Swamp 81 @ Cable 1.10.11 Review

We Fear Silence presented Swamp 81 x 502 Records earlier this month boasting a massive lineup including Loefah, Boddika, Zed Bias, Addison Groove, Pinch, Jam City and Trusta which was obviously going to pack out the main room. With 502 Records taking control of room 2, the night poised to be a special one.

I arrived fairly early to catch Oneman open the second room. The dancefloor was virtually empty but it didn’t stop him from doing his thing, offering a mixture of vintage house and garage. I must have seen Oneman over 15 times but he literally never fails to impress, with his mad blends spanning virtually every tempo.

I made my way into room for the start of Loefah, who delivered a set full of hard, rolling 808s and crushing acidic bass lines that have become almost synonymous with the Swamp 81 philosophy. Project, Music Deep Inside and Ellipsis were all highlights and it came as no surprise when Swims got a massive crowd reaction and a subsequent pull.

Believe it or not I’d never actually been to Cable before, and despite hearing a couple of negative comments about the system it sounded powerful and crisp as Boddika stepped up. The last time I saw Boddika he played an incredible set on a boat in Croatia, and in a somewhat different setting, he didn’t disappoint, laying down some ridiculously rugged techno riddims that I unashamedly lost my shit to. Ending with ‘When I Dip’ it was probably my favourite set of the night and reinforced my opinion that he’s one of the best DJs in the country right now.

Addison Groove was undeniably impressive, skillfully blending between footwork, bubbling house and bits of funky. Footcrab got a predictably massive (and deserved) reaction, but the best moment by far was his Jimmy Mack remix, which must’ve got at least a couple of pulls. Pinch switched up the vibe with some grime and dubstep late on, before Trusta (aka Tes La Rok) closed the night with some stomping acid and 808 flavours.

Overall one of the best raves I’ve been to this year. The DJs were brilliant; everyone in the crowd was cool and the vibe was perfect. It almost seems like a cliché, and at the risk of sounding cheesy the UK underground music scene is genuinely an exciting thing to be involved with at the moment. Long live Swamp 81!

Words by Ashley Oglina
Photography by Andrew Witts

Check out the rest of the pics on the Cable London Blog & Resident Advisor