Event Review – krankbrother presents: Solomun (Extended Set)
On Saturday August 3rd 2024, Solomun was set to return to London’s Finsbury Park for his fourth offering of one-day festival in which he was scheduled to spin for an extended 5-hour DJ set in collaboration with Krankbrother, DJ’s, promoters and brothers from London.
Diynamic Music’s head-honcho Solomun’s view on music is important, to him ‘music isn’t just a tool to make people dance. Music is as diverse as life itself: many different shades, moments, and memories to be made.’ His assault on 2024 has been nothing short of epic neither.
His work from the studio has seen him unveil an original EP on Running Back, whilst also remixing for the likes of Kasabian and Pet Shop Boys, plus more. Whilst on the road he has returned for his annual ‘Solomun+1’ residency at Pacha, Ibiza, played Tomorrowland mainstage, Kappa FuturFestival, Fabrik Madrid, Chateua de Chantilly and many more prestigious hotspots. He is a man in demand.
For the all-day Solomun session there were 3 options available; GA starting @ £62.90, VIP from £96.90 and stage access @ £282. VIP offered quick access to the gig via a designated lane, and also a VIP bar and chill-out area if you needed a sit-down to relax and just enjoy the music, whilst stage access also included a luxury backstage area, and a chance to get on-stage, backstage behind Solomun to watch the master at work whilst having a little more space to dance and boogie.
To keep all attending ravers fuelled for the day, promoters Krankbrother also supported the local community businesses’ by hiring the best street vendors London has to offer, inc. Truffle Burger, Masa Tacos, Hey Spud! Joys Carribean, Pizza and Dumplings, whilst also ensuring free hydration by linking with Chilly’s bottles who pumped out the h20 all day long!
Standout Diynamic releases from Solomun’s set on the day included Oppaacha’s ‘Umbrella’ which features high energy percussions, vintage synth sounds and driving vocal lines, Fel C & ID ID’s ‘Delta’ which is a rollercoaster ride with one hell of an energy rush, accellerating, then slowing, only to plunge down the techno abyss again, whilst Carl Bee’s ‘Sinfonia’ features a highly emotive string theme that brings the drama to the dance floor.
Other unreleased bangers from Solomun’s set included a rumoured Mau P tune entitled ‘Merther’ which features Damian Marley’s ‘Welcome To Jamrock’ vocal which had the crowd shouting ‘Out in the streets, they call it murder’, whilst Solomun also dropped the unreleased Chris Lake remix of Skrillex, Fred again.. & Flowdan’s ‘Rumble’ which features catchy pitched-up vocals and rap bars too.
I think one of my favourite moments in Solomun’s DJ set was when he dropped an absolute classic in the form of ‘Public Domain – Operation Blade (Bass In The Place)’, it was pure nostalgia. Solomun had the crowd screaming ‘Bass In The Place London’, the vocal, and once the snare-rolls kicked in to build the crowd up more, and then that acid lead let rip in the drops it was a pure hands in the air proper rave moment, reminiscent of a warehouse rave, like in the OG Blade movie which featured the track in its soundtrack.
What I also feel makes Solomun such a unique artist when performing as a DJ is the sheer amount of ID’s (unreleased/artist unknown records) he incorporates into his sets, his sets are NEVER the same tracklisting. This creates a feeling of suspense/surprise when experiencing live, not knowing what the record is, feeling the buzz of the unknown, appreciating hearing new unheard music, and wanting to discover what the ID of the record is, so you can listen to it on repeat at home, or play it in your own DJ sets when released. Solomun is an A* taste-maker.
Solomun also has the ability to create a journey within his extended DJ sets, he isn’t about playing every track from the current Beatport top 100, he he such a diverse musical knowledge, and is able to scale multiple genres of dance music inc. Indie Dance, Afro House, House, Tech House, Progressive House, Melodic House and Techno. He knows how to build up a vibe, and when to bring the house down with a peak-time bomb, or mesmerize the crowd with hypnotic melodies.
What I also acknowledge about Solomun as a label-owner is the fact the records he signs to his Diynamic imprint he clearly believes in. When you experience a Solomun set you will always hear tracks signed signed to Diynamic, either as set ID’s, released or upcoming releases. I have seen label-owners sign tracks and not push them in their sets, whereas Solomun will push the tracks he signs, and this gives the new and upcoming talent a platform to push on in their own careers too.
I think one of my favourite moments in Solomun’s DJ set was when he dropped an absolute classic in the form of ‘Public Domain – Operation Blade (Bass In The Place)’, it was pure nostalgia. Solomun had the crowd screaming ‘Bass In The Place London’, the vocal, and once the snare-rolls kicked in to build the crowd up more, and then that acid lead let rip in the drops it was a pure hands in the air proper rave moment, reminiscent of a warehouse rave, like in the OG Blade movie which featured the track in its soundtrack.
Also, a hat-tip to promoters Krankbrother who pushed a green pledge to ensure there was a minimal environmental impact from the event by encouraging strategies including no single-use cups, the lowest amount of site deliveries possible, whilst also working with local charities to focus and improve certain environmental issues.
Overall, I really enjoyed Solomun’s set at Finsbury Park for 2024. He exemplified why he is in such demand as a DJ by showcasing how to play an extended set packed full of ID’s, whilst also flexing how to play an extended DJ set by going through multiple genres of Dance music, showing musical knowledge at varied BPM to create such a buzz all day/night long. If you haven’t haven’t seen Solomun live, do it ASAP, it will change your perspective on music and DJ’ing forever :)
