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Month: November 2017

Live Review: Dekmantel at WHP

It has now been 11 years since the Warehouse Project’s inception back in 2006. Over its lifetime Warehouse Project have established a reputation for presenting some of the finest club nights the UK has to offer, playing host to several blockbuster line-ups over their annual 12-week stints. You get the sense that co-founder Sam Kandel started the Warehouse Project as a real labour of love to electronic music, and this passion still resonates with the thousands of party goers attending each week. In my 3 years living in Manchester, I myself have been lucky enough to witness some of my favourite acts in Store Street from Four Tet to MIA.

Times have changed since 2006 however, and Warehouse Project has become a pricey affair with tickets now costing around £40. A sick chirpse article from 2013 also claimed Warehouse Project have introduced clauses in artist contracts stating that they will not play another Manchester venue that year. This news garnered criticism from smaller local clubs as such monopolisation of the scene unfairly prohibits competition. Never the less, Warehouse Project still has a special place in heart of Manchester, especially amongst its gargantuan student community.

Dekmantel on the other hand, have a reputation all their own, as an Amsterdam based music company they run one of the largest electronic music festivals in the world. Dekmantel have also dropped many stellar records as a label, boasting releases from heavyweights like Robert Hood and Joy Orbison. Needless to say, it’s easy to imagine Warehouse Project and Dekmantel collaborating to create a special night and my expectations were high.

Arriving 10 minutes late, due to the ever-unpredictable traffic of Curry Mile, the door staff were extremely friendly with me and my girlfriend, and we were shortly ushered through the abattoir-esque plastic flaps hanging in the entrance. Inside, I stepped into room 1 and assimilated myself among the masses of sweaty bodies. Here Fatima Yamaha greeted me with a utopian LED wind farm animated across his stage set up. Yamaha’s trademark saw tooth synth waves blasted through the room effortlessly bouncing from groove to groove. In what felt like no time at all, Fatima flowed through his hour-long set arriving at ‘Araya’ which almost took on anthem status as it built slowly whirling the crowd into a fever, before erupting to a climax.  

Next up in room 1 the exciting, up and coming Shanti Celeste and Call Super were playing back to back. I had never seen either DJ live but I was excited to see what they had to offer after enjoying the recorded exploits of Call Super and seeing both acts recently make Crack magazine’s 50 most exciting DJs list 2017. After staying for around 20 minutes I certainly found aspects to admire from their set however, this admiration was perhaps diminished by the fact Fatima Yamaha is a very hard act to follow. As is often the case with Warehouse Project each room has a fantastic line up, so I headed for Room 3 to check out Interstellar Funk. Having known very little about Interstellar funk I was pleasantly surprised by his set of minimalist techno. I found a lot to like about the energy he delivered and so did the crowd around me which grew noticeably as people were attracted to the room throughout his performance.

Next up, I headed back to Room 1 to catch the legendary Robert Hood who is often dubbed the founder of minimalist techno. Hailing from the techno capital of Detroit, Hood has played a historically recognised role in the progression of the scene as a founding member of the ‘Underground Resistance’. This was my first time watching Hood and I was quite excited to see what he would deliver. Hood brought an assured performance to the Warehouse which had the air of an old pro doing exactly what he does best. Alongside a truly seizure inducing light show his thudding Detroit-techno set was simply a joy.

After marvelling at the exploits of Robert Hood I watched the opening of an erratic high bpm set from fellow techno heavyweight Marcel Dettman. Dettman’s sound followed well from Hood’s and kept the room alive as the night entered its penultimate hour. I was very aware however, that during this time Palm Trax had started in room 2. As a big fan of his releases on Lobster Theremin, I have been trying (and failing) to catch one of Palm Trax’s sets for the past 2 years. Palm Trax’s eclectic set strewn was with his trademark retro synths and samples of decades gone by. This sound was quite the change of pace from Room 1 but as the night begun to wound down for me this change was welcome. At around 5:00AM I left Store Street both fairly knackered and fairly chuffed with the insane quality of music I had witnessed. My only regret from the evening had been arriving too late to catch late additions to the bill JuJu and Jordash, who unfortunately drew the short straw warming the crowd for Fatima from 10:30pm.

