Though historically important, the town of Maidstone in Kent is fairly low on the list of musical hotbeds within the UK. Throughout the summer months however, as London continues its rapid transformation to a concrete ball of apartments, the green fields and slightly relaxed noise regulations in Kent look ever more attractive to hosts of growing concerts, fairs and festivals. This weekend (Sept. 29-30) was the big one: The Social, a two-day celebration of dance music pulling into the Country Showground.
Now enjoying its fifth year of business, this year's line-up included Carl Cox, Black Coffee, Nina Kraviz and Santé & Sidney Charles—the latter pair I was here to spend a (crazy) night with. Headlining The Caravan Arena (the DJ booth is literally inside one), both men—equally adept behind the decks and the boards—were about to get the night underway. "I'm always excited before I play," Santé tells me. "You won't always know what to expect but, every time we're over here, I always go for it."
Today was no ordinary night, though. The pair have been booked with individual sets at elrow, in Rotterdam. Given the timings of both slots, the only way to make it there is by private jet. Not exactly how I roll, but I wondered if this was a regular occurrence for the guys: "Nooo! No," he laughs, "this is a first for me, too."
The smiling jokester of the pair, Santé's infectious energy translates through the music. Emerging from the present-day mecca of Berlin, his musical intensity and tempo bears these hallmarks, with percussive elements of Detroit house and techno weaved into the mix. Entrusted with the A&R role at Santé's budding imprint, Avotre, Sidney Charles has an ear for talent and a penchant for experimenting, fusing hard grooves and classic club sounds that are packed with kicks and synths. "It's always lovely playing back-to-back with him," says Charles. "We've done it so many times now, it just comes naturally."
As time wound down on The Social, both men tore through a frenetic set—relaxed, but quite wisely conserving energy. Still pumped from the set, we pulled off for the airport nearby in Southend, needing military precision to make the jet on time. Sensing a rare moment of quiet, I got to asking both men for their summer highlights, drawing a dream check-list of parties and destinations in the process. "All over Europe at the moment: Spain last week, elrow, Circoloco recently—that was good," Santé says. "I really enjoyed playing Watergate in Berlin," adds Charles.
Next up for us here, though, was the big one for the week: elrow in Rotterdam. Quite used to being searched fifty times for liquids, no search at the airport this time and, to top it off, we were offered champagne as we boarded! Definitely a long away from no leg space and screaming babies which, for whatever reason, was a recurring theme on all my flights this year.
In truth, turbulence cares little for your shiny private jet, and will throw you about the air as and when it pleases. A very short trip later, we'd arrived with Sidney and Santé bursting to get through through the door and into the party. Greeted with bursts of colour, hazy designs, inflatables, and all round quirky-ness, elrow was, always, an absolute trip. "What did you expect!" yelled Charles, as we paced through the crowd. "It's always like this. Always!" As both men played solo sets, I got the chance to observe, up close, the clear differences and subtle similarities in their on-stage demeanour. "I really love the positivity and vibes at all elrow events; it's always grooving music and super-fun to play at them," Santé later told me. Throughout he joked with anyone around him, feeding off crowd energy all the while. Charles was similar in this regard, only with more meticulous attention on his transitions. It's really isn't hard to see why they complement each other so well b2b.
More adventures await Santé and Sidney, as they travel to America's North and South—and they'll be better placed without the prying eyes of journos and management, that's for sure. But just for a night, stepping into the high-flying, fast-paced, all-music schedule was really something (the three-day kickback that followed, not so much). But as Sante explained to me, several thousand feet in the air just hours prior, "to go out and connect with people, that's what it's all about. Nothing else."
As an example to any act within the ever growing, overpopulated house scene, a steady year or two of consistent output, fresh and interesting sets, and a visible sense of character can take you to great heights. Following shows in Ecuador, Vancouver and Mexico, Sidney Charles and Santé hit the UK in December for Solardo Sessions at Manchester's Warehouse Project on Boxing Day.
