Skip to main content

Neighbourhood at Plastic People

With Ben UFO, Boddika & Alexander Nut

Sometimes you forget how spoilt you are living in London until it comes to a Wednesday night and you find yourself part of a heaving cue outside Plastic People waiting to hear a line-up that includes Alexander Nutt, Boddika and Ben UFO.

Just like Thursday night’s weekly FWD>>, the monthly Neighbourhood specialises in all manner of bass business, resident, promoter and tonight, birthday girl, Tasha, a Rinse resident on Stamina's show (Tuesdays 1am - 3am), kicking our night off with some dark, subby d&b steppers.

Alexander Nut, another Rinse regular and the main man behind Ho-Tep and Elgo (alongside Floating Points), slows the mood down, his jazzy intro giving dancers a break in the sweltering heat before he segues into booming hip-hop. Eglo regular Fatima is on hand for a live set, her powerful vocals heaping golden delicious soul over an instrumental of Souls of Mischief’s ’93 ‘Til Infinity’ and recent Funkineven collaboration ‘Soul Glo’, before stepping aside for Alex to switch things up with a multi-tempo display, Africa Hitek’s ‘Out In The Streets VIP’ drawing the link between footwork and jungle, and a flourish of dancehall, girls whining all around us, closing his account.

Boddika’s full on assault could be the soundtrack to Skynet’s takeover, visions of robotic feet crushing human skulls bouncing around our brains. Essentially raw techno and Detroit electro with a modern twist, Jam City’s forthcoming Night Slugs banger ‘Countess’ fits seamlessly amongst his own industrial jams, Plastic People’s combination of micro dancefloor and macro soundsystem adding to the intensity of the experience.

This being a school night (plus DJmag deadline week), we can’t stay for Hessle Audio’s Ben UFO, but having already had a full body workout - and what feels like a sauna - this is a Neighbourhood we’ll be watching and visiting often.

Words: Joe Roberts