Sankeys’ second weekend of sultry sophistication and riotous revelry swings by with much the same gusto that characterised its first. With the Sankeys Ibiza club already garnering plenty of praise over on the White Isle, the Manchester HQ remains undimmed in its quest to further push the boundaries of electronic in one of the world’s truly great venues.
Friday the 8th is first up, and it’s the turn of two producer/DJs with a penchant for Ibiza smashes to take centre stage, as Sebastien Drums faces off against D Ramirez. Drums is the incumbent of this year’s prestigious break-through Balearic anthem, alongside Avicci ripping the huge ‘Feelings for You’. A pulsating update of the Gwen McRae sampling Cassius monster from 1999, it became a huge WMC hit and set the path for Sebastian to unleash his sound on the globe, a stunning concoction of speaker shredding electro and bum wiggling house. The planet is still flinching from this awesome cut, typifying the man’s immeasurable talents.
D Ramirez showed him the way five years ago with his stunning rework of Bodyrox’s ‘Yeah Yeah’, taking a relatively standard club tune to complete omnipresence. It hit the top of the singles charts, snagged an Ivor Novello award and recently saw Future Music magazine credit it as the best synth sound ever! But much more than that one remix, Dean (as his mother dubbed him) is also an international DJ of considerable repute, returning to Sankeys for another beatific performance.
Joining them will be Jason Herd. Herd is one of the UK club scene’s enduring figures, with a brilliant track record in producing vocal house music (Azuli and Subliminal have released his productions and Morillo and Sanchez are previous co-producers) married to frequent appearances at powerhouses like Kinky Malinki and Moneypennys alongside international dates at Pacha (Ibiza, Egypt and New York among them) and many more clubs. Something of a Manchester legend, he’s been a prominent radio personality in the city, ran a long-running and much loved institution in 2Risque and is still a huge draw in these parts.
Kaluki the following evening brings in a Diynamic showcase, with the Hamburg imprint taking over the Ancoats Mill for some stripped back soulful house and techno. They’re throwing forward Hamburg-based, Bosnian-born Croatian Solomun who has played a major role in redefining European house music in recent years via productions, remixes and DJing, taking the very building blocks of house and deftly reconstructing them with a decidedly modern twist. With remixes on Buzzin Fly, Freerange, Get Physical, Phil E, Mobilee, Dessous, Compost, Four:Twenty and his own Diynamic imprint, he is one of Europe’s leading stars. His meticulously crafted ensembles of sound are tailor-made for the world’s finest soundsystems; Sankeys couldn’t be a better environ to showcase the mesmerising Solomun.
He’ll be alongside wunderkind David August, who’s rather glorious Peace of Conscience EP represents a stunning snapshot of his panoramic sound. Chunky grooves, barely legible vocals and gilt edged basslines are the order of the day for this talismanic producer. And of course there is the Kaluki resident roster, arguably the strongest in the country, with Ellesse, Pete Zorba and Treehouse all throwing forward some sinuous sounds for the superlative shape-throwers out there. It’s going to be a rather big one.
Another weekend looms large at Sankeys as the club continues to crank up the summer time pace. Keep checking www.sankeys.info for more info.
Thank Fuck it’s Friday – Friday 8th July
Sebastien Drums / D. Ramirez / Jason Herd
NUS £10 available in Gaffs and O.T.D all night Early bird £10 / Advanced £12 / Standard £15
11pm – 5am
Tel: + 44 (0) 161 236 5444
Sankeys, 4 Radium Street, Manchester, M4 6AY
www.sankeys.info
Kaluki presents Diynamic – Saturday 9th July
Solomun / David August / Ellesse / Pete Zorba / Treehouse
NUS £10 available in Gaffs and O.T.D all night Early bird £10 / Advanced £12 / Standard £15
11pm – 6am
Tel: + 44 (0) 161 236 5444
Sankeys, 4 Radium Street, Manchester, M4 6AY
www.sankeys.info
