Playlists on Spotify and SoundCloud are a great way to find new music, but only a live feed brings the club experience to your living room. Here’s a rundown of the best club sets we’ve been enjoying lately.
Cafe Mambo
One of the biggest nights at Cafe Mambo, with Fat Boy Slim taking over the decks, is featured on the iconic bar’s YouTube channel. With the sun going down, the lyrics, “eat sleep rave repeat,” during Norman’s set goes large. All livestreams from this hotspot are uploaded regularly. In addition, the famous Ibiza sunset is captured perfectly here by the Mambo Brothers overlooking San Antonio bay, which is a great quick fix for anyone with withdrawal symptoms from the white isle.
Glitterbox
A major highlight of the famous eight-hour Glitterbox Virtual Festival is a set played live in the back garden of Fat Tony‘s London abode. During his uplifting set (very reminiscent of Soho’s Wag Club heyday) the Club Tropicana mix is banging. Plus the dancers on screen beam the vibe of turning every beat into a glitterball moment right down through your computer screen.
United We Stream
Manchester-based United We Stream offers everything from classic DJs of the Hacienda era to live bands, all uploaded under the events tab on the website. This site does what the Northern city does best, bringing a feeling of being shoulder-to-shoulder in a club, straight to your home. Recent sets include performances from Berlin, Tehran and Moscow. UWS has now come to Brighton, streaming local bands and DJs every weekend. Check it out here.
Pacha
Explore the Ibiza super club by joining in with one of their interactive shows. Find these on YouTube or via their Twitter account by checking out the hashtag #pachahouseparty. See what the Balearic superclub is looking like these days and check out what designer t-shirt is on the back of your fave DJ. Pacha’s events go live on Zoom revealing the best of the island. Alternatively catch up with a set from a recent house party. Try a banging techno show from Germany’s finest, Claptone, with a light display that won’t disappoint; ‘CLAPTONE LIVE @ PACHA HOUSE PARTY Vol.1’ is the perfect distraction from working from home.
Ministry Of Sound
The Ministry’s two-day virtual party is streamed live to your home with the added bonus of no queues to get inside. This recent one opens with KC Lights and closes with Paul Woolford offering lots of spaced-out sets in between and leaves the listener with goosebumps. For more sets from the Ministry use the hashtag #ministrysessions to dig out more flashbacks to help create the feeling of partying in person. Or try this classic set from Solardo and Nic Fanciulli performing at The Horniman Museum in South London for the energy and atmosphere of a busy club.
Mixmag
The music magazine’s YouTube channel features this epic afro-house set with live drums by Black Motion in The Lab Johannesburg. The South African Duo brings their unique essence of performance to every set, combining dance, top musicianship and mixing. Other Mixmag highlights are uploaded here, and includes Carl Cox and Fat Boy Slim mix tunes as well as installations of cars spinning on the ceiling and a blissed out crowd at Saatchi Gallery.
These livestreams are a beacon towards good times and it’s a comfort that the Ultra Music Festival in Miami has been confirmed for 2021. Until the industry is fully on track again, you can request your favourite house classic from superstar DJs. Get a shout out from Roger Sanchez during his interactive live set, see Carl Cox’s latest Cabin Fever episode via his twitter account for a full-on 90s rave or leave your requests for DJs Sam Divine and Monki who host the regular interactive radio show for Defected Records.
In fact, Defected Records producer Simon Dunmore deserves kudos for streaming the original virtual stay-home music festival on the very first Friday of lockdown so if your fave DJs is not listed above it’s likely you’ll find them on here.
Needless to say, the majority of these streams invite donations for charities that are doing a huge amount of good in the world right now. As Black Motion tweeted recently, “Let’s Dance. Everything is out now on all digital platforms enjoy!!!”
Words by Lita Doolan
Photo By Nima Elm
