The line ups for Bradford night Bops always seem to prioritise diversity: how often do you see house, drum & bass & live bands all on one flyer? For Octobers session resurgent UK techno stalwart Mark Broom was invited down to The Mill along with a spread of local DJ’s and talents from further afield.
Whether its a result of lazy promoters or a cunning plan, the 2 month interval between each Bops makes each one an eagerly anticipated event. The excitement was evident early on with people making shapes while the warm up DJ's were settling in. Pick of the early sets had to be Key-lo's selection of twisted tech house in the basement, upping the temperature in the techno room long before the club was full.
Leaving the techno room I found Chester rockers Out From Animals moving through the gears in the middle floor. The bands energetic, hi tech sound fitted perfectly - by their last song they had a good crowd going crazy. Remarkably, none of the momentum was lost when Exodus came on playing ragga and dubstep. Meanwhile in the basement Bopstag (Bops promoters Ross Elliott and Danny Carrol) had taken over, accompanying the physical minimal sound they specialise in with some vintage techno.
With 3 floors of music and an up-for-it crowd it's easy to keep busy at Bops. The absence of a proper bar (spirits and a limited selection of cans are on sale) hadn't troubled the broadly grinning types who made the most of the 'bring your own booze' invitation, and when security take a relaxed approach like they did here it makes a big contribution to a friendly atmosphere.
In the top floor - nominally the chill out room - Traffic's own Richard Silk kept the tone right with an edgy, harmonious mix, whilst dub heads Inspirational Sound, vocally assisted by the excellent Stephanie Hladowski, turned a lot of heads... and a 15 minute interruption due to a blown fuse only served to keep their reputation as Bradford's #1 sound killers intact. By the time the Throop brothers had taken over, with a set running from reggae to ragga jungle, Mark Broom was commanding the dance floor in the basement.
Following on from Bopstag, he took things right down to the clicks and bumps, showing he knows where techno has been heading these last few years. Across a 3 hour set dominated by his own productions he showed that he enjoys playing house and even disco (don't tell Sims!) before delivering the full on techno assault his fans were waiting for.
It was a shame to see the dance floors waning before the 6am finish. The enthusiasm and positivity of the Bops crowd and organisers made this a great night and gave everyone a lively, refreshingly alternative party.
Michael Curtis
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