The Long Count: Phonox, 7 December

The first Long Count took place at Phonox on Saturday. The party has one rule: nobody on the line-up plays under three hours. With only Anselm Reuter on the bill, he played six.

I boxed a bit at sixteen, and the idea comes partly from that. You learn to pace a round. Most DJs now get ninety minutes and are never asked to think about pacing at all. Anselm spent the first hour and a bit playing to about thirty people as if he had all night, which he did.

About 200 came in the end. The cloakroom rail came off the wall at about half past twelve, and from then on the coats went in a heap behind the booth.

Phonox has a very good system and a room the right size for this. By 4am you could hear the bass strings, fingers on them included. I had only heard that at home before.

The night lost £340, less than expected.

Next is Hamburg in February, at Golden Pudel, then Rex Club in Paris in March, with Anselm and a selector from Lyon called Sacha Vidal.