Review: WHP presents... Richie Hawtin and Carl Cox, 05/10/12

First of all, wow! Those of you who have already had the pleasure of partying in the new Warehouse Project will surely agree - it's massive! You notice the sheer scale of the place as you're walking swiftly through the long, winding barriers. You notice as you enter what could quite easily be the main room, and realise it's the second. And you definitely notice as you enter the main room itself.

Matador was drawing his live set to a close as we arrived, just in time to catch some of that distinct minimal techno sound that has become part of the current driving force of Minus over the last year. Really we would have liked to have seen the whole set, but with the line-ups as jaw-dropping as they are this season, it's often going to be hard to catch them all unless you're very organised and can get there early enough.

Loco Dice was up next; his arrival announced as the stage went from dark to bright. Impressive visuals swirled around the Desolat don as he set about thrashing the dance floor with belting tech house, lifting the crowd up with the intense build-ups that we've all come to know and love, accompanied by a whole of host of drum beats, drum rolls and groovy bass. With a slightly longer set than the rest of the headliners, Dice had plenty of time to fuel the crowd into a frenzy with his party style techno. He even threw in Tyree's 'Nuthin Wrong', to our surprise and delight.

In what seemed like no time at all, 1am had arrived and so had Richie Hawtin. The brains behind the new Enter concept (debuted as his first residency at Space in Ibiza this year) took us on a bass heavy journey of all things techno; bleeps and beeps aplenty. Hawtin has to be one of the most popular DJs of the moment and has been for quite some time. Put simply, the man is a genius. He rolled the blippy effects up and down the minimal tech like a roller coaster, taking us all on quite the ride with it. The full - but not uncomfortable - main room was dominated by a series of fist pumping actions and lots of stomping – just how we like it.

Next, one legend on the stage became two, as Carl Cox appeared - ready to take over with his own take on driving techno. As Hawtin finished however, we felt it would be rude not to catch the party going on in the second room with Yousef, who was sweeping the floor with some energetic tech house. Rife with build ups and grooves, the tunes were more than enough to attract great appreciation from the crowd before him. He provided a quality soundtrack, perfect for rounding the night off in style.

There has been much debate around the move of WHP from Store Street to the new Warehouse on Trafford Park Road. After many a special moment in the car park below Piccadilly Train Station, it at first seemed unfair that the organisers were taking the prospect of future Store Street moments away from us... However, we can safely say that things have only got bigger, better and more special. Look forward to plenty more amazing times at the new WHP!

Words: Jack Law

Photo: Manox Photography

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