DJ MikeQ @ Killer Kitsch, Buff Club, 16-17 October

The re-emergence of musical sub-genres usually requires a willing ambassador at the helm, taking the sound beyond its original parameters and geographical boundaries. When it comes to the advancement of ballroom / vogue house, which first surfaced in the US in the 90s, DJ MikeQ ably fills that role. In recent years, the New Jersey based DJ / producer has gained acclaim from the likes of the UK’s Night Slugs collective for both his own music and his skill on the turntables.

Ballroom has a pulsating groove reminiscent of UK Funky and there are also echoes of the provocative vocal barbs found in ghetto house. Yet the genre has its own distinctive flavour; it’s a sound, or perhaps more accurately a movement, accompanied and often inspired by a dance phenomenon. 'Voguing', a particularly flamboyant form of battle dance, has been a mainstay of the underground gay club scene across the East Coast of the US since at least the 1970s. Whether or not the patrons of Buff Club and Sneaky Pete’s will be able to rival the exuberant moves of American queens remains to be seen. MikeQ will nonetheless oblige in providing a suitable backdrop with the kind of set tailor-made for dancefloor high jinks.