- Some time last decade, Elvis Costello conducted a ‘Best Of’ tour where he wrote all his biggest hits on a large ‘Wheel of Fortune’ style wheel and after he played each song he’d spin it. Whatever the pointer landed on he’d play. Nice novelty concept. Less than a year ago Nick Warren played a set at room where tracks seemed to be played with a similar randomness although the only wheel present where the ‘wheels of steel’ on which he crafted this somewhat bumpy journey, churning out hit after hit. Warren has never been regarded by fans of progressive as a good technical DJ with the mixing of his sets sometimes going off the rails. Yet his talent has always been an ability to take the listener on that often talked about, seldom experienced ‘journey’, where the thought taken and vibe created by the set as a whole were more important than how he strung two particular tracks together.
There was no lack of vibe in the room before Warren took to the decks. Set up to perfection by an in-form Sean Quinn who’s repertoire included Nathan Fake’s Outhouse and Bonnici and Chable’s Ride, the main room was packed without being stupidly bursting at the seams and the stage was set. Perhaps the crowd size was due to a combination of the number of dance music crews DJing at and promoting this event including Beats Working, Escape, Private Function, 5AM and Unify and also that because like Sasha and Dave Seaman, Warren is one of a small number of progressive DJs that transcends the genre and appeals to a wider dance audience. Whatever the reason it was great to see.
So did Warren warrant the attention? I enjoyed his set much more than the previous occasion, but it was far from a standout set the likes of Danny Howells or Sander Kleinenberg last year. While it was well thought out and filled with far from obvious selections, it never seemed to reach its potential and I feel that with a DJ like Warren a two hour set is not long enough to hear him at his best. A mix of house in various forms with a sprinkling of breaks (much of the break-beat a test of tracks for the new Way Out West album), if the hands in the air told the story I may have been in the minority with my views as the crowd reaction was strong. And yes, he did play the remix of Coldplay’s Clock’s again!
Dean Millson of Private Function in the side room was not only my pick of the night but it was by far the best set I’ve heard from him with progressive and progressive breaks order of the day but occasionally allowing enough leniency for Millson’s Depeche Mode fetish to air itself. The Unify trance DJs did exceptionally well to keep the main room packed after Warren’s set concluded but as the morning wore on it was the progressive of Dimitri Frost and finally Chris Meehan that saw the main room empty out considerably as the side room got fuller and fuller until the needle was lifted at 8am, an hour past the closing time. Credit to Room and all the crews involved for throwing party of the year……so far!