In this corner of East London, where the green expanse of Hackney Marsh is a bastion of nature amidst the concrete of nearby industrial estates and motorway flyovers, the tribes have been relocated for this year's Essential gathering.
It's summertime and the weather is temperamental, alternating between dark skies with a side order of showers and sun. By late afternoon, though, the elements, like most of the blissed-out crowd, have settled on a warm glow.
Flanking the stalls selling legal highs, skins and clubwear are nine stages dedicated to various sub-strains of the beast we know as dance. On the Main Stage, Lo-Fidelity Allstars are working up an unholy racket that fuses samples, deep bass and beats.
They also boast the grooviest instrument of the day in the form of a star-shaped bass. While not blowing minds, the Lo-Fis stir up enough activity to rouse the crowd from their teatime reverie.
Over on the Legends Of The Dark Black stage, dark drum'n'bass and manic freestyling is the order of the day, with leading proponents like Goldie, Hype, Fabio and Grooverider behind the turntables.
Back on the main stage, following a protracted session of soundchecking, Reprazent make the first of their two appearances over the weekend. MC Dynamite is on typical rabble-rousing form, and when his raps lock in to vocalist Onalee's spinetingling high notes the effect is truly awesome.
As this seems to be something of an old-skool day, they drop 'Brown Paper Bag' and 'Heroes' to a predictably euphoric response. Some of the 'In The Mode' tracks, particularly 'Who Told You', suffer from an overload of vocals, but overall Reprazent score big.
In the 7 Ek-Lek-Tic Arena, Mr Scruff is doing his usual esoteric thing to a crowd of people who enter out of curiosity but soon find themselves shaking their thing. However, there's a mass exodus to the Main Stage as Public Enemy's two Soldiers Of The First World take the floor.
They're soon joined by Chuck D and Professor Griff and, finally, clown prince Flavor Flav, clock as ever dangling from his neck. Augmented by live guitar, bass and drums, PE deliver a greatest hits set, blasting through '911 Is A Joke', 'Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos' and 'Don't Believe The Hype' with a zeal that belies the fact the songs are all well over a decade old.
After Flavor does his solo spot, Ice T and members of Jurassic 5 are among the guests appearing for the closing 'Fight The Power'. After the rest of the band have departed, Flavor stays around, preaching peace and promising his long-due solo album will surface soon. Touchingly, Chuck eventually comes on to usher his old comrade away.
The crowds flocking to see PE and Q Bert means Judge Jules' headline spot in the Ministry Arena is well short of rammed. As The Stereo MC's continue their comeback on the Main Stage, Ice T is giving the Hip-Hop Connection Arena a beginners' guide to etiquette at hip-hop shows: "When an MC tells you to put your motherf**kin' hands in the air you put your motherf**kin' hands in the air". He's also full of praise for Eminem, but seems to fail to realise he's preaching to the converted.
He offers to improve race relations by impregnating as many "little white girls" as he can after the show. Sadly, too many of these asides and too much time given over to his fellow MCs means Ice soon loses the interest of many. Things reach a nadir when each of the rappers attempts to freestyle over a beat.
Even Flavor Flav, grinning behind the decks, comes on to have a go. Despite a powerful 'O.G. Original Gangster', it's hard not to feel that Ice has missed an opportunity to reassert his relevance instead of merely revelling in his position amongst his descendants.
Curiously, despite the cutting-edge nature of much of the acts, most people seem content to clutch the past rather than embrace the zeitgeist. It's a pity some of the older acts seem content to rest on their laurels rather than evolving with those who've followed in their footsteps.
