Posted on Tuesday 18th January, 2022

"We’ve done quite a few youtube lists over the years, “end of night tunes”, “4am vibes”, general Secretsundaze “Top Ten’s” but thought it would be cool to touch on some scene setters - our opening tracks."

"Of course the direction taken can really vary depending on whether we are opening a room from scratch (playing all night, or all day, as we are at fabric on the 30th) or coming on at peak time or at 4am to play the twilight hours. We have covered most of these bases here!"

This year legendary underground party Secretsundaze are celebrating 20 years! To kick off the anniversary, founders Giles Smith and James Priestley will be joining us on January 30th for a special extended 8.5 hour set in Room 2.

To get you in the mood Giles and James have put together a playlist of their top 20 opening tracks below. Enjoy

Link to playlist here

Roger S - The Deep

Massive track we have opened peak time sets with. Really has a big drama to it. Samples Dexter Wansell! 

DJ QU Featuring Peven Everett & Josh Milan - The Way Just a sublime track that can create a magical moment at the right time. This could work opening a room or very much taking things down after the DJ before.

EBBO - Beat is Pumpin’ All about the accapella introduction on this one! Does what it says on the tin!

Losoul - Sunbeams and The Rain 

And breathe…..Distinctly remember opening a Sunday afternoon Panorama Bar set with this once. Definitely a way to reset the mood. Stunning.

Terry Brookes & Aaron Soul - City life (Carl Craig remix) Definitely peak time action. Action, lights, camera! This one is pure drama. Classy shit as ever from Carl 

Fred P - Reach

Love Fred and we have used this one many times coming on taking it a bit deeper before taking it back up. 

Los Hermanos - Birth 3000 

Use to constantly open peak time sets with this at the party and distinctly remembering it being played in 2002 our first year in the the Loft at 93 Feet East. It’s something we’d draw on to this day. Timeless! 

Reggie Rokes - Brown Sugar

We first picked this up from Joe Claussell’s store in NYC and it’s not left the bag since. Hooky, hypnotic and elegant, one we often draw on for those late night / early morning closing sets. 

M83 - Teen Angst (Luciano remix)

This remix by Luciano form back in the day is quite sublime and we can remember opening up the whole party with this tune at 2pm on many a Sunday in the early 2000’s

Voices - Voices in My Mind 

This is pure peak time action and just a great way to open a set with the dramatic, epic and sexy intro. India’s voice, that pad and b line before the beat drops.

Paul Atreides - Arrakis Walk

Heavy analogue synth bass on this ones, cuts through so strong on any system let alone Room 2. Raw cosmic funk library vibes

Sade - Surrender Your Love (Kenny Larkin mix)

Sundaze staple - nuff said

Brawthwer - Asteroids and Stardust 

This was our introduction to Brawther. Giles used this as the opener on his Resident Advisor mix back in 2007 and we then went on to work with Brawther on our label. Classy and smooth as hell. Perfect mood enhancer. 

Don Carlos - Alone

Obvious one no doubt but at the right moment and with a strong follow up record this can be a great opener. Just a incredible euphoric introduction on this making it a great opener. Ecstasy anyone?

Gigi Masin - Swallow’s Tempest

Sundaze 2pm opening banger from don Gigi..

Fit Seigel - Carmine  Going deeper again - we used this as the opener of our Crack mix that dropped last week. Something for the after-hours or very early doors.

Solid Gold Playaz - Image De Ancestre Another moody number that sets the scene with loads of atmosphere and restraint.

Tenderlonious - Total Recall

Deep resetter from the London musician / producer that did the biz on the opening of our mix for Robert Johnson’s 'Centre Yourself' series

.

Second Hand Satellites - Orbit 1.4

You want deep? Take this! Our old friend DJ Three with this stunner. Remember hearing another old friend Doc Martin opening an Essential mix with this one. 

Blaze - Elevation You can create a real drama mixing this in as your opener with the vocals and percussion before the kick drops or its something to really let play from the beginning and not even mix.

