As one of the forefathers of French touch and remixer par excellence, it’s somewhat surprising that Alan Braxe isn’t more of a household name. The cousin of DJ Falcon (remember Together with Thomas Bangalter?), Braxe burst onto the scene back in 1998 with Music Sounds Better With You, a collaboration with Bangalter and Benjamin Diamond under the Stardust moniker. The track was a worldwide smash, and Braxe’s fame should’ve been sealed, but since then his timid demeanor and tendency to produce his best work as a duo (namely with Fred Falke and recently Kris Menace) has kept his star from reaching stratospheric levels.

Perhaps that’s why Roxanne wasn’t as packed as I expected it to be on Friday night. When we arrived just after 11.30, it was practically empty, despite Joel Alpha’s fine Kitsune-tinged set in the main room, where he was spinning nu-indie faves like Friendly Fires’ Paris (the Aeroplane remix, no less) and the like. In the back room, as we waited for Braxe to begin, Rollerboy played a B-more styled set to a surprisingly bigger crowd than that in the main room.

Once 1AM rolled around, however, most flocked to see the Frenchie work his magic, and he didn’t disappoint. Two hours was the perfect amount of time for Braxe to showcase what he does best, and it was a veritable string of hits from what were, in my mind, the golden years of house. Highlights, and there were many, included Intro, that Ministry of Sound favourite circa 2001, Together’s So Much Love to Give, Daft Punk’s Alive (one of the lesser-played DP bangers) and Da Funk. Kelly also got a nod, as did another personal fave, Braxe and Falke’s Earth Out remix of Kelis’ Bossy.

It’s always a relief when artists play the back catalogue for which they are known rather than their newer, shittier stuff, and to this end, Braxe delivered, delighting the crowd with Music Sounds Better With You and Together to finish. It was a good times set and Braxe looked far more comfortable behind the decks than when I last saw him at Fabric in London in 2007, when he’d only been DJing for a year.

Roxanne was a good venue for the gig, and although I’d have liked a bigger turnout, it was nice to have room to dance for a change. They really need to expand their selection of drinks on offer at the bar too, but prices are reasonable and service friendly. Plenty of girls’ toilets is a major plus as well.

Apparently Falke and Braxe have now gone their separate ways for good, which is a real shame. Whilst the Falke juggernaut hurtles towards ever greater heights, it seems unlikely that Braxe will ever replicate the success of his heyday. Hopefully his upcoming production work on Killa Kela’s Everyday will help to reassert Braxe’s place as one of the original and best.