The popularity of Hunee, (pronounced ‘who knee’) has been slowly building pace since his first release in 2009. He is recognised for his cross-cultured selections, enthusiasm, and his genuine obsession with music, as well as his often-mispronounced moniker.  On Friday night, Butter Side Up brought the sought-after DJ to town once again for an all night long set at Wire.

The magic of Hunee is that his set never bores you; he switches from disco, house, techno and Afro seamlessly. It would be difficult to pigeonhole his music into one genre; some nights he may tweet he’s going to play a lot of disco, other nights he will commit to something completely different. His seven-hour set at Wire impressed with an influx of boogie-inducing African beats, infused with techno. The crowd was grooving as a result, and intermittent saxophone rifts cut across funky house tunes to keep everybody moving. Hunee also surprised with some heavier, bassier sections to keep us all on our toes, showing off his diverse tastes.

A noticeable change as the night went on was a switch towards an unmistakably 80’s electronic influence. As the night neared 4 it wouldn’t have been a huge surprise if The Human Leagues ‘Don’t You Want Me Baby’ was dropped into the set. The set was heaving with synths, and it was a refreshing sound to hear at a Leeds night, different from anything you might usually come across at events and house parties across the city.

The night was an unmistakable success. At no point could you manage to get to the very front (unless you had been there since the get-go), so much so that I never actually caught a glimpse of Hunee amongst the overzealous smoke machines. This is a credit to the success of Wire’s ‘All Night Long’ events and the popularity of Hunee in general. The event was packed, but this wasn’t a bad thing – as many people as possible were getting to see a master at work.

But, don’t despair if you missed out. Hunee plays again in Leeds for New Years Day at Canal Mills, alongside the likes of Skream, Denis Sulta, Midland and more.

Amelia Whyman