In many ways the Warehouse Project was always destined to become a victim of its own success. Even with line ups this good I often struggle to justify the cost of these nights on a student budget. With crowds that now also gather due the Warehouse Project’s leviathan reputation rather than the acts themselves, people nowadays have criticised that many no longer come to appreciate the music. Snobbery aside, I would be lying if I said this wasn’t the latest in a string of superb nights I have enjoyed there, and as long as Warehouse keep delivering this standard of electronic music I must confess I will always be keen to return.

 

Jack Walker for Fuse FM

Live Review: Chase & Status at WHP

Once again, on Friday The Warehouse Project provided a line-up that filled the part-time carpark with entertainment to the early hours. On arrival, a combination between the sweaty dancers, the bass from the multitude of speakers and the anticipation for the evening ahead instantly warmed us up from the chilly Mancunian evening outside. In room one, we caught the end of Darkzy’s set – bringing Manchester his unique style of dark and moody bassline – before one of UK rap scenes most promising upstarts, AJ Tracey, hit the stage.

AJ definitely didn’t drop the metaphorical baton that Darkzy carried for the hour before him, as he kept the crowd as energised as his predecessor did. Blasting through tracks from his latest EP ‘Secure the Bag!’, he got the crowd shouting back the hooks to ‘Quarterback’ and JME-featuring ‘Alakazam’. Day-one fans were also pleased with inclusions from older projects like ‘Pasta’ and AJs collaboration with his pal and fellow rapper Dave ‘Thiago Silva’. Being able to captivate such a large audience at such a young age shows why AJ is getting traction from both sides of the Atlantic.

After that brief interlude from AJ was back to the main itinerary for the evening: drum and bass. Shy FX and Stamina MC hit the stage next, as the veteran DJ mixed a mixture of trap, grime, reggae and more with his signature bass sounds. The hour-long set built and built until the final climax: where he got everyone singing along to his remix of DJ Fresh and Ms Dynamites ‘Gold Dust’. After his set the sites and sounds of the other stages attracted our attention for a short while, with Redlight bringing some heat in room 2, until returning at the main room for My Nu Lengs set. As young DJs, it was impressive to see them hold their own on a night crammed with experts of the genre.

And now for the main event: Chase and Status stormed through an hour long set of blistering tracks including a whole host of their own tunes. Near the start was new hit ‘Step Away’ off their recently released fourth album, while they closed with universally-known banger ‘No Problems’. Its just a shame that their set was only an hour, as I’m sure they could’ve entertained the crowd for many more.

The night was closed with some of Mak & Pastemans set in room 2 before checking out Dimensions action-packed closing set, until the majority of the crowd left wanting to dance longer into the early hours. If you’re a fan of the line-ups or are oblivious to who the list of names are, Warehouse Project never disappoints as you are bound to find something that will keep you entertained til the morning. Take it from my mate who came up for his first WHP, ‘That was the best night of my life!’.

 

Jack Palmer for Fuse FM

News Around Fuse #1

Hello and welcome to the first ‘News Around Fuse’! These semi-regular updates will just keep you up to speed with what’s happening within Fuse FM.

Recently we held our first Fuse Live – Hardwicke Circus, The Tom Knight Band, and Ace Motel packed out Fallow Cafe on the 14th November for a cracking night of live music. Don’t forget to check out the bands on Soundcloud or Spotify, their rhythms got gig-goers jiving so don’t miss out! Keep your eyes peeled for the next instalment of Fuse Live in 2018.

Elsewhere, Fuse completed its first live sport commentary all the way back in October for the Rugby Union Varsity games. Whilst the men’s team narrowly fell short to Manchester Metropolitan University, the University of Manchester women’s team were dominant in victory. Fuse TV have done highlights of the games, so head over to their YouTube page to catch the action one more time.

Thanks for reading the first News Around Fuse! Our next update will be up in December, before we all take a well-earned break for Christmas. Don’t forget to keep listening to Fuse on our website, or via the TuneIn Radio App!

