Sunday 21 February 2010

Sequence @ Sankeys, Manchester UK, 21/11/08

Surgeon/Marcel Dettman/Redshape/Rob Hall/Alern 8/Tim Exile/DMX Krew etc
4.5/5

Sequence has been a dominant presence on Manchester's musical landscape, and one of few club nights able to host major acts like Aphex Twin and Ben Sims yet still willing to book genuinely underground, experimental artists. After 5 years they announced this would be the last Sequence party - and a night where they invited back some of the artists who'd been highlights at previous parties.

Mark Turner kicked off with a suitably celebratory party set, throwing down sped-up disco and classics like 'Jaguar' and Matt Dears' 'Dog Days'. The only problem was that he was in Sankeys' room 2, which isn't so much a room as a foyer which people constantly have to jostle through.

Staying in room 2, Sequence favourite Tim Exile had the crowd packed in for his ace live set. Not only entertaining but also piss-funny, his use of a keyboard, his voice and a silly hat delighted the audience. Imagine a bull in a china town after-hours disco hoe down and you'll be pretty near his sound.

Altern 8 and Ed DMX carried the disco flavour further in their own estimable styles, but with the headline guests playing in the main room it was increasingly difficult to pin down dancers in room 2.

After a superlative performance at the Paradise Factory last year, Redshape was the first of the big guests to play up front. Just 2 years after his first release he's pretty much a cult figure already, and was watched with much interest here. In fact some people seemed so interested to see him they forgot to dance, preferring instead to stare at him busily working his gear. His is the kind of deep techno that can be enjoyed whenever, and he translated it perfectly to the big room at Sankeys with another expertly delivered live set.

With the club now approaching peak time Marcel Dettman took the decks. His streamlined take on house and techno energised the dancefloor, getting tougher up to the point where Surgeon took over. Unfortunately Surgeon's set was shortened as a consequence of Redshape starting later than scheduled. Perhaps because of this his set was much more focussed than those who've heard his recent techno/dubstep crossover performances might have expected: the fusion of his influences was total and seamless. For me this was the kind of industrial strength set he's been threatening to nail for a while. True future music.

Rob Hall has been a guest at many Sequence parties over the years, so it was fitting that he should finish the night. The Gescom associate knew the script and the frenetic techno perpetuated. Neither mindlessly hard nor referencing just passing trends, this was the sound of the North England underground. The end came all too soon.


Michael Curtis
http://www.residentadvisor.net/review-view.aspx?id=5662

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