The warm-up
Corsica Studios' closing party and In The Booth with Benebe
Hey, welcome to the first-ever edition of Front Left.
London has no shortage of music coverage: event listings, Instagram accounts, hype cycles on hype cycles. What felt missing was something a bit slower and closer to the ground — conversations with DJs about why they started, dispatches from people who actually go out, writing that treats dance music as culture rather than just content.
I often think about scenes in terms of circle openers and circle closers — people who guard their circle from outsiders, and people who open it up to anyone curious enough to step in. I try to be a circle opener, and I want Front Left to feel like the same: a trusted friend that makes club culture in London (and beyond) a little easier to access.
So Front Left is an attempt to document the scene from within it. I’m 36 now, and I’ve been bouncing around clubs for as long as I can remember. I’m still amazed at the mix of people and situations you can encounter when you dig just below the surface of London nightlife.
Each edition will bring a mix of interviews, essays, recommendations and small observations from the floor. Some weeks, like this one, we’ll spotlight the DJs keeping London moving. Other weeks we might dig into a trend, a venue we've visited, or something you should have on your radar. I've got a couple of excellent people helping me out behind the scenes, and I'm sure you'll get to meet both Michael and Martina soon.
At the moment, everything is entirely free. That might change in the future, but this weekly email will be free forever. There might be additional stuff, but we'll be transparent about what the deal is.
Thanks for being here at the start. I'd love to hear about what you're upto, what you think of the newsletter or what you want from something like this. You can just respond to this email.
See you front left - Jake
Closing Time for a London Club Legend
Corsica Studios is closing at the end of this month. They've just announced a huge closing party for 28 hours over the last weekend of March, starting on March 28 and rolling over into Sunday.
I'm hoping to find tickets, though the presale is while I'm at a wedding, and I'm told it's poor form to spend the ceremony desperately refreshing a page to get tickets. Wish me luck.
What I won’t be doing is hanging around for the full 28 hours. I did 25 hours at Fabric for Continuum last month, and I’m fairly certain it permanently altered me as a person — a level of endurance I’m not keen to revisit. But I do feel like I need to mark Corsica’s closing.
It feels weird to eulogise Corsica Studios because it doesn't feel like the end of a club. I've seen a lot of clubs close in London, and it's a shame to see a venue go, but nightlife marches on and for every place that's closed I've seen new spots open. Most clubs have different eras, with the quality of the bookings and the crowd going there changing wildly over the years. Corsica closing feels more like a close friend moving away forever.
I haven't been in a few years but for a while, Corsica was my spot. I've cemented so many friendships or met so many great new people —ravers I still see out and around today, or text about records — there, mostly in that crowded smoking area.
I don't even smoke.
Smoking areas are a pretty integral part of club culture for me. Outside the main room, caught between beats, chatting away while you're totally uninhibited because of the hours of sweaty dancing, music or even just pure inebriation. Those moments, brief and unassuming, often become the connective tissue of a night, and sometimes, years of friendship. Most of this I learnt in Corsica, especially as I cruised past 30 and needed to sit down a bit more after a boogie.
Tapping away, I thought about talking about some of the other exceptional smoking areas around London—watching the sun come up on Fold's decking is a highlight— but instead I wanted this to just be the virtual equivalent of pouring one out to Corsica Studios. Some of the most memorable times I had there was with a friend who's now in Copenhagen, which really hammers home how ephemeral nightlife can be.
So, to Corsica then, and embracing the incredibly temporary nature of what we do.
In the Booth - Benebe
You never know quite what you're going to get when you go to a Benebe set. An eclectic selector, his sets feel physical in the way the best dance music does: percussive, slightly mischievous, twisty transitions that take you from one track to another before you even know what's happening.
This Friday, all roads lead to Swedgers, the wonky-house extravaganza that has taken on a mythical status amongst the people I go to raves with. Benebe and co-host DJ Cash in Hand will both be playing at Signature Brew on Blackhorse Road, joined by Madelic and a special B2B between Hodge and a mystery special guest.
Here's Benebe in his own words. But if you really want to get a sense of him, why not click his guest link for Front Left embedded below. If you're reading us in your inbox, you might need to click here.
