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Review: Minus Presents Richie Hawtin @ WHP
12th Nov 2008
Review: Minus Presents Richie Hawtin @ WHP
17/10/2008
It's that time of year again. Summer is but a distant memory, holidays are over, the dark nights are upon us and the students are back to wreak havoc on our beloved city. And there's only one thing on the minds of Manchester's like-minded dance music fans. It's The Warehouse Project, and it's back for 12 weeks at Store Street.
Since its beginning at the old Boddingtons brewery in 2006, the warehouse project has been a staple in Manchester's and the UK's clubbing calendar. With credible line-ups covering every genre of the electronic music scale, and a one of its kind venue, it has provided something unique and innovative, and has injected a spark of much needed energy into Manchester's nightlife. Over the course of the next few months, we have an eclectic mix of music ahead of us, We have techno nights from cocoon, hip-hop & drum and bass courtesy of the APE crew, live performances from the likes of Groove Armada and Manchester's very own Happy Mondays, a rare DJ set from The Chemical Brothers, and everything in between.
Tonight however, belongs to Richie Hawtin and his Minus label. For his first show in Manchester in six years, he comes celebrating 10 years of his Minus imprint, and brings along some of the most prominent acts on his label, Troy Pierce, Gaiser and Barem. Minus has always been about pushing the limitless boundaries of minimal techno, always incorporating new technology into the labels music. The Warehouse Project seems a fitting place for a night like this, and as soon as I arrive there is an atmosphere in the air that can only be described as electric.
Although the venue is the same as last year, situated underneath Piccadilly station, there have been some significant improvements. Gone are the plastic chairs and bean bags of the 2007 chill out area, and in its place is a new, second room for music and an improved chill out spot for clubbers to rest their weary legs, with deck chairs and benches spread around. One thing that I can point out is that the quality of the sound in the venue has considerably improved since last year. While many have complained about it being "too quiet"", this year the sound is spot-on, its LOUD but its not going to make your ears bleed, or have you shouting all the way home.
As I arrived, I had missed Barem and Troy Pierce was in full swing in the main room. Although I wasn't too convinced, the crowd were lapping it up, and Troy himself was having the time of his life, clearly happy to be here. As his set began to pick up pace it was over a bit too soon, when Gaiser took the stage for a much anticipated live set. And what a set it was, he dived into a ferocious minimal set, providing a deep yet lively soundtrack for the night ahead. By the end of his set, the venue was heaving and from the looks on the faces of every punter around me, tonight was going to be something special, the return of Richie Hawtin was finally upon us.
Playing a different kind of set to his usual more experimental offerings, Richie was on outstanding form. With his trademark effects and quality mixing he played a crowd-pleasing techno set, backed by outstanding visuals on screens in front and behind the DJ booth. Although at some point it looked like an advert for apple (during dark moments all you could see were the apple logos beaming from his laptop) I can honestly say that they are some of the best visuals I have seen in a club (or warehouse, for that matter!).
Richie Hawtin is clearly a man who takes his job seriously; a look of concentration was spread across his face all night, although he did crack a smile every now and again, much to the pleasure of the crowd. As I left the party was still in motion and was showing no signs of slowing down, carrying on deep into the early hours of Saturday morning which is nothing irregular for a Minus night.
All in all it was a fantastic night. There are however, a few minor things that the warehouse crew could pick up on. The queues for the toilets could only be described as ridiculous, and not exactly the cleanest port-a-loos that you have ever seen. And at some points it was hard to move about the crowd as the sell-out night had packed the venue to the rafters. But that said, it's only a few minor criticisms for an otherwise incredible night. Another triumph then for Minus, and another triumph for Warehouse Project.
So things are looking up for The Warehouse Project, after 2 years trying to create the perfect night out, they might have finally done it. And with another 8 weeks to go, only time will tell. Here's to another 10 years for Minus, and here's to what will hopefully be a great decade for the Warehouse.
Dave Buckley
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