Classic Is Your Friend: London w/ Derrick Carter, Luke Solomon, Rob Mello

Derrick Carter|Luke Solomon|Rob Mello

Saturday 5th November | 10pm 6am

This is my friend Derrick Carter, he once rescued me from a toilet  Luke Solomon

Classic Records stands as one of the most seminal house labels ever created. Since its inception back in 1995, Derrick Carter and Luke Solomons mutual friendship created a label born out of a shared love of unusual music. In its first incarnation, the imprint released the likes of Isolee (and his timeless Beau Mot Plage), Tiefschwarzs first album, Matthew Herbert, DJ Sneak, Metro Area and the late, great Kenny Hawkes.

The musical melting pot from which the label germinated was the weekly Tuesday night house institution, Space at Bar Rumba run by Luke and Kenny, and where Derrick was a floating resident. Space gave London’s true house community a regular outlet.

At a time when you couldn’t get down to a decent underground groove most weekends and clubs were filled with commercial, glam-house pish, Space filled the gaping hole. DJ Mag

As a label, the days were limited for Classic from the start with a famous gimmick whereby the catalogue number for its vinyl releases started at 100 and counted backwards. Carter and Solomon had always said that when they got to zero, the label would cease operation. They mostly stuck to their word, though Classic have continued releasing CDs and digital EPs since. Now, continuing to play the game under their own conditions theyve reignited the label with all of the back catalogue being re-mastered and released digitally for the first time.

With Luke Solomon and Derrick Carter at the helm, the label shaped many of today’s leading DJs and producers. This Autumn theyll be hosting a series of parties under the banner of ‘Classic Is Your Friend’ at key locations in Europe. Completing the line-up in London on the 5th November is Classic stalwart Rob Mello, one of the true pioneers of the disco sound. Aside from releasing on the label, he has been a part of legendary duo Disco Elements, the co-founder of the saucy house label Luxury Service and produced the first Black Science Orchestra single with Ashley Beedle, “Where were you”, released on the legendary London house label, Boys Own.

Classic has always been about doing things that didn’t fit into anyone else’s formulaic view of what should be done. Now is not the time to start changing that. They aren’t a cookie cutter label that can just be plugged into the system…Classic has different connectors. 

Tickets 10 – 15

10pm 6am