- Secret location warehouse parties are as common in east London as men with tight jeans and handlebar moustaches. The warehouse scene is thriving and regular "big club" venues are becoming few and far between. So, for a warehouse bash to really leave an impression on its clientele, it has to be pretty special. Return To The Future is a brand new venture conceived by two old hands in the world of warehouse party promotions—Poundtown and Will H. Between them, they have a wealth of experience, contributing to early secretsundaze and Mulletover parties among other London party brands and festivals.
Promising something a little more refined than your typical warehouse affair and a lineup that couldn't have failed to attract a large volume of party people, Return To The Future set its sights high from the outset. The party was held at The Laundry in Hackney, a spacious venue with a smattering of pillars throughout, one large bar and, most importantly, a decent sound system set-up in the corner of the room with simple yet effective lasers. Bill Patrick was in charge of warming things up. He's firmly rooted in the more melodic end of the house spectrum, and, on this occasion, worked through a range of well-received instrumental and vocal tracks, with Guy Gerber's "Lost in You Like a Chinese Cookie" among his selections.
Alexis Raphael then provided a seamless link through to headliners Art Department—one of whom, Jonny White, was celebrating his birthday. A swarm of fans surrounded the decks as the warehouse filled almost to capacity by the time Raphael concluded his set. Amidst the darkness of the warehouse, there was an energy that filled the entire space when Art Department started, and, though it was freezing cold outside, the dance floor was a mass of warm, relaxed and happy dancers.
Vocalist Ali Love joined the fray at certain points during Art Department's set, performing some of his well-known tracks live for the Return To The Future crowd. He sang new single "Games" (produced in collaboration with Luca C as Infinity Ink) and Hot Natured productions "Forward Motion" and "Assimilation," which featured Kenny Glasgow's live vocals as well. (Glasgow also took the mic to perform Art Department's own "Touch You Gently.") These "live PAs" actually worked quite well, offering a little breathing space during Art Department's set which carried on way beyond the usual 6 AM closing time to finish at around 7:30 AM—though it could easily have carried on for much longer.
As I said earlier, warehouse parties in London are ten-a-penny these days, but somehow Return To The Future combined all the right elements (good music, a great space and good organisation with a dash of hedonism) to create one of the best nights of the year (despite the fact that the bar ran out of water and mixers sometime around 4-5 AM).