Even as someone who gave up Catholicism a very long time ago, walking into St. John at Hackney Church around 6pm to see hordes of dancers still felt a tad unholy. Anyway I didn’t attend the church to ponder if I could ever really escape Catholicism. I was there to see Eamon Carter and Justin Carter, the label bosses from the burgeoning label Mister Saturday Night, play an extended five-hour day time set.
Admittedly, I had initials doubts about the venue’s high cellings and wide open spaces being suitable for Carter and Harkin. Even at their most boisterous, their sets are always inflected with emotion and nuance; things which can often get lost in such a large space. Yet, as the pair began to weave effortlessly from joyous disco to groovy acid house, it was clear my doubts were completely unfounded. With a host of global fans and years of DJing experience to their name, it became clear the duo were capable of adapting their sound to meet the needs such a vast environment.
After having the crowd in raptures with a host of Detroit techno classics, the duo suddenly brought us into the world of James Murphy with the jagged rhythms of LCD Soundsystem’s ‘Losing My Edge‘. This moment was characteristic of their set that constantly wrong-footed the audience, setting a tone before diverging somewhere completely different.
Yet, Harkin and Carter were also unafraid to play a mix of underground classics (Armando) and popular contemporary sounds (HNNY). There’s no pretence about a Mister Saturday Night set. It’s simply full of music that people either are familiar with or immediately connect to and it’s this emotional attachment that has singled the duo out as great selectors.
They may not take you on a spiritual journey like some. But Mister Saturday undoubtedly create a amazing party. In the often self-important and overly-academic world of underground dance music, this is a harder feat to achieve than it often appears to be.
Salutes as always to Black Atlantic for bringing Mister Saturday Night to London. Their next two appearances in the capital is for a Mister Sunday party (10th April) and for Sunfall Festival (9th July) for an afterparty with Rhythm Section.
