The last bank holiday weekend for the year is just around the corner. Sad times for many as it marks the beginning of the descent into winter. This ensuing doom normally results in everyone going big for the weekend, and as a result, people tend to cool off the weekend before. But as any good football team will tell you its all about the pre-season friendly to get you match fit for the onslaught. I mean you don’t want to be flaking out on day two of the bank holiday because you didn’t practice a two day bender the weekend before. That would just be embarrassing. So here are a few pre bank hol weekend friendlies to get you ready for the long weekend.

Lobster at The Gramaphone (Tickets)

Our Lobster friends have laid down the second round at the all you can eat seafood buffet. This Friday they’re at The Gramaphone where Roof Light will be served up along side their residents Anton and George in a night of gorging and indulgence. Its like a premiership team in a friendly against a third division team, at only a fiver to get in it’s a palatable and easy way to start things off.

Fabric On & On (Tickets)

Saturday there’s only really one destination – fabric. This is the tough pre-season friendly with a 15 hour gauntlet being laid down by Villalobos – a man we have a little bit too much love for. Who knows when he’s going to play, but I’d imagine he’d probably play a couple of times over the night. To pad things out in between, Craig Richards, Dinky, Terry Francis and Slam will be sure to keep you locked in the dark doldrums. This is going to be a roadblock so get you tickets now!

Love Fever Studio Party (Tickets)

If you need something a bit less gluttonous, then the Love Fever Studio Party on Kingsland Road would probably be a good alternative. Wolf and Lamb co-honcho Gadi Mizrahi along with Jacques Renault will be making you strut well into the night with some disco stylish fun.

Half Baked (info)

Fabric, the pussyclarts, will be closing their doors at 2pm on Sunday. Pretty early doors if you ask me… However don’t fret, as the people at Half Baked understand. They’re kicking things off on Sunday afternoon straight after fabric are done, so drag yourself to the still to be confirmed east London location to continue the party as the beautiful and stylish people look at you in disgust! Jamie Jones and Disco Bloodbath’s Ben Pistor will be seeing you smash through the proverbial clubbing marathon wall.

Stretch the old legs out with these bad boys and you’ll be running rings around the amateurs come bank holiday weekend.

During that last year of touring they must have had a  lot of fun as this album is a blink and you’ll miss it seven tracks long, not to mention one of those tracks being a Dyed Sondorom remix! But as the saying goes, its quality not quantity that matters. Across the short space of seven tracks we get glimpses of the Wolf and Lamb eclecticism we’ve all come to love. In the opening moments we see their willingness to experiment outside of house’s conformities. The opening track ‘Just For Now’ combines abstract ambience in to hypnotic house grooves, whilst their remix of Mock and Toof’s ‘Shoeshine Boogie’ fuses the mechanical ticks of old skool electro hip hop with acid riffs and sweeping melodic synths. Later in the album we’re subjected to further experimentation with ‘Monster Love’ which plays around with some of the abstract themes of Jazz. Its use of tumbling percussion, smoky double bass basslines and muted trumpet motifs all phase in and out of time with a loose rhythm making for some interesting listening.

But no Wolf and Lamb album wouldn’t be complete without some homage to straight up house music. Title track ‘Love Someone’ sides with the bouncey happy side of house. Its whirring strings and horn riffs loop round and round to create a bright, warm cage rattler of a track. Whilst in contrast there’s the restrained bounce of Dyed Sondorom’s remix of ‘Want Your Money’ or the hypnotic driving bass of ‘I Know You’re Leaving’ which covers the subtler and deeper strings of the Wolf and Lamb house bow.  With these tracks they really show they can make quality house music that sounds great in a club or at home. They’re danceable yet have the quirky depth which gives it that edge over other house productions.

Even though we see different sides of Wolf and Lamb on this album, it just seems seven tracks is a bit short to fully explore what they are about. What is on the album is good, from the experimental sounds to the bread and butter house music. However I still think they’ve missed other avenues that they would normally explore. What’s more, Wolf and Lamb is very much a community driven thing, bringing together a family of artists and on this album we see little of that community. It would have been good to get more collaborations with some of the artists that help made Wolf and Lamb what it is today or even with some of the fresh talent they’ve met whilst on the road this last year. A good effort in general, but maybe a little rushed so they could strike whilst the W+L brand is hot.

Buy Wolf + Lamb – Love Someone from Play.com (CD) or Amazon (CD)

TRACKLISTING:
01. Just For now
02. Mock & Toof – Shoeshine Boogie (Wolf + Lamb Remix)
03. Love Someone
04. Want Your Money (Dyed Soundorom Wants Your Love remix)
05. I Know You’re Leaving
06. Monster Love
07. Want Your Money

With their first release on LA based label Culprit you can get a feel of everyone in the mix. The release is made up of three slow deep house tracks that have that trademark Soul Clap soulfulness combined with the Ross and Santos’ Dirtybird hypnotism. On the A-side track ‘Man of Wisdom’ the low slung grooves and snake charmer-esque horn sample is a recognisable Soul Clap trait, whilst the gently jacking beats are reminiscent of the Dirtybird fidget sound slowed down. Combined together Man of Widsom is a moody track that unfolds at its own comfortable pace to reveal the infectious horn sample.

