Review: Mono_Cult New Year's Day Party

Reviewed by: Ben Plant

New Year’s Day is the new New Year’s Eve these days, and we decided to bring in ours at cult Leeds favourite, Mono_Cult at the Faversham.

Their NYD parties are legendary for being intimate and authentic affairs, with past bills including Reboot, Jonny D, and Matthew Dear, to name a few. Artists such as this represent their policy of booking fresh, exciting and up-coming DJs, and this year they went one step further.

On the programme for NYD 2011 were Wolf + Lamb hotshots Soul Clap, Wagon Repair’s The Mole, and Crosstown Rebels’ head honcho Damian Lazarus. An exceptional line up by any account, boasting an equal blend of old and new talent; and with added bonus of a day and night party, this was sure-fire sell out.

As the event approached, tickets became like gold dust. However, it was a relief to hear that organisers were still allowing people to pay in on the door throughout the day, even releasing a special pay structure.

Yet at the 11th hour a message was sent stating that they were now in fact only going to be letting punters in after 9pm. This was disappointing for many people who had already made arrangements to travel down to the event on previous reassurances that they would be able to get in; especially those coming from further afield. However I have to say it was a move that meant customers could always move around and dance with space and comfort and avoided over-selling the gig.

We arrived shortly after 6pm to the warm deep house sounds of Soul Clap; educating the crowd with a beautiful blend of US influenced house laced with warm disco sounds that progressed brilliantly; eventually getting dirty and dark. This subtle, smooth and deep sound coming straight from NYC is sweeping the house scene at the moment with Wolf+Lamb firmly leading the way. This music is a breath of fresh air from the heavy bass lines and fast-paced melodies we are accustomed to these days. This was perfect music for the time of day; the only thing missing was the sunshine!

Unfortunately after the impressive set from Soul Clap, we used the time to take a breather and missed most of the Mole’s set. However, from what we heard it sounded like he bridged the gap beautifully from the slower-paced sounds of Soul Clap to the dusky sounds of Damian Lazarus.

Next up was personal favourite Damian Lazarus, who schmoozed the crowd with his elevating house sound that had everyone on the dance floor grooving optimistically, before transitioning into dark and brilliantly trippy house music that added a distinctive edge to his set. His music style is unique and combines influences from all different areas of House, Techno and Electronica, to give a warm and enriching sound that is inspiring to many. Lazarus continues to impress year after year; one of the many reasons people flock back and continue to be amazed by his ever impressive music knowledge.

After dancing our socks off for nearly 8 hours, we retired gracefully and left with the belief that if 2011 continues to deliver intimate and intelligent parties like Mono_Cult, our ears are going to be in for a treat this year.

Mono_Cult has set the bar high already, and we hope they continue to punch at this weight throughout 2011.

Tickets are no longer available for this event