After 19 months of lockdown and answering work emails in my pyjamas, I’ll admit I was slightly nervous about spending a Friday night away from my sofa and stepping foot on a dancefloor. My world had shrunk to a reassuring loop of Netflix binges and 6Music’s playlist. However, sometimes you need a shove out of your comfort zone and, if that involves great music and a pop-up, motel-themed party, even better.
Good Life have been touring the country with their immersive Motel Malice events, bringing artists from different corners of dance music to venues across the UK. The ‘motel that never sleeps’ stopped at Cardiff’s Tramshed last Friday with headliners Folamour and Elkka, and support from local Get Funky DJs. I duly changed out of my joggers and headed over.
Motel Malice was spectacular in all senses of the word. Giant palm trees and Americana-meets-acid neon signs surrounded the DJ booth. Producer, DJ and founder of the Femme Culture record label Elkka was playing when we arrived, fresh off the back of her Euphoric Melodies EP on Ninja Tune sublabel Technicolour. Considering the group of friends I was with were all Folamour fans, and mainly there to see him, we were talking about Elkka’s seamless, genre-spanning set for the rest of the night. Look out for her next EP, Harmonic Frequencies, out on Fri 19 Nov.
By the time Folamour appeared, both levels of Tramshed were packed. Few people bring as much joy to a crowd as the French house and disco producer. His effortless mix of self-produced edits, remixes and original tracks had everyone dancing. While we might all now be a bit unconditioned to music events and everything that comes with them – I’d definitely forgotten the tedium of a busy bar queue – on the dancefloor at Good Life, surrounded by friends, speakers, and some pretty incredible music, it really felt like no time had passed at all.
Good Life will be returning to Tramshed this month with a Halloween-themed night on Sat 29, headlined by DJ Boring.
Tramshed, Cardiff, Fri 8 Oct
words FRANCESCA GARDNER
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