Mr Scruff at Koko

Koko in Camden is Mr Scruff’s London home, a venue he has frequented more than any other artist in the club’s history. Over the course of his years performing there, each event has sold out – fans arrive in droves, and the gigs become less like concerts than gatherings of the famed DJ’s fans. Nevertheless, whether you are a hardened or casual listener of Mr Scruff, it doesn’t matter.  There’s plenty of time in his set to become acquainted with him.

It’s not hard to see why the DJ has chosen Koko as his favourite venue in which to perform in: gargantuan in scale, this old theatre stretches over three floors and is complete with a monolithic disco ball. Koko is the zenith of dance venues.

Starting off with cool and mellow rhythms with heavy samples of Latin Jazz and Afrobeat, the DJ aimed to ease the audience into a relaxed atmosphere before launching into slick bass lines, heavier grooves and funk. Throughout his seemingly interminable set (five hours to be precise), Mr Scruff churned out this eclectic mixture of tunes that served their purpose in entertaining everyone. It was hard not to try and dance with the music and relish the vibrations pulsating through the air.  A few hours in, though, there is a period which is stiflingly lacklustre and feels repetitive.  Similar to a marathon runner, the inevitable happens after a long period of running:  things become a little tired. It’s impossible for anyone to keep a consistent pattern and energy going for five hours, and there were times during the performance when the energy did fizzle out.

That being said, most of the crowd remained animated and enthusiastic, bursting into rapture when the electro swing rhythms of Get a Move On flooded out of the speakers and rejuvenated everyone as the night was drawing to a close. Yes, there were points in the set where everything felt a bit stale but for the best part of five hours this wasn’t the case. If you’re looking for a no-frills good night out, you’re in safe hands with Mr Scruff.

Conor Nyhan

For further information and future events visit Mr Scruff’s website here.