London’s Drum and Bass in 2009
During 2008 we saw the closing of Turnmills, Canvas, The Cross and The Key. Undergoing a programme change Heaven will no longer be welcoming Hospitality. A bitter closure with the last event being cancelled leaving Hospital high and dry. At the end of this month The End will join the rubble which is London’s clubbing past. DnB residencies, Shogun Audio, Marky & Friends, Swerve, Ram Records and Renegade Hardware, all in need of a new home worthy of holding their legendary nights.
The longest running D&B hosts at The End will be the first to make moves. Holding a night on 6 February, the Renegade Hardware crew will be introducing the DnB crowd to Matter. In turn hoping that the two stakeholders will see eye to eye within the three floor, 2600 capacity venue at The O2. On the sheet is of course the headman Andy C along with Ram’s new blood Chase & Status. Goldie and Hype have been drafted to bring in the masses. Shooting off on a tangent will be Commix and D-Bridge going B2B. The trend for bringing Dubstep to the DnB crowd will not be broken as Skream, Caspa, Youngsta and Plastician help shake things up. Also on the flyer are Sub Focus, Noisia, Red One, Culture Shock and Shimon with a Breaks set.
Hospitality will host the second date at Matter exactly one month later on 6 March. Headlining in Room 1 will be DJ Marky, followed by the usual Hospital crew, London Elektricity, Cyantific, Logistics and Nu:Tone. Krust and Die will take it back to basics going B2B. In Room 2 on the Heatwave Soundsystem will be Benga, Tayo, Zed Bias, Loefah and N-Type, playing shaking bass with beats at the same BPM as an infant’s heart.
So it may be that Matter will be the new home (or at least one) for DnB heads? If it brings in the right crowd then Matter will be setting the bar high. Boasted as being forward looking, Matter’s claims are backed up by its use of body-kinetic technology (there are pistons driving bass under the dance floor!).
Renegade Hardware has announced that they will move their residency 2.5 miles away from The End to Area Club along Albert Embankment. A club which 2008’s Drum and Bass Awards winner of Best Event, Innovation, will also inhabit.
Entering a new year it seems that the pieces are slowly being put in place for 2009, the recent closures forcing the creation of a new era of DnB events in the country’s capital.
Check out some photo’s of Matter we found on Facebook below:
