Flashback to a chilly November eve in 2010, with the club scene in London in full bloom. A queue stretches around Cable with ravers itching to get inside to lose themselves amongst the arches and leave the working week behind.
They’re queueing for a sold-out Shogun Audio night featuring the likes of Friction, SpectraSoul, Fabio, Alix Perez B2B Icicle B2B Rockwell, Calyx & TeeBee, The Prototypes and more.
Inside the energy is electric. The magnitude of such a gathering at such an iconic venue begins to sink in as each artist steps up to showcase an incredible blend of classics interspersed with dubs. The buzz is infectious, and each person present knew they were a part of something special.
Enter SpectraSoul & AD. With a 4-5AM time-slot the pressure was on to deliver a performance that’d keep the stamina crew captivated. Fortunately we were there to capture the moment, and boy did they deliver something special… A set that had the entire room heaving, covered in goose bumps, exchanging filthy faces with every drop. This was one for the history books, one for the archives. Take a trip down memory lane, this is one helluva throwback…
Flash-forward 7 years and SpectraSoul are about to fulfil yet another monumental milestone: the release of their third album, this time on their very own Ish Chat Music imprint, as well as an album launch at XOYO next week featuring the likes of Break, LSB and more…
How We Live sees them going back to their soulful roots, injecting a modern twist aimed at a club environment. Packed with vibes from start to finish, it’s some of their best work to date.
Positively buzzing after listening back to their set from 2010, we took the opportunity to catch up with the guys ahead of the album release to chat nostalgia…
That set was a bit of a vibe! What made this night so special do you think?
Jack: I just remember that it was a really late set and i’d been to bed at home, got a cab to the club in the middle of the night, and turned up and did my thing. I remember that i’d planned a couple of mixes out (Recycler > Tudor Rose) and that I knew what kind of set I wanted to play for that time of the night. I’m pretty sure i played before Friction? I think Dave had another show elsewhere on the same night!
It was one of those set where everything clicked and AD was smashing it. The vibe in the room was memorable!
Certainly was! Do you think the culture of clubbing in London has drastically changed since clubs like Cable shut down?
Jack: For sure. I don’t think clubs like The End and Cable can really be replaced or emulated. Having said that though, we’re doing our launch down at XOYO next week and, even though I haven’t even been to the club before, from what I’ve seen it looks mental. I’ve heard really good reports. Should be a one for the books!
Dave: On one hand I do feel like the golden age of London clubs has been and gone. But then on other days you’ll turn up to a new club, with no expectations and the vibe blows you away.
You’ve come a long way since that night at 7 years ago… If you could give yourselves one bit of advice back then, what would it be?
Jack: Don’t take it all too seriously. Relax, be confident in what you’re doing, and believe in yourself. Cringe cliché.
Haha, but valid, nonetheless. A set like this stirs some serious nostalgia and a lot of people no doubt remember this night like it was yesterday – do you both have that one special set you remember back from your own raving days that has stuck with you?
Jack: I used to go see Andy C religiously when i was about 17. Every time he played in Brighton, I was there. A few of them were memorable. To be honest though, the one I remember most was seeing Marcus Intalex play in room 2 of Hospitality at Heaven. Marcus was a gifted DJ. He’s sorely missed.
Dave: I clearly remember seeing LTJ Bukem play for the first time when I was 16. I’d gone on a post-GCSE boys trip down to Newquay, seen a poster in town that he was playing so me & a pal broke off from the group for a rave-up! The set was amazing, Conrad was there too, and from that point on I knew I wanted to get into DJ’ing.
Catch SpectraSoul at the How We Live album launch at XOYO next week – event details and tickets.
How We Live is due for release October 20 on Ish Chat Music – pre-order here.
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