As a non Brit living in San Antonio, I've found this experience to be as equally cultural as my five month semester in Italy were. My vocabulary has expanded (‘mate' and ‘jolling' are two favourites), my mannerisms have changed (no filter on this mouth) and of course my potato palate is ever growing. Last night marked the true test of my British evolution, as I took my talents to - SOUTH BEACH! Just kidding (that being my only sports reference I hope this hints at where I'm from) - the most British club on the island, Sankeys, for Duke Dumont presents Blasé Boys Club Opening Party.
Preparation for this UK basement club sought my finest pair of cheeky shorts, two Rekorderligs' and my new mate from Manchester - solid. Entering at half past two, events kicked off a bit earlier as Italian producer Robert Miles was already heating up the Basement. Bass shook the floor (literally, the floor moves) as deep house surged through the rather spacious dance floor.
Venturing over to The LAB I could tell it was packed even before entering - heat radiated off the entrance and sound of cheers echoed down the corridor. There was no hiding from the fact this was Duke Dumont's night as his name flashed in panels in front of the DJ booth sitting high above the dance floor. His formula is simple and the crowd was loving it - heavy bass, smooth vocals and a melody riding on the keyboard. Grammy nominated track, Need You (100%) featuring A*M*E was surely a lady pleaser as girls trampled over each other to get that coveted spot on the podium.
Once 3am hit I decided to seek out some legroom and a fan for a little breather. The VIP section sits above the dance floor and gave me a prime viewing spot for the sea of females jumping around to a remix of commercial hit My Love by Route 94. Starting off solely making remixes, his rework of classic You Got The Love by The Source blended with his own single Wont Look Back, making it quite apparent why his following is that strong. Drenched in sweat, the female dominated crowd seemed to pay no attention to their looks diminishing as they happily kept up with every lyric.
Wrapping at four with a sexy sax heavy version of his single My Love Is Your Love had me channelling my own inner Whitney. The crowd began to disperse as resident DJ Andy Baxter took over, changing the karaoke theme of the night by playing bass-heavy techno. Vocals were obsolete, but the crowd moved aggressively given more space on the dance floor. Duke Dumont was definitely the lady killer of the night- the sorority heavy turnout along with deep vocal melodies, is something I can imagine packed week after week.
WORDS | Sara McNutt PHOTO | Blasé Boys Club
