Paula Tape's DJ set and Acid Latino EP launch at fabric, London

A review of the Chilean prog-house DJ's set at Fabric on November 30, 2024, plus an all-nighter by Red Axes

The launch party for Paula Tape's Acid Latino EP at Fabric on November 30 was an exhilarating and even educational event for a techno enthusiast. The Chilean DJ and producer, based in Italy for a number of years, maintained an intensity and tempo you might expect from a peak-time techno set. Weaponising her flair for rhythm and percussion — she is a former drummer — and ear for unexpected sounds, Paula Tape kept the music fresh and constantly evolving without ever letting the energy drop.

A highlight was the title track from Acid Latino, which genuinely achieves the trick of Latinising a springy acid bassline. As it kicked in, she looked up from the console to acknowledge and respond to the applause from the floor, but otherwise she seemed firmly locked into the zone, gently bouncing and swaying as she lined up the next sonic surprise. Paula Tape is an intermittent releaser of new material and is known for eclectic sets taking in Balearic, Italo and more, so this upbeat, dynamic set was a delight, and it was good to see a DJ so obviously enjoying her work.

In room 1 the Israeli duo Red Axes played an epic all-night set. The section I saw was unexpectedly straitlaced for a duo known for their "rock'n'rave" background and zany videos such as Hey.

Their pounding, steady-paced four-to-the-floor beats, given a physical presence by Fabric's ferocious audio setup, sometimes had old-school Chicago inflections and almost took you back to the Lost nights of the 1990s. However, woozy analogue-style synth injections, as in Red Axes' recent track UP, kept the dancefloor reinvigorated, and every so often the arrival of an acid line put an extra spring in the legs. The serious demeanour of the DJ duo, who appeared to barely register their audience, did not perceptibly damp spirits on the floor, but it was Tape's uplifting set that had the carnival spirit.

Review by iagainsti. Hear by new track Droids and techno DJ sets at Soundcloud or Mixcloud