Thrasher

At the cost of missing legends such as Modeselektor and fresh talent such as Martyn and Joker, I had decided to spend this Warehouse Project in the small room. Some changes have been made to the room since last year. For a start the stage has been moved from being tucked down one end of the length of the room, to an impressive spread spanning this length on the adjacent wall. Not only does this increase the majesty of the set up, but it gives a more inclusive feel to everyone in there by making even the back of the room close enough to the action and the speakers to have no noticeable variance in sound quality. Enough about the room, though, because the talent on show in this little room courtesy of the Hoya Hoya organizers was immense.

An extra effort to get underground early did not go unrewarded. Those eager enough to start their night at 10 PM (bearing in mind it finished at 5 AM) were privy to a rare treat all the way from L.A. Richly layered and haunted textures of sound with intricate glitchy beats punctuating, Nosaj Thing appealed to mind and feet as he played out songs from his acclaimed album ‘Drift’, released in June this year. ‘Coat of Arms’, a favourite at L.A’s Low End Theory night club will no doubt enjoy a similar status from now on in Manchester. The masterful use of group compression made the whole plethora of sound die and be reborn with every bass hit, while the ethereal vocal quality to the sound gave it an almost spiritual feel. If people weren’t dancing during this song, it was because they were experiencing a much less physical enjoyment of music.

Silhouetted behind a peacock’s tail of blue and white light, Nosaj Thing was using a huge array of controllers and seemed as intimately involved with the music as his hardware was to his laptop. He was wired in. Almost unseen behind the extrovert lights and giant fabric diamonds flanking the stage, he gave a set untroubled by self indulgent rewinds and big crowd pleasers, playing instead a set of beautiful, thoughtful and unique music. This was the best of the evening.

After a brief trip into the main room, my conviction for saying in the back room was strengthened. I caught a glimpse of Rusko’s set and quickly became bored with the brainless grime he’s been playing for the past few years. Nosaj Thing had wet my appetite for a more intelligent brand of music. Mary Anne Hobbs delivered here to some extent, playing a set that could be described as stimulating, but not surprising. Sandwiched between such pioneering acts like Nosaj Thing and Daedelus, her set seemed a little standard (for lack of a better word). This ‘standard’ was high, but not quite on a par with the other live acts playing.

Saying this, though, Mary Anne Hobbes deserves respect if only for the fact that she is part responsible for these artists all be enjoyed under the same roof.

Daedelus was a sight to behold. Dressed like a loony toons rendition of a Victorian magician, with sideburns the size of 8oz steaks, he strode onto the already psychedelic stage setup. Confronted with such a bizarre spectacle you’d be forgiven for thinking your drink had been spiked, but a quick scan of a room full of equally confused yet joyous expressions reassured that this is just how the guy dresses.

This strange and wonderful apparel is reflected in his music, both eclectic in its influences and skilled in its mixing. An inventive take on ‘Born Slippy’ he played can, in a way, be used to sum up what is so enjoyable about Daedelus; taking something so well known but making his own by wrapping it in effects and bending it to his will. Sometimes his set felt as though you were being led through a world of noise with the occasional song you recognise floating past, as if the songs he played were all set in a kind of ‘Daedelus’ framework.

With Rustie following, playing his bleepy brand of dubstep, and The Gaslamp Killer spanning genres with his usual insanity and competence, the second room of Warehouse Project was so bursting with talent there isn’t room to write about it all here. All I will say is that such a collection of original and unusual acts within one place is something as rare as it is fascinating. Kudos to the Hoya Hoya people for making this happen.