Blue Lab Beats played The Boulevard, Walkers Court, Soho [Iliana Kanellopolou]

WHEN I first started frequenting Soho, a year or two before The Groucho Club opened in Dean Street and caused a seismic shift in the area, there were two contrasting establishments that sat at the pinnacle of the mix of restaurants, “French models”, near-beer clip joints, delis, pubs and drinking dens that populated the streets.

One was Ronnie Scott’s which then, as now, was the doyen of the capital’s jazz clubs and Paul Raymond’s Revue Bar, an upmarket strip show that aspired to be the Crazy Horse of Soho.

I was more Ronnie’s than Raymond’s and, in fact, never visited the latter spot in Walker’s Court until recently, when I went to see Blue Lab Beats.

This was not “blue” in the sense that Mr Raymond would recognise, more “Blue Note”, because the Revue Bar is no more – and after years of an uncertain future the site is now a jazz spot (and bar and recording studio), called The Boulevard.

I was there mainly to investigate the venue because Blue Lab Beats are a pair of samplers/producers and I thought I’d seen enough young men (it is mostly young men) hunched over laptops for what is essentially a playback of pre-recorded tracks to last me a while (the choice of act was my son Gabriel’s idea).

But I needn’t have worried: studio wizards they might be, but BLB have this live thing nailed.

For a start, no hunching here. Nk-OK plays drum machine pads with finger-blurring precision, as well as controlling the samples, all the time wearing a highly infectious grin (he was apparently under the weather but it didn’t show – Dr Gig is a miracle worker).

His colleague David Mrakpor (Mr DM) plays keyboards and guitar (left-handed and upside down, with the strings still in conventional order, a la Jimi Hendrix).

More live grit was added by a punchy duo of sax and trumpet (Ben Vize and Grifton Forbes-Amos), with soaring, soulful vocals from singer Natalie Lindi on tunes such as Labels and I’ll Be Here for You.

We did get Blue Note with vibes man Bobby Hutcherson’s Montara and Afro-Beat with the “10-million streams and counting” Pineapple and Fela Kuti sampled on Motherland Journey, interspersed with BLB’s accomplished jazztronica earworms.

So, the show was great. What of the venue?

Spectacular is the answer, with its glass aerial walkways, massive picture windows, a downstairs bar with a live music stage (The Shed) and the splendid “Theatre in the Clouds” where BLB played.

This latter is an enjoyably intimate space, with tables at the front (“The Golden Circle”), stall seats, a single-row balcony and standing area.

The sound is crisp and it seems like there are no bad seats in the house – which is excellent news with tickets starting at £10 for most shows. Drinks can be delivered to customers before and during the show.

The Boulevard also offers The Night Train, performances that begin at 10pm, a good alternative to Ronnie’s Late Late Show, which these days often sells out.

True, The Boulevard hasn’t quite got the heft of jazz history that Ronnie can bring to the party, but it is a very welcome addition to live music in a square mile that is still threatened by bland uniformity and overpriced apartment blocks. And by any standard, it is a pretty awesome space. You should try it.

The Boulevard (www.soho.live/boulevard) is in Walker’s Court, Soho. Membership costs a bargain £35, which offers priority booking and free entry (plus three guests) to The Shed and 50 per cent off entry to The Boulevard’s sister club, The Piano Bar Soho, which is just off Dean Street. For Blue Lab Beats gigs and news see: bluelabbeats.com