Carl Cox live at The Warehouse Project
- By Liam Buckley -
- Oct 11, 2012
Expectations were extremely high as we caught a cab from Manchester city centre and headed towards Old Trafford, where the new home of the Warehouse Project (WHP) awaits.
These expectations have been engraved in the mind of every partygoer familiar with the WHP’s legacy. A legacy that continues to bloom in Store Street's absence – the previous home to one of Manchester’s biggest ever party venues. A part of me was in doubt that this newly renovated space known as Trafford Wharf could ever top its former friend.
As soon as we pulled up in the cab, the queue was much longer than I’d ever experienced before. A long line of techno lovers wrapped around every corner of the building’s walls. The crowds all huddled together as they waited eagerly to enter the industrial space.
There was no surprise that this sold-out event was attracting one hell of a crowd. It was one of the few opportunities, in this year’s line-up, to witness some of the most venerated names in house and techno. Having Loco Dice, Richie Hawtin and Carl Cox in the same run, was always going to trigger a big one!
Loco Dice was already locked into his set as we entered the main arena shortly before 11pm. As Dice championed the track ‘Hard Werq’ by Nathan Barato, the crowd turned to full groove and the walkways around the side of the room began to tighten. As the time passed by, the arena got busier, the people got sweatier and the music got louder.
This sanctioned Detroit techno legend Richie Hawtin to take over the main stage at 1am. He kicked off his 2-hour stint with a Mr. Bizz remix of ‘Inside Me’ by Enrico Saba Aka C_Sky. You could feel Hawtin’s eclectic collection of minimal house and techno bounce off the brickwork of the WHP.
As Carl Cox rose to the platform at 3am, my attempt to push through the sweat-drenched crowd was a difficult task in itself. Once you managed to find your spot though, the job was done. All that was left to do was watch Ibiza’s finest expose driving techno into the early hours. Along with the exceptional techno, the visuals were intense and the atmosphere was electric.
The night came to a close at 5am. Whilst the music continued to ring deep in my ears, we made our way for a cab. With thousands of warehouse ravers pouring onto a usually taxi-less street, we had to hop on the bus and start the first leg of our journey home. It’s a good job Trafford Wharf did live up to its expectations.
By Liam Buckley. Tweets at @LTBuckley
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