The Easter bank holiday has come and gone, but it was only a week or so ago that Tobacco Dock proved it can pull in punters from all sides of the dance music spectrum. Good Friday saw Hospital Records lead the charge for a day of upfront DnB, whilst Saturday saw Hot Since 82 bring his esteemed Labyrinth showcase to the London venue.

With a successful Labyrinth residency already under his belt, we expected nothing short of quality house, techno and minimal, from all those involved. And that’s exactly what we got. From the dubby tellings of Archie Hamilton, through to the darker sounds of Dubfire, we were impressed. Mightily impressed; as Tobacco Dock once again proved itself to be a venue that can attract dance music fans from all walks of genres.

We’ve stewed, we’ve mulled and carefully pondered, over the tunes we feel dealt the most damage in the dance. Here they are below!

Track No. 1 – Esa and Narchbeats featuring Pendo Zawose (Blast)  – Dekmantel

Grimeyyyyyyy. Not for the faint hearted, a piercingly drawn out synth leads into a heavyweight clap. Chuck Pendo Zawose’s tribal vocals into the mix, and boom you’ve got a record that can absolutely level the dance. Categorising this one by genre isn’t really possible, and that’s exactly how we like it to stay.

Track No. 2 – Oxia and Nicolas Masseyeff (Connivence) – Diversions Music 

Dubfire. Car Park. Dark, sporadic lightshows. And this. Majestic, moving, one of those ones that nearly bring a tear to your eye in the rave. However, it wasn’t the original below. We’re not sure what the remix was, nor in fact can we seem to find it. Perhaps an upcoming Dubfire release? Who knows. Either way this was a very beautiful moment.

 Track No. 3 – Rhoowax & Iglesias ( Keep on Dancin’) – Noexcuse Records

Archie Hamilton. Our top pick from the day hands down. The man’s a wizard, not just with track selection, but mixing as well. We’re in the Little Gallery, it’s around 3 o’clock, and a warming vocal sample starts to tell us to “Keeeep on dancinnnn”. Boom, we’re hit with a wobbling beep, reminiscent of a woodpecker pecking, some stinging hi hats, and the occasional pulse of an acid sounding blob. Words can’t do it justice – this one you’ve got to hear.

Bish, bash, bosh. A day, into night, into three tunes. Excellent stuff, excellent vibes. Kudos to Tobacco Dock, it’s a force to be reckoned with!

Photo Credit: Chris Cooper