Live: Shadowsphere @ Warehouse Project

‘The Beginning of the End’
Warehouse Project
17^th September

For some, Warehouse Project is a passion, for others, a religion. In what will be its final year at Store Street, WHP have devised a refreshingly different line up which still maintains a comfortingly familiar feel to previous years.

An example of this would be ‘The Beginning of the End’, WHP’s first outing this year. Manchester favourite Skream was steady, not monotonous or boring but consistent, rather than spectacular. Jackmaster offered a more enthusiastic effort, and despite being lumbered with the latest set time of 4am, his quirky and often frantic persuaded many to jump out of the cloakroom line and stick around.

SBTRKT, having released his critically acclaimed self-titled LP this year had much to live up to. Despite an energetic effort, and some inspired mixing, a faulty soundcard somewhere in the depths of his set-up hampered his rhythm, with blotches of silence plaguing the set from start to finish.

Hudson Mohawke was one of the highlights despite drawing smaller support than expected, dropping some beats from his new EP Satin Panthers, which were as unusual as they were crowd-pleasing.

So far, those who had attended the night had been treated to an above average Warehouse, decent slots from all DJs were complimented by a friendly, if a little quiet audience. Then came the arrival of the Shadowsphere, and everything changed.

DJ Shadow’s electrifying display utilised what appeared to be a startlingly complex and detailed light show, centered around a giant orb, almost floating on stage. Taking the shape of a baseball one minute and the Death Star the next, you were hurtled from one banger to another at breakneck speed – scarcely leaving any time to catch your breath.

Shadow’s mesmerising performance was undoubtedly the highlight, with admirable support from a stellar line-up. If WHP has started how it means to go on, it can only mean they are going to leave Store Street with a bang, rather than a whistle.