Saturday 26th November 2016 can now be remembered as my very first Warehouse Project experience.
A clubbing experience that is often lauded as the utopia of the British rave scene, I had spent years listening to friends brag about events they had been lucky enough to bag tickets for, making the trek across the Pennines from for a messy night within each of the venue’s hallowed halls. Mosaic by Maceo was the perfect introduction to this bewilderingly hedonistic wonderland, thousands of people all united in their love for electronic music under one roof, dancing, laughing, sweating, clutching at overpriced water like it was the key to salvation.
Maceo Plex as a producer needs little to no introduction, with his blend of house and techno remaining starkly individual allowing him to stay at the top of his game. 2015’s ‘Solar Detroit’ made its way into the headline set at one point, the pounding crescendo of the beat matching perfectly with the hypnotic lights on stage.
This aura of almost otherworldliness that jumped out to me was also encapsulated by Tale of Us’ set, a brief return to the emotional journey music can take you on, after a night of endless dancing and euphoria. Their set was more slow-paced, melodic, but genuinely remarkable. Then Carl Craig managed to flip this on its head; the Detroit legend choosing to centre his set around remixes of well-known club classics.
The contrast of these three DJs, their completely different blends of house and techno being as antithetical from one another as the club scenes in one UK city to the next, was the most memorable element of the night. The variety of DJs on offer demonstrated the magic of WHP as an event and the actual journey electronic music can surprisingly take you on.
The most striking feature of WHP for me personally, asides from the swarms of metallic-clad females and smoking area littered with water bottles and gurns, was the simplicity of the production. With only lights and brilliant sound quality, each beam of light perfectly reflected the speed and tempo of the music being played to the crowd below. We were able to dance uninterrupted to the music, each arm raise and pump unhindered by distractions of too many naff production quirks becoming common to so many other events.
The loss of my WHP virginity was definitely an enjoyable feat. I’ll be back for their eclectic mix of the peak of the electronic music scene and the most committed, fun-loving revellers from across the country.
Poppie Platt