Bournemouth has always been host to a well-seasoned and varied dance music scene. Dating right back to the original rave culture of the early 1990’s, where free parties and underground raves were at their prime. This vibrant party hub has held down a legacy which has been growing simultaneously with the student population in the area, with regular drum and bass, UKG, house and bassline nights alongside multiple mainstream club nights.
We checked out the growing house and techno scene at Bournemouth’s O2 Academy for Denis Sulta presents +44- One Night Only featuring respected and established artists such as Dan Shake, Holly Lester, Bournemouth’s own Space Cakes and Glasgow’s House music prodigy, Denis Sulta.
Denis Sulta has been described by Resident Advisor as “House music’s next best thing”. Which comes as no surprise for the twenty-something producer who has had tracks included in Jackmaster’s DJ-Kicks Mix, music played by Four Tet, Ben UFO and Annie Mac, alongside a residency held down in Edinburgh’s FLY Club since 2015 and his own record label, Sulta Selects.
Sulta's style experiments with dynamic rhythms and takes influence from various pioneers on the scene, combined with his bold charismatic personality, which transfuses through to his performances. As a selector of arrayed tunes and articulate sounds, with a near sell out and impressive line up, the night in Bournemouth was well anticipated by many.
Opening the night was Holly Lester, electronic producer from Ireland in which 2018 saw her performing her first Boiler Room set in Belfast. Lester holds a residency in Liverpool’s Chibuku Shake Shake where Bicep spotted her skills and excellent selection, inviting her to join their Feel My Bicep mixtape series.
Since then she has found herself playing at Manchester’s The Warehouse Project, sharing booths with Jackmaster, Paul Woolford and more. Opening the night for Denis Sulta presents +44- One Night Only resulted in a demonstration of her ability to welcome the crowd to a night of non-stop dancing with smooth transitions and awakening song selections. Lester played a two hour set covering for Debonair who unfortunately could not make the show due to “logistical issues”.
London-based Dan Shake followed suit, adopting the booth and displaying his distinctive funk touched productions through realms of disco, house and techno. Early on in the set he dropped Daft Punk’s Rock n Roll, alongside other foot-moving highlights such as Disco Tex Clap Your Hands, which encouraged the crowd to dance and embrace the light-hearted, happy atmosphere that permeated throughout the night.
Dan Shake has made himself well established within the electronic music scene, with his debut release in 2014 landing on Mahogani Music, followed by self released records on his label Shake. This master of music has seen himself grow from national to international status, performing at various shows including Dimension Festival, Boiler Room and a monthly residency at Rinse FM.
Headliner Denis Sulta performed a monumental set, showcasing the best of contemporary and diverse disco and techno. Sulta himself enjoyed performing as much as the crowd, soaking up the atmosphere with non-stop dancing to each song as he lined up bangers to translate his talents into good vibes amongst the audience.
Highlights of this anticipated set included Gini D’Agostino’s Bla Bla Bla and Dan Shake’s unreleased anthem which received an impressive social media response on Facebook’s Identification of Music group, originally heard at Lost Village Festival. Dan Shake himself hints at a possible release of the track in May as part of an EP.
The last song Sulta played was a live rendition of the melody to Darude Sandstorm over a backbeat, light-heartedly teasing the entire room with the old time dance floor classic.
Closing the night was Bournemouth’s very own, multi-genre talented duo Space Cakes. These boys have made themselves residency to the sea-side town's quirky venue Sixty-Million Postcards, where they regularly host free entry events showcasing genres from disco and tech, to house and world music. They opened with Bicep Glue, a beautiful and melodic well-known tune, signifying the beginning of the end to an excellent night.
The atmosphere was set by each artist’s passion and enjoyment for the love of their trade. The crowd enjoyed all aspects of the night, overhearing claims of awe at the song selection and fluidity of each performer. Although the event did not completely sell out, the dance floor was always full of energy-infused people having a great time.
Denis Sulta presents +44- One Night Only has made its way across the country to a multitude of cities including Bournemouth and Oxford. The night is now on it’s way to Cardiff and Swansea to showcase and display an excellent array of this well loved genre, which proves the respect of the ever-growing house and techno scene.
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Photography - benjamineaglephoto
Guest Written by Evan Harris
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