17 June 2013 (gig)
17 June 2013
Don't let the name play with you: nothing was ever lost at this weekends muscular injection of electronic talent. Run by the same team as city favourite Eastern Electrics and wedged into Shoreditch's Haggerston park, the only thing absent from this East London one dayer were stereotypes - a point that the 7000 attendees can be relieved, and proud of. Buffeted by warm winds and a black sky, Found boasted four stages: main, Magna Carta, Tief & Trouble and a Trix VIP area, all of whom programmed a melodic, upfront sound that seemed to work perfectly with the muggy feel of this mid June day.
The Music
Proceedings began to pick up fast from around 2pm as Shadow Child took to the main stage, pulling goers soaked by flash storms out from the rammed tents and up to the front with a straight up set that gradually lifted the vibe tempo up to a comfortable supercruise for Audiojack to build on. The weather and the crowd built in unison by degrees from this point onward, with Huxley stepping up to the plate at 4pm, confidently pushing that synonymous plucked bassy sound that fits with his own traditionalist personality behind the decks: tactile with the mixer; animated with cueing, with eqing, and with plenty of communication between the crowd and the man.
A foray into the Trix VIP led you into a world built from a green quasi-military tent, beehive lamps, cocktail pop up bars and Tom Demac leading the gathering into a place of expansive breakdowns and rumbling drops. Meanwhile the main stage following was building to a peak, Todd Terry winding the crowd into a retro house, hands in the air frenzy paving the way for the two leaders of the afternoon: MK vs Lee Foss followed by Maya Jane Coles. The former was a back to back with an interesting edge of separation. Rather than going the way of other team-ups the like of Apollonia has - a new personality forming behind the decks, Lee Foss & MK remain as individual as ever - if anything providing a foil to each other: Lee Foss knocking back Grey Goose, slamming a fader up and down to alert the crowd to an imminent appearance while when MK played he would look up from the arena at key moments, mouthing vocals to himself dreamily, hands slow rotating over themselves. MK's forthcoming remix of Loiue Fresco's Hateration was one of the first salvos out into the arena and promptly laid down the smooth driving groove that would sum the remainder of the pair's set.
Meanwhile, toward the back of the park people -at long last- sunbathed in sunset heat and orange light whilst the Magna Carta arena saw a very smoky arena play host to a light yet chunky house experience by Frenchman Shonky, who managed to keep the tent rammed despite the sunset headliners playing just outside. Finally, with crowds now right up against the barriers and the air finally dry and clear, an atmosphere of anticipation still hanging over the park despite the already full day, Maya Jane Coles took the stage.
Ushered in by Found’s promoter the petite figure of Maya Jane Coles quickly grew in stature once behind the main stage decks. A smile and an exchange of hugs with MK then it was game face on and back down to what Maya does best, laying down a very London sounding house set that saw a crowd with 8 hours of festival behind them suddenly step back up into it, bodies crushed right up to the front of the stage with goers looking to get closer to the source. Maya’s set was a creature of firm rolling basslines favouring consistency over epic breakdowns or drops, allowing a damp, slightly tired crowd to sit into a mainline rhythmn and run through to the end of the event at 9pm.
The Vibe
Seven thousand people in Shoreditch. And yet. No shuffling, none. No gangs of top-buttoned shirts and no-one got there by fixy bike. All around were examples of Brits on Good Behaviour: friendly chats with strangers at the bar, debates over a cigarette with another group about whether it was all about Huxley or Todd Terry, even flashes of heavy rain only had people laughing at how rammed the tents quickly got. Interestingly, the widely publicised Great Suffolk St afterparty - and the early ending of the event no doubt resulting in a string unofficial after parties too, resulted in a kind of pressure being lifted off the main event. There’s was no sense of ‘Let’s utterly hit it’ that prevails at many events leading occasionally to scenes of excessive high / drunk / venereal disease as many appreciated the day event for what it was and meet their own plans to enter the departure lounge after dark instead, the result was a day of consistent good vibes throughout.
Overall
City festivals, like one-off parties, remixes or cheerleaders are often deceptively hard to nail, however the team behind Eastern Electrics have produced a winner here. Held in the right spot, at the right time, and with a nicely co-ordinated line-up that worked through the day, it looks like Found could well be a mid-summer favourite. Go Find it.
