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Tag: techno

Review: BangFace Weekender

Written by Mia Edwards on . Posted in Reviews.

When I got off the train at Ainsdale, a small seaside town north of Liverpool, I did not expect to be greeted by German accents. I was wondering why they had come all the way from Germany to a windy and rainy Pontins holiday park on the north west coast of the UK. I soon found out the reason; they, and many others (from Spain, Malta and even L.A) had come to pay homage to the neo-rave extravaganza that is the Bang Face weekender.

A shelf at the on-site Nisa local.

The uniqueness of BangFace was noticeable from the start, many of the ravers, known as the ‘Bang Face hard crew’ wore T-shirts and held papers with tongue-in-cheek slogans on them (see picture below).  Bang Face takes itself way less seriously than your average techno or jungle night, the mix of ravers from different scenes and the general open & friendly vibe made me feel completely comfortable, despite going on my own.

The effort put into the back to the future theme was obvious, with references to all things sci-fi, I saw costumes like Mr. Meeseeks from Rick and Morty, a whole gang of flying saucers, and even the full model of a Delorian with two guys dressed as Marty and Doc. My favourite costume was someone dressed as an 8ft oblong painted completely black – I thought it captured the absurdity of a sci-fi themed mega-rave in a Pontins holiday park.

From old school acid house to hardcore gabba and everything in between, Bang Face is celebration of electronic music culture from its beginnings to today.

I spoke to some of the stewards about what they thought of the weekend, they said that they look forward to it despite the noise. The chalet set up was another feature that set it apart from your average festival, after a certain time, they became mini-parties with an open door policy.

Ceephax acid crew – oldschool banger provider

I wouldn’t be surprised if people start following the Bang Face Pontins rave model.  I wasn’t there in the 90s but I think that’s what was achieved with 21st century technology, you could be forgiven for feeling transported to an earlier era of rave if it wasn’t for the memes flashing relentlessly during some of the sets.

 

My personal highlights

Ceephax acid crew – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhZzSdgnDF8

Eprom – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kBlovL8J6JY

Post human – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fpKcebnQyO4

Otto von Schirach – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_SFb4gNWHc

 

Best DJ names awards

1st –DJ lara crofts dentist

2nd Abba Gabba (pls look up their set from 2016 lol) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWonx6SdszM

3rd Shitney beers

 

Review by Adam McCarthy

Live Review: Goodness x Bok Bok at Soup Kitchen

Written by Jacob Thompson on . Posted in Reviews.

As I walked down the stairs into the Soup Kitchen basement, there was a feeling of excitement in the Mancunian air. Friday night saw forward-thinking promoters Goodness bring some energy to the city in the form of bass-heavy duo Bok Bok & L-Vis 1990 with warm-up duties on the night coming from the equally as talented Bolt and Afrodeutsche. As the temperature outside began to drop the basement of soup kitchen was just heating up.

Soup kitchen has been racking up some impressive bookings recently and is surely becoming a real favourite for Manchester’s music lovers/party goers. With its dimly lit basement, it seemed one of the more fitting places in the city for the night’s festivities. After spreading their wings to Manchester earlier this year, following success in Oxford and London, Goodness have brought some fantastic artists to the city including Hessle Audio’s Joe and Timedance main man Batu. Both occasions have proved to be riotous affairs, so I knew I was in for a treat.

As I arrived BOLT, a member of local collective VAM was handing over the reins after a well-received set to Afrodeutsche, who dived headfirst into a blend of electro & techno, easily grabbing the attention of the room. Her set was a definite nod to the old Detroit electro legends but it was combined fluidly with her own unique sound; the Manchester-based artist showed real talent and I am looking forward to seeing more from her in the future.

This was my first time catching the night slugs head honchos, and after rinsing their boiler room from way back in 2014 I was looking forward to seeing them in the flesh. As Bok Bok & L-Vis 1990 took to the decks at around 2 am it didn’t take long before the basement was shaking. With a genre-spanning set from UK funky to grime, no area of the bass music spectrum was left untouched, the following couple of hours were extremely entertaining.

