- Three empty tequila shot glasses lay stricken across the Roadhouse bar. In front of them are three reprobates recoiling in horror. It seemed the only fitting way to bring our first Cutloose romp to a close.
It all began when my friends and I arrived at the club entrance, far from fresh faced, just after opening. I'd never been to the dark chamber before, but I had heard good reports. As expected, the venue was encased within a single room. It held what I would guess to be around 200 people and offered no sanctuary within its bowels for any weary traveller. Draped velvet separated the bar from the dance floor chaos whilst a few scattered tables and chairs littered the unpopulated outskirts.
Photo credit: Tom Jackson
Cutloose began its life at Dave Vincent's wretched Spektrum. The opening night heralded the infamous Theo Parrish whilst others showcased the cream of the underground house, disco and funk community. I don't know the intricate details of the decision to move to the Roadhouse, but the news was met with rapturous applause in my household.
The walls that contained the night were but a small piece of the succulent metaphorical pie on offer. Each resident, although at no point did I know which one was on, elevated the party into full swing. 4/4 rhythms were juxtaposed with off beat modern day soul and disco classics. Genres were tossed aside and cosmic fever let loose by skilful and well-schooled hands.
Photo credit: Tom Jackson
Soundstream, a one man groove machine hailing from Berlin, took charge at 1 AM. Others may know him as Soundhack or Smith and Hack, or even by the key role that he's played in the Hard Wax phenomenon. But on this night he was most definitely Soundstream, spiralling the atmosphere out of control with his own feverish productions like "Dance With Me" and "3rd Movement." At its peak Soundstream's set was amongst the best I've ever seen: His ability to manipulate songs of varying tempos and moods comes with an almost unattainable knowledge of music and how it causes people to react.
The whole ordeal, to be honest, left me mesmerised. The night followed no pre-defined formulas and impregnated me with its sleazy seed. Having hammered out their own niche in the Manchester underground scene with solid bookings like the forthcoming Motor City Drum Ensemble, it's no surprise that Cutloose relentlessly draws sell-out crowds.