Many of the best nights out are impromptu – nocturnal adventures that unfold without planning. I’m not saying there isn’t something to be savoured in a long-anticipated gig or celebratory night that’s taken months to organise, but there’s an undeniable thrill when the universe sometimes just says, “Hey, have this!”
Due to lockdowns and Covid-19 restrictions, 2020 and 2021 (thus far) have been the arch enemy of impromptu nights out. Many around the globe are still forced to stay at home. Thankfully, the digital age allows us to embark on adventures without stepping out of the door. Let’s call them Lockdown Lates.
Shared Joy
I was pleasantly surprised when my good friend Andy Smith messaged me the other night. He told me DJ Paul Dakayne was playing a tune called Time, by Light of the World, on his Saturday night Twitch stream. As teenagers, Andy and I saw this band in concert in Bristol and loved it. Andy’s message was a reminder of different times – of the shared joy you experience when discovering gigs and clubs for the first time.
Twitch-y Feet
Light of the World’s brand of ‘Britfunk’, as it was termed, rarely crops up on the radio these days so it was good to hear it receive an internet airing. I jumped on the stream but Paul wrapped up his show soon after. He offered viewers the choice of transferring over to his buddy, DJ McKay, or to NYC legend François Kevorkian. Those in attendance (myself included) opted to give the lesser known chap a go. Soon enough, we were listening to a different soundtrack broadcast from I know not where. It was cool but Andy and I got itchy (virtual) feet.
Master at Work Louie Vega was playing to 450 folk only a click away and we headed to his live stream. Vega was pumping a smoking tune from 1975 called Crystal World by Crystal Grass . With Andy in East London and myself in West London, we joked how our laptop-based shared journey felt like wandering together from room to room in a club!
Unexpected Turn
Next up, our Lockdown Lates took an unexpected musical turn. Andy opened the door to a heavy dub reggae session hosted by Ruffneck Sound System from their home city of Campinas, in Brazil. I entered and posted a fire emoji to show appreciation for the earth-shaking basslines. The DJ jumped on the mic and gave me a warm welcome in Portuguese. From a city an hour’s drive north west of Sao Paolo that I had to google to locate, the DJ pumped out Jamaican built grooves. Yet I felt most at home in his house of music.
Leaving this stream was tough. Particularly when the DJ dropped a Brother Culture jam as we made our way to the door. Andy has worked with Brother Culture on a Greensleeves mix album, and I’ve worked with him multiple times too. By this point though, we were rolling and Andy knew that Skratch Bastid was playing at the same time also.
Connecting the Dots
This time the soundtrack was funk and hip-hop expertly delivered from a living room somewhere in Canada. Another listener noted the presence of my buddy Andy. “Are we in the presence of the legendary Andy Smith?” he enquired. Soon enough, Andy and our new friend were talking Portishead, The Document mix album and so on. Music was connecting the dots once again, from continent to continent and living room to living room.
I steered us to Baltimore-born pioneer Maurice Fulton, who was mashing up some deep techno laced with ’80s disco. It’s unclear exactly where on the planet it was coming from. With spaceships on the screen, maybe Maurice didn’t think the physical location was that important either. Lastly, Andy guided me to DJ Evil Dee, of Brooklyn-based crew Da Beatminerz, and some more heavyweight grooves.
Voyage
The night had turned into quite a session. Countless anecdotes laced across our screens as we voyaged the globe listening to great music and sharing memories. Of course, it isn’t the same as rolling around together in the real world. But we’re doing stuff now that was science fiction 30 years ago, so we might as well embrace it and appreciate it until we can properly re-embrace the club and gig world we all miss so much. Where will your Lockdown Lates session take you?
Main Photo: Jason Leung
