Live Report: Benji B @ Moles 26/4/13

While Bath's nightlife is unlikely to rival Berlin's anytime soon, Moles has got to be a contender (not that there's much competition) for being the Berghain of Bath. After a host of recent high profile bookings (Justin Martin, Eats Everything and Paul Woolford) the club is earning back respect among the partygoing denizens of Bath. Their recall night (which hosted Woolford) last night brought Benji B to the small but vibrant venue.

The all embracing underground electronic curator packed the newly renovated club, and there was a palpable feeling of excitement when his set began with Omar S and Ob Ignitt's modern classic Wayne County Hill Cops from last year. Admirably, Benji played this one out for all of its glorious seven minute duration. Instantly pointing his set in the right direction, this track with its taut razor sharp percussion and gorgeous analogue synth lines, had me going nuts.

His set never stayed still. It touched on a host of styles, notably the underground hip hop and grimy UK sounds for which he is renowned, but more interestingly, these were paired with canonical house tunes such as Mr Finger's 'Can You Feel It.'

The two hour (ish) set just flew by, and it was definitely a crowd pleasing selection from the Deviation boss. It's always good to hear Joy O's 'BRTHDTT' on a decent soundsystem (which Moles now has) despite its ubiquity. And needless to say, while the bottom end made my legs feel like jelly, the crowd  loved it, provoking the warmest reaction of the night. It was good to see that this tune is still capable of destroying dance floors, with those vocals and their anthemic power.

All in, it was a great and eclectic set, which definitely delivered. The mixing was accomplished and the dude looked like he was enjoying himself too. It was a delight to see a dj of Benji B's stature in an intimate environment, and his passion for the tunes he span was ever present.

The only slight disappointment was the sudden exodus after Benji B's set finished. The array of Recall resident djs, many of whom are on Bath Spa's music tech course, are a real asset to Moles. After watching Chubba demolish the same club a few months ago with his bass heavy selections I had high hopes. And the young resident who stepped up to the challenge of following the radio 1 man didn't disappoint.

The people who left early missed a solid set of house and techno rounded off beautifully with Brawther's 'Endless (UG mix)' a jazzy, and satisfyingly deep end to a great night of music.