Live Review: Defected In The House, Kenny Dope

We're on a rooftop, the sun is clocking off for the day, replaced by the lights of the Wheel of Brisbane. Tables of well-dressed house cats dine on pulled pork, brisket, and the bar is picking up the drink bill for the first four hours of the event – it's all rather glamorous.
With the two rooms originally billed condensed onto the rooftop stage, the timetable is deemed useless. The talent on the decks, however, remains strong. Straight up we're getting some nice sounds from Miss Mich & GLDNSMK. The girls act as each other's number one fans, cheering on mixes, getting the arms vertical, boogieing, smiling, having a great old time. Rousey follows and he's fine if kind of forgettable. There's nothing wrong with his lounge jams, but there's never a moment that feels really revelatory. The night kicks up a gear when Tom. & Manesh combine. The boys are one-upping each other with each tune, going track to track, back to back, and massaging the basslines like pros. Classic Shakedown cut At Night still remains lush and essential, while reworked tunes from Marvin Gaye, Corona and even local lass Emma Louise all float out with flavour. When the pair hug and toast the skyline, you gotta smile.
Kieron C and Katch make sure the transition from pop-leaning vocal house to grittier NYC-inspired street bass is a smooth one, the guys encapsulating the block party vibe of the Big Apple. Katch is especially in his element, the Resin Dogs player hyping the crowd on the microphone, having slight digs at the officers on patrol (“No one told me it was dress-up”) while also showing off his formidable scratching skills, the local legend unperturbed that the wax and needle has come in the form of compact discs and CDJs tonight.
With the beverage package having run its course, punters load the dancefloor in front of the booth, gagging for a Kenny Dope fix, and although he's a half-hour behind schedule the cuddly Brooklyn native quickly makes amends with a classy two-hour session. It's clinical in the best possible way – every pitch change makes sense, and vocal hooks are left hanging just long enough. He works in everything from Rufus & Chaka Khan and Sneaker Pimps to the bombing Tori Amos Professional Widow remix. Bodies are grooving and shuffling relentlessly by this stage, egged on even further by an appearance of Disclosure's Latch. Dope's demeanour, meanwhile, remains focused throughout – a true master at work, taking us to church with a set that does the Defected name proud. We might be an hour away from winter, but it feels like a hot summer night right now.