The DJ desk went to the Drum&Bass Arena Awards 2010, George Binning gives us his thoughts on an excellent night out.
It doesn’t feel quite right, lounging in the splendour of the Clapham Grand watching the 2010 Drum and Bass Arena Awards being dished out. It’s not our ill gotten box seats that make me feel uneasy, it’s the fact that this ceremony exists at all. Of course a heap of award-worthy work is produced in the field, but it’s a bit like giving awards for the most anarchistic punk music: it just makes the whole thing seem a bit, well, institutionalised.
But why not throw a fantastic party to celebrate how well you’ve done? There’s no point grumbling. Reaps One set the night off with a booming ‘schweghfwshhh’, he is the best dnb beatboxer, maybe the best beatboxer I’ve ever seen. Then the came prizes, presenters, speeches and the general daisy-chaining that comes with such events. I felt a little sorry for Radio One’s Nihal and Jemma Bolt, who had to stand on stage blethering and shuffling nervously whilst everyone else had a raucous time and paid absolutely no attention to them at all. Netsky, who picked up best new producer and best album, was also completely incomprehensible when he took the microphone. “I’m a DJ: no good with words.” he said afterwards, “But really happy tonight.”
Perhaps the highlight of the evening was Jenna G’s flawless performance following the ceremony. Pitch perfect, resonant, charming and beautiful, she seemed to be having a ball both on and off stage. I’m not afraid to admit that for that night only, I developed quite a school-boy crush on Miss G.
Another big winner of the night was Hospital founder and London Elektricity DJ Tony Colman, Hospital won best Label while Hospitality scooped best event and best promoter. Grinning from ear to ear he told me that he had threatened to kill someone when the organisers insisted on playing half an hour of pop and house immediately after Jenna, but to no avail.
The man responsible for this thirty minute assault turned out to be former DMC Champion DJ Blakey, who actually played a pretty good set after the initial wobble. I don’t want to dwell on the Jungle institution too much, but “My god. Lobster with beetroot textures, ricotta dumpling and watercress was next level. So so good.” was not what I expected to read on Blakey’s twitter a few hours before the show.
Whilst the awards were dominated largely by a kind of Royal Family of Drum and Bass, a good few other members of the aristocracy had turned up to show their support; Bailey was lurking in the background giving the old, “DnB is here to stay! We love it.” MC Tonn Piper made the trip down from Manchester, giving us a hint of an upcoming project with Sean Ryder. TeeBee made an appearance too, though he wasn’t giving anything away about his next album with Calyx, except that it’s going to be out within a year and big (his words not mine).
Whether you see the point in prizes or not, DnB Arena sure do know how to fill a room with the biggest names in the business, and show them a great time. If you haven’t quite had your fill of awards, tickets for the 2011 National DnB Awards in Birmingham go on sale on December 4th.
And the results are:
Best DJ: Andy C
Best Producer: Noisia
Best MC: Skibadee
Best Newcomer DJ: Camo & Krooked
Best Newcomer MC: Messy MC
Best Newcomer Producer: Netsky
Best Single: Link 2 The Past- Loadstar
Best Label: Hospital
Best Event: Hospitality
Best Promoter: Hospitality
Best Venue: Fabric
Best D&BTV Set: AMC
Best Video: Gold Dust – DJ Fresh
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