House DJ Le Youth may have dropped some beats in Manchester’s 256 but the crowd could have barely guessed he was there.
It’s strange that just a year after packing out The Deaf Institute, the LA producer took to the stage in the small Fallowfield bar.
The DJ only has two dates on his UK tour, making the choise of venue even more questionable.
Fallowfield’s 256 is right in the heart of the student community and they turned up on mass to catch a glimpse of Le Youth, who remained hooded throughout the night
The setting didn’t quite match the feel-good atmosphere, as a rowdy audience failed to connect with his chilled-out rhythms.
DJs have built their reputation on live performances but Le Youth came across more like a man whose mind was back in sunny LA.
He displayed a lazy swagger and kept a low profile behind the decks, relying on his PA crew to interact with the crowd.
The dance floor was frenetic with student ravers, however Le Youth seemed happy to be hitting play rather than working any live mixing into the set.
His hit tracks Cool and Dance With Me were played out in awkward remixes, stripping back the edginess and re-working them into something generic.
Le Youth’s style is more effective in a club surrounding and that became more and more evident as the night went on.
It felt like a missed opportunity for the DJ that he didn’t take charge of the event and make the night more memorable.
Image courtesy of Ronna Navarro, with thanks.
