Reviewed: He.She.They. at Ministry of Sound

Data Transmission took a trip to Ministry of Sound recently for He.She.They. for their pre London Pride event. It’s the party looking to break down barriers and take dance music culture back to its roots, as the name suggests everyone is welcome in this safe space, without prejudice. Dance music spawned from the underground disco that was being played in gay clubs, and the ethos here is the same, treat people as people no labels just humans.

Delving into Ministry of Sound and Miss Kittin is recording live vocals as she spins ‘Premature Ejaculation’ by Bangkok Impact which adds an ethereal quality to the churning disco vibe of the track, as she continues no genre is safe from her exploration. Then the latest acid banger ‘Selecta’ from Ovum Recordings boss Josh Wink, bounces into the mix – full of energy and pace. With the old school sample of “Selecta! Come again!’ amidst rave whistles and acid stabs this was a well received highlight of Kittin’s set. The huge Martin Audio speaker stacks stand taller than 9 foot and impose from every corner of the room, with the music fully engulfing you. Luca Lozano’s ‘Bone 2 Bone’ invites the Rio carnival into our eardrums, from Luca’s album out Boss Moves out now on Running Back. It’s at this point Miss Kittin drops the Optimo edit of ‘20Hz’ by Capricorn, those earth-shattering drums nearly knock the crowd off their feet as if the drums weren’t loud enough in the original now they are front and centre – ready to demolish the nearest building.

It’s not long before Miss Kittin nearly brings the house down with Floorplan’s ‘Baby Baby’, one of the finest techno songs to come out of Detroit or even the states in the past decade. Just after 2AM the menacing and dark ‘Kalif Storch’ gets dropped, from Modeselektor’s recent Modeselektion Vol. 04. The tracks bring it hard and heavy, the crowd reacts with huge screams, bodies throwing themselves up into the air writhing to the bass. After Miss Kittin’s storming set, Polish born Detroit raised selector Magda takes to the booth and immediately starts with a subtler sound, with her focus on the groove of her mix.

She delights us with the second Josh Wink selection of the evening with another slice of the maestro’s acid cuts in ‘Resist’ with it’s pulsating bass and constant mantra of “Resist” – the perfect track for He.She.They. Just after 3AM as the room has swelled with Magda spinning ‘Dial Me In (Club Mix)’ by Factory Floor which brings a more abstract sound to proceedings. Then we take a turn towards techno with ‘Fronting (Twr72 Remix)’ by Michael Klein, a pounding kick drum reverberates around the room as ravers sink deeper into the groove. Throughout the night, performers from Little Gay Brother are dancing and posing in front of the decks adding to the free and unique environment of He.She.They. Magda keeps the tempo rolling with ‘Retro’ by Vinyl Speed Adjust, another grooving track from the Visionquest imprint, that eases in faint acid licks. Taking us through to the end is Louisahhh, who steers the party down the rabbit hole to see what we will find. The room is still going strong as she mixes in Gemini Voice Archive’s ‘Absoluto Disparate’ with its alien bleeps and pumping drums, Louisahhh captivates the crowd well into Sunday morning.

He.She.They is a vital space for anyone to enjoy and be free as themselves, we can’t wait for the next one.

Love and music are both the answer here.