Image: Liam Taylor Photography
With a host of talent descending upon the steel city for the early May bank holiday, expectation was firstly focused towards the revamped Night Kitchen to deliver.
Previously known as DLS, this departed cutlery factory has firmly established itself as one of Sheffield’s most respected venues. Having hosted some of the city’s most memorable parties, the latest event on May 2nd with Derrick Carter and Nightmares On Wax was no exception.
The venue, nestled away in a neglected backstreet of one of Sheffield’s many industrial regions, has been subject to a recent makeover and, for many, this was their first opportunity to catch a glimpse of how Party For The People and CADS had collaborated in order to renew the beloved space.
First things first, you know the organisers have done well when people have started to arrive before the place is even open, and the dancefloor is full within half an hour. All three rooms were open on the night, meaning on top of the legendary headliners, party-goers were able to see a host of residents from the organisers of the night too.
The task of warming up the main room was left in the capable hands of Californian veteran house DJ Hector Moralez. His unique style whipped the crowd in to a frenzy, with an eclectic mix of upbeat house and tribal drums that ignited thoughts that, for some of us, a Balearic summer may not be too far away. Amidst all this it was nice to turn to one side and see Derrick Carter, the house hero himself, sampling the vibe before his set and cutting a rug amongst fellow house enthusiasts.
Meanwhile, in The Vent Warehouse, Nightmares On Wax were absolutely killing it with their signature dynamic funky sounds. As the seamless blend of the sets funk and reggae elements kicked life into the crowd, the bar was set high from the outset. Amongst the funk were some hidden gems of rudimentary percussion, drum and bongo beats, keeping party-goers moving throughout the duration of the mammoth three hour set.
It was then time for the main man Derrick Carter to take centre stage back in the main room and launch one of his famous musical assaults on the dance floor. Relentless Chicago house Chuggers, with blends of re-cycled disco samples and even a jazz oboe at one point, kept the place grooving for hours. One highlight was Juwan Rates’ brand new cut ‘Somebody’ (check it out on the Souncloud player, below). When his set finally came to a close he wound things down with an edit of Michael Jackson’s ‘Rock with you’. Standing at the front of the room and looking back it was great to see the place still packed to the rafters.
Bringing things to a close was a guy whose sets never fail to impress, Ryad’s very own Oliver Drops, and he managed to keep things moving until the very end. Throughout the whole of the night it never felt as though excitement dropped and it was clear that most didn’t even want it to end.
This is what house nights should always be like, The Night Kitchen is the kind of venue they should always be held at, and the organisers and promoters of it are the people that need to keep doing what they’re doing.
A round of applause to everyone involved for such an unforgettable night!
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