On a night when Hospital Records proved themselves to be London's most loved label, the accolades go to the jewel in their crown: Tony Colman – aka London Elektricity. Since helping to found the label back in 1996, Colman has not just been a pillar of drum & bass society, he has broken boundaries, pushed limits and redefined genres, and the crowd at Fabric last Friday were treated to two showcase sets.

A prime-time room slot saw room one packed out for a true London Elektricity exhibition of music: beautifully layered works, painstakingly and lovingly put together. The term 'soulful' is banded around all too readily when it comes to drum & bass, often merely referring to some nice accompanying vocals, but if you want true soul within the genre, look no further than Colman. It hits you deep, touches something within. Truly special.

And although a little less spectacular in nature, the same man's Med School session in room three was just as impressive in its own way: mellow, smooth, almost minimalist, ably assisted by Stray, Synkro and Joe Syntax. A new studio album, due for release in the spring and featuring collaborations with Swedish singer songwriter Elsa Esmeralda, is eagerly anticipated.

Another artist with freshly released material on display was Danny Byrd. Rave Digger, Byrd's latest offering, has seen the man from Bath really push himself into the limelight. Byrd has reinvoked late nineties rave culture to produce something that is almost commercial in style. It puts the fun back into drum & bass, reminds the crowd what they are there to do. Think of Fatboy Slim, DJ Marky and Fabio all blended into one. Lovely stuff.

Cyantific filled his customary late slot with gusto, showcasing some fantastic, furious and fast-paced drum & bass to reward those who had stuck around to see him, whilst Sigma's five to six slot featured all off the duo's big hits from their relatively short existence, especially the remixes of reggae hits by, amongst others, Damian Marley and Collie Buddz.

Earlier in the night Shy FX had whipped the crowd into a frenzy with some heavyweight punches, definitely more David Haye than Audley Harrison. S.P.Y showed why he is tipped to go even bigger in 2011 with a superb early set slightly reminiscent of High Contrast in his pomp, and containing his deservedly lauded tune By Your Side.

All in all, a night that showed drum & bass in all its artistic beauty and brutal power. Perfect.

Words: Max Glover
Photos: Tom Chambers

Related Links:

• Hospitality Q+A+E 2.0
• Hospitality Q+A+E Video
• Review: Hospitality Cardiff
• Review: Ram @ Fabric 11/2/11
• London Elektricity Readies New LP Yikes!

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