Leeds is recognised all over the country for its eclectic nightlife, with nights like mono_cult bringing world renowned DJs along for the party. This year, mono_cult are celebrating their tenth anniversary, and are returning to Leeds to throw a special one-off party at Canal Mills.

Founder and resident Matt Long told us how the event first came about as a daytime party back in 2007, “with a group (5 of us originally) of mates which I’d met from uni”. It started off as a hobby and a passion project “that wasn’t taken too seriously” to begin with.

Canal Mills hasn’t always been home to mono_cult. “The venue we used [originally] was called The Lounge, it had an amazing covered terrace with a proper alfresco vibe to it. We ran around a year of successful parties there til we eventually got shut down from the police due to sound complaints. From then we moved the parties to The Faversham, Mint Club, Wire, pop up warehouse spaces and eventually Canal Mills”.

Ten years on, we asked Matt how he thinks Leeds’ position as a northern nightlife capital has changed over the years. “Dance and electronic music has become a lot more popular over the decade. Weekends are just as crazy and there are as many events running as there were 10 years ago, it’s just different as there’s been lots of changes but we’ve managed to adapt and develop the parties to enable us to keep going though this”.

With Italian techno Duo Tale Of Us, American house duo Mood II Swing, Panorama Bar resident Soundstream and Belfast duo Bicep who are close friends with the organisers; mono_cult’s tenth anniversary boasts an extremely diverse mix of acts. They’re not just from all over the world, but from all over the electronic music spectrum.

Accompanying the incredible list of headliners will be Matt Long, Brad Mercer and Paul Kaminski, residents and founders of the night who undeniably know exactly how to please the Leeds crowd.

Frankie Elsey