Fuse Reviews – Stone Island at the Old Granada Studios

Throughout the yearly Warehouse Project season, there are always a
handful of one-off shows not hosted in the usual haunts of Store Street,
but shows that utilise the variety of different venues that Manchester
has to offer. This year is no exception, and last week they hosted a
Stone Island-sponsored party in Old Granada Studios – an old ITV studio
where Jeremy Kyle and Take Me Out have previously been filmed.

The venue didn’t seem akin to cheesy TV shows on the night though, as it had been
transformed by intense strobe lights and range of different projections through the large open
spaces. Stone Island logos were emblazoned on the brick walls and gaunt male models looked
moody on a projection at the back of the stage behind the long table reserved for the DJs of
the evening. My personal favourite was the four models walking on the spot in a Stone Island
spacesuit in front of a full moon – fairly disconcerting with the repetitive beats that were
playing over the top.

The line-up for the evening was a solid wall of techno from start to finish: with UK
heavyweight Joy Orbison opening up the preceding’s, followed by old school veteran Kirk
Degiorgio, with the critically revered Detroit selector Omar S wrapping things up at the end.
Joy Orbison provided a genre spanning set that he is known for, favouring melodic house
towards the end which was in contrast to Kirk’s preferred heavier, industrial techno sounds.

For me, though, the highlight of the event was hearing Omar S bring the sounds of the States
over to Manchester. Detroit was one of the original cities to start producing, and appreciating,
electronic techno and house, and Omar had the air of a master of his work. His set was a lowkey
affair, with nothing being too over the top or in your face, but it was the simple grooves
and melodies that ran through his choices that kept the crowd all dancing ‘til the early hours.

By Jack Palmer

Fuse Reviews – (Sandy) Alex G at The Deaf Institute

Having built up a cult following through Bandcamp with his lo-fi indie rock sound,
Philadelphia musician (Sandy) Alex G was signed by Domino in 2015, though his performance at the Deaf Institute was still very much embedded in DIY principles.

Alex and his band appeared a couple of minutes before their scheduled start time, tweaked
their instruments and, without warning, blistered through the first hour of the set, with
little/no gaps between songs.

The first hour mostly consisted of tracks from his 2016 album Rocket, including the alt-country
Pavement-esque ‘Proud’ and the jazzy ‘Guilty’ as well as heavier distorted numbers
like ‘Brick’. Alex either swaggered about the stage guitar in-hand, or was hunched over a
Casio keyboard with his voice varying from a soulful crooning to a gritted teeth snarl. With
only four on stage, the band did an admirable job of performing the tracks on the album,
which contains the most complex and varied songwriting in Alex’s back-catalogue.
At the hour mark, Alex finally chatted to the crowd, and then took requests for the final
section. At a more relaxed pace he played fan-favourites like ‘Sarah’, ‘Mis’ and ‘Mary’ from
his early self-released albums, which drew big reactions from the crowd. He even slipped in
a surprise cover of Blink 182’s ‘What’s my age again’.

The gig was refreshingly un-showy, and focused on playing as many tracks as possible for the
eager crowd. We may have also witnessed a first: a genuine encore. At the end Alex went
straight to the merch table, taking pictures and chatting with the fans he knows launched
his career in the beginning.

By Aidan Campbell

Fuse Reviews – Giggs at WHP

Arriving at Warehouse Project on Friday night I was greeted with
one of the biggest crowds I’d ever seen at the venue, all queuing
up in anticipation for a night full of grime, hip-hop, and the main
man himself – Giggs.

Warehouse Project events are always a masterclass in consistency, whole nights curated to
certain genres (or even sub-genres), with heavyweight names from start to finish. And this
night was no different. On entry we were greeted with beats being played from Manchester’s
own Jonny Dub, playing a range of UK grime and old-school soul tunes. Moving over to room
two you could find his Levelz counterparts, Chimpo and Chunky, spinning some of
Manchester’s finest contributions to the grime scene with Chunky getting the crowd hyped
with his constant MCing.

As the night wore on, big names from further afield started to play. Up-and-coming MC Nadia
Rose played a blistering set in room 1, with hit ‘Skwod’ got everyone rapping along. Before
the Landlord himself graced the stage, 1Xtra hype-man Charlie Sloth brought some fire out of
the booth, but into Store Street. His interactions with the crowd were as funny in real life as
they are on his show, the highlight being when he got the whole room shouting the lyrics to
Big Shaq’s ‘Mans Not Hot’.

