
It was around one o’clock in the morning before the man best known by his initials ‘MK’ took to the stage at the Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh. Murmurs of excitement spread throughout a crowd already buzzing after a fair few hours of house music, but while the night before this point had effectively been a regular nightclub effort juiced up with an extra bang of bass, the event became somewhat of a club-concert hybrid when the American took to the decks.
MK opened in slamming style. The producer spun a few beats of build up bass before unleashing the irresistible hook ‘I’m complicated you won’t get me out of trouble’ and launching right into his funked up remix of Wanklemut and Emma Louise’s My Head Is A Jungle. Cue screams, camera phones, a mass reverberation of the lyrics and some truly terrible dancing when the big drop kicked in; the DJ certainly knows how to work a crowd.
With the Amazonian humidity that seemed to be circling the Edinburgh venue and the amount of beanies being worn despite the rising temperatures, it was really no surprise that MK dropped My Head Is A Jungle early on – it could have been somewhat of an autobiographical tune for many of those in attendance on the night.
After opening on a high then, MK threw down his take on Rudimental’s Powerless next. This tune confirmed that the speakers in the venue were certainly tailored well enough for the event; a dirty bassline filling up the packed out arena.
The wonderful twang of Kinchen’s Lana Del Rey, Blue Jeans remix rang around the room to sickening reaction as well shortly after. This tune was built to be blasted on a big scale and while the vocals of Lana were held back by the DJ, there was not a single person stood still for the duration of the tune. A real highlight of the night for an audience being let loose to an endless run of innovative funk and house basslines.
The MK Love Right Here Dub of Angel Haze’s Battle Cry did similarly for the room, and in all honesty there was little let up in the hour plus set. The artist’s remix of HAIM’s If I Could Change Your Mind was another highlight alongside a remix of Chris Malinchak’s So Good To Me. Each tune flowed effortlessly and expertly into the next, and each was received with a new cheer of vigour from an audience loving every moment.
For many, the keystone moment will have come last however, as the artist signed out with an extended play of his number one remix of Storm Queen’s Look Right Through. A bouncing audience sang loud and lovingly before the lights came on and the night was over.
A sensational set from one of the leading producers in the world of house music. A messy night full of underground beats, basslines and tantalising drops. Edinburgh needs more of this.
Stuart Kenny