// 20th February 2010 // The Horse and Groom, Shoreditch, London //

The winter may have done its best to swallow your weekend up to now, but Dropout ploughs onwards through the snow and ice, embracing the warmth of a good night spent on the dancefloor. We all know winter means staying out late, so no better excuse to head down to one of London’s best-kept secrets, the Horse and Groom, for more cutting-edge music, retro surroundings and unpretentious punters as we whip up a cocktail of house and techno for East London’s finest.

Moving on from the raucous soundclash that saw us team up with fellow Groom faithful This Is Not A Rave for a festive top-floor tear-up in December, Dropout is honoured to welcome one of Leeds’ best-loved parties to the capital for our first party of the new year. Polaroid was born in April 2004 by Joe Morris and Nick Smith, and over the past five years in the much-loved Wire club, they’ve welcomed everyone from Erol Alkan to Joakim, and Todd Terje to Radio Slave. With a repertoire that embraces everything from disco to techno, this promises to be a truly memorable party.

As ever, the serious effort goes into Dropout’s commitment to shit-hot music, free from big club pretention. It’s not about out-of-touch superstar DJs, or space-age, impersonal dancefloors, but getting back to good quality house and techno in a venue that cares more about the records than the ray-bans. So, on 20th February at the Horse and Groom, turn on, tune in and Dropout.

Polaroid (Joe Morris and Nick Smith)

Promoters and resident DJs Joe Morris and Nick Smith met through a mutual love of disco and acid house and have channelled this passion into running Polaroid, which has gone onto to become one of the most respected nights in the UK. Not content with programming cutting edge line ups, the pair have secured gigs of their own at some of the most esteemed clubs across Europe such as Fuse in Brussels, Dublin’s Pod and the End in London, earning a reputation as some of the most respected new DJs and tastemakers in the north of England.

With gigs at Snowbombing and Croatia under their belts in 2009, 2010 will see their night’s 6th birthday at a venue that was nominated for the Best Small Club in DJ Mag’s Best of British in December. Coming fresh from their February bash with Ooft Music, they’ll be laying down everything from deep house and techno to disco re-edits and their own new music, bringing a bit of Northern nous to East London.
www.polaroidclub.co.uk.