On & On...& On Vol. 2 at fabric

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    May 11, 2010
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  • This time it wasn't sunny outside. In fact, the weather had reversed itself and gone back to winter for the first May bank holiday, which saw the second instalment of fabric's extended partying. And, although it might have been unnaturally dark outside at 2 PM on a Sunday afternoon, that feeling of aberrant adventure still prevailed as we made our way down the spiralling, plunging cascade of stairs into the cold-stores below. Only room one was open, and Matthew Dear was wrapping up the last half-hour of his back-to-back with Seth Troxler to a dishevelled, dilapidated crowd. As last time, the sound was at maximum and the fact that it was a Sunday afternoon didn't impede the progress towards the tougher end of the tech house spectrum. We drank a little, danced a little more and enjoyed, again, friendly and funny crowd of people who had made it down from far, wide and slightly nearer (the first bus from Cambridge in the morning for one, just for the daytime pleasures) as well as those who had clearly been pushing things since the late hours of the day before. Photo credit: Nick Ensing Terry Francis took over, and casually edged things up a notch. The crystal clear clarity of room one kept us entertained as the density on the dance floor fluxed and 5 PM rolled round, which indicated it was time for a little repast. We dined, returned and found Carl Craig rapidly filling the main room as the Sunday night shift started to take over and the brick-basement reverberated to jazzy, acidic tones. Good as this was, the real party was to take place in room three, which with its recently refurbed and boosted sound made the perfect party place for the Underground Quality crew over from the states. Jus-Ed got on the mic, Levon Vincent was working the crowd, shaking hands, meeting people and looking like the happiest guy in fabric. The creme de la creme of London's underground house scene were in attendance, the small arches packed. With the exception of a quick trip back to the cavernous confines of room one in time for the start of Pier Bucci's live set, and to grapple with the somewhat dense crowd keen to hear Sasha, the sheer exuberant joy of house in room three kept me there till 4 AM, wrapping up fourteen or so hours of fine partying in the capital on a grey and grizzly bank holiday. There's talk of a third instalment, of more on & on & on'ing, and if the last two are anything to go by, with their mix of the busy, the quiet, the light and dark, the house, techno and everything in between, I reckon it'll be worth another excursion. For this reviewer, at least, these nights-days-nights provide opportunities for everyone to enjoy the things they like most about fabric, at different times, in different places, with different people and different sounds. I'm looking forward to taking it on, again.
RA