Shogun Audio @The End - Review

Friday evening saw Killz dashing down from the Midlands to reach the launch of Friction's Shogun Audio night at The End. Perhaps inevitably, it didn't disappoint. Strolled into man-of-the-moment Alix Perez's set, rolling out deeper, soulful beats. Dynamite MC held down proceedings with characteristic energy.

Alix was suitably followed by Klute b2b D-Bridge who continued the deeper vibes. Its a rare pleasure to hear two of the scene's finest producers unleashing their dubs on The End's impeccable soundsystem, where their beats seemed to burst into life. Their set compromised of crisp chunky breaks and rolling basslines that got the true DnB heads excited.

Kenny Ken stepped up in place of Shy FX for a Jungle special that saw the veteran digging in the crates for an hour of rare gems, amidst classics like Leviticus' 'Burial'. The appreciative crowd lapped up the history lesson with smiles and gurns, creating a buzz of anticipation for the headline set.

Shogun Audio head honcho DJ Friction took the helm for a 3 hour journey, with right hand man SP:MC on mic duties took whip up the frenzy. Playing across the spectrum from Liquid to Jump-Up, dubplates to classics, this was the Quartz Lock Kid's moment. His mixing and timing was dependently impeccable, with the biggest tunes, drops and mixes arriving in a succession of bass-driven crescendos. Regrettably the combination of my excitement, smokers memory and 3 weeks has conspired to make me forget the key tunes... although I do recall losing it to Shy FX's 'Power of Rah'!

The Nextmen alongside Dynamite MC provided welcome respite from the crowded energy of Room 1, throwing down their inimitable Hip Hop and eclectic styles to keep the crowd bubbling. The duo always deliver, and were the highlight amongst an excellent Room 2 line-up that also saw Noisia and Ctrl-Z delivering weighty Breaks sets.

Pendulum and Zinc closed out the evening with a plethora of fresh dubs and bangers. To be fair I wasn't feeling their sets as much as the deeper sounds that distinguished Shogun Audio from your standard events - but the raving massive didn't seem to mind. Who could argue when you have been treated to this much quality on one blissful, beats-fuelled evening?