10/08/12: They say opposites attract and it seems this rule is applicable to our epic gay party scene. The mold might have been broken when Mother Nature created both Mark-Ashley Dupé and Tom Stephan but she certainly gave the pair a differing set of musical taste buds. So when these ever-eminent, party infatuated scenesters combined forces last Friday, the night was nothing but hectic and there wasn’t a soul in the ‘Superstore unhappy to be caught up in the homo-havoc.
With Tom Stephan stationed behind the basements decks, the party was quite literally pumping from the ‘Superstore’s foundations. The New Yorker-cum-DJ’s signature sound of old-skool house, punchy baselines and uplifting piano riffs is a catalyst for havoc itself.
Bass bounced off the blackened walls and although Stephan was born on the other side of the pond, it was clear to see he knows Dalston’s crazed crowd. Of course, we can’t forget the boys upstairs who certainly knew how to push our buttons: Kingsley with his spectacularly shiny shoes, Nutty Nyce and Mark-Ashley Dupé turned their patch into a carousel of booty popping, floor stomping madness.
We’re holding these boys responsible for Friday’s loss of inhibition. Churning out a reggae set that made Notting Hill Carnival look tame, there was no stopping the crowd from jumping on whatever surface they could find. When Dalston Superstore goes Hectic, you don’t need no podiums!
Dalston Superstore, 117 Kingsland High Street, E8 2PB
Words by Will Bond
Photos by DosFotos