And as the night wore on, the clock slowly ticked ever so closer to 3am, the final slot of the
night, when Giggs was set to play. And it seemed that the crowd from before, after dispersing
during the course of the night, all met up once more to see him perform. Even though Giggs’
new album Wamp 2 Dem didn’t really impress me, with many songs falling flat (*cough*
track 8 *cough*), he still put on a hell of a show. In his short half hour set he blasted through
his classic tracks like ‘Whippin Excursion’ and ‘Talkin’ the hardest’, and also features such as
JMEs ‘Man Don’t Care’ and Drakes ‘KMT’. And although the 6 God himself didn’t show up,
after his surprise appearance during Giggs’ set at Reading Festival got me excited for him to
appear in Manchester, it was still a set worthy of Warehouse Project headliner.

By Jack Palmer

Fuse Reviews – Loyle Carner at the O2 Ritz

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Loyle Carner played at the O2 Ritz in Manchester on the 12th October and I think it was honestly one of the best gigs I have ever been to.

Having missed Loyle Carner at various festivals and even at Bestival his set was cancelled due to the wind; I
thought maybe I was just never going to see him, or if when I did, the hype would be too much for what it was.
Safe to say, this was not the case at all.

Opening with the ‘Isle of Aaran’, swinging his dad’s Manchester United shirt, the the crowd atmosphere Carner
was able to create was unbelievable. The whole gig was only about an hour long, which actually added to its
effectiveness – short and sweet and kept alive by Carner telling stories about family and ex girlfriends,
sometimes through poem.

I think what made it particularly good and what kept the audience engrossed for every second was how
personal and relatable Carner makes his performance and his stories. ‘The Seamstress’ is about a girl he
used to date who “thought [he] had a drinking problem.” Carner told the story and then comically concluded “I
don’t have a drinking problem, I just f*****g love drinking!” By giving songs with such deep meaning and
resonance to his personal life a humorous and relatable touch, he kept the whole crowd completely engaged
(apart from getting a few pints obviously).

He credited his good friend, Tom Misch before playing their track together, ‘Damselfly,’ getting a huge
response. Carner also received a drawing from a fan during the performance and kept it on stage with him the
whole time. This emphasised how he values his fans, which we loved.

The enthusiasm for his music was made very clear from the energy and passion put into the songs
performed. The football shirt was swinging all over the place and when ‘NO CD’ was performed at the end, the
crowd went crazy for it. The dramatic lighting and the clear compatibility between Carner and Rebel Kleff, who
he brought out a few times, gave the big, exciting performance an element of closeness and it just looked like
they were having a great time, meaning every one else was too.

He also told the crowd that Manchester is his favourite place in the whole UK. This feeds into what I am
saying about how personable and fun Carner made his show. Loved it. A great gig, I could go again tonight.

By Jodie Bryant

Fuse Reviews – WHP curated by Floating Points

The line-up for the evening was an absolute treat on paper. It was a triple
bill of my absolute favourite electronic artists: Jon Hopkins, Floating Points
and Daphni.

Starting off as an extra bonus was the German DJ Roman Flugel who moved from light and airy electronica
into much darker realms as the set moved on, warming up the crowd for the later acts.
Then came Jon Hopkins who played a ridiculously intense set from start to finish, with little room for a
break. He spent the hour and a half teasing tracks from his album Immunity and dropping them to
maximum effect. Such was the depth of the line up for the evening, that I had to miss Madlib, who
clashed with Jon Hopkins.

Floating Points’ set at 1:30am was a welcome relief, with a much more relaxed start, beginning with a long
synth only intro. From then on he played an up-and-down mixture of his trade-mark rare funk/soul and
disco bangers, along with more euphoric electronic tracks. The highlight was his upcoming release ‘Ratio‘, which
has been floating around on videos online for a while now.

Daphni’s closing set was a showcase in just about any genre of music you could think of. He moved from
electronica to jungle to drum and bass, also packing out the set with material from his new album Joli
Mai. Finishing with ‘Take me I’m yours’ by Mary Clark with the lights on was a perfect end to the
evening.

By Aidan Campbell