Mastermix at The Warehouse Project

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  • There's an aparthotel that sits directly above Store Street—the underground carpark home to The Warehouse Project—that you can book as part of your ticket. Last Saturday, with Jackmaster and Numbers' Mastermix party only hours away, the place was buzzing. Groups of men in their 20s, heavy on Kappa and cologne, flooded the lifts, excitedly asking each other if they too were "going warehouse." Walking down the corridors reminded me of being in university halls, as roars of laughter and pumping house music drifted out from under doors. Mastermix was one of The Warehouse Project's fastest-selling parties of 2017. So close to Christmas and with the Scots out in full force—Jasper James, Denis Sulta, Spencer and Eclair Fifi all joined Jackmaster on the bill—the vibe was boisterous from the get-go. (A special mention has to go to James, who despite being in hospital that day, put a brave face on and played anyway.) Expertly working the early Room 1 crowd, he warmed things up with cuts like Boo Williams "Planet House" and his own bouncing remix of Romanthony's "Bring U Up." Room 1 is a huge concrete space with high ceilings that drip condensation as the party peaks. The stage was raised up, with a large square of revolving bulbs silhouetting the DJ. It's a spectacle: strips of LEDs line the walls, spotlights bathe the crowd in red and purples, and the sound is strong. Robert and Lyric Hood's closing set as Floorplan was a highlight, with father and daughter standing poised behind intense white lights, working their way through thumping classics like "Good Thang" and "Confess," plus some of their brighter, more soulful numbers ("Tell You No Lie," "Gonworkitout"). Jackmaster, Hunee and Henrik Schwarz also played Room 1. With such strong programming, I could have stayed there all night, though overcrowding was an issue. As a result, I found Saturday night soon became a celebration of Room 3, in my experience the space most often overlooked. That's not to say there wasn't stuff to see in Room 2, but disappointing sound in the more spacious parts of the dance floor, coupled with a strange smell, was enough to steer me away from sets by Peggy Gou and DJ Bone. Smaller, darker and louder, with camouflage netting draped across the ceiling, Room 3 was both roomier and more intimate. Krystal Klear roused the crowd with Dead Or Alive's "You Spin Me Round (Like A Record)" and Eclair Fifi went off-kilter to close with cuts like Espresso's "Ping Pong." In between, though, it was Spencer and Kornél Kovács who stole the show with their surging two-hour back-to-back. From the sultry vocals of Etat Solide's "No Heartbreaks feat. Zoey (Acapella Dub)" to the euphoric keys of Axel Boman’s "ABBA 002," it was a fast-moving, seamlessly mixed and joyous performance. Photo credit / Sebastian Matthes
RA