- 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 five years, however, they've decided to call it quits. This late November event was the last Sequence party—a night where they invited back some of the promoter's favorites over their half decade of parites.
Mark Turner kicked off with a suitably celebratory party set, throwing down sped-up disco and classics like "Jaguar" and Matthew Dear's "Dog Days." The only problem with his set was the venue: He was in Sankeys' room 2, which isn't so much a room as a foyer which people constantly have to pass through. It didn't seem to bother Tim Exile, though, who had the crowd packed in for his ace live set. Not only entertaining but also piss-funny, his use of a keyboard, voice and silly hat delighted the audience. Imagine a bull in an after-hours disco hoedown and you'll be close to his sound.
Photo credit: Nik Torrens
After a superlative performance at the Paradise Factory last year, Redshape was the first of the big guests to play up front. Just two years after his first release, Shape is pretty much a cult figure already, and was watched with much interest this night. (In fact some people seemed so interested to see him they forgot to dance, preferring instead to watch him busily working his gear.) His is the kind of deep techno that can be enjoyed whenever, though, and it translated perfectly to the big room at Sankeys.
With the club approaching peak time, Marcel Dettman took the decks. His streamlined take on house energised the dancefloor, getting tougher and tougher until Surgeon took over. Unfortunately Surgeon's set was shortened as a consequence of Redshape starting later than scheduled, which meant his set was much more focussed than his recent techno/dubstep performances. Here, though, 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.
Photo credit: Nik Torrens
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 out came the frenetic techno. Neither mindlessly hard nor referencing any passing trends, this was the sound of the North England underground. The end came all too soon.