Live Review: WHP Presents Rush Hour

Rush Hour was not a sprint, but a marathon. The Dutch record label came all guns blazing, with their twelve-hour firestorm of funk, disco and soul thundering over speakers at this weekend’s Warehouse Project event.

There was something fairly surreal about walking into a large railway tunnel at 3 in the afternoon, with sunlight and the hardest of the hard-core pouring in steadily. The intensity of the music and movement slowly ramped up, and at 7, Soichi Terada, back-to-back with Kuniyuki and Sauce81, graced the sweaty masses.

These three Japanese DJs brought their own unique eastern sound to the main stage, filling the room with all the retro bass lines and piercing synths we didn’t know we needed. I have always been a big fan of Mr Terada, and the highlight of my night was his mounting his mixing table. Like a neo-Hendrix disciple of funk, soloing on his synthesiser to end the set, the 53 year-old left the stage to a rapturous round of jazz hands.

Next on was Moodyman, a certified veteran in the field, whose experience brought a whole range of back-catalogue tunes that brought a fresh wave of energy, excitement and sweat to the floor. The Detroit native had clearly plumbed his archives for fresh content, and left most wondering why they hadn’t heard these funking amazing boogie tunes before. Antal followed suite in hour 8, bringing the eclectic mix of music you would expect from one of Rush Hour’s founding fathers; he kept the momentum in the final straight of our 12-hour epic.

Entering the last couple of hours, everyone’s jaws were clenched tight (really tight) for the entrance of the last DJ, Hunee. His slightly more hardcore brand of Disco was just what was needed to end the night, making full use of the judiciously loud sound system. The other stages, while not quite so heavily populated, were a good opportunity to escape the steam room that was the main floor; the DJs and music varied genres but not quality, and it was nice to be able to sample the full range of talent on offer.

It saddens me, and it probably does everyone at university, that we missed the acid-rave culture of the 90’s. But in this unique setting, with the increasingly popular music of yesteryear, you can start to understand what it was like. I have no doubt, with the level of talent it attracts, The Warehouse Project will stay a staple of Manchester students, no matter where its location.

Rating: 10/10