On the B-side ‘Hi-Fi All’ is another deep, slow burner. The lo-fi bassline, retro drums and vocal snippet give it a soulful Miami Vice sheen which gives it plenty of warmth and plenty of chic wiggle factor. Whilst second B-Side track SECTsy leans more towards the Ross/Santos sound with its muted percussion, spatial production and hypnotic fidget. Collectively they’ve brought together three great twilight tracks that are warm and hypnotic.

After the success of the Fabric 10th Birthday it showed that marathon Berghain style party sessions could work in London, so it made sense for fabric to give it another stab, this time under the “just for fun” circumstances. So the first weekend in March saw fabric host another 30 hour marathon session from Saturday night through till Monday morning, with a line up equally as mammoth to suit. Everything was pointing to a party as fun and wild as the 10^th birthday, but ultimately that was its main draw back.

Like a younger sibling “On and On…” inadvertently followed in the footsteps of its older sibling “the 10th Birthday”, where every detail was compared to the other every step of the way. First comparison to be made was the crowd and atmosphere. Arriving on Sunday morning, Troxler is in full affect with Craig Richards. Room 1 is a comfortable busy, similar to the 10th Birthday and perfect for throwing shapes; except the main difference was a lacking edge in the atmosphere. It missed that electricity and that unified excitement that was so predominate in the air from last time. There was still energy in the crowd, but it seemed more like a crowd going through the usual after party motions. That judgement is probably harsh one, but again it’s so easy to make these comparisons. That said, Troxler and Richards were still on fine form laying down deep and dark grooves with flourishes of funk and soulfulness. Whilst the room wasn’t at fever point they had still captured a crowd that were hanging on their every movement.

By the mid afternoon Keith Worthy was laying down his deep techno grooves however they weren’t enough to keep the attention of Room 1 which had started to wane as Saturday night’s legs grew tired. Trus’Me followed soon after, lightening the mood with his slow grooving house set punctuated by flashes of cosmic disco, aside from a few calamity mixes the tune selection was spot on, hooking in a new wave of punters. However whilst Worthy and Trus’Me were both good, it wasn’t quite enough to fully ignite the crowd.

For the late afternoon earPIPE stepped out for a break to watch the sunset. Conveniently this happened to be from the 31st floor of Centre Point with Todd Terje and Sound Stream providing the soundtrack at Secretsundaze Red Bull Music Academy party that was taking place. This is probably the best winter venue SS has held a party at. The stunning views on such a gorgeous day emulated that Secretsundaze outdoors day time vibe, whilst all the coldness of the British winter was firmly locked outside – just perfect when combined with the bright soulfulness of Terje and Soundstream. I definitely urge SS to throw a few more Sunday daytime parties here through the winter.

After sun down and a few tonics, we head back to Fabric. The wristbands given to us got us back in no probs and we were greeted with Dinky ushering in Monday morning. She’s laying down some solid techno tracks, but Room 1 is still a little frosty and she’s not cutting enough of a unique groove to lift the crowd. For a typical Saturday night her set would have been on the money, but at the tail end of a 30 hour marathon the crowd needed that something extra to latch on to. Along with a couple of sound outages and a hangover hitting home whilst still on a session, it was time to call it a day…

Overall Fabric did a good job, the night ran like clockwork, there was some great music on offer, but it could have been a bit busier at times and the atmosphere was just missing that last piece. And whilst it was a different party with a different meaning, it was just too difficult not to compare it with the 10th Birthday to its own detriment. Whilst the line up was technically very good, it didn’t have that constant stream of stellar DJs that instantly draw in a crowd on name alone. There were no repeated Villalobos appearances or a constant stream of heavyweights to instantly attract and keep a crowd through the days. So the programming of DJs needed to have been carefully planned to keep your average punter locked in through out the two days. Unfortunately Keith Worthy, Trus’Me or Chez Damier whilst brilliant DJs weren’t enough of a “name” to instantly hook in a crowd which in turn would have fed into kick starting an atmosphere through more bodies. It sounds fickle relying on “big names” but then your average clubber is relatively fickle too.

However don’t forget we were only there for part of the Sunday daytime activities, so our perspective is blinkered somewhat. It maybe we just picked the wrong time to go as we heard from other punters that Ellen Allien and Dave Clarke weighed in with some great sets on Saturday night whilst Wolf and Lamb and Radioslave closed Monday in fine style. It may sound like we’re being picky and negative, but I think that’s just testament to the quality we expect from Fabric. Give it a few more tweaks along with filling in those last missing pieces and I’m sure Fabric will get the formula right to make marathon parties like these work in London on a regular basis.

I wait with baited breath for the next one. Preferably on a Bank Holiday weekend!

