Welcome to the Warehouse Part 2
| 26th September 2017
LCD Soundsystem brought Store Street back to life last weekend but the welcome weekend is where the fun really starts. With two sold out events and a jaw-dropping line up – Warehouse Project season has officially begun.
Festival season may be drawing to a close, but fear not as WHP has returned for another year of debauchery in Manchester, curating the finest in electronic dance music. VIVA headed down to Welcome to the Warehouse Part 2 to see what Store Street has to offer this September.
Electronic-duo Bicep have been at the forefront of the electronic music scene this year with appearances at various music festivals including Parklife and Lost Village. A headline set on the heavily techno-based line up is a decision that will attract a broader audience to the more underground style selection of artists.
The elongated nature of Warehouse Project events mean that introducing more popular artists at certain times will optimise crowds and avoid a sparse atmosphere. Fans that are just starting out in the electronic music scene will be drawn to more established artists so Bicep’s 10.15 start time is crucial for crowd-gathering. But the venue is already full to the brim on arrival – clearly WHP have hit the spot with this line up and have delivered the goods for dance music enthusiasts. We approve.
Gathering to the main room in an orderly fashion, we begin the night two-stepping to Bicep’s mellow tones and synth riffs. One of the benefits of these kind of events is that no one is pushing or shoving despite the compact crowds. There’s nothing worse than being elbowed in the collar bone whilst trying to enjoy your night.
If you were lucky enough to locate Room 3 (we had to ask a steward) then Mall Grab’s set was not one to miss. Groovy beats and unique techno sounds had the intimate sized crowd pulling shapes; mirroring Jordan’s charismatic behind-the-decks performance.
Mallgrab is another cover star making moves on the more mainstream spectrum of the electronic music scene in 2017 and so is likely to have been the main attraction for many of the punters, starting his set as the clock turns 12; just as things start getting more lively. Dropping ‘Pool Party Music’ from his latest EP is always a definitive crowd-pleaser. Fans whipped out their smartphones to document the occasion (definitely Instagram worthy)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZZlGoEheO2/?taken-by=youngmallgrab
We return to main room to watch Ricardo Villalobos’ B2B Raresh set transform the main room which is still packed out. Bass-y tracks and an immersive light display had everyone grooving to the early hours. Closely followed is dance music legend Seth Troxler who wow’ed the crowds with an electic performance and Ben Klock closing the main room.
We wave goodbye to the opening weekend of WHP17 and look forward to seeing what the rest of the season has in Store (Street)
For tickets, info and set times visit: www.thewarehouseproject.com/home