Posted on Wednesday 15th December, 2021

To help keep our community, staff and artists safe, please bring evidence of a negative test result within the last 48 hrs of entry. The easiest way to get tested is to take a self-certified Lateral Flow or PCR test. Tests are free to order from the NHS, we also have tests available to purchase at the door. While no measure is perfect, we hope that ensuring everyone is tested or vaccinated will reduce the risk for everyone.   We will also be implementing enhanced ventilation and surface cleaning, as well as making hand sanitiser available throughout. We have also introduced contactless payments in the venue and, if you feel more comfortable wearing a face covering while you are at fabric, we will have masks available for you.   Love, fabric  

Posted on Wednesday 1st December, 2021

Since 1999, EC1 has never not been making noise. To mark 22 years in the game and the return to music after a worldwide hiatus, our new merch collection celebrates our enduring tagline and our smiley logo, with two classic t-shirt designs and an exclusive limited edition bomber jacket.

Posted on Friday 12th November, 2021

We are hiring for an Operations Manager to join our London-based team as we head towards the end of 2021 and into the new year.

Posted on Monday 9th August, 2021

We invited Resident Advisor down for a first look at our new refurb.

Speaking with director Cameron Leslie and designer Giorgio Badalacchi, they discuss everything from the changes in the small details, to the redesign of each of the main rooms. In this new space, symmetry drives the music front and centre.



Thanks to RA for the feature. Photo credit Luke Kirwan

Posted on Thursday 29th July, 2021

 

What else can we say but thank you!

This one was a long time coming and we couldn’t be prouder of our team, our Artists and all of you that walked through our doors over the weekend, for creating such a special few days.
It was a weekend full of emotional and magic moments that we will never forget.

Massive thanks to you all for taking part and enjoying the music whilst keeping cameras and phones tucked away. We believe this made a huge difference and created an incredible atmosphere.

We can’t wait to do it all over again this weekend.

Posted on Tuesday 27th April, 2021

Home of the English National Opera the London Coliseum is the biggest theatre in London’s West End and was originally built in 1904 as a family variety show venue.

Dillinja & MC GQ

We have invited the owner of the famous low end heavy Valve Soundsystem and a singular originating force in drum and bass history - Dillinja steps up for the first stream alongside the mighty MC GQ.





SHERELLE B2B Tim Reaper

For our final set of the series SHERELLE and Tim Reaper go back to back. Both artists are equally famed for hitting 160bpm in their sets - their union behind the decks here promises to be a high octane riff through bass and jungle

Donate to support the Music Venue Trust’s #savethe20 campaign

Fundraiser raffle for Music Venue Trust

Posted on Wednesday 21st April, 2021

Home of the English National Opera the London Coliseum is the biggest theatre in London’s West End and was originally built in 1904 as a family variety show venue. The English National Opera moved to the venue in 1968, then in the 2000s took over the freehold and lovingly restored the space to its Edwardian details with support and funding from The National Lottery and Arts Council England among other donors.

For this last London Unlocked event, we have invited the owner of the famous low end heavy Valve Soundsystem and a singular originating force in drum and bass history - Dillinja steps up for the first stream alongside the mighty MC GQ. Next up and for our final set of the series SHERELLE and Tim Reaper go back to back. Both artists are equally famed for hitting 160bpm in their sets - their union behind the decks here promises to be a high octane riff through bass and jungle



Set Times (BST):
18:00: Dillinja & GQ
19:10: Tim Reaper B2B SHERELLE

Live stream links:
London Unlocked Microsite
fabric YouTube
fabric London Mixcloud
fabric London Facebook
Beatport YouTube
Beatport Twitch
Beatport Facebook

Donate to support the Music Venue Trust’s #savethe20 campaign

Posted on Tuesday 20th April, 2021

Streamed from the renowned V&A museum amongst some of the world’s most important and beautiful artefacts in the Medieval and Renaissance Gallery.

Midland

A DJ who is heralded for his attention to the craft and delivering classy yet raucous sets touching on house, techno and electro.





OK Williams

OK Williams a DJ known for her multidimensional party starting sets - she works between pulsating techno dropping in some uber freaky bass rhythms and sounds along the way.





Saoirse B2B Shanti Celeste

Two of the most vibrant DJs working today - Saoirse and Shanti Celeste go back to back for 90 minutes.

