Wiggle at Paramount

A review for Resident Advisor 

If you are or have ever been a regular on the London underground clubbing circuit you will probably be aware of tech-house gathering ‘Wiggle’; the party that started its journey 18 (!) years ago and has surged on over time with consistently high quality bookings, from legendary big names to unsung hidden gems.  Always at venues that verge on the sublime to the ridiculous, always a riotous party, always in the solid name of house.   The Easter rave-up was to be held at Paramount on the 31st floor of Centre Point; a looming Tottenham Court Road Skyscraper and the place Wiggle has set up camp for the past couple of years.

Stepping out of the elevator after a 31 floor ascent from the street and into Paramount always provides that feeling of being somewhere pretty distinctive, tucked away from the bustle of central London nightlife. Nathan Coles is playing some welcoming and sleek sounding beats that act as the perfect accompaniment to the view of the glittering and sprawling streets below, which stretch underneath from one side of London to the other and never fail to stun even the Paramount regulars.  It’s 11pm and the venue is still pretty quiet, presumably as Wiggle attendees know it will be a long, long time before they’ll be heading home again, so it’s the perfect way to ease into proceedings by sipping on some drinks (with Pacha Ibiza inspired prices) and admiring the views. It’s then time to tentatively step onto the dance floor that is beginning to fill up, as Coles plays a so-deep-you-could-swim-in-it remix of Intruder’s ‘Amame.’

Before long it is time for Colorado born ‘Little Mike’, who currently lives the tech-house dream in Berlin with a CV that boasts gigs at Weekend and Watergate, to take over from Nathan Coles’ capable hands.  Little Mike has been described as something of a pioneer back in his home town of Denver; throwing the first ever tech-house party in the town and introducing its residents to the likes of Mr C, Richie Hawtin, Magda and many more, for which they now  allegedly refer to him as a ‘local hero’.  The now heaving Paramount crowd consisting of dolled up girls in frocks, shuffling Essex LADS, suave gents in suits and seasoned Wiggle veterans all seem to be appreciative of his diverse selection of tracks which range from squelchy electro chuggers through to high energy techno tinged terrain, including a particularly rowdy moment when he drops Alix Alvarez’s ‘Treat Me’ – the perfect jump-up house record.   By this point the crowd is getting lairy, people are getting hazy and the windows are starting to steam up as Brussels duo Ultrasone take to the decks.

Ultrasone keep their set at an energetic pace as the night kicks on with a variety of massive records including their own track ‘Breathe and Pop’ from their EP of the same title. Time passes all too quickly and before long it is time for another duo, this time hailing from Italy, Dzeta N' Basile to take over.   Things are pretty fuggy by this point with the crowd in various states that range from the euphoric to the downright spangled, making an interesting scene on the dance floor for onlookers.

The skies are clear as day breaks over the London skyline;  the light streaming in through the steamed up windows giving the moment an almost Parorama-Bar-eque feel – as if we are the only people still awake at 7am, dancing to house music 400 feet above the city.  It is a pretty special moment.

Terry, Nathan and Eddie are celebrating their 19th birthday this coming May, so why not head down for a Wiggle?