The London based 33 brand have once again showcased another event in the UK capital, this time in the vibrant area of Brick Lane, East London. An area known for interesting creatives and a bubbling underground music scene, with the newly refurbished 93 Feet East as the venue of choice; a fitting location for the rapidly emerging brand and their talented roster of DJs.
33 continue to evolve and adapt to their new found growths, headed by a forward-thinking team, who’ve crafted a inclusive family feeling in their crowds, whilst providing a platform for their residents and guests to showcase their talent. After two successful years in the game, 33 landed in Shoreditch with their well respected resident DJs; Karter, NinetyOne & Late Replies, alongside some top flight guests including Habitat owner Roger That and the rapidly rising ALISHA, ready to bring some thumping tech house to Brick Lane.
Venue
True to it’s home location, 93 Feet East is a quirky, eccentric and promising medium size event space. Offering tasteful decor and stripped-back industrial feel, the venue has attracted many brands and renowned DJs to grace the area. Welcoming Groove Armada and housing Enzo Siragusa’s Fuse residency have been just some of iconic moments which make up the venue’s history, since being established back in 1999.
In January 2018 the venue underwent a large refurbishment, keeping the raw and industrial theme at the heart of the refurb, whilst installing some core enhancements in the form of sound quality to keep ravers engrossed in the party.
Drink Prices
Fairly standard prices for a venue situated in the heart of Shoreditch, with beer/cider at £6 and water for £2.50, although you could say at the pricier end for mixers at around £6.50 a pop.
Heat
Points in the night did reach a hot temperature with the venue filling up, we imagine this could be uncomfortable in the summer, so installing some ventilation and fans would be a great addition.
Venue Staff
Two bar workers were present for the majority of the night, quick on their feet to serve and although at peak times a queue did build, the additional bar outside helped spread out the thirsty crowd.
Crowd
Family vibes throughout. A real welcoming and positive atmosphere where it seems a tight-knit following and crowd has been formed, for both the artists and the event runners. Even ourselves who were meeting many of the 33 family for the first time, felt right at home and a part of the proceedings.
Production/Sound
Production
A minimal and intentionally light-touch production set up within the venue perfectly complimented the raw and gritty settings, giving a real old school rave feel to the room. Rotating beam lights attached to a rig overlooking the floor space and a powerful strobe behind the decks filled the dark room with a perfect balance of colour, whilst a unique touch of fluorescent light bars running from one side of the room to behind the DJ booth finished off the scene. 33 branded light boxes and signature rubber ducks completed the set up.
Sound
An impressive sound offering which boomed through the walls provided a solid audio experience for the day/night. The newly installed d&b soundsystem was used in full force, with one large speaker & sub stack to the side of the room doing most of the work, whilst additional booth monitors finished off the job.
DJ Sets
Tim Taylor
The upcoming DJ/producer hailing from Warrington who’s been lighting up the scene of recent, had the duty of setting the tone for the day during the early proceedings. Arriving at 33 hot off the back of his Billie Jean edit, which has since swarmed the scene over the summer months. With further ingenious releases since and undoubtably more in the pipeline, there’s no stopping the aspiring artist.
From early on in his set, the young selector demonstrated his technical ability; looping the iconic vocals of Cajmere’s Percolator behind the warping beat of “The F**k Off Track” by Dungeon Meat (great name for a track). Further in saw the tempo rise with Hauswerks & Doorly’s recent release “Put Your Back Into It”, another vocal groover to keep the energy levels at a steady pace. Towards the closing moments saw some harder hitters come out to play, with Mirco Caruso’s remix of “Da Da Dam” giving the d&b system a nice little sound test.
ALISHA
As we reached peak time, Peterborough based ALISHA known for her vocal-laced tech house sets took to the CDJs. 2018 has proved to be a breakthrough year for the artist, with her first stab at production leading to a release on Green Velvet’s illustrious label; Relief. “Trip” has since had the nod of approval from the label boss himself in countless sets throughout the past few months.
Opening to the eager crowd as she meant to go on, the thumping “False Start” by PAWSA erupted through the speakers, overlaid with an acapella of Eric Morillo’s “Dancin, I Got The Pills”. Keeping the atmosphere electric, she later follows with Alex Rubia & Maika’s infectious rhythms of “Loud”, leaving the whole room and even the DJ herself dancing along. With the venue packed out and locked to ALISHA’s command, Eddy M’s “Power Back” builds the atmosphere to an all time high, and blasts it’s way through the speakers to mark another blinding set from one of 2018’s rising stars.
Late Replies
With the night drawing to it’s final moments, the dynamic duo of Kastro David & Josh Lewis, a.k.a Late Replies jumped in control of the decks. The 33 residents have recently found themselves busy with performances for London heavyweights ABODE, Ibiza/Manchester’s powerhouse brand; Sankeys and have recently caught the attention of Solardo, with a scheduled appearance at their Studio 338 event next month.
The pair have propelled into the limelight with their signature style of energetic, fast paced grooves and their track selection at 93 Feet East was no exception. Harvy Valentine’s 2016 track “Fluorescente”, was a prime example with it’s springy melody raring the crowd from early on. Further into the performance and the tone began to raise further with Guille Placenia’s “Snappy” proving to be an instant hit. Nearing the end of the action-packed set saw a real highlight in the shape of “Roll It Gal” by Intrusive, reverberating off the venue’s stripped-back walls. The track’s vibey vocals were the perfect energy boost to keep the crowd going into the dying moments of the day.
Overall
Another top London venue ticked off for 33, as the positive vibe fuelled party continues their journey into the scene. Opting for a shift from their usual set up of production heavy venues was quite a gamble for their following, who are used to lasers and co2 cannons. However the risk paid off, with 93’s raw, underground settings giving a new found lease of life to the party and demonstrating their ability to adapt to new surroundings. Who knows what’s next for 33. 8.5/10
Images
Neil Ritchie (ratemyrave)
ratemyrave.com 