I’m pretty sure my fifth birthday party consisted of a game of pass the parcel accompanied by jelly and ice cream. You can therefore imagine how impressed I was when I saw the lineup for Slipped Disc’s 5th birthday, headlined by TSHA and Joy Orbison; absolute staples of the British Electronic scene. Of course, Slipped Disc has coaxed DJs such as DJ Seinfeld, Romare, and Dan Shake to Junction, but every time they do so, it does feel like a Herculean feat, since the Cambridge club scene usually consists of unnecessarily high-octane pop.

After arriving, I happily pottered up to the second room to see fifth year medic Yuval Novik (aka FALQSCTF) perform; having got to know Yuval over the past year, I know that he is an arbiter of a BPM usually exceeding 150. Naturally, then, I knew that the occupants of room 2 at Junction were in safe hands, and Yuval kicked off his set with a hidden gem of a track from producer Pontcho. If you see FALQSCTF on a line up, you know you’re in for a good time.

“The London-based DJ appeared to be sipping on a cup of tea”

If you’ve ever seen TSHA perform, you’ll know how her energy and warmth throughout sets creates a wholesome atmosphere; this was reinforced within this particular set, as the London-based DJ appeared to be sipping on a cup of tea. Throughout her set, TSHA deployed both light-hearted tracks and crowd pleasers, such as Amand Van Helden’s remix of “ADD SUV”. The pairing of TSHA and Joy Orbison is perhaps not a line-up that you would immediately expect to work, given the second headliner’s more intense style; however, the styles and sets blended seamlessly into one, keeping the crowd entertained for a healthy three hours.

Joy Orbison (otherwise known as Joy O) appeared on the UK dance music scene in 2009 with his dark and brooding single “Hyph Mngo”. Like TSHA, he exuded a calm demeanour over the decks, and considering the darker nature of his repertoire, it wasn’t surprising that he embraced the later time of his slot, sampling tracks such as “Strange Visions” by Chichke & MultiTech; perhaps a commentary on the Cantabs he was playing to. A particular highlight of his set was the sampling of Overmono’s “So U Kno”, making this Music Editor a very happy bunny.

I don’t need to point out the irony of a mature student attending a club night called “Slipped Disc”; however, I was pleased to find that neither my stamina nor my vertebrae let me down as I was motivated to push on by the jungle and breakbeat music from Furlotti that rounded off the evening. Ashamedly, I missed the performances from Avran; having already seen him perform across Cambridge, this DJ is at the heart of what makes the Cambridge electronic scene decent.

As a Londoner (and unashamed club snob), the line-up and all performances were utterly refreshing, though if you want to avoid Varsity Editors and writers it may not be the night for you (proving again that Varsity staff have effortlessly cool taste). The night demonstrated that local DJ talent, combined with the talents of the promoters at Slipped Disc, can offer you the best night out in Cambridge.