- Now in its tenth year, The Warehouse Project has grown into one of Manchester's main tourist attractions, luring revellers from across the UK with the promise of huge lineups in an impressive space that between Monday and Friday is a working car park. The last time I was there was five or so years ago, when I recall lengthy queues at the bar, irritating (but not dangerous) bottlenecks and the lack of a proper second room. Time changes a lot, though. When I returned to Store Street for a 50 Weapons takeover earlier in November, all of these issues had been ironed out. The secondary dance floor has become a proper mid-sized club, while getting around the venue and getting a drink are no longer stressful.
Modeselektor have built a strong relationship with WHP over the years, and their ode to their recently shuttered 50 Weapons label was always going to be big. Shortly after arriving at the cavernous venue, my entrance soundtracked by the tough tones of a frantic live set from Clark, René Pawlowitz (better known as Shed) took to the stage in the second room, playing as Head High. His set turned out to be a real highlight: sledgehammer drums married to housier details, creating a funky yet tough hour of propulsive club music that was neither dark and moody nor overly party-friendly.
Cosmin TRG followed on a similar tip, rapidly throwing down hook-filled, rhythmically diverse cuts. As he played, the temperature on the dance floor swelled and drops of liquid fell from the ceiling. The energy and heat were even more pronounced over in the main room for the biggest pull of the night: Siriusmo and Modeselektor's collaborative project, Siriusmodeselektor. Those familiar with both will be unsurprised to learn that their set straddled Ed Banger-style electro, rave and techno, switching between tempos without ever sounding disjointed. The signature cartoon monkey visuals added a playful edge to the often serious sounds.
There wasn't much by way of light relief during Rødhåd's closing turn, which refused to stray from the path of relentless, percussive-heavy 4/4s. After the carefree abandon that went before, the Berliner's driving assault felt refreshing, making the night's final hours easy to ride out. This party was proof that when it comes to huge spectacles and big-name bookings, you'd still be hard pushed to find many doing it better than The Warehouse Project.
Photo credit: Sebastian Matthes