- New venues are always springing up in London, but few have had the sustained impact of Oval Space since it appeared in 2012. A venue that during the week hosts everything from fashion shows to corporate events, it's transformed on weekends into a dark, cavernous dance floor that's become a favourite of clubbers in the UK capital. The interior is simple, with a crisp soundsystem that offers something beyond the warehouse competitors that pockmark East London.
Art Of The Muse returned to Oval Space in March, with Tale Of Us playing alongside Joy Orbison and fellow Italian Vaal. Berlin collective Pfadfinderei provided live visuals, delivering a mixture of bright cartoon images, surreal tableaux and other arresting motifs as the beats thumped against our chests.
Vaal warmed up the room with blocky, carefully restrained grooves, raising the temperature while keeping the adrenaline in check. By the time Joy Orbison took over, the dance floor was simmering gently. The UK heavyweight easily fell into the groove, upping the tempo with dubby, booming 4/4. Hanging around long after the headliners appeared, he seemed as game for the night as any of us on the other side of the barrier.
Tale Of Us's entrance was greeted with cheers. Their confidence behind the decks was plain to see, and for artists steeped in such an aura of cool, they unmistakably enjoyed themselves throughout their set. Deftly building momentum in waves with rolling, pulsating tracks before releasing the dance floor's pent-up energy, there was enough subtlety to please the musos, but standing amidst the swaying mass at 4 AM, the overriding emotions were pure abandon and delight.