Secretsundaze @ Arches, 24 August 2008

Secretsundaze @ Arches, 24 August 2008

28 August, 2008
by: Robin

Seven years ago it seemed funny when Giles Smith and James Priestley started doing open-air house raves in London, during the day. It might sound like a no-brainer now, but it's a pretty eccentric thing to have come up with. In any case, Secretsundaze is slightly more successful than the Saturday night in an average promoter's wet dream.

It's obvious where a lot of the appeal lies: if people want to see DJs like Luciano or Ricardo Villalobos anywhere else, they're going have to make it to seven in the morning. The hours at Secretsundaze on the other hand (2pm to 10pm today) are exceptionally civilised. This probably makes Smith and Priestley business geniuses, but they deserve credit in other areas too. The latest location, a big courtyard in London Bridge, at twilight is basically magic. Imagine you're at the garden party of an extremely popular person, who has a talented way with shrubbery and nice taste in lighting, and you're almost there.

Now pretend they have some famous DJ friends, if you like. Carl Craig is the August headliner and probably the only one of those Detroit icons who you definitely need to see, rather than just appreciate for his 'timelessness' or ‘innovation'. Like him, Smith, Priestley and Keith Worthy (their other guest) play house and techno in a way that's soft, lengthy and absorbing (not that there's any reason to compare it to toilet paper). None of the others have Craig's dark streak, but their relentlessly cheering style isn't fluffy or annoying. It's a talent because it's easy for overwhelmingly ‘positive' music to seem self-satisfied. (Personally, I find it makes me picture a bald man, with baggy linen trousers, doing a little arse-wiggling dance. This inevitably brings on the rage.)

If anyone at all has come here straight from an after-party this morning, it's not obvious. On the contrary, everyone seems fresh, like they've just spent a weekend making organic salads and playing tennis. That's why no-one spills your pint. It's also why by 9 o'clock people look like they're at the peak of the best party they've been to for months.

If you're a teenager with the mental and physical capacity to successfully lose your mind at 6am, it's possible you're not going to be interested in any of this. Enjoy it while it lasts, but honestly, daytime clubbing is your future like everyone else's.

Click here to see all London dj music
Click here to see all London House
Click here to see all things to do in London

Robin