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Hip-hop swagger and corrupted techno: Field Day round-up
Having established a reputation as one of London's premier festivals for fans of the alternative, eclectic and just downright weird, the line-up for this year's Field Day, did not disappoint in the slightest!
Starting off the day was Atlanta's RnB queen Abra, with Cornwall's King of twisted beat-fuckery Aphex Twin and Hyperdub's party starter-in-chief Ikonika alongside the liquor-sodden political nihilism of Scottish band Arab Strap.
This line-up represents some of the boldest programmings you're likely to see this summer and drew huge crowds to the sun-filled Victoria Park.
Highlights of the day included a bombastic beat scene set from LA label Brainfeeder head honcho, Flying Lotus, in a tent that was packed to burst, an eclectic mix from the master that is Moodymann dropping everything from dnb to Biggie classics, Âme's short & sweet live set that had the whole crowd with arms in the air as well as the gentler, lean rap instrumentals of Clams Casino.
But the show-stealer, as expected, was undoubtedly Richard D James whose warped and at times aggressively jarring set ranged from industrialist techno to frenetic gabber, also dropping his satirical soundtrack for an old 90s Pirelli advert along the way.
The sheer excess of his set, in both staging and sound, was only slightly undermined by the quieter sound systems that always seem to be used at inner city day festivals. However, the speed-like rush generated by the pace at which Aphex Twin smashes through his sessions and the visceral force of his live shows left the crowd in a state of semi-dazed delight.
And for those unlucky enough to have missed the spectacle, NTS Radio recorded the whole thing, which you can watch below:
