Northwest Clubbing Highlights – April 2014

It’s hard to believe that we’re a third of the way through this year already. The nights have been flowing thick and fast, with a range of promoters bringing in quality selectors on a regular basis. 

April follows in the same vein, with the enticing prospect of Cosmin TRG and Floating Points at Sound Control, Manchester on 4 Apr (£10). The boys from Lo-Fi have outdone themselves again, after last month’s inaugural party featuring Surgeon. Expect sketchy rhythmic beats from TRG and dusty funk and soul from Flo Po: a good mixture by all accounts. Elsewhere, there’ll be an intimate little gathering at Soup Kitchen, with German mood-maker Dario Zenker heading up Eastern Bloc’s second party of the year (£8).

Same day in Liverpool, Ruf Dug and The Mighty Zaf take control at Polka Does Disco at Kitchen Street Pop Up (£6). A Northwest legend in his own right, Ruffy is everywhere at the moment, so if you’ve yet to catch his party-party vibes then here’s another opportunity. A day later sees mUmU hosting the man behind London’s infamous FUSE parties, Enzo Siragusa, all night long on 5 Apr. Again, the venue is Kitchen Street Pop Up, which means a 6am finish on Sunday morning (£13.50).

Back in Manchester at the Roadhouse, Bank bring in Baikal to take over their first birthday celebrations on 5 Apr. You probably know him best as the force behind 2012’s mega-hit Why Don’t Ya? – a question that could easily also serve as the tagline for any £7 night. There’s also Mr Scruff at Band on the Wall, a precursor to Keep It Unreal’s imminent 15th birthday. Your other option is spending £27.50 to go witness Steve Aoki jump around at Warehouse Project (or £450 to £900 for a group table booking, scoff).

A week later at HAUS, Liverpool, Addison Groove brings his arsenal of mutant juke to the masses on 11 Apr (£8). Plenty of 808-derived percussion on offer for a tenner, a must for anybody who appreciates a good cowbell. Over in Manchester on the same night, flagship promoters Music Is Love continue to reel in the big guns, with Marcel Dettmann taking to the den that is downstairs at Sankeys (£10). 

If you’ve still got a bit of money to burn mid-month, then the prospect of Terekke at Islington Mill on 12 Apr is certainly enticing (£10). Bohemian Grove have outdone themselves again, pillaging another big name on the L.I.E.S. roster for the benefit of those in the vicinity of Salford. Might well be worth saving those pennies to catch one half of Masters at Work, Kenny ‘Dope’ Gonzalez, on the decks at the rebranded Twenty Twenty Two (£12). Gonzales is a bona fide master of the remix, while also reissuing hordes of forgotten funk and soul on his Kay Dee imprint.

But if you’re after a more rounded affair that weekend then look no further than The Skinny’s First Birthday Party! We’ll be taking over Liverpool’s Kazimier on Sat 12 Apr to bring an entire evening of hijinks and revelry. Our mates at the formidable Scenery Records are chipping in, as well as the guys from Wet Play and a goldmine of bands and artists. And, what’s more, it’s completely free (RSVP: rsvp@theskinny.co.uk). Can't argue with that.

On 19 Apr, Cutloose bring DJ Nature to Roadhouse (£7). A Golf Channel regular, Nature – aka Milo Johnson – is one of Harlem’s finest jocks, and he’ll no doubt be bringing bags of warm, soulful house. A rare treat indeed. On 20 Apr, Detroit purist and man behind the legendary Record Time store, Mike Huckaby, joins Hi Ku to celebrate Community’s 6^th birthday at Dry Bar. Huckaby has cemented his reputation as one of the busiest remixers from the D over recent years, setting up two labels for his own outputs that have garnered much respect from the worldwide house scene. An absolute bargain at £7. You're spoilt for choice that night, though, as Tiger & Woods showcase material from their new album at Gorilla, supported by soulful Scottish sorcerer, Graeme Clark, aka The Revenge (£10). His aliases span a range of projects, most notably the incredibly versatile 6^th Borough Project alongside Craig Smith.

There’s also an opportunity to catch one of the hottest guys on the planet right now at Roadhouse on 20 Apr. Nineteen-year old Berliner Max Graef releases his debut LP on Tartelet this month, a concoction of hip-hop, house and miscellaneous, underpinned by fuzzy jazz and funk samples. Go see him for £7!

Elsewhere, in Liverpool, Zoo Project team up with mUmU for their warm-up party at New Bird Street Warehouse on 20 Apr (£15). Sonja Moonear, Evan Baggs, Nic & Kaleb and Michael James provide the sounds for what is set to be a messy bank holiday weekend. The following Saturday (26 Apr) is the return of Freeze, a ten-hour marathon with John Digweed and Ellen Allien running things (£16) at the Garage. It’s a Bedrock Records shindig, showcasing a plethora of tunnelling techno, trippy sonics and groove-heavy house. Opening times are 10pm to 8am, good news for anybody getting the first bus home.

Chicago pioneer Marshall Jefferson comes to Underland on 25 Apr thanks to the Ancoats venue’s teamwork with Witch*unt – good value at £8 too! At Soup Kitchen on the following Wednesday (30 Apr) you'll find Stones Throw mainstay Jonwayne’s making his Manchester debut (£6). His Cassette mixtape series has recently been championed by Gilles Peterson among others.

So, there you have it: April in an elongated nutshell. We’ll hopefully see you at the Kaz on Apr 12, but until then… peace and love, amigos.