Rudimental

Ironically dancing in Cindies and portraying it as some guilty pleasure lends a false sense of acceptability to the shit night life in Cambridge. We shouldn’t be embarrassed to admit that, and it certainly doesn’t make us pretentious.

The lack of an alternative to the dulling monotony of Cambridge nightlife is something we’ve depressingly come to see as perfectly ok, and it just isn’t. Where we go out is defined by what day of the week it is, rather than the music, the venue, or the performers.

Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t know who ‘Peverelist’ or ‘Metrist’ is, and nor have I listened to their music. I also have no clue what ‘forward thinking music’ is, as the flyers for Rudimental advertised. But my concern is less with what direction the music was going in – what I care about is the fact that somebody is thinking about Cambridge nightlife at all.

Everyone I saw seemed to be reeling off the sheer novelty of music, which ranged through dubstep, techno and bass. And all of these have their own various adjectives like ‘heady’, which, though I don’t understand, I was bloody loving all night.

And this brings me onto the other unique facet of the night: it began at 10 and continued until 6 in the morning. The anticipation of a night that has the potential to be a really big one, rather than resolving ourselves to a 2am finish.

Napper Tandy and David Zhou have also managed to escape the ruthless grip of C.R.E.A.M, unlike BodyShop. Their incorporation of nights such as Klubnacht is not altogether negative, as it is bridging the gap between the mainstream and alternative scenes. But by staying independent, Napper and David get complete control over the music they play, concerning themselves with the quality of the music rather than the quantity of the crowds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tH-1P8N3__0

That said, the music did get kind of dark quite early, and it seemed to drive quite a few people out. This left a very sparse dance floor towards the end of the night, which could have been avoided with some more upbeat tracks to keep spirits up and the dance floor full – at least until a bit later on.

But overall, Napper and David have created a night that is sadly unique in Cambridge. Their command of a variety of musical genres was outstanding, and negotiating cheaper drinks at Fez just made it better. Hats off to Rudimental; don’t stop.