Labour Of Love, Manchester
Manchester house and disco producer/jock Krystal Klear – Dec Lennon to his pals – has had a rapidly evolving career over the past few years, releasing throwback-tinged sounds on Rinse and even penning a track with disco legend Nile Rodgers. As one of the more affable and ambitious figures on the circuit, it’s no surprise that Lennon has hosted such on-point acts as Jacques Greene and Mister Saturday Night at his occasional Labour Of Love parties in London and Manchester. For this edition, Lennon will be kept on his toes in a back-to-back session with Running Back label boss and one half of Tuff City Kid, German DJ Gerd Janson. Ostensibly a DJs’ DJ, Janson has an almost encyclopaedic and ever-expanding knowledge of dance music history, and an unfussy mixing and selection style that always delivers, whether out on the road or at legendary German clubs Panorama Bar and Robert Johnson. Expect cuts from Lennon’s own Cold Tonic imprint, deep-dug classics and generally uplifting house par excellence.
Soup Kitchen, Thu
JT
Kitsuné French Kiss Party, London
As scores of rose-clutching couples head to Paris, the Kitsuné crew are coming back the other way, using their cutesy Gallic electro to blow away any sickly floral fumes. But there’ll be at least a modicum of schmaltz because as well as balloons, pink lasers and “lovers’ cocktails” (read: cherry Lambrini), they’re hosting shamelessly positivist producers Toyboy & Robin. With their sunbursting piano-house, they’re like your friend who proclaims true love on every first date. On hand with a note of jaded caution are Eli & Fur with their pristine and slightly melancholy synthwave. For more romance fringed with mad-eyed gurning on Saturday, try Tama Sumo’s Your Love at Dance Tunnel (E8) or Pure Old Skool’s Valentine Party at The Forum (NW5), with Nicky Blackmarket and Rat Pack. The Laundry (E8), meanwhile, hosts the Work It Valentine’s Ball – featuring more silk than a 90s Galaxy advert.
Village Underground, EC2, Sat
BB
Swamp81, Glasgow
Glasgow has a long history of dubstep, with The Art School’s Fortified Sessions running in near-tandem with London’s FWD» and DMZ nights in the mid-00s. Loefah has long been a welcome guest, too, since his low-slung half-step helped draw the dubstep blueprint. Swamp81, his label, has always combined classic US house and techno with the UK underground, and this lineup is an all-out assault. Loefah helms the main room alongside Mickey Pearce and Paleman, while the Vic Bar is powered by Norwood Soul Patrol and Josey Rebelle. The latter is a particular highlight, with her Sunday morning Rinse FM show making her one of the most respected DJs around.
The Art School, Fri
LM
Crème Organization, London
Entire anthropological studies could be devoted to local wrinkles in Dutch dance music, tracing varying degrees of harshness between Amsterdam, Utrecht and The Hague. The latter’s sound has been substantially shaped by label Crème Organization, whose founder DJ TLR celebrates 15 years in the game by headlining here. His tastes tend towards the analogue, where snares cough under black clouds of bass, vintage synths and acid nastiness. Once scorned in favour of minimal slickness, it’s a sound now firmly ensconced at the heart of the techno underground.
Dance Tunnel, E8, Fri
BB
Hannah Wants, Bournemouth
Influenced by soul, R&B and 80s electro in her youth, Hannah Wants carved out a name for herself in early 2013 with the phenomenal success of Dappy – a gone-wrong remix for the former N-Dubz man. The signature bass line of the now-established track acts as a perfect example of the DJ’s house-heavy output, with its unabashed, ear-popping tendencies. Tonight marks another date in her first-ever headline tour – yet another milestone for the Birmingham-bred producer.
Old Fire Station, Sat
SM
