Review: Coded Rhythm Second Birthday

Photo: Nightmares On Wax

Those in attendance at Gorilla for Coded Rhythm's 2nd birthday, who together found solace from the increasingly autumnal elements, had cause for a double celebration - landmarks for both the promoter and the evening’s headline act.

The booking of enigmatic Leeds producer and eclectic selector George Evelyn AKA Nightmares on Wax shows how far Coded Rhythm have come, now able to demand some of the names hot on the lips of those who’re in the know when it comes to underground dance music.

Evelyn, pencilled in for a Manchester date on the back of the release of double album N.O.W Is The Time, a collection of easy listening and club friendly productions from the previous 25 with the famous Warp Records  (stream below).

Behind the decks, Parisian beatmaker Onra warmed up for the veteran headline act, after resident Coded Rhythm DJs brought the room to a boil with their own blend of house and hip-hop beats.

The whole evening skipped blissfully between tracks of low tempo, more rapturous trip-hop and classic dance rhythms which interminably treated the packed out Whitworth Street venue. As we neared 2am, the room was sufficiently warmed up (more on that later) for Evelyn, a experimental dancefloor stalwart and producer who has been conjuring blissfully energetic productions for over two decades. 

Mixing electronica with acid house, even if the youthful lot on the dancefloor were too young to fully remember the output of Nightmares on Wax, going way back to 1988, they were quickly brought up to speed. There is no doubting that the eclectic array of effortlessly blended genres would have gained him some new savvy followers. 

Those who have graced the archway in which Gorilla is housed will be acutely aware of the sheer heat that any night in this venue brings, and when coupled with a mass of revellers moving to a chopped up selection of house, R&B, Hip hop and disco, it all became a little too much, but that’s not to say that the night wasn't a success.

Evelyn also goes by the name of DJ EASE, a name which pretty much encapsulates his sound and philosophies. Hitting the stage in the early hours for a DJ set, marking an incredible achievement for himself with his longevity in the business, as well as putting on a proper show for Coded Rhythm and everyone who joined in their birthday celebrations. 

He continues onwards with an extensive tour which includes a number of live dates (full band and everything) including a date at Band on The Wall next month. Grab tickets for that here.