Finally.
I’d been meaning to catch 2ManyDJs for each of their shows over the past five years in Brighton, but for a multitude of reasons never quite made it down.
There’s always a disappointment to missing a show this big in your home city, however on Friday 19th February, I ultimately made my way to Concorde 2 for my inaugural Radio Soulwax experience (and spent the night cursing my lack of FOMO attitude, because I had been SERIOUSLY missing out).
With “As Heard on Radio Soulwax pt. 2” being an essential feature in house parties across the planet since its release in 2002, it makes sense that a show put on by the same masterminds fourteen years on would gain so much attention. With their revolutionary take on modern dance music, we’re hit with big beats, killer bass, and hundreds of tracks through the night – the mish-mash of genres blended seamlessly from deep-house to indie.
All in all, the result is effervescent, and there’s not a soul in the room that isn’t possessed by euphoria. The night reaches its peak when Blur’s Girls and Boys comes on (Street’s like a jungle // So call the police // Following the herd // Down to Greece // ON HOLIDAY) making the crowd go wild; if they’re not already high from the drugs they’re taking, the music is certainly succeeding.
It’s a funny thing, what a great DJ can do to a crowd, and yet here we are. Three hundred people in unison as the pair split and splice rhythms with almost reckless abandon, doing what copycats can only vaguely imitate, their speed ferocious (there’s one point in the set where my guest turns to me, asking “how many DJs ARE there?”). Yep, it’s no wonder these pioneering Belgian dance brothers are regarded so highly in our city, and return for one of THE biggest parties year after year.
I was fairly prolific in my love for the Dewaele brothers in the preview for the show and, at risk of sounding like a total fangirl, this admittedly has only seemed to grow since seeing them live. I’ll definitely be heading down again for their next performance – maybe I’ll even manage to make it to 4am next time.
By Nammie Matthews
