Crack

The Warehouse Project had become a national clubbing staple long before this year’s gargantuan line-ups were released.

The brickwork mecca underneath Manchester’s Piccadilly Train Station has for some time been the primary clubbing event in the North and, along with Sankeys, placed Manchester firmly on the map of every discerning clubbers’s radar.

A rather impressive trick The Warehouse Project pulls off, that all credible clubs worth their salt should take note of, is to make the process of watching huge acts seem as intimate as possible. The archway brickwork cauldron in room one is characterised by closeness to the artist and each other. For many, sweating and rubbing shoulders with the man or woman next to you is no fun, in the Warehouse it’s essential and wholeheartedly adds to the atmosphere.

And then there is the sound. The system at Warehouse looks like your standard Funktion 1 job, however this would be doing it a massive disservice. The Warehouse is loud and clarity is strong. Half the battle is won when this is the case.

Massive diversity across 35 sold-out parties saw this year’s line-ups taken to the next level. While shamelessly straddling the commercial (David Guetta anyone?) with the undeniably underground, all tastes were catered for in this Autumn/Winter season.

Crack was on hand for four cherry-picked parties and none of them disappointed.


MINUS RECORDS w/ Richie Hawtin, Magda, Marc Houle

The enigmatic Richie Hawtin has, for some time, been the final word in techno music for many. His Minus imprint was at the forefront of the minimal techno explosion and the roster of artists he regularly gets to play for him at his Minus parties have become genre benders and techno superstars in their own right.

Tonight sees the whole range of Minus artists in full effect from the winding, heavily percussive and heart pounding techno Hawtin now regularly employs, to the looser more hip-wiggling infection of Magda.

However, the highlight of he night goes to Marc Houle, whose wonky drama of a live set weaves intense periods of techno sub-bass with a real fist-pounding sense of fun. Odd noises underpinned with a real groove make this a real set to remember.

It’s hard not to get caught up with the history of Hawtin with his Plastikman alias and his superstardom. What remains extremely evident is his label and those with whom he surrounds himself are some of the most talented and innovative people in techno today. The Warehouse wiggles and fist clenches right until the end.


KIERAN HEBDEN CURATED w/ Four Tet, Caribou, James Holden, Theo Parrish, James Blake, Mount Kimbie, Nathan Fake, Zomby, Jamie XX

If you were to congregate a selection of artists who had an awesome 2010, it’s a fair bet a number of those who appeared on this gorgeous line-up would feature prominently on this Four Tet curated line-up.

Kieran Hebden’s impeccable taste was confirmed in a number of standout performances across both rooms. After fans were treated to Mount Kimbie’s much lauded live pad, keyboard, sequenced extravaganza and Theo Parrish’s two hour ode to the true sound of house and soul music, Hebden laid his claim to being the artist of the year with a massive live set that saw the Warehouse crowd come alive with every recognisable drip off noise and hook he put forward. Everything he has touched has turned to gold this year and the response he received is testament to the esteem in which he is now held.

If anyone can dispute Hebden’s claim to this year’s accolade – it is Caribou. Having crafted arguably album of the year, the main room of The Warehouse Project is brought to its knees. Taking Swim (the album in question) and re-moulding a number of its tracks into wholeheartedly progressive monsters, this bent live performance showcased peaks, drops, builds and emotion beyond Swim’s already groundbreaking sound. Half of the incredibly well dressed crowd are either in a state of ape or perfectly still and taking it all in.

Room Two is also in full effect with the jungle sounds of Zomby, followed by the ubiquitous James Blake. There is an intimate feel to this room with punters clambering on the stage and right in the DJ’s face. The odd future garage and experimental sounds of Jamie XX and the soaring, gazing sounds of Nathan Fake continue the diverse theme and means room two is pumping right until the end - something that hasn’t been true of all the events at the project over the years.

Hebden’s sonic partner in crime, James Holden, finishes off proceedings in the main room in typically soaring, techy fashion, with a number of completely unidentifiable tracks that go far beyond the techno and house spectrum. The indefinable nature of much of the music this evening is as much testament to the amazing array of artists on display as it is to Hebden himself. The future of electronic music was on display this night.


COCOON w/ Ricardo Villalobos b2b Raresh and Nick Curly

One of the best facets of the Warehouse’s programming, is being able to combine line-ups on one night that include 15 different artists, with another night solely focused on the genius of one or two people. In this case Ricardo Villalobos and Raresh.

Techno and house music has always lent itself to sets of mammoth length and tonight is no different. One of its foremost exponents is Ricardo Villalobos. The Chilean master has built up a reputation as perhaps the most interesting techno producer on the planet. Combining a distinctly grainy analogue sound with huge length sets, the majority of which are played on vinyl, he recently won the Resident Advisor DJ of the year poll and played one of the most astounding sets Crack has ever heard at Fabrc back in October.

Far removed from the collateral of sounds he employed on that night, tonight sees Villalobos with his groove firmly in tact. Taking on five hours of back to back house and techno with Romanian wunderkind Raresh, tonight sees Villalobos in a more restrained frame of mind, yet none the less devastating mood.

The Fabric set in which he came on at 9am had an anything goes feel to it. This set was utterly loaded with groove. You know you’ve been in the company of someone who knows how to keep a dance floor in tact, when you haven’t moved for five hours and you’ve got know the people around you to the point of first name contact. Villalobos remains one of the most consistently engaging artists to hear out. He is a DJ who consistently takes risks and therefore endears himself to music fans looking for techno with a massive twist.

Tonight you feel his Raresh is his protege behind the decks. Their is an elder statesman feel to Villalobos these days and the Romanian seems primed to carry on the Chilean's work.


THRASHER w/ Flying Lotus, Martyn, Joy Orbison, Kode9, DMZ, Ikonika

Vacant, sat hunched over a metallic bench staring at a vending machine, my surroundings slowly become apparent. We wait impatiently for doors to slide. It’s 7.20am, Manchester Bus Station, and we are broken.

Lone comrades, hunched beside me, are silent as there is nothing left to say - the ringing in our ears says it all…

Barely a few hours ago, the backdrop of arched brick, emphatic bass and sputtered beats allowed the crowd of Thrasher to solider through another sold out Warehouse Project.

Flying Lotus began early, optimising glorious awkwardness. Amongst others – Ikonika, showcasing her colossal debut LP - Contact, Love, Want, Have in the side room - triggered huge support, and Joy Orbison proved Hyph Mngo wasn’t a mere one off with an atmospheric onslaught of post-dub (when will he release G R Etiquette?!).

Trainers ran between the two rooms in search of their chosen noise. DMZ held the main room speechless as Coki’s sub-club infamous Spongebob blew apart the mob. The only no-show, Joker, was replaced by special guest Kode9 who surpassed all expectations, beginning and ending with Burial tunes and bouncing the whole club with D Double E’s Streetfighter Riddim, making every second of the bus ride home un-hesitantly worth such an incredible event.



Words: George Scrivener

Photo: Rory Badman McKenna

http://www.thewarehouseproject.com/

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