Exclusive | Nick Bam's Tribute To Plastic People
Once a pillar of East London's music scene, Plastic People is a venue that is now long gone, but still truly missed. In the wake of the huge campaign to #SaveFabric, another London nightclub that was threatened with closure (and has been since saved), we decided to catch up with Nick Bam, an established music and film writer, DJ and radio host, and the man behind some of your favourite nights such as 'License 2 Trill and Fiesta, when we saw he dropped 'Saudade Celestials: A Time For Peace'.
Let's face it, 2016 hasn't been kind to us, so these angelic and etherial grooves selected by Nick for this mix come at the perfect time.
"They say that on the furthest reaches of the conceivable universe all that exists is pure sound: waves crashing against each other in a galactic celestial symphony. It is impossible to ever know what this sounds like, but the music assembled here provides a glimpse of what such fantastic notions may sound like."
It's without a doubt Plastic People had a huge impact on the scene musically, Nick tells us that it's where he first learnt about music and selecting records. "Anyone that's been there will know that the dance floor is mad dark and the sound system is close to perfect for a small club, the emphasis is on the sound and songs selected not about how people look or showing off." he says.
And it isn't just Nick that found their footing at Plastic, he says. "I used to go there and hear people like Femi and Funkineven play, now Femi runs NTS and Steve (Funkineven) is killing it with Apron records. Even Sam Shepherd (Floating Points), I think I was there around the times he was putting out his first releases, testing them out in the club first."
"This is the club where Madlib and Peanut Butter Wolf first played in London. I smoked a blunt with Elzhi in the back of the club! I mean this is actually where Dubstep was invented! the night FWD started there! The venue from the managers down to the bouncers was run with love, up until the council started complaining and it eventually got shut down. The place was too real for the gentrified, sterile place East London is becoming."
RIP Plastic, the vibes will live on forever through all your sons and daughters...
Follow Nick Bam on Mixcloud, Twitter & Instagram
