VANDEZINE REVIEWS!

Every Friday in September, Yung Singh will be playing at Phonox alongside talent handpicked by himself. Every Friday in September, we will be at Phonox to review these nights.

“Trust the DJ”. That’s what Yung Singh said on his story on the day his residency began at Phonox.

A lot can be said for a DJ who has been described as being “at the forefront of cultural change”.

We’re not going to say anymore. All we will say is Yung Singh is, was, and has always been a phenomenal DJ. Why should we say anymore? Even as I was researching him for this piece, I was disgusted. “Highly lauded”. “Respected”. “Champion of our scene”. “The Ben UFO of our times”. The scene has become obsessed with him, and rightly so.

A statement of intent. When I asked people in the queue who they were there to see, majority said Yung Singh. When I asked what they expected to hear, answers varied from “I don’t know” to “Punjabi Garage”. So what can you expect from a Yung Singh set? From someone who’s played everywhere from Berghain to Sonar (all in one summer). What do you expect? You don’t expect.

Darwin opened things swiftly, delivering hefty sounds through that highly reputed Phonox system, bass heavy hits with flairs of percussion, hints of drill and an intense focus on clean, clear mixing. It became obvious that what we were hearing and dancing to was incredibly rare.

For those unfamiliar, Darwin, also alongside Yung Singh, is described as one of the best DJs in Europe. Her club night, Reef, emerged in Griessmuehle, showcasing the commonalities between bass and techno. It currently lives in Berghain. Clean Scene, her climate action collective, has led to positive change in reducing the carbon output of club culture.

This isn’t a minor name-dropping low-level has-a-residency-on-balamii DJ normally rolled out out for warm up sets but not likely to headline anytime soon.

This is pure talent, and the 3 hours of bass-focused dance ready beats she played made me feel nervous. It made me think, wow, it really doesn’t get better than this. Wow, this is one of the best DJs I’ve ever heard in my life. Yung Singh’s shows are often described as historic, history was made at Phonox by exposing people to a level of skill often talked about but never really heard in the UK.

By the time Darwin’s set ended, I was exhausted. Not one second throughout the duration did I want to stop dancing, stop moving, stop listening. The only injustice was that Yung Singh’s praise for her wasn’t longer once she finished.

It is 1AM and the club is rammed. Fully packed. No one’s ordering drinks, no one’s in the smokers area. All attention is towards the booth, from bar staff to bouncers. Phone cameras out, ready to record. There is a tenseness in the short silence between Darwin’s and Yung Singh’s set. A combination of mystery and excitement.

This excitement is further elevated when Yung Singh when he announces it’s Tailor Jae’s birthday, his partner on the decks for the night and of London’s most exciting DJs. By the time the crowd finishes singing Happy Birthday, the mania begins.

It kicks off with some pumping house, peppered with Punjabi tinged tracks courtesy of the man itself. The crowd are lapping it up screaming and whistling, but to be honest, they could have played anything at this point due to Darwin’s incredible warm up. You start to hear each individual DJ’s tastes merging to deliver a killer output of pure party music.

I quickly became infuriated. Hearing it all around me. Praise. Adoration. The random group of people I had told I knew Yung Singh earlier for clout had completely forgotten about me. I was filled with jealousy. I began to spread rumours purely out of bitterness.

Genre-less is a good word cause really, it means indescribable, and that exactly that the final set was. The span and range of genres explored in another 3 hour power set that was impressive but what elevated it to greatness was how easily it appeared for both DJs to jump from genre for genre, and Yung Singh’s ability to play any tune for any moment was matched by Tailor Jae’s relentless energy and technical trickery, outputting a lethal and targeted combination selection and skill.

I asked Yung Singh what his favourite tune of the night was, and he lied that it was hard to pick. “Darwin was playing a lot of deep, liquid jungle which I love and don’t get to hear out too often but I think I'll have to go with Tailor Jae drawing for Champion - Selecta”. Of course.

Both DJs had previously gone b2b before at The Drumsheds, and had both expressed a feeling of nervousness before their first set together but in this instance, it felt natural. It felt like one sound, a sound that represents what dance music should sound like, what clubs should focus on. Not pretentious programming, or stacking big names, but rather an emphasis first and foremost on bringing in and playing dance music, regardless of genre.

Words by Dare Balogun. Photography courtesy of Yushy.