Midnight in Peckham
About five years ago I stumbled across Chaos in the CBD’s Midnight in Peckham; a reflective tune that spans a few genres. Bits of jazz, soul and house come together to create a really nice melancholic yet uplifting sound.
When I first heard this track, I wasn’t into house or electro, nor did I understand it. I kept listening because it wasn’t like anything I’d really heard before. I was really intrigued by it.
I’ve always preferred music that’s a bit sad, but naively I didn’t know that electronic music could be anything but positive and polished. Midnight in Peckham challenged my understanding, opening my eyes to a whole new world of music.
Around the same time, I booked my first trip to Ibiza with a bunch of friends. In preparation, I listened to more and more reflective, low-key house music. I had a playlist of stuff that included Route 8, Palms Trax and Baltra that I’m still building today. It acted as my real-time education of house music. Midnight in Peckham was the opening track.
Even though it’s been five years since I first heard the song in question, I’ve never really stopped listening to it. It’s so easy and soothing that when it plays, I’ve never had a reason to turn it off. I have noticed though that when you play it, people stop and listen, creating a moment for gentle reflection.
In January 2022, during the darkest period of my life, I moved from Brighton on the south coast of the UK to Peckham in London. I was living on my own for the first time, dealing with the fallout of a break up, and struggling to settle into life somewhere that felt so new and intense.
I listened to Midnight in Peckham a lot during this transient period. It became an anthem of hope that I used to prop me up during my lowest moments. A reminder that the good times would come back.
I’d think back to nights spent with friends at Pikes in Ibiza, or how I’d watched Chaos in the CBD play as the sun came up at Glastonbury. I’d long for those nights in the club where it all just makes sense. I’d think about the people you meet and what it feels like to be fully immersed in the music. Shared understanding with the people that stand around you, just soaking it all up.
It was just the other day that I was sitting with friends in Peckham as the clock approached midnight. It was midnight in Peckham when it all started to make sense. It felt serendipitous to play the tune before we went out for the night. Things were once again in sync for me. I’d weathered the storm and I was leaving the hard times behind.
It doesn’t matter if you call it chance, fate or nothing at all. For me, it was a nice coming of age moment where things felt like they’d gone full circle. Five times around the sun and a lot of ground travelled. A lot of smiles, plenty of hugs and a fair few tears. People burnt, lessons learnt but no regrets for anything.
My most vivid memories come from times that are centred in music. Life feels most real when the music makes sense.
You can check out the playlist I’ve been adding to since I got into house music here.
