Review and Photos – Neil Frances at Fortune Sound Club, Apr 19, 2025
The second floor of Fortune Sound Club was packed tight, the crowd already buzzing thanks to the warm-up DJs who had primed everyone for a big night. Just before midnight, the duo known as Neil Frances stepped into the DJ pit, surrounded by eager fans. What should have been a smooth transition was cut short when someone accidentally hit the stop button, bringing the dancefloor to an abrupt halt. Both the DJs and the crowd laughed it off and, in a moment, thunderous bass erupted through the speakers, shaking the room back to life. The real party had arrived.
That interruption was the only time the audience stopped dancing as the Sydney-born Jordan Feller and Southern California native Marc Gilfry seamlessly transitioned from deep techno bass tracks to upbeat house bangers. Fans only familiar with their recorded work, characterized by mellow, indie-electronic textures and laidback vocal melodies, were in for a surprise to see these DJ masters at work. Phones occasionally popped up, using Shazam, as curious dancers tried to ID obscure gems they’d never heard before.
Neil Frances turned the night into a masterclass in crate-digging, unearthing tracks that spanned decades but sounded fresh in their hands. From house tracks like Huntemann’s “Bodyrockin’” (2004), Phil Kieran’s “Snakes Crawl – East Village Mix” (2012), and Soulwax’s “NY Lipps – Kawasaki Dub” (2005), which reimagined Lipps Inc.’s 1979 disco classic “Funky Town.” Even ’90s staples like “It Feels So Good” by Sonique (The Conductor & The Cowboy Mix) were dusted off and dropped at just the right moment, each tune landing with the kind of infectious energy that reminded everyone why they hit the dancefloor in the first place.
They also sprinkled in newer heat, like Groove P’s “Are They Real,” alongside their own dancefloor-ready cuts like “Music Sounds Better with You” and “Teardrops”—tracks that helped launch their career after catching the ears of tastemakers like KCRW and triple j. But it wasn’t about the hits. It was about the deep bass, rhythm, and connecting with everyone collectively basking in thunderous beats, shaking the venue, making it impossible not to flow to.
By the time the crowd began to thin in the early morning hours, Neil Frances had delivered a set that was a taste of dance music’s rich, often-overlooked corners, and a reminder that even in 2025, an old song in the right hands can still sound brand new.
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