Techno in the City
The last Bank Holiday of the year always merits something special, and despite this summer’s inclement weather Secretsundaze decided to host an event in an outdoors car park by The Arches, near London Bridge in London. After all, techno legend Carl Craig was playing, and what are a few spots of rain when you can hear one of the greatest DJs in the world playing outdoors, on a Sunday afternoon?
The event was advertised to run from 2pm till 10:30pm, and by the time I arrived at 6, this urban car park was already packed like a pub on a Friday night with people strolling around, chatting and clutching pints, in spite of the music. My friends and I attempted to make our way through to the ‘dancefloor’ where absolutely no one was dancing, and the ground was uneven making it difficult to move. But after wandering around for a bit we spied a large speaker, and stationed ourselves next to it so we didn’t have to listen to anyone’s inane chat.
The rain stayed away, and some magnificent glimpses of sunshine appeared. As Carl Craig came on at 7pm, the momentum changed just as the music did; the chatterboxes stopping their conversations and looking around bemused. A mixture of hard and mellower techno played, at all times soulful and inducing huge smiles amongst those around me. The buildings surrounding the car park created an almost surreal scenario; after all, here we were, dancing away amongst an urban sprawl of banks and offices.
Sofas were placed under the actual arches of the venue, and they were occupied for most of the afternoon, despite a seat charge of £12 (isn’t that a bit cheeky Mr Craig?).
Carl Craig is now renowned as a major dance music DJ; a protégée of Derrick May, he owns his own label named ‘Planet E’ and has released records by artists as illustrious as Kevin Saunderson. Despite being widely regarded as a techno DJ it is a disservice to pigeonhole him, as he frequently fuses techno with jazz, soul, reggae, and ambient music.
And this fusion was in evidence here. As a fashion conscious crowd looked around to see who was looking back at them, myself and those around me had huge smiles on our faces which stayed firmly in place the whole time we danced. A beautiful mix of Now That We Found Love originally by the O’Jays and covered countless times, ended his set at around 8pm. James Priestley, one of the main men behind Secretsundaze followed, continuing the soulful grooves Craig had laid down. The bank holiday event ended abruptly when the music was rudely stopped at 10pm, possibly due to noise regulations, so as not to disturb the locals.
The exit was a disaster as hundreds of people tried desperately to cram through a tunnel to a door the size of a small cupboard; however having witnessed the talent of Carl Craig, I could hardly complain, and from what I could see, nor could anyone else.
Leila Hawkins
www.carlcraig-sessions.com
www.secretsundaze.net
