Northwest Clubbing Highlights – March 2015

Festivities commence in Manchester on 5 Mar as Endless City celebrate their first birthday at Mint Lounge, with Mind on Fire’s Dan Nation and Brownswood’s Heather Wall spinning some eclectic and soulful selections (£2.50). The following day sees Midland and Krysko play Zutekh’s impromptu party at Joshua Brooks; the former’s wide-ranging sets pack a hefty emotional punch, more than enough for the special crowd which this night attracts (£12.50, and nearly sold out, so get on this one quickly).

On the same night a lucky few will be able to witness bass music royalty as Loefah returns to Blackdog’s new venue, Xolo. The poodle-haired Swamp 81 head honcho and dubstep progenitor’s sine-wave-laden productions provide a timeless visceral thrill, but don’t go expecting a 140-bpm set: his position at the fore of one of the UK’s most forward-thinking labels means that his sets are defiantly unpredictable, filled with bangers in genres that we will probably never have names for. Unmissable (and nearly sold out; £10). For some more unashamedly retro thrills, check out BPM’s fifth birthday, a UK-Funky themed fete with Roska, genre stalwarts Funkystepz, lady-of-the moment Madam X and er, free cake (£5; the Roadhouse).

Across the Mersey on 6 Mar, Abandon Silence come up with the goods, booking Levon Vincent for the latest instalment of their never-ending birthday bash at The Kazimier. The New York DJ’s idiosyncratic blend of loft-party euphoria and darker, more dissonant moods has to be seen to be believed. Check out his recently released debut album, available as a free download, or better still his Fabric mix, if you want to get an idea of what’s in store (£14).

On the following night (7 Mar), recent Skinny interviewee Romare makes his Liverpool debut with Kolours at Constellations. Inspired by African-American art and music in all its forms, the producer’s work may carry academic airs, yet it's all underpinned by his penchant for nagging hooks and glorious grooves. No drifting off at the back, then (£5 adv). Back in the (really) rainy city, you could do a lot worse than head to 1 Primrose Street to catch the Scandinavian tag-team of DJ Fett Burger and Telephones, who will provide the deep cosmic (house, techno, disco, dub, you name it) vibes which their irritatingly talented nation seems to specialise in, and will be ably supported by our kid Jon K (£8/10 OTD).

After a few fallow days, Wednesday the 11th is a bumper date. Project 13 celebrate 20 years of Dance Mania, the classic ghetto house label, with its pioneer DJ Funk playing a two-hour set at Soup Kitchen. He is joined by esteemed local boy Acre, who will be exploring the genre’s 160-bpm side. Expect raw, booty-shaking basslines, and some very saucy samples (£4/£5). On the same night you can also catch a team up between Lord of the Tings and London promoters Mute, who have managed to bag the ever-underrated bass wizards Murlo and Deadboy for a special dancehall b2b set, with more grimey fare from their residents (£5 standard tings). Back in the ‘pool, grime is also on the agenda as Jamz takeover 24 Kitchen Street, with Novelist in tow. The prodigal MC is a mesmerising watch, equally at home dominating a cappella battles or carving his way through the labyrinthine, space-age constructions of bleeding-edge producers Mumdance and Slackk. More announcements on the lineup to come, so keep an eye on this one (£8 advance discount, £10 advance).

If you haven’t ODed on cake and thumping bass by this point, grab your party hat and head to Sankeys on the same night, where Mvson have arranged a killer line up for their second anniversary. Scuba, Ryan Elliott and Tom Demac have got the big room house/techno vibes covered, but it's the promise of an all-night set from the inimitable Space Dimension Controller that’s got us quivering with excitement (£10 students, £12 first release, £15 second release).

If all these festivities have left you feeling somewhat high and dry (unlikely, this being Manchester), get yourself over to our favourite sweatbox The Roadhouse on the 14th, where High Hoops have bagged none other than Marshall Jefferson. A set from one of house music’s godfathers should remind you why you contort your corpse into various shapes in front of strangers, surely (£12, only final release tickets now available). The same night also sees one of the genre’s strongest current innovators, Floating Points, plays at a secret location at the first of a series of parties from Troupe and Below the Surface; as evidenced by the fact that this one is very nearly sold out, the Eglo records co-founder and frequent host of the much missed Plastic People somehow manages to be defiantly avant-garde with a very obvious mainstream appeal (£15 final release).

The following Friday (20 Mar) sees Drop the Mustard celebrate their sixth birthday at Sankeys with the usual suspects George Fitzgerald, Krysko and others providing some trusty tech house and techno. Those looking for something a bit more special should get themselves to Liverpool the next day by hook or crook to check out Hustle’s latest offering: UK house hero Joey Negro and Studio 54 legend John Morales play The Magnet. Both of these guys are legends in their fields, with enough hits and curveballs in their sets to please both the ordinary punters and Disco Stus in the crowd (£16 second release, £18 third release).

Rounding off another stupidly jam-packed month for clubnights, expert curators Music Is Love come up trumps again with another stellar lineup at Sankeys on the 27th: Leon Vynehall, Roy Davis Jr and Paul Woolford are all on top of their game right now, their careers providing the perfect blend of Anglo-American house in its old and new guises (£10 early bird, £12 first release, £15 second release). Anyone still standing should try and catch a rare visit from the Ostgut Ton crew to Liverpool on 28 Mar, with Steffi, Ryan Elliot and Baumecker all bringing their brand of teutonic elegance to New Bird Street Warehouse (£15 adv) ...phew!