Faktion @ School of Sound Recording, Manchester UK, 03/10/08

T++/Hate Soundsystem/Faktion DJs

Refusing to be just another techno night in Manchester, Faktion called in the superlative T++ and the bewildering Hate Soundsystem. 

Residents Padro and Connor were on warm up duties, showing they collect only the finest techno à la Berghain. The main hall was kept as dark as possible, presumably as an effort to evoke memories of warehouse parties and to emphasise its all about the music: no light show to dazzle, no smoke machine. Not much chance of seeing who your dancing next to either. Away from the bars of central Manchester, the School of Sound Recording was never rammed, but was suitably busy for the set by T++.

A Berlin old boy who's early releases surfaced on Chain Reaction and his own DIN label in 1995, T++ is a relatively new project for Torsten Profock. He's also part of Robert Henke's Monolake project, replacing Ableton CEO Gerhard Behles. With Henke also part of the SW development team at Ableton, I reckon I can guess what was running on the T++ laptop.  

He played for an hour at Faktion, his diffuse, reverb drenched sound building in intensity. No place for chords or melody here, the trappings of conventional music discarded and forgotten. Just a bulk of metallic sound. Driven by the 130 bpm tempo, his programming swallows the more familiar patterns of techno, dubstep and electro to make something thoroughly modern, and with an aesthetic that surely demonstrates how vital electronic music is culturally today. Its also excellent dance music. Does sound a lot like Monolake.

The Hate Soundsystem crew mounted the stage to finish off the night. A good deal of hype has surrounded this project: press releases talk of a carload full of DAT tapes with unreleased 91-94 hardcore tracks handed over to the label in Sowerby Bridge, presumably on a dark and stormy night under the auspices of the wicked witch of West Yorkshire. For tonight's show we had 3 guys got on stage fingering their laptops, one with a balaclava, one with a fencing mask, the last indistinct in the gloom. I couldn't work out why it was a 3 man job, but to give them some credit they did make a formidable presentation. 

Whilst the label output has dubstep flavours alongside the oldskool, in the live setting it was all about the jungle. Dark and often interrupted by atmospheric breakdowns. Perhaps this style doesn't manage the intensity and raw malevolence of drum & bass but its no less a product of urban frustration. Some dirt and toughness was absent (probably because they've had their stuff mastered properly, unlike the most junglists in '94), but essential listening for fans of Burial and the like.

With an hour to go there was plenty of space on the floor, a shame to see that but this was some brave programming: techno, electronica and jungle is more than many people can stomach. But with Sequence announcing that their last party will be in November, Faktion may be left to satisfy the cities appetite for forward thinking music.


Michael Curtis