Written By Ben Hargraves

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Funnily enough, I didn’t think I would be back at Electric Brixton for a while after Monstercat Uncaged, yet mysteriously, I was back after less than a month, and for good reason too. When a few of your favourite labels want to throw gigs at you every few weekends, why wouldn’t you go? 

 

As soon as you walk in, Electric Brixton presents you with an awesome two-story layout, so if you’re not feeling like getting down into the nitty-gritty of the mosh pit, you can watch from the balcony above and get a prime view of the stage, visuals, lasers and the surroundings in its entirety. Of course, that’s not me. It’s Liquicity London, it’s drum and bass. If you aren’t there to get down, throw down and carve some circles in the pit, what are you even doing there?

 

We ended up managing to get ourselves into quite a decent spot down on the main dance floor, just to the right, and as a result, were rewarded with amazing views throughout the entire night. Additionally, we magically secured our sesh spot right as Maduk dropped “Ghost Assassin” - arguably his biggest hit to date (and a quality banger at that). Over his hour-long set, we got plenty of classic Maduk with hits like “Stay” (I know it’s originally Delta Heavy guys, come on), and even his cover of Calvin Harris’ monster hit “Not Alone”. There’s always more though, what set would be complete without a cheeky bit of Pendulum thrown in, and what a way to start bringing his set to a close.

 

Later in the evening (and the main artist I wanted to see at Liquicity), it was time for Koven to take the stage. I’ve been lucky enough to see Koven previously, and they didn’t disappoint, blending live vocals with the fast pace of drum and bass to create a unique act. Vocals in drum and bass has always been a personal favourite amongst sets, but adding the live element to it creates something completely new.

Finally, at 2 am, Koven emerges to “Love Wins Again”, and already you could feel the energy picking up in the room instantly. There’s something special about artists who sing whilst mixing, or playing an instrument, it’s more than what I can do at the very least. Other favourites like “Take Me Home”, mange to get the crowd dancing around and back into the swing of things after Maduk’s set concluded. Koven had it all. Lasers, vocals, dancing, mosh pits - it’s everything you need for a quality night out - and then throw in the cheeky heavier tracks like “Never Have I Felt This”, which really feels a bit more future bassy, and has more of a drop than you would expect to get at a liquid DnB gig, and added a nice bit of variety to the set.

 

Following Koven was Fred V, as part of his solo tour (less Grafix, unfortunately), but that doesn’t mean you get half as much energy, passion or talent. Instead, you’re getting a discography from two original artists, but with a single individual’s unique style and interpretation. I won’t claim to be as familiar with Fred V’s solo work as I am with the duo, but we were still privy to an awesome hour set, with an epic visual show and quality dancing (Obviously not from myself).

 

Up last on the list of artists I wanted to watch, was Feint, a powerhouse DJ who has had some amazing collaborations with Laura Brehm and countless others to bring vocal Drum and Bass to light. Through a combination of his own music flair, “Witchcraft” from Pendulum, and a dash of Koven added into a single song, it already felt like a statement and saying “I’m home. I’m back”. But that wasn’t all, I did NOT expect to hear my favourite song of all time - “Strangers”, by Seven Lions - mixed into a DnB track, and this was honestly something that I hadn’t ever encountered before, and really hit home with me at the time! In the first thirty minutes we’d had DnB, a bit of progressive trance and even a cheeky bit of hardstyle (Courtesy of “Us Against the World - Darren Styles”. This all continued throughout the set, with unsurprisingly, Laura Brehm having a few notable tracks being played - thanks her to constant vocal collaboration in DnB tracks.

 

All in all, Liquicity was a fantastic event. It never felt like a struggle or battle, clocking a 7 hour total duration, starting at 11pm and finishing at 6am. Not to mention that having Koven in a 2am slot helped to break up the styles of drum and bass a little, as often times having an MC on stage the entire time can be a bit annoying. Although I departed soon after Feint’s set, I’d also like to note that his set was an excellent way to start wrapping up the night, with a larger amount of variety in his tracks and layered vocals over the top too.

 

I’d like to leave all readers with this, for any of you who think that all drum and bass music is the same, I truly endeavour you to get out to a Liquicity event, or even have a look into some of the artists I’ve mentioned here, and you’ll discover a diverse range of talent, and plenty of new tunes in your playlist. 

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