It's no secret that Sankeys' first attempt at a seven-day roster has has its fair share of ups and downs. Flying Circus has experienced both: from glowing word-of-mouth reviews to one too many paltry attendances. Last Friday welcomed Steve Bug and Robag Wruhme to the club, with the Poker Flat boss wasting little time in dipping into his bag of big-room tech house. Moving from mean, beefy cuts through to more progressive numbers, Bug's rip-roaring DJ style and enthusiasm behind the decks suited the character of the Basement.
Flying Circus's main flaw this season has been over-ambition. The Spectrum space, and its nine or ten people in attendance, saw a Blond:ish set that left both artist and reveller disappointed. Given the Basement was operating nowhere near capacity, the party would benefit from focusing its energy on the one room, and slicing the DJ's set times if required. On this occasion, Wruhme saw us out, rocking the place with his brand of throbbing, melodic techno. As Bernt's techno smash "Geffen" sounded from the speakers, the Circus' small but loyal following kept moving and shaking until close.
As I approached Booom! last Saturday night, I was surprised at how long the entrance queue was. Despite a patchy season at the club, Defected have still managed to salvage and uphold their glowing reputation on the island. Regularly filling the club to capacity, it stands as the best place for house music on a Saturday. Kenny Dope topped the bill this time around, playing a party-set of slightly dated pop remixes (MK's edit of Lana Del Rey's "Blue Jeans") and tougher, more modern cuts (Trikk's "Floorwave.")
Following the MAW man was Guti, an artist representative of Defected's move away from the commercial sounds towards deeper, dubbier moods. The Argentine began thick and jackin', so as to ensure a smooth transition from his predecessor. As his live set progressed, he gradually worked in darker elements, which was refreshing to hear at somewhere like Defected. The crowd, too, seemed to welcome the change in mood. Eager to end on a high, however, Guti played the keys from MK's "Burning," once again taking into account the overall curve of the party.
Attending a party for the first time as it prepares to shut its doors offers a warped sense of reality. Like Flying Circus, Dirtybird's island debut has been mixed. Up against the powerhouse that is ENTER. down the road at Space, the imprint has sometimes struggled to compete, simply rearranging the same list of label names. For the closing party all the big-hitters were invited down, resulting in one of the busiest nights at Sankeys in recent times.
Entering the packed basement, J Phlip's growling bass hits gave way to the thick-edged bounce of Catz n' Dogz. The Polish duo's own "Bring Me That Water" still sounded fresh in and amongst a slew of low-slung tech house jams. Eats Everything followed, upping the ante further by treating the strong UK contingent to an upfront set of floor-shaking edits, including Huxley's "Let It Go" and the Lil "Mo" Yin Yang classic " Reach." Given its status as one of the season's biggest records, the night wouldn't have been complete without Breach's "Jack" (released originally on Dirtybird). It got its expected reaction, and it was great to see Eats Everything, Claude VonStroke and the crew given the send off they deserve.
Elsewhere...
After back-to-back sets at Barcelona's El Poble Espanyol and at DC-10 already this summer, Loco Dice and Jamie Jones teamed up once again as LocoJones at Ushuaia.
Richie Hawtin and Luciano high-five during their extended VS performance in the Discoteca last Thursday. Christian Smith and Heartthrob played before them.
A jubilant Dennis Ferrer was Solomun's +1 at Pacha this week.
Sasha, Ellen Allien, Damian Lazarus and Circoloco promoter Elliot Shaw pose for a picture in the Main Room on Monday. This week, Carl Cox marks his return to DC-10.
Loco Dice lines up a track during his third and final appearance at Cocoon on Monday. Innervisions pair Âme and Dixon warmed up for the Desolat boss in the Terrace.
Fatboy Slim shows that age is but a number as he delivers the goods to an absolutely rammed Terrazza on Tuesday. Over in the Discoteca, Carl Cox returned to the driving seat after a week off.
In what was billed as one of the more exciting back-to-back sets this season, Dixon joined Jamie Jones in the booth as his secret guest. Joy Orbison, Simon Baker and Robert James also played.