Donate to support the Music Venue Trust’s #savethe20 campaign

Fundraiser raffle for Music Venue Trust

Posted on Tuesday 20th April, 2021

Posted on Monday 19th April, 2021

The V&A is renowned all round the world - it houses over 2.3 million objects from 5,000 years of human creativity. From fashion, architecture, performance, textiles, photography, sculpture, painting, jewellery and many more art forms it’s an incredible resource of ingenuity. It’s also a breathtaking setting as our artists for this week’s stream perform amongst some of the world’s most important and beautiful artefacts in the Medieval and Renaissance Gallery.

Opening the tonight's stream Midland, a DJ who is heralded for his attention to the craft and delivering classy yet raucous sets touching on house and techno. OK Williams is known for her multidimensional party starting sets - she works between pulsating techno dropping in some uber freaky bass rhythms and sounds along the way, taking over from 6.45pm.

For the last hour and a half two of the most vibrant DJs working today Saoirse and Shanti Celeste will go back to back. The pair individually have become two of the most loved and celebrated artists in club music today - both sharing a passion for crate digging, working through an uplifting and heady selection of gems in their set for London Unlocked.

Donate to support the Music Venue Trust’s #savethe20 campaign

Fundraiser raffle for Music Venue Trust

Posted on Tuesday 13th April, 2021

From London's famous bridge over the River Thames, this week's edition brought us a ream of fire powered sets from Giant Swan, Djrum and LCY.

Giant Swan

Bristol noise-techno duo Giant Swan brings a table of hardware for their hyper-energised set of no holds barred sets of live electronics.





Djrum
Djrum displaying the deft and textured rhythmic selections and layers of jungle, bass and techno he is known for.





LCY
SZNS7N label owner and hardline bass producer LCY brings her fierce-forward, dark and percussive sound to Tower Bridge.

Donate to support the Music Venue Trust’s #savethe20 campaign

Fundraiser raffle for Music Venue Trust

Posted on Wednesday 7th April, 2021

Over the years, we have found ourselves on the receiving end of a humbling and overwhelming amount of support from our community. Looking back on our closure in 2016 the #saveourculture campaign helped us be able to stay open and come back from the brink. Then at the start of last year we found ourselves in a pandemic - where every single venue in the UK was closed. We knew we were facing another hard time but with the help of the Music Venue Trust successfully received support from the Arts Council England’s Culture Recovery fund.

These past few months this grant has allowed us to create projects not only to create content that celebrates our culture in London Unlocked, Limited Edition and Between the Noise, but to employ those who found themselves out of work including DJs, booking agents, sound engineers, lighting as well as a skeleton in house team.

Some venues have not been able to secure this vital life line and the Music Venue Trust have been working tirelessly to support all grass music venues through this hard time. #saveour20 is a campaign to support the most at risk venues currently in the UK - so far they have raised a million pounds and we are helping them to hit their target of £1.75 million.

Working alongside our London Unlocked sound partner Pioneer DJ we have secured some huge prizes in this charity raffle which kicks off today - everything you need for a home DJ set up. Entry is just £5 per ticket (you can purchase up to 10 tickets for more chances of winning). We have also included a runner up prize of the fabric Presents back catalogue so far - on both vinyl & CD.

The prizes:

1st Prize

A home DJ set up from Pioneer DJ which includes the 1x DDJ-1000 and 1x HDJS7 (Black)

2nd Prize

fabric Presents label back catalogue on vinyl and CD including:

• fabric presents Bonobo


• fabric presents Kolsch


• fabric presents The Martinez Brothers


• fabric presents Amelie Lens


• fabric presents Maribou State


• fabric presents Chase & Status


• fabric presents Octo Octa & Eris Drew


• 20 Years of fabric

Enter the raffle

Posted on Wednesday 7th April, 2021

Tower Bridge has been an iconic and practical structure over the Thames in London since it was built over 125 years ago. The giant movable roadway that lifts up is one of the most recognisable structures not only in the UK but in the world. For this edition of London Unlocked we set up the artists to perform over the walkway with views of the city and river around them.

Streaming first are Bristol noise techno duo Giant Swan who bring a table of hardware for their hyper-energised,no holds barred set of live electronics. From 7pm, Djrum will take over displaying the deft and textured rhythmic selections playing with layers of jungle, bass and techno he is known for. Rounding out the session, SZNS7N label owner and hardline bass producer LCY brings her fierce-forward, dark and percussive sound to the Tower Bridge.



