There has been a lot of speculation recently surrounding Studio 338 that has inevitably filtered into London’s dance music community, and tested the strength of the Greenwich venue. Despite the lingering rumours, the club has showed resilience and remained open, to the delight of its revellers and myself who had been poised for the party of the year, HOME.
Upon early arrival, I couldn’t help but think how such an inspiring venue had been thrown into the public eye for the wrong reasons, the door and bar staff were very welcoming, and the security were thoroughly professional in their procedures. Entering the sun filled space, that was fairly empty during the early stages, I felt a wave of energy as I watched venue staff pacing around to place the finishing touches on everything from hanging plants to the sound projection, ensuring all elements were in place for perfection. It was also refreshing to see an open space with parasols behind the booth, which built a personal connection to the floor below, rather than the overhead cabin.
From midday, Francesco Del Garda and Max Vaahs were putting the Void soundsystem through its paces, which sounded crisp and fine-tuned as they warmed up the terrace with a selection of fairly relaxed funk infused tech house, without unleashing any early weapons.
Outside in the open air car park, I was quite perplexed by the soundscapes that were swirling around. E/Tape was the most unfamiliar face to me, so I was intrigued to get a taste of the surprise package. His dysfunctional, hypnotic and experimental escapades were incredibly daring, but they seemed to be well received by the setting of chatting spectators.
With the late afternoon sun retreating behind the grey clouds, I decided to head back to the main room, which was in the hands of Dan Andrei and Cezar who were firing on all cylinders with minimal tribal techno, which was suitably fidgety as they tinkered with hi-hats that teased an infectious dancefloor. The Romanian’s were perfect predecessors for the main attraction, as they kept the rhythms rolling for around 8 hours. You could sense the anticipation for RPR Soundsystem was at boiling point as their counterparts concluded a solid set.
It is fairly rare to see the three maestros grace the decks in London together, but the stage was set for the special occasion. Raised arms, whistling and cheers surrounded the rammed room as the triumphant trio appeared. It was difficult to secure a spot at the front amongst the sea of spectators, but the buzzing vibe was flooding throughout. Raresh stepped up with some marching house that crashed onto the dancefloor like an emphatic wave as he floated behind the decks in his signature style, whipping the onlookers into a frenzy. Rhadoo and Petre Inspirescu delved into more minimal interludes of sharp snares that supplemented a seamless mix of step to the floor house and twisting techno. It was clear that RPR were just getting started, so I headed upstairs to the loft.
Surprisingly, the box like room was fairly filled as Del Garda had returned to share a selection of tough techno weapons that packed a punch for the suitable early hours of the morning. During my second visit to the upper tier space well into the last few hours of the party, Max Vaahs and Manuel Schatz were dropping an onslaught of big room hard hitting power house. Amidst the marathon sets that were being displayed, I only managed to catch a small amount of the Half Baked residents Greg Brockmann and Robin Ordell, but from what I remember, they stepped up to the plate with their signature sound which got a strong reception.
After treating myself to some tenacious sounds which were concluded by Colin Chiddle who lifted the roof off the room with an energetic and emphatic set, I set my sights back towards the terrace which was now in full swing. After clocking up over 15 hours of dancing, my ears were saying yes but my legs were saying no so I decided to trudge through a sprawled out crowd and make my exit.
I was in awe of what I had just experienced and been part of for the duration of the day. I was bowled over by the infectious energy that had oozed through the crowd, who were ready to dance from the very beginning until the very end, as well as each and every DJ that surpassed all expectations, delivering sets full of structure and seamless solidarity. The security and staff also operated both professionally and efficiently, which further emphasized my experience. Rather than a party, the entire event felt more like a dance music tradition, because quite simply there is no place like HOME…
By Sam Quilter
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