Fabric is one of the largest and most popular nightclubs in the UK. Underground, in the Northern fringe of London City, the club boasts three rooms, with entirely separate sound systems.

Room one also includes the revolutionary and exclusive "Bodysonic" dance floor, a vibrating floor, with 400 bass transducers emitting at the frequency of the music being played. Friday nights known as Fabric Live feature drum and bass, hip hop and electro djs while the self-titled Saturday night is the UK’s most infamous house and techno night.

The club was founded by Keith Reilly and Cameron Leslie and opened in October 1999 since which it has boasted resident and guest djs including Sasha, John Digweed, Chemical Brothers, Carl Cox, Juan Atkins, DJ Hype, High Contrast, Fabio, Grooverider, Adam Freeland, Dave Clarke, and Pendulum.

2001 saw the start of the now legendary Fabric and Fabric Live cds. Released every month each cd features a selection of songs from one of the guest djs, who have played on one of the two nights. I’m going to take a look back at the best of the past selection of Fabric Live compilations as well as reviewing this year’s first contribution to the archive, an offering from fabriclive guest DJ Craze’.

Fabric Live 29 Cut Copy
The electro craze was, I fear, far too short lived. No sooner had shops caught up with its neon promise and our eyes had suitably adjusted, than it was gone, passé, a blurred memory, a juvenile victim of the treadmill of trend. I bought this cd on a whim. Before I understood the difference between fabric and fabric live, before I realized that the kids would pretend not to know who Soulwax were once the UV paint had faded.

I thought it was a handsome investment, every other track was floor filler, and no disc spinner could lose with this record ready to whip out of their back catalogue. Well, at least that’s how it went for a month or two anyway. But forget the glo-stick spinning masses and NME, listening to it now, over a year on, this discosynthelectropunk propaganda still sounds good to me. With funky beats yes, I did just say funky beats) from the biggest names in the 80’s throwback, play toy punk, including the brilliant New Young Pony Club, The Presets and the boys of Cut Copy themselves. A little pretentious. Maybe, especially when you note they have three full length appearances in a mere 25 track mix. (But who am I to judge, I’d play my own music if I’d only made some, heck I’d play it, I’d write about it, I’d talk about it ‘til I was blue in the face.) There’s also a nice infusion of some more classic dance numbers, from artists like Goldfrapp and Daft Punk, not to mention the brilliant inclusion of Roxy Music, those old glam hooligans. But what firmly assure you that this isn’t just another extended player from modular records are tracks like Soulwax’s E Talking and The Acid Never Lies by Riot in Belgium (a particularly popular choice since most of their music is only available on vinyl.)

Fabric Live 9 James Lu Cont
This is the fabric cd which will surprise you. So the very idea of bass thumping through your plimsole’s scared you, and you can’t think of anything worse than being stuck underground with the UK’s most advanced sound system and a bunch of sweaty pilled up ravers, let alone paying ten pounds for the honor? So of course a cd for you to take home and prolong the experience isn’t exactly going to be top of your wish list. The last thing you will do is enjoy the wretched thing. Or will you. You learn two things about James Lu Cont from this album. One that he has a very large record collection and two that he is not taking himself too seriously. He’s not interested in the fancy silver boxes, but only the records in them, and you certainly won’t catch him sporting a fur trimmed hooded jacket or those "crappy sunglasses". In fact the man hates the label DJ, so I’m going to try my best to omit it. So what does it sound like? Something like your aunties 35th birthday disco, ripped up and re-cut by a trendy electro bandwagon DJ. (But of course, he’s not a DJ, and he is quick to point out that he single handedly pre-ceded the 80’s revival). Whatever, I don’t care. This cd features guilty pleasures such as The Eurhythmics Sweet Dreams Abracadabra by the Steve Miller Band, and Gold is your Metal courtesy of Themroc. And surprises like Gouge Away by the Pixies. One might wonder how well this would really go down in a club, but can’t help smiling and toe-tapping when it’s 70-minute vocal happy bumps along into your room.

Fabric Live 27 DJ Format
I should just omit the fact that Matt Ford a.k.a. DJ Format hails from our very own sunny Southampton. Because the likelihood is when I now go on to hail him a hip hop pioneer, Jurassic 5 bus driver, (no jokes), you will ignore me. You won’t even bother processing this information. Instead you’ve pictured Craig David, and you’re sticking with that image. What, you weren’t? Oh well I’ve blown it now. The truth is, forget what he looks like, or where he comes from, this guy knows his hip hop, his soul, and his funk. The disc explodes, Format opening by dropping beats from his own record, Ugly Duckling, the Cut Chemist, and London’s very own experimentalists Coldcut. Then he introduces us to the lady of song herself, freewheeling three decades previous into the blissful sunshine love of Ella Fitzgerald and building up to the zenith number Save Me (as he needed it, he’s flying) by the one and only Nina Simone. This is a fiery mix, a sumptuous buffet of the classic and un-sung classics of hip hop, jazz, funky beat and soul. If you like music, you will like this.

Fabric Live 38 Craze’
Craze’ is the best turntablist on the scene right now, proof being in his title of DMC Solo World Champion, I could cut and paste numerous awards and championships but what are titles and awards? Not everything, but it certainly helps you book a guest slot in Fabric when your

Allie’s crew beats former favorites Scratch Perverts to become DMC team champions. But this cd is Craze’ flying solo, seventy-four minutes of rough beats; scratching, mixing, cutting, sampling, this isn’t your smooth groove commercial brand of hip hop. This is contra-band old-skool beat to the leather ghettotech. He has a renegade style, mixing cuts from darlings of the hour Chromeo, Cool Kids and Bangers and Cash and pitching them against the established turf sounds of N.O.R.E. and Tuff Crew.

As always with these fabric mash-ups there are some real surprises hidden in the mix. For Craze’ the latent grooves of Earth, Wind and Fire are used to fan the flame of hot licks. Intruders such as Armand Van Helden and The Chemical Brothers are brilliant, although barely recognizable in the mix.

So, you’ve developed a taste for the fabric sound? There’s loads to look forward to and it doesn’t all envolve an expensive trip to London.

The hotly anticipated DJ Yoda mix cd is out in April, as part of the fabric live collection. Described as "DJ Shadow with a sense of humour" this guy has an obscure style sampling cartoons and retro adverts amongst other things. Nominated by magazine as one of the ten DJ’s you must see before you die, his unique and exciting set has been sampled by the crowds of Fabric twice since the club opened. Now’s your chance to take him home...

The back catalogue of fabric cd’s is availible online, including all the records mentioned here. At just ten bob each they are a bargain...But even more of a bargain if you sign up to Fabric First. Fabric First costs just seven quid a month and with that membership you not only get the mix cds as they are released but also exclusive ticket offers for the club.

If you fancy experiencing it all in the flesh there’s no better time than now. There are some great acts coming to the club including UK Grime scene legend Sway, up and coming Beastie Boy copycat Kid Acne, and Fabio of Fabio and Grooverider fame.

Not to mention resident DJ Joe Ransom and Bi-monthly guests Scratch Perverts.

 

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