DJ Q – Live review

The booking of DJ Q is another demonstration of the growing reputation that the Chow Down crew are amassing – such is the legendary status of the bassline master come Radio 1 Extra presenter. For those currently unaware of DJ Q’s heritage, my excitement is justified by the Huddersfield man’s CV: DJ Q has been mixing lessons in bassline for the best part of a decade as well as producing some of its most recent anthems.

Understandably then, I arrived keener than ever to see exactly what Chow Down had in store after hosting two choice freshers nights. I descended into the Joshua Brooks basement to the sounds of residents Finn McCorry and Baxio who started the night with a tight blend that really encapsulated the Chow Down pallet.

As the crowd slowly began to grow, Artifact took to the decks. On the back of his recent ‘Worn’ EP, it was an injustice that more people did not witness this set, which on another night, would have been fantastic.

A moment of silence spread as Arfifact winds down his last track. With the floor at capacity, DJ Q comes in for an hour of flawless crowd control, as they react with cheers every time a new sounding bassline is heard. Which is a lot, as DJ Q moves quickly from track to track, creating a pulse raising mix of 4×4. It was not long before the first pull up of the night was demanded: the setlist boasted forthcoming DJ Q track; ‘More Than You’, as well as both sides of his ‘All Junglist’ EP. The chaos of the night only mounted when Baauerr’s recent club wrecker: ‘Harlem Shake’ was mixed into one of many Burgaboy tracks dropped.

On this performance, the swift mixing and near-perfect track selection from DJ Q proves his legendary status to be just deserved and with the crowd still in shock at what they had just witnessed, it was down to Tom Lea, followed by Slackk and more Chow Down regulars to keep the party going into the early hours.