Another absolutely bumper weekend of stellar clubbing in Manchester, without even noting the arrival of one notorious cake throwing individual at one of the cities larger venues... Instead, let's focus on a tribute to one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, the return of mighty legends such as Levon Vincent and Andrew Weatherall, Colombian influenced jazz dance and a gaggle of witches. It's as diverse a time as any to get out dancing in the city. Enjoy!
Banana Hill - Thursday, Soup Kitchen, Stevenson Square, £5/7
The Sheffield based promoters continue to capture the attention of Manchester clubbers with more wonderfully offbeat bookings from the crossover between world and dance music. This time, it’s the turn of Quantic, AKA Will Holland, jetting over from his current studio space in Colombia, where he cooks up an irresistible mix of wide ranging genres, from experiments in Ethopian jazz to hispanic house.
J Dilla Changed My Life - Friday, Gorilla, Whitworth Street, £7
Celebrating the life of one of the most influential and respected hip hop and beat producers of all time, in his brief 32 years, James Yancey garnered production credits for the likes of De La Soul, Erkyah Badu, Common and more, before his untimely death in 2006. Raising money for the J Dilla Foundation and Lupus UK, J Dilla Saved My Life will feature respected hip hop DJs such as The Spin Doctor, Hoya Hoya’s Jonny Dub, Rich Reason and the Juicy DJs, spinning Dilla classics and records from those owing him a stylistic debt.
Music is Love - Friday, Sankeys, Radium Street, £15
Music is Love continues a stellar run of bookings in Sankeys basement, with the king of deep, psychedelic US techno, Levon Vicent, ‘Anti-Corporate Music’, which you can expect much of throughout the evening on the dancefloor. Joining Levon is Bulgaria’s Kink, purveyor of one of the most dynamic and truly live acts on the circuit and an ever increasing arsenal of experimental, acidic dancefloor weapons. Chugging and deep disco comes courtesy of cult act The Revenge, also playing live, with further beats provided by Music is Love regulars Angus Jefford, Perry Louis and Liam Geddes.
A Love From Outer Space - Friday, Antwerp Mansion, Rusholme Grove, Friday, £15
Cult online station Cowbell Radio can throw a brilliant party, and have recently settled on the anything-goes atmosphere of Antwerp Mansion as their Manchester home. Returning for another round of cosmic dancefloor indulgence are rave heroes Andrew Weatherall (now beardless) and Sean Johnston, performing in their celebrated ‘A Love From Outer Space’ guise, exploring the slower, spacier side of house and techno, while their associate Timothy Fairplay takes things in even weirder directions in Room 2 with a showcase of his ‘Crimes of the Near Future’ project and label. Protein pills advised!
Witch*unt 1st Birthday - Kraak, off Stevenson Square, Saturday, £6
The provocatively titled and provocatively thorough ('No drinks offers, no crying, no *unts') night celebrates a year on the circuit with a party coinciding with 2015's Queer Contact Festival. The female squad have let in local beat smith and Now Wave and Lost Control resident Black to headline with his trademark dark sound, plus dollops of hip hop, house and electro on top in order to keep the party in full swing until 4AM. Expect the unexpected down the alley at Kraak...