Set Times (BST):
18:00 Giant Swan
19:00 Djrum
19:45 LCY

Live stream links:

London Unlocked Microsite
fabric YouTube
fabric London Mixcloud
fabric London Facebook
Beatport YouTube
Beatport Twitch
Beatport Facebook

Donate to support the Music Venue Trust’s #savethe20 campaign

Posted on Tuesday 6th April, 2021

We came home for our 4th edition of London Unlocked to Room One with Love Child resident Josh Caffe performing a live PA with Johnny Aux of Paranoid London and Alex White of Fat White Family. For the rest of the night we moved across East London to Round Chapel - one of Hackney's most important live venues where Archie Hamilton, FAUZIA and Kode9 all took to the decks. Watch and listen back to what unfurled below.

Josh Caffe

Josh Caffe performs a set of sleazy, driving acid house side by side with vogue dancers.





Archie Hamilton

A set of perfectly waved grooves from Moscow Records boss Archie Hamilton.





FAUZIA

The NTS resident works through shimmering broken beats, right up into hard edged techno, jungle and grime for her slot.





Kode9

Almost indescribable sounds from the laser sharp mind of Kode9.

Donate to support the Music Venue Trust’s #savethe20 campaign

Posted on Thursday 1st April, 2021

Between the Noise is a new podcast from fabric - a series that invites creators to share the stories of what they do, what has informed their craft and the challenges they faced along the way. Made with support from Arts Council England, we used this opportunity to share stories from the music community celebrating pockets of scenes, mastering your craft,experiences of living through lockdown and other important stories to help inspire.

EP1: Artists Inspired by Artists with Scratcha DVA, Apple, DJ Naughty, Bamz and DJ Polo

“I’m jus tryna b like uuu bruv!”

EP2: Vinyl in 2021 - what’s next for the thriving format? With Aly Gilani, Cinthie, Russ Ryan, Simon Rigg & Declan McGlynn

“I think that physical connection is what drives a lot of sales.”

EP3: Producing The Producers with Mandy Parnell, Keith Tenniswood & Joe Muggs

“For me my job is that - being the last artistic stage of the process and being a transfer engineer taking it to different mediums.”

EP4: EQ50: More than Music with DJ Flight, Mantra, MC Chickaboo, Sweetpea, Emma Warren

“We all need that moment of encouragement”

EP5: Talking Bruk with IG Culture, Alex Phountzi, EVM128, Cengiz, Risa T, Poison Zcora, Nuff Pedals, James Rudie

“For me it's more of an approach to the music...it's a way to break your beats so they're not so straight 4/4”

EP6: DJ Krust on the edge of everything with SHERELLE with Krust & SHERELLE

"You originate, you be fresh"

EP7 - Living Through Lockdown with Steven Braines with Steven Braines, Lucia Blayke, SYREETA, Chloé Abrahams-Duperry

“When the pandemic’s over I think we’ll all have this reassurance that we can adapt, we can change, we are stronger than we give ourselves credit for.”

Posted on Wednesday 31st March, 2021

This weekend we hit up two venues for London Unlocked. We begin our day at home, in Room One with our Sunday and Love Child resident Josh Caffe’s performing one of his infamous live PAs. Tonight Caffe will sing alongside vogue dancers, Johnny Aux (Paranoid London) and Alex White (Fat White Family) while he showcases the kind of sleazy, driving acid house he’s become loved for.

Heading onwards we stream from the historic Round Chapel in Clapton, East London. Situated in the heart of Hackney, the Round Chapel is at the centre of live music for the area hosting acts in its Grade II listed building.

Performing first from this space, Archie Hamilton brings the kind of offbeat house music that he’s famously kept parties going into extended hours for in his home of London. His set brings the perfect kind of sunshine with blinking and bleeping melodies laid atop killer grooves.

Acclaimed newcomer and NTS resident FAUZIA takes over just before 4pm and shifts the dynamic up tempo, wheeling through shimmering broken beats, right up into hard edged techno, jungle and grime.

Hyperdub boss Kode9 steps in for the final set of today’s stream. One of the most important producers and label owners when it comes to fronting the future of electronic music in the UK, Kode9 shows what sets him apart from his peers with a set awash with heady textures, shifting beat patterns and laser-focused transitions.

