightly so, for he had commanded Pacha with some swagger.