A Review: The Yung London Showcase - A Creative Space for London’s Newest Underground Sounds

Last week, experimental collective Yung London showcased some of the freshest sounds from the UK's underground electronic scene at a party in the capital. I had the pleasure of attending - read on to see my review of the night!
There have been some really exciting movements in the Wave scene over the past few weeks. Last Tuesday, 15^th march, everyone’s favorite taste-maker Plastician went live with a mix for Wavemob (The mob later uploaded this via soundcloud, and you can give that a listen here). As ever, it’s great to hear Plastician’s support for the genre; his promotion of the sound means it will reach a much greater range of listeners, and his incredible mixing makes for an exciting and innovative listening experience – the perfect way to showcase what the Wavemob boys have to offer. I know the guys were really psyched about this mix, so big up to Plastician for that. Wavemob have also just dropped an official t-shirt, available for purchase here, for all you Wave heads who want to rep the sound and the label to your friends! As well as this, last week Yung London held a showcase, displaying some of the most creative and exciting sounds on the London electronic music scene at the moment, including Wave. With names like Skit, Kareful and Moonbaby on the billing, this certainly wasn’t a night I was going to miss; I jumped on a coach straight after work Friday, a couple of beers in my backpack, and made my way down to London to check out the exclusive party. It was an incredible night of sick music with a really special intimate atmosphere. You can find my review of the showcase below; I hope you all enjoy reading!

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On Friday 18th March, the innovative Yung London collective showcased some of their finest talent at an exclusive and intimate night in Dalston. I’d been excited for the night for a while as it promised to be a very different, experimental kind of event. When I arrived in Dalston I found that the venue was small and discreet; down an alley off the high street and underground – completely inconspicuous to the average passer-by, and the perfect place for heads involved in one of London’s newest subcultures to gather and share creativity.  The party itself took place in what seemed to be a flat – I couldn’t help but feel sorry for whoever lives there when the lights came on and I saw the state of devastation the place was in. It reminded me less of other club night’s I’ve been to in London and more of my days of uni house-partying; bring your own beer, smoking inside; a generally carefree vibe. The place was buzzing with people actually involved in the music - producers, DJs, hip-hop artists and MCs – and everybody seemed to know each other, or if they didn’t, they wanted to get to know each other – the whole thing hummed with a sense of community that was really special and unlike anything I’ve experienced in a while. It was a very different vibe to the recent night at Phonox, where Kareful and Skit played alongside CVRL; this time the focus was very much on these new, innovative sounds, this community, this sub-culture. There really was no mistaking that, and everybody seemed really excited to be part of it. Big up to Yung for inspiring such passion and excitement for the music and providing a hub for all these talents to gather together!

Hub of  fun and creativity. Credit: Wyatt Dixon

I arrived just in time to catch Skit – incredibly talented producer, DJ, member of Wavemob and a really great guy; check my chat with him from earlier in the year here – closing his set. At this point the room was busy but the vibe was nice and still pretty chilled. I was pretty gutted to have missed this early installment of the Wave sound, but what I did manage to hear got me excited for the rest of the night. As soon as I entered I noticed the immersive visuals being projected onto the back wall behind the decks, courtesy of IN:EXHALE. These consisted of all sorts of lucid images, from fractal patterns to dreamy depictions of faces and scenes, and added a really artistic and immersive element to the intimate atmosphere. The emphasis on these visuals was great to see; it illustrates that even in its early days, this sound is seeking to move away from the dark, underground rave atmosphere which stereotypically characterizes the London bass scene, towards more arty, immersive and visually stimulating experiences that are more appropriate for the sound.

Moonbaby on the decks. Credit: Wyatt Dixon

After Skit came off Moonbaby was up, dropping a sick Wavey-trap kinda set. A notably crazy moment came when she played ‘Awake You’ by Klimeks and Spoze, which got a mad response from everyone. Moonbaby’s unique, trap-heavy sound definitely made a strong impression on the crowd, who seemed to be really feeling it. I think the system may have got turned up at this point, which added to the hype. Actually, I was surprised at how good the sound system was, considering it was a relatively small, private gig. Having a decent amount of bass made all the difference, and since the room was small it contained the sound well. After some serious skanking to Moonbaby’s incredible set, Ducatti Boi got on the decks and dropped some dirty grime and hip-hop, which got the crowd buzzing even further.

