Cagedbaby is set to headline Fish Don't Dance's first birthday bash on Saturday 1st May.
The party will be the first time that the Fish Don't Dance crew have held anything at Old Street's 200-capacity 333 Club, and for the occasion they've roped in Thomas Gandey, AKA Cagedbaby, to headline proceedings. We asked Fish Don't Dance's Dan McKie to explain why Gandey was playing under his own name rather than as Cagedbaby? "Cagedbaby is more disco-house, and we were looking for a headliner who went from jackin' tech to techno to fit in with what we play. I've known Thomas for a little while now, and he was telling me about his new EPs he was planning for release on Southern Fried under his actual name, so I went down to his Lightbox gig and he played some of the new stuff in his set, and I knew then that I had made the right choice to get him in."
McKie—who is the boss of the 1980 Recordings imprint—will also appear in 333's main room alongside signings Fehrplay, Marc Ustari, FDD residents Lloyd Chapman and Andy BopH. DJs from the Gash party will be looking after room two, and will be hosting a live set from Robot Disaster as well as a DJ set from Sheffield-based house and techno producer, Coin Operated Boy. We spoke with Dan McKie to get the lowdown on the night, and ask what we can expect from Thomas Gandey when he gets behind the Fish Don't Dance decks.
Why Fish Don't Dance?
Fish Don't Dance came from a brain storming session with resident DJs Lloyd Chapman and Andy BopH. I wanted to start a night for my 1980 Recordings imprint and needed a concept and a name. I came up with the concept of Music + Radio + Fashion and then I wanted a name that stood out, and I think Fish Don't Dance sticks in your mind. With the new branding concept by Mark at Superfried, the fish now takes centre stage as you can see on the first birthday and a bit flyer.
So it's your first birthday and a bit. Why did you decide to belatedly celebrate your anniversary?
Because everyone celebrates on their anniversary, and we thought that we'd go against the grain and use that to our advantage.
What do you have upcoming from the label?
Label-wise I have releases from myself (quite a few planned—I just need to finish the masters), Bruce Aisher, Kaysh, Paolo Barbato (PB), Zigmund Slezak and a lot more. You can expect everything from big room peak time house, jackin' tech and prog, right the way through to techno. The whole idea of 1980 Recordings is not to worry about genres and defy the cliche a bit like how I produce. I'm not one to be bogged down by the labeling of genres.
Tickets for Fish Don't Dance's first birthday party at 333 Club are available to purchase now directly through RA Tickets.