XOYO has Breakbot funkin' out on the decks

Breakbot is a DJ who we've wanted to see for ages (sadly his sets have always clashed with something pre-arranged). However, we were finally able to catch him while he was in London playing at XOYO in Shoreditch. It was great to see someone playing such funky 80s disco and electronica tunes, many of which neither of us had ever heard before. We are big fans of DJs who both entertain and educate their audience, don’t get us wrong we want to hear some classics every now and again, but having one of your favourite artists share their record collection with you is one of the best ways to discover new music.

The French DJ and producer was dropping classic tracks like ‘Love Come Down’ by Evelyn “Champagne” King and ‘Love Magic’ by John Davis & The Monster Orchestra but threw in a number of obscure rare grooves – ‘Love Situation’ by Mark Fisher was a particular favourite. Our only disappointment is that he did not play much of his own stuff, we would’ve loved to hear a number of the tracks from his By Your Side album but I suppose that’s what you should expect at a live gig performance as opposed to a DJ set – he did drop a couple of his own like fan favourite ‘My Toy’.

Supporting Breakbot was Red Rack’em, who you can catch at The Prince of Wales for Slide’s Autumn Disco event, who played a variety of genres seamlessly. Red Rack’em is a DJ who knows how to both read the crowd and show off his eclectic taste in music, thanks to his effortless mixing skills on the decks. Whilst a few of his tunes were not our bag (we're not the biggest fans of techno) we still thought his set was excellent, with songs like Rare Pleasure’s ‘Let Me Down Easy’ and The Spinners’ ‘I’ll Be Around’, he was a great choice to support an artist like Breakbot.

We love the XOYO venue, it has one of the best sound systems, lighting rigs, and just always looks the part. However, it was a bit too crowded for some of the evening, probably because of the influx of students for freshers' week. We spoke to some of them and they had no idea who Breakbot was, which is a shame as they have no clue how big a deal the French DJ and producer is. It’s a little bit depressing that so many London partygoers don’t realise how lucky they are to have top notch events on their doorstep for such an affordable price, and in one of London’s best club venues. XOYO Loves is one of our favourite regular nights in London, every Saturday the Shoreditch club plays host to DJs (and sometimes bands) from the disco, funk, soul, and electronic dance scene. Over the next month alone they have Joey Negro, Late Nite Tuff Guy, and Odyssey taking to the decks or stage. XOYO Loves is an apt name really, because their line-ups are the dog’s bollocks and we absolutely love what they do.