Touch My Decks kicked off with a bang. Or at least, a massive plume of smoke from the machine, filing the room almost completely. At one point I couldn’t see anything in front of me but Thomm Brooke could see what he was doing, and that’s all that mattered. The fresh meat played a great hour and a half set, with some eclectic but welcomed choices. A somewhat impressive piece of décor, next to the decks stood a rotating, hand carved totem pole complete with glowing eyes. This really made what would have otherwise been a lately overused theme of camouflage netting and greenery go completely with the tribal theme. I really appreciate the commitment required, so props go out for that one.

Thrusticles played fresh techno to a happy crowd and there was a perfect amount of space to move around and mingle. Between the main room, bar area and courtyard the levels were balanced and you could still have a conversation in the other areas whilst enjoying the tunes coming from the main room. Word starts feeling more like a warehouse party when it’s getting closer to capacity and Kiss FM’s Chris Lambrou brought some heavier techno to the table which suited the vibe perfectly. Towards 2am, the crowd started to thin out a bit but it didn’t dampen the party, with the dance floor staying strong even up until 4am. Simon Slieker impressed with a fusion of tribal, techno and progressive and even scored a few whoops and hollers from the room.

The excitement of having the intellectual drop White Rabbit Ale on tap contrasted with the mountain of Skittle Bombs that were consumed by many, and the craziness was luckily confined to the courtyard for the most past, allowing the techno fans to enjoy their music in peace. Praise the lords for the outside heaters as well.
The guys running Touch My Decks have a loyal following, and all the great new DJs seemed to have brought plenty of friends their to support them, as there were plenty of young people who don’t normally come out to gigs like this. Great décor, great crowd and totally banging tunes. What a fine night for an education.