Spotify Playlist: Definitive Deviation

Deviation has been around for a decade and for good reason. Benji B’s forward thinking night just hit double figures and he’s intent on celebrating. Still fiercely independent, the East London night has never aligned itself with one passing fad. Instead, it has built a reputation for diversity, inclusivity and the curation of a pure party atmosphere.

In 2002 Benji B held down a residency at BBC 1Xtra. By 2007 he had started Deviation which ran every Wednesday at Gramaphone, a now defunct club in Spitalfields. In 2011 Deviation bid farewell to Gramophone, spending a three year stint at XOYO before landing at Mick’s Garage.

Over that time, a kind of personality cult has emerged around Benji B. Heads revisit his nights again and again. It’s no surprise: he was working with Gilles Peterson whilst still in his teens. By the time he’d hit 20 he was abroad mingling with iconic figures like poet Saul Williams and jazz saxophonist Pharoah Sanders. This musical depth has seeped into everything he’s done since.

Below we have compiled the tracks that have defined Deviation over the years, the songs that have brought the crowd up, and down over the course of a decade. What’s most clear is Benji B’s commitment to diversity: trap, hip hop and funk feature as often as slow-house jams, early dubstep rollers and hard-hitting drum tracks.

Celebrate 10 years of Deviation with Actress and Lil Silva this Sunday at fabric. Buy tickets here.