Alongside Mo Farah, Barack Obama and baking — Night Slugs has had a great 2012. Producing some of their best work to date over the last 12 months, this Hydra show should serve as a lap of honour for one of the capital's finest electronic labels.
Girl Unit seemed to have gone a little quiet after his stuttering crunk anthem "Wut" ate 2010 up for breakfast. How could he top it? The excellent "Club Rez" had more than a few answers — a deliriously confident EP that fizzed with fresh ideas. The title track's collosal trance hook and itchy Ramandanman-esque build ups could blow the roof off the Vatican.
What a difference a year has made for Jam City. If his early releases for Night Slugs were fun but lightweight funky takes, his full length "Classical Curves" has seen him emerge as a true auteur. One of the year's big surprises, it showed great depths from a label often tied with superficial dancefloor thrills.
Topping the bill is a back to back slot from the inseparable Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990. The label chief and his young cohort craft restless tracks which typify the hyperactive, day-glo feel of the record label. Funky, techno and garage are thrown into the pot, stirred frantically and served up muy picante.
If all that wasn't enough we're got an inspired guest spot from Frank Timm, better known as Panorama bar resident Sound Stream. The exacting producer has dropped just five singles since 1999, each one of them a painstakingly composed nugget of moving disco-drenched house. An airing from the forthcoming 6th vinyl in a recent mix from Prosumer made the hairs on the back of our neck stand on end. We can't wait to see what else he has in store.
Bugged Out & The Hydra present Night Slugs: Bok-Bok b2b L-Vis 1990, Jam City, Girl Unit, Soundstream at XOYO EC2A 4AP, Saturday 15th December. More information here.
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