- The house and techno scene in Leeds at the moment is thriving. There's not a weekend that goes by where you don't feel as though something is happening. The only major gripe, in fact, is that venues are being overused. That concern was catered to recently by Modern Amusement, who launched their new night at VOX Warehouse. They branded the event as an Ibizan Halloween and, with a jaw-dropping lineup, there was a real buzz about town in advance of the party.
VOX is situated on a business estate a small way out of town. The hum of ring roads and motorways surrounded us, as we queued to get in, giving the place a real industrialised feel. Upon entry it was clear this was not one of your "tin" warehouses. The walls were red brick, not the metallic casing that dissipates sound, and the bars were permanent features, not fold-up tables you so often get at these types of events.
Photo credit: Justin Gardner
Before settling anywhere, I went over to Room 2 to see Leeds DJ Josh Tweek, who was sporting a robot costume while dropping some disco influenced grooves. It wasn't long, though, before I was drawn to the bouncing tech house of the main room where Matthias Tanzmann's relentless 4/4 beats were the perfect shot in the arm to warm up an ever-expanding crowd. I last saw Tanzmann play at Circoloco's NYD party at deceased superclub matter in London. This was more of a rough and ready affair.
VOX wasn't trying to compete with the flashy lights of designer clubs and I felt Tanzmann was far more involved with the crowd. Nonetheless, the soundsystem was lacking and it was only after edging my way to the front that I felt fully immersed in the sound. Somewhere around 2 AM the venue encountered its first hiccup; the power to Room 1 cut out and a spontaneous "sit down" protest followed. Luckily, it wasn't long before the beats were back up and rolling again.
Photo credit: Justin Gardner
KiNK took over at the controls for his hour-long live performance at around 2:30 AM. This culminated in the Bulgarian driving the crowd into a mad frenzy as he dropped a variation on his own Chicago house inspired "Rachel." Detroit techno followed Kink's live performance in the form of DJ Rolando. His stripped back basslines and driving snares captivated the more hard-line techno followers who stayed to witness his entire set. Meanwhile, Detroit young gun Kyle Hall was mixing it up in the second room. The speakers were blasting out a much lighter house vibe and the masses in there were grooving in a less regimented manner. Rocking from side to side, Hall was so locked into his work that he may not have noticed the crowd's massive appreciation for what he was doing.
Nick Curly finished the proceedings in the main room with a deep percussive house set that sealed a very impressive launch, despite a few small teething problems for both the venue and the promoter. I can safely say that VOX is not just a "thrown together" warehouse with some big speakers; it is a well-mapped out warehouse experience that will hopefully become a permanent feature of Leeds' clubbing landscape.