Millie Ward
If there’s a sure-fire way to beat the winter blues, it’s by looking back at the hours and hours of outstanding selections we’ve been treated to this year from world-renowned broadcasting platform Boiler Room. Boiler Room has been providing an outlet for club culture and underground dance music for over a decade, and 2023 was just as eclectic and high-calibre as the years that came before it. You’ve had your gift from Spotify – now here’s your Boiler Room Wrapped. In no particular order, here are the 10 best sets of 2023 with handpicked highlights.
Overmono: Manchester, WHP
The eclectic UK electronic duo Overmono did something special here – the live settings showcase the pair as true masters of their craft. The set was free flowing and beautifully curated, filling the depot with unheard experimental spins on their own tracks. Euphoric, ethereal house cuts tapped into the emotions of the crowd, interspersed with high energy two-step, breaks and the garage sounds of The Streets. Witnessing this through a screen alone is goosebump-inducing, so I can only imagine how palpable the atmosphere in that room was a few weeks ago. One for the history books.
LB aka LABAT: Edinburgh, FLY Open Air
Hailing from France, LB aka LABAT brought the heat to what is without a doubt the most energetic crowd in this wrap. He opened strong with the drill-style vocals of Baxter’s ‘RAMBO’ – which seems to have the electronic music world in a chokehold right now – then went on to shell rave-ready techno and hard-house throughout. Ghetto, two-step and hardgroove was stacked with the occasional nostalgic sample to keep the Edinburgh crowd’s energy at an astonishing level from start to finish.
Coco Bryce: Amsterdam, Boiler Room Festival
Showing his love for the old school, Netherlands-born Coco Bryce brought an impeccable track selection to his Amsterdam set. Rapid rhythms, rolling kicks and seamless blends of jungle, breaks and footwork make this a criminally underrated set and a joy to watch. Later sections channel the hardcore big-beat sounds of The Prodigy as well as ghetto house and choppy layers of UK bassline, demonstrating his capacity for genre-bending experimentation. Coco Bryce has been playing his part in the jungle revival for years, always keeping his sound sufficiently industrial while retaining that playfulness that tints his tunes – this style of his shines brightly here.
Eliza Rose: Belfast, AVA Festival
Off the back of her UK number one track with Interplanetary Criminal last year – the first female DJ to have done so in 20 years – she needs no introduction. Eliza Rose came with something for everyone: 4×4, dance-floor tried-and-tested house cuts, speedy UKG and everything in between. Drawing on plenty of female pop inspirations from the early 2000s, she choicely sampled the Sugababes and Alicia Keyes – much to the joy of this Belfast crowd. It’s this, blended with the fresher, more modern dance sounds in her collection, that captures her essence as a DJ.
Manami: Bristol
Tokyo-born, Bristol-based Manami had a lot of fun with this one. Her Boiler Room debut is percussive, danceable and certainly puts her on the ones-to-watch list. Totally unafraid to move between genres and moods, Manami makes her way through the sounds of modern electro, house, breakbeat, grime/140 and jungle over the course of her hour on the Bristol stage. Look out for more experimentation from her in 2024.
DJ Fuckoff B2B Denham Audio: Boomtown
The musical chemistry between these two was off the wall for their Boomtown x Sportsbanger set – even the outfits were coordinated. The pair bring rave-ready industrial breakbeat, speed garage, acid hooks and new-wave jungle to round off their set amongst the trees. We’ve already seen big things from Denham Audio over the past couple of years, not least with his hit ‘Make Me’ but from a whole host of his Club Glow releases as well. DJ Fuckoff brings energy in abundance, a decidedly unique track selection and a good helping of interaction with her crowd.
yunè pinku: Stockholm
Malaysian-Irish Asha Yunè, better known as yunè pinku, radiates colourful melodic sounds in her Boiler Room debut. Although this is a short half-hour set, she uses it well, mixing and singing live. Yunè pinku exudes emotion and ethereal electronic selections; it’s atmospheric, clean and smooth. While she has already had success featuring on Logic 1000’s track ‘What You Like’ at just 18 years old, yunè pinku marks herself as a rising act in dreamy house and garage. The highlight is a personal favourite track of mine.
Jossy Mitsu: Belfast, AVA Festival
The esteemed DJ, producer and radio selector Jossy Mitsu gave her Belfast crowd an hour of genre-hybrid yet totally cohesive fun, blasting bass and kickdrum heavy sounds, bouncy four on the floor, hardhouse and UKG. Maintaining danceability from start to finish, Jossy Mitsu traversed through grimey vocal cuts, robotic patterns, filthy warped bassline hooks and breakbeat arrangements. Mitsu interspersed her selections with feel-good house belters and topped the set off with some samba-style groove: a proper, well-rounded performance.
Channel Tres: Primavera Sound Madrid x Cupra
As always, Channel Tres refuses to be confined by his status as a singer/rapper/producer, serving serotonin-soaked funk, groove and house for this Primavera Sound set. He choicely selected vibrant, soulful, rhythmic tunes that ooze joy, euphoria and a distinct feel-good energy for his Madrid crowd. Tres incorporated effective gospel samples, Chicago house cuts and rich, sultry basslines for depth and character. If you need an uplift at a steady bpm, this is the one for you.
Kerri Chandler: New York
Legendary producer, DJ and house-scene pioneer Kerri Chandler delivered on the very best of his genre with incredible skill throughout this extended set. The precision and talent required to mix tapes reel to reel cannot be underestimated or overlooked – Chandler’s New York crowd witnessed a true master at work. Aside from his unmatched technicality, he showcased beautifully rich, classic house music that’s clean and timeless. Choosing a highlight for this one was a near-impossible task since it’s such a holistically good listen. If you can, listen through and decide for yourself.
