- Rustie's recent album launch in London, celebrating the release of his debut full-length Glass Swords was held at Shoreditch's XOYO nightclub, with Nightwave, one Darkstar representative and Spencer on support duties. Descending the steep stairs that led down to XOYO's basement, the dark confines of the room appeared to be the perfect setting for a night of bass music. And although dogged by minor sound difficulties and some questionable mixing from Darkstar, Rustie's performance, and the night, didn't fail to disappoint.
I arrived as one-half of Darkstar took to the stage at the back of the relatively large basement, where he sat front and centre on a huge raised space with large stacks on either side. Overall, the jock's selections went down well, but his mixture of grime, dubstep and garage classics appeared too much for him at points. Each track instantly injected motion into the dance floor, but a series of mixing train wrecks continually stalled the momentum.
As Rustie took to the stage draped in an oversized t-shirt and cap, the rush from the bar to the dance floor was instantaneous. Standing in the small crowd of about 100 people, the venue felt full, and at the epicentre of the crowd a diehard contingent slowly came together. Tracks like "Hover Traps" caused a mini rampage, the rabid crowd at the centre violently nodding, pointing and jumping. The soundsystem at XOYO could have been better, though. It seemed to cope well for most of the night prior, but definitely struggled once Rustie took the reins. "All Nite," for example, didn't sound quite like it should've, the system failing to pick out all the gentle subtleties, and "Ultra Thizz," with its epic rising chords and delicate synth work, struggled to make it through the low-end's soaked, disjointed rhythm.
However, while, at points, the sound found it difficult to keep pace, it failed to put the slightest dent in crowd's reaction. As such, you couldn't call the night anything but a success, despite its minor difficulties. Everything I've come to expect from Rustie set was there; a rowdy crowd, vying for every inch of space in a dark, intimate room, and track after track of outstanding Glasgow-flecked electronic music.