For our guest mixes, we ask DJs to play whatever they'd want to play to a full room if genre was no object and then we ask them to describe it. Here's Benebe: "I don’t tend to overplan so I picked out three or four ‘core’ records as a spine and then the rest I plucked out as I went along, as I feel this provides a more natural representation of my mood at the time. This mix encapsulates a broad range of more clubby sounds you might expect to hear from me at a Swedgers or a Cabal, or another event if someone would like to book me! There’s some swedgy wonkiness, some straight-up bangers, and some deep cabal-esque groovers, all of which I hope provide a good insight into what I might play and what I might dance to."
What is your earliest memory of dance music?
"Dance music was everywhere when I was a kid, there’s not an earliest memory of any particular genre, but my first tangible connection to dance music came when I was around 11 or so, going to my brother’s mate’s house to pass the time over summer holidays. His mate had a pair of Technics and put on Outer Space by Prodigy - that was wild to me, I hadn’t heard any of that stuff on the radio or the more pop-focused NOW compilations. I think that changed my direction of travel forever, musically."
What’s the first track that made you understand what a dancefloor could do?
I used to be fairly regular at hard house and trance nights in and around Leeds, back when physical ID was a nice-to-have. Sundissential was a favourite back in the day. It’s interesting now thinking back, because we talk so much now about community. Back then in the late 90s and early 00s we didn’t talk about community, we were a community. It’s just how it was, no showboating. Anyway I digress - it’s at Sundissential that I first heard Tony De Vit’s ‘The Dawn’. He’d died by that point, so that emotion coupled with the raw yet positive emotion of the track just made the dancefloor light up. And to be there, dancing amongst a genuine, organically grown community, just made it all the more powerful.
What do you notice from the booth that no one else sees?
I try not to stare at people on the dancefloor too much in an effort to ‘read’. I tend to focus beyond those at the front, who are usually bought into what I am doing anyway. What I do notice, or seek to find, is general energy levels and engagement in the music as an overall feeling. Those in the periphery are equally or more important in this regard and it’s from there that you can sense where to go next. I also notice chat - the master volume can be great at dealing with that but it can also be a sign that musically it’s not quite where people want it to be (if you’re beyond the warm-up hours).
When was the last time a crowd surprised you?
I think it was the 2nd edition of Hoxton Cabal where the music focus was a bit more minimal (not quite Rominimal). Given it was the 2nd edition, the hype of the first had dissipated as is always the case for new events. I didn’t want to follow that up with gradual increases in musical hype, that isn’t the point of Cabal, and so we went deeper. What surprised me was how engaged people were with those very minimal sounds - perhaps a drum beat with a subtle acid line weaving through, and how some of the people on the dancefloor bought into it and allowed themselves into their own little world supported by the music. One case in point being ‘Fried All Day’ by Dan Formless, on the Bank of Switches label - amazingly simple yet otherworldly, and coincidentally included in my mix for this newsletter.
What part of you only exists on a dancefloor?
When I can get away from the chatter (love you guyss xx) it’s my headspace. If the music and the vibe is right, I can really deal with a lot of personal shit on the dancefloor. Whilst I promote events and DJ, and all that goes with it, I am actually quite introverted, so it’s there where I can deal with some emotions, work some stuff out and rebuild my social battery.
What song do you keep in your back pocket to cause trouble?
Anything gnarly from the Guns n’ Roses catalogue.
Who's your partner in crime?
Most of my events I run with Afaan, an incredible human, friend, DJ, music producer and promoter. I met Afaan at my first open decks when re-emerging from a very long (circa 12-year) DJ hibernation. The rest is history, really, we are so naturally aligned with our vision and we've already created more than 6 recurring events. I'd say all of those events, which focus on a different style of music or vibe between them, have been successful in expressing what we want to musically, regardless of whether or not they sell out. Whether it's ambient/experimental/electronica at Chill:In, bass-heavy, queer-led line ups for CounterCxlture, the chaos of Ogging, or the joyful intensity of Ether, we really enjoy bringing something different each time.
Why do you dance?
