- Without a doubt, the last few months have been rough for Nick Warren. Among rumors of Global Underground’s demise, it’s up in the air whether or not his latest compilation for the international label will ever see an official release. Next, Warren arrives in Chicago for a long overdue appearance in the Windy City – without any records due to the airlines having lost them.
Nick could have easily have shrugged his shoulders and flown back home to Bristol. However, like the true professional that he is, Warren pulled off a 4 hour set for Spundae that can only be described with one word: Amazing.
After arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare International airport, Warren was taken to Gramaphone records where a stack of vinyl awaited him. Then Grayarea’s Ruin and McRae arrived at Vision nightclub with a stack of fellow member Nosmo’s records in hand. What resulted was a night that will not be forgotten for a long time to come.
Following an excellent opening set by Chicago house legend DJ Lego, Warren started off with some nasty break beats. He then led into progressive house that would’ve had those claiming the genre has long since passed away burning lean tissue on the dance floor.
Warren worked the crowd with some massive bombs, from Bedrock’s “Emerald” to Vector’s soon to be released anthem “Rise”. About halfway into his four hour set, Nick pulled out Sasha’s “Xpander” and it was hard to imagine a more intense crowd response. He would later tease the classic throughout the night and end his set with an encore of the track. While some DJ’s could never get away with playing the same track more than once, Warren did it with style and grace.
As Spundae’s Adam King noted, there was undeniably a vibe inside of the club.
Working through Grayarea’s massive “Yewminyst” and churning out Junkie XL’s “Beauty Never Fades”, Nick Warren could do no wrong. Around 5 a.m. the lights came up and the crowd offered the man a well deserved standing ovation. It seemed Warren could have used a collection of Frank Sinatra records and turned out a remarkable set.
Nick Warren pulled off a set that will not be soon forgotten, and pulled it off in a way that only the best of the best can. It is undeniable that in dance music, genres come and go – however, certain DJ’s will always be able to work the crowd regardless of the current trends. Nick Warren is most certainly among these DJ’s, as evidenced by his commanding performance at Chicago’s Spundae event.