One year ago Tempo Clash organised a free showcase at the Rhythm Factory, 250 people turned up to see the likes of King Cannibal, Jon Phonics, BUG and  Kidkanevil turn electronic heads towards the future. Since then the Clash have made it their mission to musically push the boundaries in the raves inside and outside of London. It wasn’t until November 2011 that things kicked off officially; with 5 of the most creative electronic artists in the game joining together to form the Tempo Clash crew. Since the formation Kutmah, Blue Daisy, OM Unit, Kidkanevil and Offshore have accelerated ahead, blowing minds across the UK and the rest of Europe.

Today marks Tempo clash’s 1st Birthday, and the crew will descend on the Rhythm Factory tonight with heavyweights such as Instra:Mental, Bristols Kahn, Take, Deft and of course all 5 of the residents.

We caught up with one of Tempo Clash’s founding fathers to find out more……

How did Tempo Clash come about, and what was the vision?

When I arrived in london I was a little uninspired by the nights taking place. Same names on every line up, acts brought in strictly to draw in numbers, that’s not what a club night is about. I moved to London to see what the capital had to offer, only to find a handful of nights separating themselves. It was time to do something different – that probably remains the main staple in everything we do. Over the past year nights seem to of become less afraid to take risks, London nightlife is in a great place right now.

 2011 was a really exciting year for electronic music, how do you think you found your place within the developments?

I think Electronic music has evolved and taken on so many forms over the past year. The rate music is changing there’s no doubt it will continue to do so. In terms of finding our place in electronic music its never really been an issue and I think that’s where Tempo Clash stands. We just do us, we don’t try to be like anyone or anything else. People have pigeonholed us before, calling us a beats night, that’s so very wrong/lazy. There isn’t a genre or style we haven’t unturned in some shape or form… We do got beats though! There is a definite core to our sound and vibe, a raw energy that holds Tempo Clash together. We’re here to represent a new form of rave culture in 2012; a rawness, an unpredictability and super high level of creativity. Blue Daisy said we represent the future, I couldn’t sum Tempo Clash up any better.

Tempo Clash has a very strong team of residents, many of which headline events on the regular. How did this come about, and what was your thought process? 

It wasn’t a genious act to bring them together, it didn’t take major planning either. Those guys have been playing together for a long time. They used to put on free events at Vibe bar without any promo, just as a get together kind of thing. Before I knew any of them I used to go along and you could tell straight away there was this chemistry between them. That’s something that can’t be replicated. It wasn’t a master plan, before Tempo Clash they were a crew, it’s only since the night started that it became official.

It’s an honour to see this group of artists working for one common cause, pushing clubbing culture and electronic music forwards. Without bias I don’t think there are a stronger and more diverse crew in the game. Every night they set the bar so high that any guest DJ/artist knows that they have to bring their A game. That’s a amazing position for any night to be in. We’ve been left with some amazing sets from our guests.

What’s been your favourite moment so far?

The first trip abroad stands out. We turned up in Geneva as a full crew in February, the first time all 5 had travelled and played together. The music started and people started arriving. You could see the look on peoples faces – they didn’t know what the fuck they had just got themselves into! I remember seeing a couple standing at the bar head in hands asking each other WTF was going on. 2 hours later the place was packed, people were losing their minds. The standard of sets was so incredibly high, I knew we had something special before that show but Geneva was the moment everyone stood back and realised exactly what we had.

 1 year on there have been Tempo Clashes across the UK and Europe. Did you expect the movement to grow so quickly?

Not really, we’ve only just started. Although the first free showcase was a year ago – Kutmah, Daisy, Kidkanevil, Om Unit and Offshore only made shit official 6 months ago. We’re new to this still and there’s still plenty to learn and improve but we’ll get there. Tempo Clash ain’t going anywhere we’ve only just begun.

What can people expect on Friday?

You won’t get to see Instra:mental, Kahn, King Cannibal, the legendary Take and Danny Breaks +++ alongside our crew in a 400 capacity venue anywhere else. EMN on visuals will blow peoples minds too. We can’t give much more away than the line up right now. It will be crazy, there will be surprises.

Lastly, what can we expect from Tempo clash in the future?

We’re teaming up with our pals Audio Doughnuts and Civil Music to put on a super huge night at Hidden June 22nd. We’ll then be partnering up with Black Acre to host a stage at Outlook Festival which is super exciting. There is an interest from people outside of London to see this group perform together, we’ll no doubt be making that happen. After the summer we’ll be returning to london with an aim to bring the night back to its core. We’ve got something special here, in London people can take certain things for granted so we’ll be giving it to those who knows whats up. A smaller space, bigger sound system, same crazy line ups, alongside 5 of the best.

TEMPO CLASH 1ST BIRTHDAY IS TONIGHT AT THE RHYTHM FACTORY. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS