Fabric are celebrating 14 years in clubbing as of October 18th (Line Up & Tickets), and like any institution celebrating 14 years at the top of their game they’re not exactly entering their 15th year with a whimper. 3 days, 40 artists including the likes of Ricardo Villalobos, Craig Richards, Terry Francis, Oneman, Marcel Dettman, Shed, Skream, Cosmin TRG, Soul Clap to name a few, equals 38 hours of nonstop electronic goodness. To further inflame your already fevered brow we’ll be delving a litter deeper as we probe a few of these electronic luminaries on their specialist subject, FABRIC. Up next PBR Streetgang’s Tom Thorpe (TT) and Bonar Bradberry (BB).
BBB – Can you remember your first introduction to Fabric, tell us a bit about it. Emotions going into it, records you played, any clangers, who else was playing, or was it as a clubber that stands out in your memories.
BB – My First time there was part of a 2020Vision label night, I was playing with Ralph Lawson, Randon Factor and Burnski.. I don’t remember everything about the set as it was 2007 but I the remember feeling very well. And it’s still the same when I go in there now .. you are blown away by their professionalism and Hospitality ..and of course THAT soundsystem.
TT – I visited Fabric for the first time in it’s opening year (i think), i’m pretty sure John Marsh from the Beloved was playing. It wasn’t until last year I popped my cherry playing Fabric when we did room 3 alongside Bill Brewster, i loved it! It’s such an honour to play for a club with such a great reputation, i can remember being nervous. Everything about the club is pretty special… the sound systems, the staff, the punters… roll on Sunday!
BBB – Why do you think it is that Fabric always tops the global club charts, what is it for clubbers and DJs alike that seems eternally irresistible?
BB- well as I said, THAT Soundsystem always helps .. but I think its because they have such unwaveringly high standards of the service they provide. When people are as passionate about what they do as Judy, Andy, Sean and the rest of the crew then it breeds success.
TT – Well said Bonar, massively agree with everything he said. Ultimately it’s a club built from a real passion for underground music which wants to push boundaries
BBB – They say music has the profound ability to conjure up vivid past memories, good or bad. Do you have any particular records that take you back to previous Fabric sets. We played Turnmills once and sadly the record I always remember is the one I ejected half way through playing…
BB- I’m known for being rubbish at taking photos’ so loads of my memories are logged by the records I bought and where I played them. One particular Fabric memory was playing “Love Fingers – Bermuda” in room 3 at the end of my first set there and looking up and seeing all my friends who’d come down (who I hadn’t really noticed all night because I was so nervous) going nuts, amazing feeling !
TT – On our last visit we finished off room three with Joubert singers, ‘stand on the word’, Craig (Richards), Judy and a few others were in the booth, i will always remember it
BBB – DJ riders oddly always seem to have some sort of edible, often fruit based option within them, do you know whats on yours and does Fabric always meet that need?
BB – Always .. and then some
TT – There’s no food on our rider, can I request something now?! maybe some Jaffa cakes or something like that so we can have a competition on Sunday… see how many we can eat in a minute, who’s in?
BBB – If you were to DJ or play live alongside anyone past or present, who would it be and why? If we could play guitar it would have to be Led Zeppelin for us…
BB- Prince … though I’d probably just stand there smiling like a lemon watching him !
TT – Hendrix!
Thanks for your time guys
Jon E Cassell (Blah Blah Blah)