There is no better way to mourn the lazy, sunkissed close of the festival season than to start getting excited for the next series of parties. Between September and January, The Warehouse Project brings us over thirty electronic music events to satisfy the urges of every night owl. Here, we introduce the ten acts playing on various dates throughout the WHP season, which we currently have our watchful eye on.
Krysko b2b Greg Lord at Welcome to the Warehouse (27th Sept)
As they open this season with b2b sets, WHP residents Krysko and Greg Lord are a good place to begin our lovingly made list. The two DJs are joining forces to bring the trademark sound of the Warehouse Project parties, spanning the complete back catalog of dance music, from fruity to industrial. For more of an insight into their sound, take a look at a playlist they did for us recently: Top Ten: Krysko b2b Greg Lord.
Rustie at Sounds of the Near Future (25th Oct)
Rustie’s three-year silence has finally been broken with the new album Green Language. His sound bridges the gap between modern-day man and machine, adding human soul to a glistening repertoire of electronic simulations and computer sounds. What Rustie achieves on the dancefloor is no different. He creates a show of intelligence which averts the hedonistic, immediate gratification of live electronic dance music usually craved by ravers. Rustie is a well respected player in a rapidly expanding game, and one to definitely not miss during the Warehouse Project’s 2014 season.
Seven Davis Jr at Sounds of the Near Future (25th Oct)
Along the same lines as house music master Moodymann (see further down for more info), Seven Davis Jr adds raw and soulful elements to a classic ‘future house’ sound, harking back to the original movements of 1980s Detroit and Chicago. Sev rejuvenates trademark US house into a modern-day idiom which still has the potency to leave a packed out Mancunian crowd in breath-catching awe.
A$AP Ferg at A$AP Mob (28th Oct)
Harlem-raised A$AP Ferg comes to play Manchester as part of the A$AP entourage. With the music of the Mob, elements of trap and hip-hop are blended to create a cohesive whole which is still heavily respected within British underground nightlife. Recent collaborations with Waka Flocka Flame, Elle Varner, Young Thug, Freddie Gibbs and Salva prioritise A$AP Ferg as one of the principal artists in this musical domain. Catch him, Rocky, Nast and Twelvyy at the Warehouse Project’s strictly A$AP affair, coming late October.
Moodymann at Resident Advisor (1st Nov)
Resident Advisor touches us in all the right spots with this year’s WHP lineup by bringing together dance music’s kingpins, of which Moodymann is an archetype. Twenty years on from his conception, Moodymann still dominates. His 2014 album worked as a revival of his unmistakeable sound; the funk-infused beats, the sloppily executed vocals, etc. A well-loved mover and shaker still storming ahead in his niche, Moodymann is a surefire act to catch at WHP this year.
Airhead at 1-800 Dinosaur (8th Nov)
London-based Airhead first came into our stream of consciousness in 2010 with ‘Pembroke’, a collaborative production with James Blake. Although not as widely acknowledged as his fellow colleague, Airhead has delivered consistently good, somewhat more ‘highbrow’, electronic music. Releasing on Brainmath, R&S and Blake’s label 1-800 Dinosaur, Airhead’s sound has gradually progressed into the perfect equilibrium of melodic asymmetry and standard protocol of 4×4 beats, turning Airhead into a dance music innovator perfectly suited to Warehouse Project’s ethos.
Recondite at Richie Hawtin presents Enter (22nd Nov)
To our delight, Berlin-based melancholic electronic gem Recondite returns to the UK for this WHP season. A certified favourite of Dystopian, Ghostly and Hotflush, Recondite is globally revered for his unbeatable skill in all things minimal. Our sources from Berlin, Paris and London prove that Recondite’s live performances display a specific fluidity that only comes with being a natural. If it is a flawless show of techno mastership that will sway you to break into your piggy bank, Recondite will undoubtedly be your WHP ‘Act to Catch’ of 2014. Check out Recondite’s Guide to Berlin for us.
Ten Walls at Maya Jane Coles Presents (29th Nov)
After last year’s explosion of ‘Gotham’, Ten Walls is undeniably on everybody’s ‘To Watch’ list. Lithuanian-based Ten Walls has reintroduced the East-Central European sound of house music into the UK dance charts, a style which has also been cultivated in the hugely popular Romanian house and minimal genres. With the title track on his new EP ‘Walking with Elephants’ (see below), Ten Walls continues profiting from its characteristic sound of the synthesised ‘pum-pum’ horn. They’re a great source of new music, whose live sets are far too fun to be missed.
Leon Vynehall at Curated by Jamie xx & Jon Hopkins (12th Dec)
Vynehall’s most recent album Music for the Uninvited exemplifies his eclecticism in dance music, featuring squelchy acid effects, downtempo soulful melodies that make you think, and riffs borrowed from The Isley Brothers. It’s a homage to the greats as well as a step into the unknown, adding further curiosity into what a live set by Vynehall himself would entail. Standing against a stellar Warehouse Project lineup curated by Jon Hopkins and Jamie xx, Vynehall is destined to wow all.
Optimo at Innervisions (13th Dec)
Starting out as a residency at Glasgow’s Sub Club, Optimo have become an internationally-touring DJ duo and label owners in various regions of dance music. In the game for over two decades, their reputations in Scotland are unsurpassed and recently describe their relationship to us as an old couple who have been married for 60 years and have separate beds. Optimo, along with many other musical interventions, have helped to put Glasgow on the international party map and, this December, they move slightly southwards to bring the party to Manchester along with the extended Innervisions family. Read our interview with Optimo in full here.
Follow The Warehouse Project for news on the four events leading up to the New Year, whose lineups are yet to be announced. For more information on listings and tickets, visit the official WHP 2014/2015 website.
