From sweeping the clubs toilets to captivating their crowds, Midland’s homecoming to Wire on the 2nd December ended the final leg of his UK and Ireland tour in cyclical fashion. Equally renowned for his productions, record labels and DJ sets, Midland has firmly distinguished himself as one of dance music’s leading figures.

Midland’s evolving production style that switches between dark tickling techno releases and disco inspired tracks was reflected in his artful set at Wire. Climbing in and out of grounded techno grooves and elevating house samples, Midland revealed his creative aptitude from the vibrating Wire decks.

Off the back of his Manchester set, Midland brought the Warehouse Project’s dynamism to the cosy Leeds dance floor. His effortless mixing, pulsating house beats, and momentum gathering loops, compelled the audience into a hypnotic state. The fast-paced hi-hat of Floor Plan’s Baby, Baby, was dropped early on, setting the tone for some of the arresting percussion played during his set. Following this, Todd Terje’s much-loved Yarbirds re-edit, For Your Love, was let loose on the dancefloor and lapped up by the Wire family. Midland’s kaleidoscopic DJing style, which can be enjoyed in his 2015 boiler room set at Dekmantel, ultimately resonated with the later African funk of Mim Suleiman’s, Mwaitoma, produced by Maurice Fulton in 2015.

Preferring the unrestrictive pace of German clubs, Midland extended his set at Wire, giving him the natural opportunity to showcase some of the favourite tracks of the night. Axel Bowman’s ABBA 002, sampled from ABBA’s If It Wasn’t For The Nights, was thus unravelled from preceding techno synths, embracing the final troupe of Wire’s enthusiastic dancers.

With the likes of Midland and Hunee playing at Wire, alongside forthcoming sets from Daniel Avery and Sadar Bahar, all within the space of three weeks; the club is truly becoming a second home for dance music fans- and long may it continue.

Jacob Pitts

Image: Factmag