Record label Drumcode has been growing, bigger and bigger in recent years under the Helmsmanship of the electronic music King of Sweden – Mr. Adam Beyer. Based on previous experiences with the label, this was a night I had been looking forward to a lot because the Drumcode guys certainly know how to throw a techno party!
I was initially disappointed to loose Green Velvet from the night. However, llario Alicante and Reset Robot, were two super-subs brought in that complemented an already impressive line-up featuring the likes of the mighty Scuba, Radio 1’s B.Traits and 8Bit boss Nick Curly. To top it off, Drumcode stalwarts Alan Fitzpatrick and Dense & Pika were thrown into the mix for what went down as a very special and sweaty night.
Upon entry I made my way to very rammed Room Two to catch Reset Robot. After wading my way through the big crowds lingering near the bar, I found a nice spacious and more cooler area at the front, right in front of the inviting and trippy lasers! After seeing him in Ibiza a few years back and being impressed with a Drumcode podcast from him back in May, I decided I needed to see the up and coming Reset Robot, whose production skills are very impressive. He seamlessly laid down many thumping and rolling grooves with ease. The sound was more on the tech house side of things and it was a very solid warm up set with equally impressive lighting effects.
Up next was B.Traits who has been making quite a name for herself in the house/techno world since making the switch from jungle/drum and bass music. The Canadian had an incredible teasing opening to her set as if it was some sort of moody, alien spaceship countdown. Hats off to the lighting people once again – they made the room darker and set the mood very well using the red lasers more sparingly. All of a sudden the room was thudding along to a bass heavy beat and slowly but surely the intensity built. She proceeded to throw in some trippy, acid-ey sounds to my delight. Great first half of the set!
After a bit, I made the plunge to the front of Room One to catch one of the UKs biggest selectors of modern times and Hotflush head honcho – Scuba. The set was definitely a highlight of the night for me. Scuba always has a very good approach to his sets and I often think of them as some sort of hectic techno story which was definitely the case on the night. Using a nice mix of big hitting and also slower trippy songs, the way he blended all the different bleepy and moody elements in his song selection was immense. Always a pleasure!
I managed to catch a bit of Nick Curly playing back in Room Two playing his signature deep and tech house sounds. From the bit that I heard, I felt this was a typically good set from the German. The way he worked the SFX on the build ups and drops of his songs added that extra little bit of magic to his set.
Adam Beyer. Room One. Store Street. What more can I say?! The man is a legend to the scene and whether he plays a intensely brutal techno set or a melodic tech house set with some popular bangers thrown in, I literally cannot fault the guy. After being a big fan of the weekly Drumcode podcast for many years, I can appreciate the different styles of sets that he plays out depending on where and when he is playing. This particular set was fairly middle ground – not massively hectic or intense but still a techno masterclass showcasing many new and old Drumcode signed material amongst others. After a period of moderately intense techno, one of the stand out moments for me was the Drumcode newly released Bart Skills remix of the classic, ‘Moby – Go’. It brought about a momentary calmness to the crowd, who were swaying and cheering praise to Adam for delivering the goods once again.
Alan Fitzpatrick. One of Drumcode’s leading lights, took over and kept the vibe moving. After a while he took the intensity up a notch for a very special closing set. If you wanted to be shown how to play a proper end-of-the night techno set, then this was the place to be! Another moment that stood out for me during this set was the insanely intense ‘Spektre & Chicago Loop – Shoot From The Hip’. The amen break in the middle was simply wonderful and I happily stomped the night away.
Drumcode, thank you for an unforgettable night. One of my favourite WHP’s in recent times for sure. I hope you come back to Manchester sooner rather than later!
