Preview: Drop the Mustard with Azari & III, Alpines, Tom Trago and more

Drop The Mustard returns to Sound Control this Friday with one of the freshest line-ups Manchester’s club scene has witnessed in many months, collating a selection of live acts and DJs from the worlds of disco, bassline and electronica, and showcasing established talent and much tipped new faces on the scene.

Headlining the night are Montreal’s Azari & III, one of the real house successes of recent years. Mining an eighties sleaze, filthy basslines and witty, occasionally poignant lyrics, the group have expanded to a four piece for what is set to be a truly bracing live show. Originally releasing on Tiga’s Turbo label, also straight out of Montreal, the group have since been remixed by luminary producers from all corners, with the likes of Nicolas Jaar slowing them down to a 4AM ballad to Jamie Jones’s modern classic of a remix of their biggest hit, ‘Hungry For The Power’, lifting festival crowds all summer.

Released in August to much acclaim, the group’s eventual album release, simply titled Azari & III is a dance LP with real substance, ideas and spirit. Termed as ‘night-pop’ by the group themselves, it’s a surprisingly jacking exploration of those classic 3AM foibles of broken hearts, nasty substances and hidden lifestyles. Granted, we can’t guarantee such thematic subtleties won’t be lost in the early hours of Saturday morning at Sound Control, amidst several hundred bellowing ravers, but alas, this is a group who know how to work up a sweat.

Meanwhile, down in the basement, the Netherlands’ Tom Trago returns to Manchester to once again prove his mastery of genres, flirting similarly between pop and house on the decks, showcasing tracks from his 2011 album on Rush Hour recordings, Iris., as well as his superior new club tools with Night Slugs’ Bok Bok.

Support comes from Bristol’s Coat Of Arms, The potential powerhouse combination of both Chris James and Eats Everything. The duo have seen there single on Futureboogie Recordings, ‘Is This Something’ championed by the likes of Mixmag and Radio 1 all this past summer. They’ll also no doubt be spinning their individual productions, such as Eats Everything’s superb new release on Dirtybird, Whatever/Whatever.

Manchester remains well represented as ever at Drop The Mustard, with an extra bonus in the form of a showcase for Hidden Label, one of the city’s premier new showcases for dance, and the ambitious work of a couple of people, “raised on a diet of house music and bad weather.” They’ll be showcasing label signings, trying out a slew of demos and moving the crowd with some firm favourites and influences.

Drop The Mustard’s Oli Hackett will also be on hand with some of his favourite current output, as well as Now Wave, taking a night off from their Warehouse Project warm up duties to bring the most irresistible alternative and electronic tunes of the near future to Sound Control.

Words: John Thorp

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