- Perusing the listings in the days prior to another action-packed May bank holiday weekend in London, one party, based on bookings alone, stood apart from the rest. Over the course of their nine-year existence, Need2Soul have all but cornered the heavyweight old-school house market in the capital. With Theo Parrish, Joe Claussell and Ron Trent, Need2Soul explored the finesse of Detroit soul through the prism of stripped-back NYC disco and pumping, four-to-the-floor Chicago house.
Given the sudden closure of Cable just days before the event, Oval Space saw its stock rise further as one of the capital's few remaining go-to venues. Making use of the outdoor area, coupled with the installation of floor-to-ceiling windows behind the main bar, the club's bright and spacious interior was perfectly suited to Claussell's early workout. The Body & Soul man tweaked and thrusted his way through cuts of potent instrumental disco, closing out his set with Opolopo's ubiquitous take on "1960 What?" by Gregory Porter.
Given the nature of his output it was perhaps an odd choice to give Ron Trent the sandwich slot. Nevertheless, he came and did his thing, treating the classier, more mature crowd to a thoroughly danceable set of thick and groovy house. Ending on Jerome Sydenham and Kerri Chandler's timeless rework of "You're In My System," he left the atmosphere perfectly on the brink of fever pitch.
Rather than pick up where Trent left off, Parrish took the mood down, slipping straight into a medley of slow, sultry rhythm tracks. For most other DJs it may have been a costly move. But despite the initial lull, Parrish's razor-sharp mixing and impeccable taste soon crafted a new kind of energy, fuelled by the likes of his and Andrew Ashong's modern classic "Flowers." Unfortunately, the night's climax, a back-to-back-to-back set from the trio, was cut short by severe sound issues, but nonetheless Need2Soul's band of aged mixmasters had done more than enough to guarantee customer satisfaction