Image: Sebastian Matthes
Last week it was Duke Dumont, this week it was Circus. Oh yes, barely a week has passed since our last visit but on Friday we were back at the Warehouse Project and ready to do it all over again. I mean, who could blame us eh!?
Circus along with head honcho YOUSEF have for a long time been two of Liverpool’s finest tech-house exports and when it was announced that they were both making the short trip along the M62 to Manchester for The Warehouse Project’s return to Store Street, here at Noise Gate HQ we just had to investigate.
For 12 years now CIRCUS has continuously brought some of the most pioneering and forward thinking line-ups to Liverpool and it was plain to see that this night, underneath the hallowed arches of Manchester Piccadilly train station, was to be no exception to this tradition. With a line-up laced with some of the scenes most inspiring and exciting DJ’s, nothing was going to stand in the way of this being one of those legendary nights.
Arriving at Store Street just before the stipulated last entry time, nobody could be blamed for thinking a block party was in progress rather than a warehouse one. The queue of eager ravers seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see, each and every person buzzing for what was in store.
Once inside, the unmistakable upbeat tech-house vibes of Yousef could be heard. Relentlessly flowing from one banger to another, it was near impossible for the entering crowd to get to the bar without a dance. The Liverpudlian was undoubtedly a hard act to follow and the gauntlet had well and truly been thrown down.
However, there is nobody more capable to step up to the plate than New Jersey house hero Kerri Chandler- and he did exactly that. Mixing it up with old school classics and pounding grooves such as ‘Sidney Charles – Going Down’, he kept the crowd rocking from start to finish like the seasoned pro he is.
Prising ourselves away from the house legends set, we ventured to Room 2 where Acid Mondays were heating things up nicely with an effortless showcase of many of their own productions, before it was time for Chris Malinchak and Route 94 to take over and give the partygoers one of those dilemmas that we love to hate – whether stay in room 2 or venture in to the main room and witness one of The Netherlands favourite sons, Joris Voorn.
After much deliberation we chose the latter and were not disappointed. Joris, fresh from a successful debut season co-running his event ‘La Familia’ at ‘Ushusia Ibiza’, managed to take the Warehouse Project faithful on a journey.
From wonky beats such as ‘Dark Science – Rust’ to rounding things off with his own euphoric production ‘Ringo’. The crowd were whipped in to a frenzy, Scousers and Mancs rejoiced, hugged and exclaimed to each other ‘you’re alright you are!’ The place was well and truly buzzing.
The mammoth task of closing the main room was given to Hot Since 82, his blend of both deep and tech house kept the main room packed until the small hours playing tracks such as ‘Marco Faraone & Arado – Strange Neighbours’ and his bass infused masterpiece ‘Like You’. The Yorkshire man had delivered arguably one of the sets of the night.
Unfortunately, as with all nights of its kind, it had to end at some point. With the unforgettable sound of ‘Maceo Plex – Under The Sheets’ ringing in everybody’s ears, it was obvious nobody wanted it to.
All in all CIRCUS and Warehouse Project smashed it. Did somebody say next week?
