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Day: 6 March 2015

Club: Transmission presents Hessle Audio

Written by Patrick Hinton on . Posted in Music.

20th February

Sankeys

7/10

Hessle Audio in Manchester, what a treat. Having been present at the Leeds leg of the tour at the end of January which saw the trio play a highly eclectic and exciting 8 hour set, my expectations were sky-high for tonight. With the addition of Karenn, Joy Orbison and Boddika, it was surely set to be even more special.

Unfortunately, proof that you need more than great music to make a great club night was evident on the night. There’s not much to kill your buzz upon entry to a club like hostile, heavy-handed bouncers. First being aggressively barked at to stand back against a wall, before being shaken down in the face of accusatory snarls. I understand the necessity of this action, but the manner of it was needless.

Normally this would have been instantly forgotten upon entering a club and hearing the pounding kick and flutey melody of Pearson Sound’s ‘Lola’ through the speakers, but the system on the night was timid. I found myself stood in the middle of the dancefloor inadvertently overhearing the conversations of those around me rather than getting lost in the music. If you can hear someone talking in a club and they’re not screaming directly into your ear, the music’s not loud enough.

Taking up a position directly in front of a speaker stack improved things slightly, and there is always enjoyment to be found in Hessle’s exceptional selection. Levon Vincent’s ‘Woman Is An Angel’ throbbed atmospherically with its juddering bassline and clipped high notes, but a nagging thought of how much better their set would have sounded were it louder tempered the experience. Even the sublime production of Pearson Sound’s ‘Rubber Tree’, which packs some serious bass-weight, lost power in the setting.

The system had a particularly negating effect on the performance of Karenn. Having seen the duo previously, I was expecting again to be pummelled with the most industrial abrasive techno going. However, the levels on the night meant their performance came off sounding almost meak.

Photo: passetti @flickr

Earlier on upstairs, Joy Orbison kicked the assembled revellers into action with his currently untitled (publically, at least) forthcoming Sunklo collaboration with Boddika. The blend of sprawling synths, striking chords and brassy tones built the energy in the room which remained high as he traversed an eclectic set of fine dance floor cuts. His DJing prowess shone through when he was able to enter the murky waters of ‘tech house’ for one of the high points of his set – airing ‘Hool’ by RAR. Picking out tracks that work well amongst the bloated genre takes skill.

Further peaks arrived with Delroy Edwards’s magnificent, genre-splicing ‘Always’ and Rhythm on the Loose’s ‘Break Of Dawn’; the emotional charged vocal in each leading to hands in the air euphoria under the aesthetically pleasing glowing ceiling of Spektrum.

Sankeys have got the booking side of parties locked down as seen in the vast quality of their line ups; here’s hoping they can sort out the problems holding them back.

Club: Selective Hearing presents Tama Sumo, Virginia, Prosumer & Murat Tepeli

Written by Calum Carey on . Posted in Music.

21st February

Sankeys

7/10

Another Selective Hearing, another ridiculous line-up; this night promised an eclectic feast of all things house music – served up by the likes of Berlin’s wunderwoman Tamo Sumo and Edinburgh based Prosumer. The responsibility for hosting such a stellar line-up inevitably fell in the hands of Sankeys, and whilst the club has received its fair share of criticism in the past, the recent changes to its basement layout has revitalised many peoples’ optimism about the venue.

First up was Virginia. She is perhaps most well known for her vocal collaboration with Steffi on ‘Yours’, but deserves to be equally known for her DJ’ing talent. In between dropping frenetic bangers such as ‘Flash’ by Fix she showcased her pitch perfect vocals in full force singing over many of the more stripped back tracks dropped throughout her set. Smooth transitions and an even smoother voice which carried impressively well through the soundsystem, warm up duties were well and truly fulfilled as she handed over to Tamo Sumo.

