On Friday night last week, the Guardian ran an article lamenting the demise of intimate clubs like FWD> at small venues like Plastic People or Notting Hill Arts Club. "So where are the modern-day equivalents of these incubators of the future? Nowhere to be seen," the article claimed, arguing that these days "club connoisseurs can now gurn in their own homes".
Yet that very same night there was an event that proved that underground, intimate clubbing that is all about the music, man, is very much alive and well. Techno outfit Plex – whose insanely heavy party with Colony and Machine was a Quietus highlight of 2012 – hosted their very first Basement Session in the Waiting Room, Stoke Newington (it’s a venue that recently has been a great spot for ‘music discovery as you get off your whistle’ nights such as Blackest Ever Black’s Before My Eyes and Andrew Weatherall’s A Love From Outer Space). The plan is a simple one: buy your tickets, but aside from the Plex residents, you’ll have to trust the club to book the music as the headliners aren’t announced until you get through the door.
Last Friday, the guests were Objekt (whose killer set took in Front 242 and a devious build – when he really kicked in at the end, it was quite the mugging) and Subhead, slightly more garish fare that included a bit where he delivered vocals through a knackered old telly. You’re not getting more review than that, it was my night off. Plex today announced details of the next Basement Session, which will take place at the same venue on the first May Bank Holiday (Friday 2nd) and features three special guests:
"The first act we have playing will be performing an exclusive live A/V show for us and it’s a London debut no less! We are truly excited about this performance and they have been on our list of people to get at Plex for many a year now. Next up is another live set, one of our favourite producers at the moment and with a carefully constructed live show to back up the plentiful wax output. The in-house Martin rig will get a full work-out on the night for sure when they hit the stage. Visceral, searing and intense stuff. You’ve been warned!
"Our third guest for the evening is a special local talent who’s been around for quite some time. House, techno, acid, new beat all carefully crafted together for your listening pleasure and a pretty handy producer to boot as well. Amazingly he’s never played for us either so another debut on the night." You can buy tickets for the night from Resident Advisor here."
