Solid. Grooves, The Source Maidstone 16.12.17

Are you a groover? You've probably heard that phrase at some point in the last couple of years. Whether it's been on the White Isle of Ibiza, or up and down the UK, Solid Grooves has been making some serious noise. Michael Bibi and PAWSA's creation is committed to providing a unique and fresh experience, focused on a cocktail of lethal basslines, mixed with a groovy vibe. Next on their list was Maidstone, to Kent's leading underground venue, The Source.

It was clear the demand for the event was there from the outset, with the original ticket sales selling out like hot cakes and extra releases being added. However, these extra release tickets priced at a high amount of £35, you could argue hindered the atmosphere in the venue, with The Source being the busiest we've seen it. Moral of the story - buy your tickets early.

Production

Much to our approval, the venue had installed some fresh new tools for the occasion of welcoming the grooves family down to Maidstone. Upgrading their lighting system and giving the main room a face lift with some top notch equipment, which set the scene for the night. A brand new selection of rotating beam and can lights were spread across the space and used to full effect, with some great work by the lighting technician. This along with some powerful strobes were the perfect supplements for those big bassy drops.

DJ Sets

Ramin Rezaie

After Dilli had the room filled from 10.30, first up from the Solid Grooves family was Ramin Rezaie, who’s frequently featured in recent Solid Grooves line ups after laying down some impressive sets this past year. Straight from the get go he had the main room light on their feet, bouncing around with an extremely well thought out selection of tracks; (a lot of them being his own productions) that saw us riding a wave of musical mastery. A particular highlight of the set was hearing his very own track ‘Jibberush’ for the first time on The Source’s Martin Audio sound system. Released on Solid Grooves’ new label; Raw, it’s an absolute stonker and rumbled through the venue, hyping the crowd early on. As the set drew to a close, the hand over to main man Michael Bibi was met with a round of applause, both thanking Ramin and welcoming Bibi.

Michael Bibi

Co-Grooves founder Michael Bibi stepped up next and had some big tracks up his sleeve. The Solid. Grooves head honcho has had his fair share of experience behind the decks, in the studio and also on the dance floor. Entering into the underground scene and landing his first pair of turntables at the age of 14; electronic music is in his blood. His set played example to this, featuring some unreleased material which after the reaction of the crowd, we don't expect to stay unreleased much longer. The venue now full to the brim, with Bibi having the crowd singing along to Jack N Danny & Tim Baresko's 'Sing It Back', featuring the sample from Moloko's original 1999 release. The iconic vocals sending goosebumps down your body before rolling into a thumping drop.

Dennis Cruz

Next to grace the decks was the Spanish phenomenon, Dennis Cruz. One of our favourite artists who's has had his name up in lights for award winning production and delivering sets full of nothing but heavy hitting stompers. Being huge fans of his production, we couldn’t wait to hear his tracks blast through the main room sound system with devastating effect. Fisher’s latest release “Stop It” set the tone and made an impact on the packed out main room, being met by a rapturous cheer. Banger after banger followed and just before handing over to PAWSA came the moment we'd been waiting for, as Dennis' very own monster; 'Mad' blasted through the speakers. Slowly building vocals which end with a spine-tingling drop, commanding the dance floor and blowing the crowd away. Our set of the night!

Pawsa
Last to take the mantle that would bring an end to the Maidstone groovers party, was co-founder Pawsa. The London based DJ/Producer has made a serious name for himself in the underground scene over the past few years, and it’s not hard to see why. His signature sound makes use of beefy kicks and clap loops, alongside energetic vocal samples that provide a unique old school vibe, which rocks the dance floor.  It’s also not hard to spot the tech house giant, who towers over most of the crowd and can often be seen joining in the party himself, as he danced away all night in the DJ booth. Pawsa’s set started off slower than the hard hitting selections from Dennis Cruz, focusing on a more steady 124 bpm beat which slightly lacked the energy and enthusiasm we were hoping for. Nevertheless, the main room remained packed full of groovers right through to the end, something rarely seen in many clubs. The latter half of the set upped the tempo, with Pawsa dropping a fast edit of Robosonic’s classic ‘Rise’ remix to pump up the crowd one last time, as the curtains began to close on the Solid. Grooves showcase. 

Overall

Another milestone for The Source; who’ve had quite the year, now adding Solid Grooves to their growing list of brand partners. A strong performance delivered by the Grooves family, however the balance of the crowd:atmosphere was affected by the sheer amount of bodies in the main room of the venue, with some of those in the crowd paying £35 a ticket. Something which could work better in the venue’s street parties, with more floor space to work with, spreading the crowd which the ever-popular Solid Grooves parties attract. Then again, who knows what The Source already have up their sleeve for 2018. 7/10