In Strict Tempo, vol. 90: A Love Letter To Corsica Studios
London's best nightclub has announced it is to close next year. Plus the usual music reviews
In 2010 I moved to Elephant & Castle. There were a few reasons for this, but it’s proximity to Corsica Studios & Cable was one of them. It’s probably impossible for someone working part-time in a shop to live somewhere like that nowadays, and it wasn’t particularly easy back then - I was lucky in that my friend took on an uneven share of the rent, which made it somewhat easier for me - being able to cycle everywhere I needed to go and not have to pay for the tube or bus helped too.
There was a load of great clubs in that area around that time. Jacks (formerly Happy Jax, and eventually Crucifix Lane) and Cable in the arches under London Bridge, SeOne (which closed that year), The Arches a little further down the road, Great Suffolk Street Car Park, Ministry of Sound and of course Corsica Studios, which announced this week that it was to close early next year.
It didn’t start off in SE1, Corsica was originally based up in Highbury, but after a couple of years moved to the arches under Elephant & Castle station. It was everything you’d want a club to be really, two rooms (a third was occasionally opened in a Columbian restaurant next door), a smoking area and a bar. Nothing else other than a stack of Funktion Ones and some sound security on the door.
An adventurous music policy kept the crowds dickhead-free, and Corsica didn’t have the same cachet on the tourist trail as Fabric and Ministry, so the people there were largely there for the right reasons - it wasn’t a place to ‘be seen’ or to check into Facebook.
The music was provided by a steady mix of promoters, some of my favourites included Plex, Them, BleeD and Bleep43. These promoters would often join forces to create some absolutely stellar line ups too, especially if you were into the kind of dark and hard techno that sounded just right on their system. DJ-wise, you name them and they’ll have played there, and they’ll have probably rated it as one of their best shows too.
I can’t not mention the Blackest Ever Black nights either, three shows, spanning 2012-2016, each one a microcosm of what interesting music was going on in London at the time. God knows how they managed to fit so much in to each night, but we saw the likes of Tropic of Cancer, Prurient/Vatican Shadow, Regis, Felix K, Helena Hauff, Kenny White, Cut Hands, Source Direct, Raime and Bruce Gilbert grace the arches, to name but a few.
A favourite Corsica memory was the first Plex/Colony/Machine night back in October 2011. The line up was strong, with Ancient Methods, Andy Stott & Neil Landstrumm amongst the acts playing live, in the two rooms, but the highlight was the hastily converted Room 3, set up in one of the adjoining restaurants, a Function-One in each corner and Surgeon, Ben Sims & Kirk Degiorgio slamming it out as loud as it could be. I’ve not been to many better nights in my life.
I don’t really go clubbing any more, and the temptation to return to Corsica for a last dance before it changes beyond all recognition is high (the developers of the adjoining housing estate will be soundproofing and remodelling the venue into an arts & cultural space - Corsica’s owners have first refusal on it when it’s ready). Clubbing has changed though, you might argue for the better, but I worry that my memories will be overwritten by whatever I would see there now. I’m sure it’s still a great night out, and I’m sure these last months of bookings will be just as consistently excellent as they were back when I was going regularly. But sometimes it’s better the devil you know - and I made my deal with him in the smoking area of Corsica long ago.
New Music
Carrier - The Voice Of Yours feat. Voice Actor [Modern Love]
There’s a new album coming from Guy Brewer’s Carrier project, I’m not sure I’ve mentioned it yet. It’s due on Modern Love, and let’s be honest, probably has a lot of peoples Album of the Year picks locked up. If you’ve liked the singles he’s been steadily releasing for the last couple of years you’ll be all over this, as it builds on the familiar Carrier sound.
Conrad Pack - Praise [SELN]
His last album on Kiran Sande’s Lost Domain is one of the best things released this year, and this new single on his own SELN label picks up the pieces with three new deadly soundsystem killaz. Pays all the right respects to UK sounds gone by, but in a fresh sounding way that could be what we’ve all been looking for?
Felicity J Lord - FJL [Stroom]
Dean Blunt, is that you? Let’s face it, he’s got form for subverting London estate agents (remember the model Foxton’s Mini with a gram of weed in the boot?). Whether it is or not, he’s had quite the influence on this album, of which only five of it’s 26 tracks are over two and a half minutes. Deffo one to spend a bit of time with I reckon.
Autechre - Quaristice.Quadrange.ep.ae [Warp]
Reissued for 2025 (but not physically) this expanded set of tracks from Quaristice (reviewed last week) clocks in at over 2 hours. Some of their best material is reserved for this, dare I say it, it’s better than the album?
Squarepusher - O’Brien [Warp]
Forthcoming album of early Squarepusher bits, originally self-released back in 94, and the precursor to Feed Me Weird Things. Sounded like little else at the time, still does now.
Powell - We Do Recover [Diagonal]
A new album from Diagonal man Powell. A real mix of sounds and styles here, but more than interesting enough to keep you listening, never quite knowing what’s coming next.
Buttechno - X-Berg Dubs [psy X]
Murky Berlin gear from the one they call Buttechno. Bosh back a Club Mate, get into your harness and hit the club.
VA - The World Is But A Place of Survival: Begena Songs from Ethiopia [Death Is Not The End]
RIYL Arthur Russell