The room was pretty packed by this time and was incredibly hot, but those of us jamming deck-side didn’t let this stop us from going in hard! 

Ducatti Boi. Credit: Wyatt Dixon

By the time Aesthetic Kid, one of the main heads behind Yung, took to the decks, the crowd were fully hyped up. Aesthetic Kid delivered an absolutely cracking performance, showcasing a range of genres; his set varied between grime, trap and more chilled sounds. My favourite moment had to be when he dropped Klimeks’ remix of ‘Born In the Cold’ by Wiley – one of my all-time favourite wave tunes! 

Aesthetic Kid. Credit: Wyatt Dixon

It was really great to hear the Wavey sound getting some serious support and love from the crowd in amongst the more grimey stuff, and the whole set was really innovative and exciting.

Kareful. Credit: Wyatt Dixon

Last on the decks was Kareful who, as I expected, dropped a very Wave-heavy set that went down really well with the crowd. In fact there seemed to be just as much hype for the Wave as there had been for the grime and trap being played throughout the night, and this was really encouraging. It was definitely a great atmosphere for the Wave genre to be showcased; the crowd seemed familiar with the sound and really got the vibe of the music, meaning there was a lot more excitement for it than I’ve seen previously. Kareful was headlining and Wave wasn’t a side-lined genre; it was a big event. As an environment for promoting new and creative sounds, I can’t think of a better place for Kareful and Skit to have shown off the Wavemob sound than at the Yung showcase. When Emerald Halls got dropped, it’s safe to say the room went collectively mental, and seeing this sort of enthusiasm for an amazing tune and a Wave set was really exciting. Kareful’s dedication to Wave is really encouraging, and the energy in his sets always inspire a great crowd reaction. Being deck-side that night really gave me an insight into the club phenomenon Wave can become with the right encouragement; and with such talented and dedicated heads behind it, I have no doubt that it will soon be seeing this sort of enthusiasm from larger crowds in larger venues.

Emerald Halls getting some love from the crowd

Before the event, I had had no idea what to expect. I’d been told it was going to be big, but after working all day and travelling, I was tired and my beer-laden backpack was heavy and irksome. To be honest, I wasn’t sure how up for skanking I really was. I spent a while pacing up and down, unsure of where to find the gig, cold and with no internet on my phone to access maps.  But as soon as I got inside, saw the intimate set up, felt the excitement in the air and saw my friends behind the decks, I knew the event was going to be sick. The night really was one of a kind, a hub of community, one of the most special things I’ve been involved in for a long while, and certainly something I’m glad I made the journey down to London for. It exceeded my expectations and is exactly the sort of night I hope to be involved in a lot more in the future, as these creative sounds continue to grow and gain support. Big up to everybody involved that helped to make it so special! I met so many amazing people who are involved in the underground London scene who I really can’t wait to see more of. Yung London pulled off a seriously amazing show. If you’re a fan of Wave or any of the other experimental stuff being pushed by this innovative bunch, don’t sleep on the chance to catch the next Yung event – find the details of that here. Further to this, you can catch my boy Skit playing at none other than Fabric on Friday 1^st April. This billing for this Fabric night is crazy, with big names from across a range of different genres appearing, and will also be a great chance to hear Wave in one of the best club environments in the UK. Definitely not one to be missed; check out the Facebook event here.

Look out for my interview with Wavemob daddy ‘Klimeks’ to be uploaded sometime in the near future. I’ve also got chats with the likes of Moonbaby, Kaelyn and many other big names coming up shortly, so make sure you keep an eye out for those! And of course as ever, keep locking in to Plastician’s weekly Rinse FM slot. Until then, peace out and happy listening! 

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