Wednesday 6 October 2010

Happy Birthday Cognosco!


Some of my good friends that promote Cognosco celebrate their 1st birthday this month and I have prepared the promo blurb for their forthcoming party. Their parties always go off and I am pretty sure this one will be no different! The guests will be joined by residents Marsden, Dan Hare and David Hulme.

COGNOSCO 1st Birthday with Giles Smith & Lovebirds

Who would have though it – We are One! After a couple of soirees in the Hyde Park Social, Cognosco launched itself into the Leeds nightlife scene with a belter of an opening party at Oracle twelve months ago in the company of Secret Sundaze co-founder and house music boffin Giles Smith. Having rocked the dance floor into the wee hours first time around, we thought it only fair to invite him back to celebrate our coming of age. This time our invitations are extended and we welcome Sebastian ‘Basti’ Doering aka Lovebirds, as he joins us and brings to the table his magic bag of deep house and disco treats.

It’s been a cracking year for Cognosco in our new found home at The Loft and guests such as Florian Kruse, Matthias Meyer and Alex Niggeman have ensured that each and every one of our events has been packed to the rafters. Our Fresher’s party across three rooms in conjunction with Louche and Mono_Cult at the end of September was an unbridled success but it’s back to business as usual for our upcoming celebration as we pay homage to the low ceilings and intimate atmosphere of The Loft once more.

Giles Smith launched Secret Sundaze alongside James Priestly in the summer of 2001 as a outdoor Sunday afternoon party, and their musical talents alongside a knack of booking the highest calibre of underground house and techno artists have seen their parties skyrocket over the last nine years. Voted club of the year in the 2006 Mixmag Awards, Secret Sundaze has continued to grow, and parties at Sonar, Snowbombing and numerous one-offs in Ibiza have cemented the night as one of the ‘must go to’ events in Europe.

Producing alongside Dan Berkson as Two Armadillos, their tracks have been snapped up and released by Steve Bug’s Dessous, Buzzin’ Fly and Four:Twenty records and charted by almost every self respecting house and techno DJ under the sun. Giles’s Resident Advisor podcast in the middle of last year eschewed the formulaic Ableton/laptop route and was instead mixed at home with two 1210’s and a mixer. Needless to say, the raw vibes and ‘live’ feel tickled the ears of everybody that gave it a listen and we are sure Giles will do exactly the same and more when he lands at the Loft for our next party.

‘The Modern Stalker EP’ was the track that really made people sit up and take notice of Lovebirds in the summer of 2007, and after it was rinsed by the likes of Prins Thomas, Ashley Beedle and Jimpster, Bill Brewster named it as tune of the month in I-DJ magazine. Managing to merge deep and melancholic house music sounds with more than a nod back to the underground disco vibes of the 70’s and 80’s, Lovebirds knack of fusing such styles has seen his production efforts released on Freerange, OM and Winding Road amongst many others. Now firmly part of the deep house cognoscenti, it was only a matter of time before he found himself behind the turntables at the Loft and we thought there was no better time to do it than our first birthday celebrations.

It has 12 months for them and everyone involved that is twinged with sadness as head promoter Matthew Mckeown tragically passed away earlier this year at the very young age of 25. I think it is fair to say Cognosco would not be where it is today without his input and this party is held in memory of him. Absolute top guy. RIP.

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