Personal anticipation couldn’t have been higher as Tamo Sumo stepped up. A widely regarded “DJ’s DJ”, Sumo quickly reinstated her reputation of fusing an eclectic range of house. Her reputation was fulfilled at some points, but at others it lacked. At her best, Sumo fused bass and explorative melodies expertly, holding the crowd with strong low end rhythms granting her the licence to delve into more leftfield selections. Unfortunately the set lacked momentum in places, perhaps influenced by the lack of engagement from the crowd. Experience of going to Sankeys has shown that the club draws in various crowds, many sadly attracted by the clubs status and not by the events it hosts. Unfortunately this seemed to be the case on this occasion as well, however it was no night-breaker.

4am came and up stepped Prosumer and Murat Tepeli. Having more awareness of Prosumer’s DJ style, I was interested to see how Tepeli would influence its overall development. Tepeli’s energy behind the decks was infectious, translating to the crowd well and matched with equal enthusiasm by Prosumer. Having never seen Prosumer live and now witnessing his dynamic approach to DJ’ing, it became clear to me why he was such a sought after DJ across the world. It was surprising to read in his recent interview with the Mancunion that he does not enjoy the elevated platform DJs experience in clubs like Sankeys. Whilst he may not hold much value regarding the interaction between DJ and the audience, for me his dynamic mixing style is what sets him apart from other DJs in the live environment.

In this instance I found this compensated for the (ever so slightly) disappointing set by the duo. Littered with bouncy bassline orientated tracks, the set certainly didn’t lack energy. Peaking at tracks like the pairs collaboration on ‘Forever’ and Tronco Traxx’s ‘Walk for Me’ the set was a sustained attempt at full throttle fist pumping. The approach had a draining affect, causing a fair few to leave for the exits. Whilst I would have preferred the set to have gone deeper it was still varied enough for it to be enjoyable right the way through to the lights coming on.

Question marks still remain over Sankeys as a suitable venue. The bouncers remain thuggish and a general vibe killer whilst the soundsystem doesn’t quite have the strength yet to fill the basement. Selective Hearing appears to be at its best when its complete control over these factors – their recent warehouse parties have been brilliant, and word is there are more awaiting for us this spring!

Overall, Saturday was without doubt a success. Selective Hearing continue to have an amazing knack of not only booking the best underground acts around, but booking them when they are at the top of their game. Not at one point have they sold out and it’s a credit to them that they’ve sustained this reputation over such a long period.

Students’ Union to undergo £6 million refurbishment

Written by Aidan Gregory on . Posted in News.

The University of Manchester Students’ Union is set to undergo a dramatic refurbishment, as part of the University of Manchester’s 2020 Campus Master Plan—which aims to create a world-class campus on one site by the end of the decade.

The project’s aim is to improve by structure and quality of the building, by upgrading the toilets, and repairing water and electricity functions.

It will also involve expanding the North and South wings of the building outwards, so that more space is created for student activities and for societies to meet.

The Students’ Union has been granted £6000000 in funding for the project, which is scheduled to commence in January 2016 with an estimated completion early 2017—students in second and third year will therefore not see the completion of the project.

In an interview with a representative of UMSU, The Mancunion asked what the aims of the redevelopment are.

In response, the representative said: “The Students’ Union is one of the cornerstone elements of delivering a campus that provides an excellent student experience. With services ranging from advice, representation at course and institution level, residences, widening participation, clubs and societies, and social events, the Students’ Union aims to become the ‘Living Room of the Campus’.

“The University Master Plan, 2020 Vision and the Students’ Union Strategy are aligned to provide not only a single campus, but also to ensure that Manchester continues to be one of the top rated institutions.

“The Students’ Union is at the heart of campus life and with 1 in 3 students at the University of Manchester currently engaged in one of our activities, our goal is that every student benefits from the Union.”

The Mancunion also asked how management intend to ensure that current students are not affected by the construction process.
In response, the UMSU representative said: “With all projects of this size and scope, there will always be a degree of disruption. However, we are working closely with the university and the Design Team to ensure that there is minimal impact and that our current services and activities are not affected.”

Reacting to the announcement of the plans, Charlie Cook, General Secretary of UMSU, said: “This is an exciting, transformative time which will mean we are able to deliver what our students want from their Students’ Union.

“By extensive consultation we aim to make the SU a home away from home for our members; creating opportunities and developing skills which complement their academic commitments.”