Exhibit Manchester W/ Alex Celler & Anthea

After a fist pumping Friday night with Sven and the boys at The Warehouse Project, I was still hungry for more and excited to see what EXHiBiT Manchesters launch night had to offer. The night was playing host to Alex Celler and Anthea who were aiming to play back to back for a whole five hours. From the word go, I knew that it was a recipe for something innovative. Although the question was, could these two relatively upcoming talents deliver?

The scene was the depths of Sound Controls basement, a venue that was completely new to me, although I had however visited the upper floors as a fresher. After growing accustomed to the larger venues that Manchester has to offer, the intimacy of Sound Controls basement was paradoxically a breath of fresh air. The small size of the venue enhanced the ambiance felt throughout the room, creating an envelope of Celler and Antheas mesmerising sound. As soon as I walked on to the dance floor I was hooked by the rhythm.

Upon my arrival it was Anthea who had control of the crowd. As soon as I heard her elegantly raw, yet undeniably deep bass lines, I could already feel my body moving. She maintained this ominous groove whilst keeping the crowd moving in a sluggish manner. Over time she built up the set, drawing the audience further and further into the music to the point of almost hypnotising the crowd.

When Celler finally joined Anthea he wasted no time in adding his energetic signature to the mix. As the beat began to build again, this time with both DJs at the reign, the wait for the climax was bordering unbearable. The room suddenly transformed into an energising funk fuelled beat, a perfect symbiosis of the two DJs sound. The crowd completely took hold of this change, with the night really starting to begin at this point.

Celler didnt fail to maintain this raw energy that the duo had managed to create. During his time at the helm, Celler moulded powerfully deep bass riffs with energetic percussion to keep the crowd dancing and the movement high. It was a phenomenal sound which created an atmosphere only intensified by Antheas return.

The back to back element allowed Celler and Anthea to continue toying with this winning formula, which created one of the most dynamic duos I have ever seen play. When Anthea hypnotised the crowd with her groovy deep bass, Celler energised them with his signature energy, which when moulded together, created an innovative sound. The intimate setting only accentuated this effect, creating an engrossing atmosphere.

In reference to my earlier question as to whether the duo would deliver, its safe to say they most certainly did, going above and beyond what I expected. I look forward to what Exhibit Manchester has to offer next month at Sound Control, with DJ W!LD and David Glass, although Alex Celler and Anthea will be very hard to beat!

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