I think responding to rhythm, and thus dancing, is innate in most humans. I always find it incredibly odd when I meet someone who says they don’t ‘like’ music. I am also finding more and more, in the modern technology-infused approach to music, that there is almost an apathy towards music. That all feels very strange to me, to the point of frustration, because I truly believe those people would be happier if they engaged more with music. It’s not the genre or whether it’s pop music or not, it’s just that very basic interaction with it. So why do I dance? Because I think I am inherently designed to do so and that it is good for my mental and spiritual wellbeing.
What did “Swedgers” mean before it became a night—and what does it mean now?
I met Jez (DJ Cash in Hand) at Hoxton Cabin Open Decks a couple of years back and we got on immediately. Maybe it’s our northern sensibilities but we connected instantly. Over the course of a few open decks we realised we both really liked this wonky style of house music - a bit punchier than your go-to house sound, infused with a wonkiness that is hard to define. Anyway I realised every time I played something along these lines, he’d call it a swedger. I’ll admit I had no fucking idea what he was on about at first, but I soon linked the sound and the word together. We talked about putting on a night and when we eventually got around to taking that post-four-pint-pub-chat seriously he asked me, ‘what should we call it?’. There was only one answer, it wasn’t debated for a second, we both knew it was the right name for our night.
Was there a moment where Swedgers stopped being a joke and became real?
We ran our first couple of Swedgers events at Hoxton Cabin, a place we both love and will continue to love, and it is where I hold my monthly Cabal residency. However, we both knew we needed to branch out for Swedgers eventually, it’s just that type of party that feels more mobile than others, perhaps in part due to the amazing artwork that Jez has pulled together to give Swedgers its own identity. But it’s when we moved away from the Cabin and into the wild (in that case to Next Door Records Two) for the first time that shit got serious. The risks were higher, financially and in terms of delivering a good party. The pressure was on. We delivered and we now have the event at Signature Brew to look forward to, with a line-up that couldn’t get more swedgy, frankly.
What do you want people to know about Swedgers?
I want people to know that Swedgers was formed based on a shared love of the wonkier end of house, breaks and techno, and we want to take people on that journey with us. We’re not showy, we don’t like making reels, but we do love a fucking good wonky bassline that turns your knees to jelly and your brain to a lovely cup of mushy peas to go with your Friday night fish and chips.
What's on?
Swedgers is my pick of the week. Benebe and Jez always put on a good party, and a lineup that good for less than a tenner is an absolute steal. Elsewhere, Corsica Studios continues to throw phenomenal parties as it runs towards close, and Fold is, yet again, importing some Berlin techno for anyone willing to make the trek to Canning Town. Ed Banger Records is taking over the Cause, Daniel Avery's Phonox residency kicks off, and that's just Friday.
Just another ridiculous week in London. I'll be bouncing between Swedgers and Ed Banger, disappointed I can't clone myself.
Saturday is also looking pretty busy. Drumsheds is not my scene at all, but I am a sucker for Drumcode and think anyone with even a passing interest in Drumsheds will be packing themselves into North London's heaving ̶i̶k̶e̶a̶ superclub. BHAN, a day party at Egg on Saturday, seems like a good fit if you want a more chill vibe with the event boasting snacks, a bar filled with nonalcoholic drinks and event time divided between socialising and dancing.
I'm hopping on a flight Sunday morning, so I will be abstaining from any Saturday night activity, but that also means I'm missing Queens Turntable, where you can swing by without a ticket and catch a free (vinyl-only) set from Drastic Shuffle.
Anyway, that’s the plan. If you need me, I’ll be front left somewhere.
Friday
Swedgers Signature Brew Blackhorse Road
I Love Acid Corsica Studios
Ed Banger Records: Busy P b2b Gerd Janson, Myd, Breakbot & Irfane, Tatyana Jane The Cause
Daniel Avery: 4 Fridays Phonox
Boudica x Gegen - 10 Hours Extended Fold
Saturday
Drumcode London with Adam Beyer b2b Chris Avantgarde, Kasia, Cassian b2b Kevin de Vries Drumsheds
Mella Dee (All Day Long) Phonox (Day party)
BHAN - raving with kindness Egg (Day party)
Sunday
Queens Turntable: Drastic Shuffle Kings Arms E2