Set Times (BST):
14:00 Josh Caffe
14:50 Archie Hamilton
15:55 Fauzia
16:50 Kode 9

Live stream links:
London Unlocked Microsite
fabric YouTube
fabric London Mixcloud
fabric London Facebook
Beatport YouTube
Beatport Twitch
Beatport Facebook

Donate to support the Music Venue Trust’s #savethe20 campaign

Posted on Tuesday 30th March, 2021

The latest edition of London Unlocked brought us home, to our neighbour's yard at Smithfield Market. We invited two of the most exciting DJs working today to perform underneath the steelwork of this historic structure, Batu and object blue.

object blue

For the first hour object blue weaved together rich textures of the deconstructed club sounds she has become known for throughout her career. Over 60 minutes the Rinse FM resident showered us with a world of upfront beats.





Batu

Timedance boss Batu took over from 7pm, with a svelte mix through techno and a heady mix of bass and polyrhythmic structures.

Donate to support the Music Venue Trust’s #savethe20 campaign

Posted on Wednesday 24th March, 2021

Just across the road from fabric in Farringdon, is a place that is part of London’s ancient history dating back to medieval times. On a site that once hosted public executions and was part of a darker side of London life, Smithfield Market as we know it was constructed in the late 1800s and is now the biggest meat market in the country. It’s a place that we pass through and queue up in the shadow of at the start of the night in EC1, and end the night with the meat trucks unloading their products as we leave the club in the morning. It feels like coming home and a special thing that we can for the first time in our history properly celebrate our iconic neighbor’s place in the city.

This is where we have landed for week three of London Unlocked, with sets from two of the most vibrant and leading edge DJs from the UK - object blue and Batu. Streaming from 6pm object blue presents her hyper-modern take on deconstructed club sounds creating dense atmospheres on top of penetrating bass. Timedance boss Batu will step up from 7pm with his svelte moves through beeping, percussive, polyrhythmic techno.



Set Times (GMT):
18:00 object blue
19:00 Batu

Live stream links:
London Unlocked Microsite
fabric YouTube
fabric London Mixcloud
fabric London Facebook
Beatport YouTube
Beatport Twitch
Beatport Facebook

Donate to support the Music Venue Trust’s #savethe20 campaign

Posted on Tuesday 23rd March, 2021

Week two of London Unlocked took us into the back streets of Soho and was filmed at Wavey Garms pop up gallery space in December. A special nod is due here to the brands that celebrate culture on street level bringing together vinyl culture, art and fashion and props to Wavey Garms. Watch and listen back to the performances below.

Fabio & Groove Rider at Wavey Garms

First to perform on Sunday were jungle originators Fabio & Grooverider. Regular fixtures at FABRICLIVE from the opening night back in 1999, to match artists in London Unlocked with some of our own history here in EC1. In this session the pair deliver a sheer masterclass in their sound.





Oneman B2B Bluetoof at Wavey Garms

The second stream at Wavey Garms feature one of the most versatile and technically accomplished DJs in the city Oneman paired with newcomer Bluetoof. In their set they demonstrate how to work expertly through murky techno, plucky electro and layered up polyrhythmic bass sounds.

Donate to support the Music Venue Trust’s #savethe20 campaign

Posted on Wednesday 17th March, 2021

This Sunday London Unlocked heads to UK culture brand Wavey Garms recent pop up gallery in Soho. Everything Wavey Garms do is about celebrating the many facets of creativity in the city through the events, exhibitions and clothing lines they curate. As well as getting into some iconic cultural spaces for London Unlocked, it’s important to represent the places that enable creative endeavours and community as relentlessly as Wavey Garms do.

First up from 6pm London jungle originators Fabio & Grooverider deliver a sheer masterclass in their sound. You just can't but not hold the ultimate respect for these two pillars of the UK sound system and rave culture. Next up from 6.55pm Oneman and Bluetoof move through murky techno, plucky electro and layered up polyrhythmic bass sounds.



Set Times (GMT):
18:00 Fabio b2b Grooverider
18:55 Oneman b2b Bluetoof

Live stream links:
London Unlocked Microsite
fabric YouTube
fabric London Mixcloud
fabric London Facebook
Beatport YouTube
Beatport Twitch
Beatport Facebook

Donate to support the Music Venue Trust’s #savethe20 campaign