- London-based outfit Alpha-ville are more than your average party promoters. Since they got started in 2009, Carmen Salas and Estela Oliva have put on events that place art, music and design within a contemporary, digitalised context. From hosting the likes of Jon Hopkins and Pantha Du Prince at the short-lived Alpha-ville Festival in 2011, to the well-received Alpha-ville Live event at Hackney Empire in 2012, the pair have doggedly pushed the envelope with regards to electronic music in the UK capital. As a result, it was disappointing that their latest venture—A Special Night With Carsten Jost, held at East London's Rich Mix complex—fell so wide of the mark.
Regardless of your legacy, starting a clubnight at 8:30 PM on a Friday is a bold move. Though the party formed part of Alpha-ville Exchange, an all-day networking event that hosted talks from visual artists and agencies, it was also promoted as an independent event, open to the public. By the time I walked in around 10 PM, the Dial co-founder was DJing onstage for a room that was far from busy. Though I soon found myself mingling with the crowd and grooving along to his deep, weighty selections, "special" wasn't the first word I'd use to describe the atmosphere.
That's not to take anything away from the music, however. The few that were in attendance danced with vigour, using the extra space to engage their partners in a spot of impromptu salsa or samba. Pepe Bradock's "Deep Burnt" had the usual desired effect, as did several lesser-known slices of punchy, sensuous deep house. Had it started later, there's no reason to think this couldn't have been a good party—the sound was crisp, the crowd pleasant, the music good. As it was, however, it felt a bit lacking in flavour.