Snoop Dogg at Sankeys. To be honest I had to read it twice to really believe what I was seeing, but I couldn't deny it after I saw the iconic face of rap master Snoop Dogg leering at me from a Sankeys poster - from a Tribal Sessions at Sankeys poster. Snoop Dogg was going to play a DJ set at Sankeys under his pseudonym DJ Snoopadelic.
If Tribal Sessions is a celebrated house and techno franchise that prides itself on their underground music selection ('forward thinking' is the term they prefer), what was Snoop Dogg doing on the bill? This was something I simply had to see for my own eyes… I mean, was the king of hip-hop going to drop some techno bombs alongside Sis, Argy, Scuba, Jozef K, and Manu Gonzalez? Surely not.
Entering the dark basement of Sankeys I was immediately entranced by the mesmerizing sounds played to us by Argy, the bass was bouncing off the walls and crashing right back into the crowd, making our bodies move in all kinds of directions. With the bass still rumbling, I danced my way to the Lab where Jozef K and Manu Gonzalez were doing the shuffle behind the decks with a back-to-back set of high energy tunes and as their set came to a close, we were definitely delving in the realms of hip hop. So hip hop was the direction we were going in after all, something I couldn't complain about, especially with the sexy Pioneer sound system that Sankeys boasts.
Before I even had to look I could hear by the sound of the screaming crowd that the moment had arrived that DJ Snoopadelic was in the house and about to take over the reigns. Snoop and his entourage claimed their space behind the booth and people literally started throwing themselves at the stage, pressing their bodies and camera phones (way too many of these!) forward, but Snoop took it all in his stride, as per. Shades on, lazy smile in place, and off we went on a rollercoaster through Snoop land starting with Outta Control by 50 Cent.
Going through some hip hop classics, I also heard the opening song of Jersey Shore's Jenny and Snookie's show I Love It by Icona Pop, only for him to switch it to Fatman Scoop's Be Faithful and then later a rendition of U and Me by Cassie (high school house parties circa 2004 here we come). A fun and eclectic mix, if not the smoothest, but I think I speak for everyone when I say whatever Snoop decided to play was going to be a lot of great because Snoop is the man and everybody knows it. Legendary DJ status may still elude him, but a legend he remains. He even took to the mic himself a couple of times and the effect of the familiar sound of his hazy drawl just sent the crowd into ecstatics.
Although I had my doubts about the combination of Snoop Dogg and Tribal Sessions, it was an amazing experience to have seen the master of Gs from so close, showing us a glimpse into the musical world of Snoop. Sometimes it's a good thing to change up the expectations of an evening, so well done Sankeys, and well done Tribal. Let's see what they have in store for us next…
WORDS | Maya Dupont PHOTO | Justin Gardner
