A Review: Fabric x The Hydra @ Studio Spaces

[Above image credit: Anna Mills]

Of the nights booked by the Mantissa crew this Autumn/ early Winter it was always clear that this night would be one of, or the highlight. Off the back of the #SaveFabric campaign, this event was put together by Fabric, The Hydra and Resident Advisor, and with the recent good news about Fabric’s reopening it had more the atmosphere of a celebration party than a fundraiser/rally.
The first act that we saw was DJ Stingray in Room 1, clad in his trademark balaclava and Detroit Tigers baseball jersey. A three hour set including his usual blend of electro, and an unexpected segment of dubstep. It was an intense set to start off the night but highlighted the talents of a DJ who is finally getting the recognition he deserves.

We then moved on to Head High, who within our group unanimously took the title of best set of the evening. Which is something not to be sniffed at on this stacked line-up. His flawless mixing through hardcore, rave and techno, produced an amazing set for a crowd which was enjoying itself more than any set I’d seen this year. The set was also accompanied by the smooth, hypnotic visuals of a camera panning over various cities, most of which were included in their Real Scenes series. They beautifully juxtaposed the music. Some of the standout tracks are listed below along with the sublime closer, Manix (Feat. Marie Antoinette) – Reach Out.

The final set of the evening brought us Ben UFO alongside Fabric resident Craig Richards. With both being extremely adaptable DJs, and having played together on several occasions they complimented each other’s styles with ease. This set of course included more great tracks, however at a much more relaxed pace than the aforementioned acts. Which in all honesty was probably needed after the 5 hours of electro and hardcore we’d encountered earlier in the evening! With both DJs looking like they were enjoying the crowd, and even getting a little boogie on, the music and each other’s company they it was a a perfect combination to see the night out.

The mixture of established DJs such as Jeff Mills and Ben UFO, with those whose popularity has soared over the past few years (DJ Stingray and Head High) and the legendary Fabric resident, Craig Richards this event was always likely to produce a showstopper, and one to remember for years to come. At times a star studded lineup can lead to a disjointed feeling evening, however the lengthy set times allowed the DJs to get into full flow and with all DJs playing a similar brand of music the transitions between sets were not drawn out. It was the perfect way to end a great 2016 season for the Hydra this Autumn, and is hopefully a sign of things to come for the soon to re-open Fabric.

DJ Stingray

Head High

Ben UFO b2b Craig Richards