Basement / 005 w/ Paris XY, Leeds

But this growing culture has created another emerging phenomenon; the house party. Whilst the concept itself is not especially new or innovative, it has certainly been vamped up by Leeds’ steady rise to ‘music city’ stardom. The house party is swiftly becoming a sub-culture in its own right which may one day rival clubs - who are perhaps foolishly responding to rising demand from Leeds partygoers with rising entry prices.

Why are ‘house parties’ so popular? The fact that guests don’t have to pay extortionate door fees, wait in a large queue to be greeted  by a group of pessimistic bouncers with a god complex, or polish that bottle of vodka they transferred into a water bottle in the taxi ride there (much to the driver’s dismay), may have something to do with it. People no longer need flashy decor or cheap gimmicks to have a good night out. A dark basement just ten minutes from Leeds city centre provides a good enough environment for genuine music enthusiasts and an atmosphere that marries its moody interior. Exposed bricks, black ceilings and heavy bass to penetrate ear drums are enough to satisfy the appetite of the modern-day party goer.

And this is exactly what is to be found in electronic duo Paris XY’s basement party. No seven inch heels, no tangoed promo-people and no David Guetta requests. In a basement, no one carries their pretences. Paris XY set the bar high and challenges the ‘social gathering’ stereotype of a few beers round an iPod dock. In fact, the iPod dock is in this case a self-funded 4k Mackie and Turbo sound system. If guests deem the party deserving they can contribute a small donation towards the costs.

The first act starts early, playing a range of music on a set of Pioneers. Although it is hard to figure out who they are, with some tight mixing and a blending of different genres they do a good job of warming up the crowd - which can be a trying task as the pressure is on to set the mood for the night.

Unfortunately Galaxians, scheduled to play next, have dropped out due to ill health. Fortunately their friends’, techno duo The Chrononautz, step in bringing along some serious artillery in the form of the Roland 606, 303 and SH09 - for the unacquainted, a range of retro analogue synthesisers and drum machines. Admittedly this is their first time playing live and the duo admit:

‘We have no idea how it’s going to go down, or if people will enjoy it, but at least we’ll enjoy it’

While the latter is evident in their lively performance, luckily their experimentation also provides an authentic techno sound, which forces the crowd to freak out to the spontaneous and pulsing rhythms, creating a basement rave and capturing that true ‘free party’ vibe.

Next up are hosts Paris XY, who are beat-maker James Orvis and vocalist Alice Smith. These two may be more experienced than The Chrononautz in playing live, but clearly treasure the unique atmosphere of the basement compared with other venues. Their sound is as distinctive as the venue itself, but if comparisons must be made, it is reminiscent of trip-hop bands such as Massive Attack. While James handles the beats and effects with certain prowess, Alice laces them with some stunning vocals. The end result? Numerous electronic tones that shift from sinister to euphoric. Paris XY can have a crowd dancing erratically one minute and standing in awe the next. Respect is due as the difficulty in undertaking the combination and blurring of electronic/live elements is a task where many fail and few can survive.

The remaining collection of acts are a number of DJ’s including a set by Orvis which provides a range of bass-enforced rhythms delving into the house, deep and tech, and techno genres to keep the party alive and the people dancing till the early hours. Long live the basement!