Dekmantel bring Amsterdam techno to Manchester’s WHP

Following on from their Amsterdam festival in the summer, widely hailed as one of the best dance events in the world, Dekmantel records were in the UK to take on Manchester’s Warehouse Project. Along with them came a stellar line up of electronic music DJs and producers including Fatima Yamaha, Robert Hood and Marcel Dettmann.

The event started extremely early at 9pm with long standing resident DJs Greg Lord and Krysko setting the night’s tone with their take on house. Krysko, who has previously played at Fabric, Ministry of Sound and Space Ibiza, has risen through the ranks to become one of the UKs most meticulously skilled music selectors. Influenced through all genres of music including jazz, soul and disco, the DJ performed a vibrant avant-garde set and proved Warehouse Project is a master in choosing their residents.

Fatima Yamaha, the project of Amsterdam based Bas Bron, has been on my list of ‘DJs I need to see live’ for the longest time, and on Friday night my dream was finally realized. He thankfully lived up to my expectations, making sure to end his set with 2015 hit ‘What’s A Girl To Do?’ The techno classic relies on an old school electro sensibility with touches of low-key funk. After listening to the track up close, it’s obvious why he remains at the top of the electronic music scene. I hate to use this word but it was simply epic.

Annoyingly however, Yamaha played in room 1 at the same time Dekmantel Soundsystem were on in room 2. I have never moved so much from room to room at a Warehouse Project event and although it was saddening to give up my place right in front of the DJ decks, it was ultimately worth it to see both performances.

Dekmanatel Soundsystem, the collective led by Thomas Martojo and Casper Tielrooij, have truly helped put the Netherlands and its scene on the map in recent years. Their whole performance was passionate and attention grabbing; the innovators played the most obscure musical gems and took music fans to a whole new dimension with whacky off-the-wall sounds. I can’t imagine their August open-air festival was anything like the Friday performance, but the Manchester audience lapped it up all the same.

Robert Hood and Young Marco were also caught up performing at the same time, but I mostly stuck with the latter in room 2. Dutch DJ, producer and Safe Trip record label owner Marco Sterk has gained a reputation for the ballsy genre-defying variety in his tracks. ‘Trippy Isolator’ has a tropical rhythm, whilst ‘Dreamless‘ has a subtle Middle Eastern-infused disco beat. He’s perhaps most well known for his throbbing techno and that was his focus on Friday’s set, much to the audience’s delight.

Berlin based producer Palms Trax – real name Jay Donaldson – followed on with an assortment of house, techno and disco classics but it was his remix of ‘Last Rhythm’, with its melodic synths and rippling drum beat, that made him one to remember.

The night ended a little later than 5.30am with powerhouse, Marcel Dettmann. A veteran tot the music scene, he showed exactly how to end a Warehouse Project night the right way playing mechanical techno and booming house with a talent most other music selectors don’t have. The lights were down, the system was pumped up and the choice of ‘If You Really Want Someone’ near the end of the night sent the audience into frenzy.

Generally, Dekmantel was another mesmerising music event Warehouse Project has managed to cover. It was just a shame there were so many clashes between so many good acts. Petition for Warehouse to last even longer, anyone?