Just a heads up for an upcoming mammoth party – Fabric On & On & On & On…. The folks at fabric are going to throw another 30 hour marathon since the 10th Birthday was so well received. The last one was definitely one of the legendary parties of 2009. It had the perfect crowd with the most eye watering of line-ups ever seen and an unbelievable atmosphere that validated why the club has been around for 10 years. We certainly gushed about it in our review the other month.

On the 6th March Fabric will be doing it all again, just for shits and giggles. The line up isn’t as stratospheric as the birthday, but it is by no means light weight. There’s a nice selection of heavy weights with Dave Clarke down to annihilate a room, Radioslave will be bringing his cloak of darkness as will Patrice Scott and Ellen Allien will add her touch of wonky Berlin. But backing them up will be a fine selection of strong DJs that know how to get a party going. You’ve got the unexpected sounds from the Wolf and Lamb camp featuring Seth Troxler, Soul Clap and Gadi Mizrahi, plus Trus Me kind of falls into their category too. Then you’ve got the German techno brigade from Cocoon to BPitch and Minus with Onur Ozer, Dinky, Konrad Black and Thomas Muller. A great mix of talent there.

The format stays the same as last time. Tickets at varying prices can be bought for entry on the Saturday night, Sunday morning and Sunday evening, all of which will allow you to leave and re-enter up until the close on Monday morning.

Tickets are now available at TICKETWEB and are priced as follows:
Saturday Entry – £23 General / £18 Fabric First
Sunday entry after 10am – £15 General / £10 Fabric First/Students
Sunday entry after 10pm – £10 General / £8 Fabric First

So there you have it a great line up for what is shaping up to be another masochistic weekend.

Horatia Opening Party with Faze Action (Details)

First off, a new venue for the year; from the people that brought you the Horse and Groom comes the Horatia, their new pub club venture on Holloway Road in Islington. They expect to bring you the same fun that you experienced at Shoreditch’s finest pub with a dance floor, so expect disco, house, live music and everything in between. They’ve already got folks like Disco Bloodbath and James Priestly already lined up for some free fun time evening shenanigans. For the opening party on Friday, the fantastic disco duo Faze Action will the in the house to commemorate this new skinny jeans haven in Islington, all for free too.

Fabric with Carl Craig, Ben Klock & Lee Curtis (Buy Tickets)

Now on to the meatier affairs for Saturday night. There are three stellar nights on the bill from the big guns but it’s just too close to call for one that stands out above the rest. In one corner we have Fabric; they’re packing a punch with Detroit legend Carl Craig. He’s never disappointed me so far and I’m sure he’s not going to start now. The support is just as compelling too, rising star Lee Curtiss is on for a live set and London favorites Jamie Jones and Cesar Merveille will fill the rest of the Room 1 schedule whilst Ben Klock, Steffi and Terry Francis will be pushing the harder edge in Room 2. If that’s not enough, all things DFA will be served up in Room 3 with Holy Ghost and Jacques Renault. Absolutely massive lineup if you ask me.

Discoteca at Matter with Jamie Lidell & Francois K (Buy Tickets)

Out east, sister club matter weigh in with a night equally as heavy. The extremely talented musician Jamie Lidell performs a live set alongside a DJ set from New York heavyweights Francois K and Metro Area. There’s also a label showcase from Italians Do It Better and in house duo Disco&Mercy will be keeping things warm. In room 2 the Disco Bloodbath boys take over with Scotland’s finest Optimo for a second room of anything goes. If you’re still unsure what to expect, then the matter blog has a pretty comprehensive post of mixes, vids and words to bring you up to speed.

Mulletover with Wolf and Lamb (Buy Tickets)

Third but not least, Mulletover shake off the New Years hangover with this winter warmer featuring the Wolf and Lamb lads Gadi Mizrahi and Boston duo Soul Clap. The label can just do no wrong at the moment and any Wolf and Lamb DJ sets have been the talk of the town, so expect a fantastic range of diverse music with plenty of soul and feeling. The venue should be just right for this with the intimate low ceilings of the The Black Lotus Karate Club on Scrutton Street. However with a fair few down to attend this, be sure to keep the clothing layers to a minimal as it can get a bit schweaty in there.

Dig Deeper with Danny Howells (Buy Tickets)

That’s not all however. Danny Howells wants to completely ruin you by throwing another Dig Deeper this Sunday at the Notting Hill Arts Club. The last one went down so well that’s he’s back again to punish you into Monday morning with another one of his spectacular 7 hour sets.

So there it is… Let’s hope London has started as it expects to go on!

On the other side of this release is Seth Troxler’s remix of Nicholas Jaar’s The Student. It’s a contrasting mix of subdued and fierce percussion which slowly builds to a drop of trashy cymbal hits and splutters of electronic blips. The contrasting subdued percussion and guitar sample still runs throughout the track which creates this weird multidirectional pull. Its hard to make sense of which is ironically both detrimental and interesting at the same time.

Seth Troxler – Aphrika EP is out Feb ’09. Buy other Seth Troxler tracks from DJDownload.

Tracklist:
1. Seth Troxler – Aphrika
2. Nicholas Jaar – The Student (Seth Troxler Mix)