- Four months on and meandyou continue to provide a Friday night offering without the added tedium of Manchester's more frequented soulless spaces. The first four parties have seen some of the best DJ and producer talent from Europe and America descend upon a variety of unexpected pubs, clubs and eateries across the city. This month saw a return to Bookbinders, a once-renowned middle-aged singles club, with guest DJs 2562 and Berghain resident Norman Nodge.
The venue offers little in the way of glamour: On this night, pound-saver Christmas decorations dangled from one side of the bar to other. The dance floor was kept pressed to the back of the room, surrounded by an '80s infused carpet. Light in the room came almost solely from the live handcrafted visuals, put on from behind the decks by a couple of local northern talents, Meano and Craig. Such character helped to inspire an unforced and understated party vibe throughout the club, setting expectations high above the low hanging ceiling.
Photo credit: Nik Torrens
At 11 pm an eager crowd was already starting to form as residents Joseph and Dan Mumberson took shifts on the deep vibe musical thermostat. Low-slung, heads-down house and techno music dripped seductively out of the speakers, enticing limbs into a rhythmic march to the dance floor. Both DJs slid in tracks any self-proclaimed urban archaeologist would gladly dig day and night for, leaving me with a sense of regret for not getting to the night when the doors were first pried open.
2562 moved onto the decks at midnight, much to the anticipation of the expectant dubstep followers that had taken root by the speaker stacks. The first hour of his set was inherently influenced by the dub side of life, but—much to my surprise—it wrapped up in rhythm and a fast-paced groove the likes of which any well-respected techno DJ would play, such as Marcel Dettmann's terrifying white noise ensemble on MDR. Uncompromising bass-drenched dubstep from Aerial clawed its way out during his second hour, giving voice to his faithful following as each track seemingly melted into the next.
Photo credit: Nik Torrens
A flu-stricken Norman Nodge stepped up at 2 AM after spending most of the day locked in his hotel room trying to recover in time for the evening's festivities. The dance floor had been full for the most part, but now everyone in the club was rising with the momentum of the new headliner's track selection. The next couple of hours hammered by as rolling techno collided relentlessly with classic house. Flaying elbows, hands and inebriated shouts were greeted with a cheeky smile and an onslaught of hefty basslines as Norman Nodge left to thunderous applause from the speakers and musically intoxicated crowd.
The atmosphere throughout the evening left me with a reassured belief that small nights, which pay homage to the underground enthusiasts they attract, are unmatchable by other better funded events. I'm already clambering for a set of tenter hooks on which to hang myself in anticipation of next year's parties after getting an inside glimpse at the spectacular line-ups planned.