In a Noisey article earlier this year, L-Vis commented on the way Night slug sets don’t really have a ‘peak time’ as such: “Our sets are not building to one specific moment, it’s more about different waves of energy throughout the set”. Energy was something that definitely wasn’t lacking down in that basement. The reception from the crowd was warmly appreciated by the DJ’s who looked to be enjoying it as much as the revelers on the other side of the booth. The front of the crowd was feeding off this energy as the tempo was upped and classics such as Lil Silva’s now legendary ‘Seasons’ got a predictably huge reaction alongside new productions that had the crowd roaring.

In an industry that sometimes struggles with representation, it was also great to see an equal split of genders on the line-up without the promoters using it as some kind of marketing tool. Hopefully, this positivity can continue throughout the scene.

I can happily say I struggled to find any negatives about this one and I look forward to the next Goodness event. Smiles were aplenty as the crowd headed up the stairs into the cold Manchester morning.

 

Review by Adam Parker

Live Review: Welcome to the Warehouse 2018

Written by Jacob Thompson on . Posted in Reviews.

Last Saturday saw the return of The Warehouse Project with their annual opening party, Welcome to the Warehouse. Packed with a cast of renowned DJs from around the globe, on top of marking what will be the Project’s final season at their Store Street venue, the opening night was sure to be on the calendar for anyone with so much as a passing interest in techno or deep house.

Wandering under the train tracks and queuing on a damp Mancunian evening, amidst the excitement of those in the queue, the event’s gritty familiarity was oddly warming. Making our way inside just after the final entry time of 9:30pm, we briefly got ourselves re-accustomed to the venue. The first thing to note is that there has been little change to the interior since last year, or if there has been, it definitely isn’t noticeable. The cavernous brick venue still holds its three impressive stages, meanwhile all the facilities, such as the bars and toilets remain in the same areas as before. This is not a criticism; rather an acknowledgement of the near-perfect formula that WHP have created in Store Street.

By the time of our arrival, music had already been playing for three and a half hours, with DJs like Or:La and Willow in full flow. While it is always painful to miss a set, especially from names that would top other bills, it was especially so when a superstar like Mall Grab is scheduled from 9-11pm, starting half an hour before the listed final entry. While we were able to be there for the latter half of it, I know that we weren’t the only ones who were annoyed to have not caught the whole two hours. The set in question was more techno based than many would have expected from the Australian, punctuated mainly by a heavy four to the floor pulse, as opposed to the house sounds he is best known for. This was perhaps to be expected at this notoriously techno-heavy event, and as such, he found the crowd to be very receptive.  Veterans to his DJ sets however may have been less surprised – it’s rare that Mall Grab lets himself be confined to any genre.

Following on, next to the main stage came the South Korean, Berlin based DJ Peggy Gou. With her meteoric rise in the past couple of years, now surely to be counted amongst the biggest DJs in the world, Gou made her return to Store Street for her second performance at the Warehouse. Following on from the high crowd expectations set by Mall Grab as well as her towering reputation, Gou delivered a thumping, party driven set that was sure to have met every expectation. Our eyes were peeled for the raised shoes, a common sight at her gigs, and we were not disappointed in that regard. Expect her to be a mainstay at whatever venue the Warehouse Project finds itself in the future. One drawback- as has often been the case at past events, was the slight overcrowding in the main room, despite the presence of DJ Seinfeld and Lone in Rooms 2 and 3 concurrently.

As the clock rolled around to 1am the audience had begun to thin out slightly, surely towards Midland in Room 2 (sadly missed by these writers). However, it was a necessary sacrifice as playing in the main room was Berliner Dixon, a veteran always touted among the very best, and a DJ we had been aching to see. Definitely our most anticipated act of the evening, it was an undoubted climax, providing two hours of captivating, unpredictable, yet always pounding rhythms sounds that bowled its listeners over. With any of Dixon’s work in the form of mixes, singles, or albums being so scarce in recent years, this was a set that had been prepared for on hype alone, and even then we were shocked by the pairing of power and composure he brought to the decks, with one of many highlights being 5udo’s breakout banger “One,” which seemed tailor made for the Warehouse Project sound system.

With the crowd dissipating and the evening increasingly feeling like an endurance event (not helped by the puzzlingly early last entrance), we decided to call it a night.  On stumbling out of Store Street at 4am, complete with ringing ears and sweat-covered shirts, everyone was unanimous in their praise. While what the future holds for The Warehouse Project may be as yet unknown, for now it undoubtedly remains the top electronic event in a city with plenty of competition.

Reviewed by Ollie Hastings and Adam Tamimi