Pete Chapman and Alison Couldridge find Matter to be a glowstick-wielder’s paradise as they enjoy Paul van Dyk's first set at the new Greenwich superclub.
Paul van Dyk put on a superb set for his debut at the new Greenwich-based superclub Matter. Although Paul no longer classes his style of music as trance, there were plenty of trance-like vibes and quite a few hands-in-the-air moments.
His set certainly kept the crowd entertained. There seemed to be very little in the way of fillers and he ensured a rapid progression through tracks ensuring the crowd never had time to get bogged down in one beat.
Support from Oliver Smith and Mark Rundell was also top notch with the three together keeping Room 1 buzzing way past 6am.
There was, apparently, a Room 2 but there was never that moment where you thought, ‘I wonder if the music's better next door’ so I never ventured far enough to find and the space in the main area remained packed throughout the night.
Matter itself, The O2 arena’s latest offering, is no less than a glowstick-wielder’s paradise.
It’s a short walk from the Thames Clipper stop, for those who fancy an alternative way of arriving and, although the queues looked daunting, ticket-holders only had a short wait before they entered and immediately witness the already-packed dance floor through the awesome laser shows. The layout ensures clubbers are no more than a few feet away from the DJ box, allowing them to marvel at their idol at work, should they so wish.
Although it’s a Fabric spin-off, Matter seems to be trying to tap into a slightly more commercial vein of music, putting superstar DJs such as Eric Prydz, Mauro Picotto and Paul van Dyk, with a few Fabric crossovers act such as Pendulum and Krafty Kuts, on the bill.
Fabric is also well known for its Live nights and has been pinnacle in helping promote the live aspect of dance music and showcase the increasing talent which is developing in this area. Looking at Matter’s line up of live acts from Alphabeat to Sam Sparo, this again shows a deviation from Fabric's usual too-cool-for-school line-ups.
This is no bad thing, Matter seems to be evolving as a different flavour of fabric, sweeter but reduced fat and, though a little less crunchy, it's still packed full of calories and will leave you satisfied with a beaming smile on your face, until Monday morning arrives at least.
This weekend at Matter catch the Wonky Pop Christmas party with Sam Sparro, Alphabeat and the Rumble Strips live. Dec 12. 10pm to 5am. £12/£15.
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