Deconstructed Live began at the turn of the millennium as a showcase for contemporary music. Writing regular columns for a handful of magazines provided access to some of the most interesting producers and musicians operating in the UK at the time, and the gigs – in boutique venues, thankfully looked after by unblinkered patrons – allowed for a varied music policy. This night wasn’t about soul, funk, house, drum & bass, hip hop or getting grimey – rather the opportunity for some fabulous DJs, label managers (and the occasional journalist) to play their favourite records to a receptive crowd.
Deconstructed Live ran in its first iteration for over 80 dates, across half a dozen venues (sometimes 400 miles apart) and what followed was pretty amazing. Like the little club that could, the calibre of these guests – coupled with Darren Whittington’s gorgeous marketing, drew the attention of national and international press as one of the best nights in the world (that’s, the whole world), stealing Club of The Week from Fabric (twice – take that, suckers) in The Guardian (thanks John Mitchell) and the NME (thanks Kieran), as well as being featured in Mixmag, DJ, Muzik and iD.
Each DJ played for between two and four hours, yet only half a dozen records were heard more than once in 140 hours of music. Obscurities, rarities and unreleased demo tracks jostled for attention. Lots of promoters talk up their music policy, but I’d challenge any other club to boast such a variety. Our friends eclectic.
With some foresight, a trusty minidisc was employed to record every single one of these sets and I’ve been looking for a decent streaming music service to integrate into the blog for ages. Soundcloud and Mixcloud are the lucky recipients of this archive; props to DC veteran Superstar DJ Tat – host of the ever-fresh Wildstyle Show – for the tip. I started this archive in November 2009, and will be adding new sets every week. I have enough to do two a week for three years – so it may take a while.
Kingsley Marshall is an academic and journalist who lectures in film and contributes music and film criticism, features and reviews to Little White Lies, Shook and Big Screen magazines in the UK. He was appointed Technical Editor at Clash magazine in 2010, where he writes a technology and games column.