Behind the Scenes: Lost Control

Brainchild of one Manchester DJ who currently goes by the name of Black Eyes, Lost Control is a night that migrates around the smallest but best clubbing spaces the city has to offer, from the Whiskey Jar basement to Q Tavern to Kraak (now known as Aatma) and guests some of the most respected and progressive DJs from all over the world, including names such as Alexander Robotnick and John Heckle.

Now, to celebrate the night’s third birthday on February 27, the acid house and techno aficionado is on the move again, taking Lost Control to Salford warehouse space Boneyard for what’s set to be one of his best lineups yet. This includes Dublin’s Automatic Tasty performing live, and support from Manchester’s Naive Melody (composed of Elliott Mess, Dan English and Tim Morrison), Francis Woof of That Amazing Thing, Leon Mitternacht of Brain Machine, Luke O’Reilly and Black Eyes himself. A seasoned member of the city’s electronic music scene and contemporary of Will Tramp, Black Eyes was a member of the Micron collective and now runs Didsbury Techno Militia. This is a somewhat covert operation, so far boasting custom-made T-shirts, which if you live in the area and know its key players, you’ll have seen popping up at various raves on your timeline...

The Skinny: Hi Black Eyes. Last time we spoke you were known as Black. What prompted you to add the ‘Eyes’?

Black Eyes: I changed it a while back because it’s hard to search ‘Black’ on the internet, and I got sick of people not being able to find me.

That wasn’t a concern before?

Not as much. The music just wasn't ready in eyes (and ears) until now. My own production has been a journey of self-discovery because I have problems with sticking with one style so getting an EP down hasn't been easy. I have something coming out soon though on a new British label. More info to follow on that shortly.

Your club nights are pretty eclectic. What’s your approach to making bookings?

If I'm going to be honest, I just book people who I like and hope that others will too. It's kind of like selecting records for a DJ set, but you’re selecting artists instead. If you start putting artists just for everyone else's sake, it's not really your own imprint anymore.

Continues below:

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You’ve been booking more live acts recently. What can we expect from Automatic Tasty?

Automatic Tasty is one of my favourite producers of the last few years. He reminds me of the early sound of Warp Records which was a big part of my life when growing up. His live show is a mixture of pads and acid with dead good percussions thrown in the bowl.

Sounds great. Is it safe to say you're a veteran of the Manchester music scene?

Veteran, ha, you make it sound like a war. I have learnt a lot though. A lot of club nights are more concerned about getting numbers down than actually creating an experience to be remembered. This is not to say this wasn't happening ten years ago, it’s just that a lot of spirit has been lost from going to parties these days. There are still some great ones though if you dig for them, like any format really. Phones are not good either. If only we could find a way of leaving them at the door like the weapons they are.

Has the recent wave of venue closures affected you?

No. I don't like the idea of doing monthly (or regular) nights so it’s not actually too hard when I want to find a date because I just go with what’s generally available.

What motivates you to keep going? 

As long as there is interesting music out there, and there is, I will keep putting on events. I guess everyone has a cut-off point sometime, though, for whatever reasons. I just hope I don't lose interest any time soon.

What's been your highlight so far?

Recently, seeing my friends flourish. You can always rely on your kin to deal the goods. Johnny Abstract, Rick Nicholls and Leon Mitternacht have blown my mind this past year and quite aptly, they run a night together. The Ensemble warehouse party in September was really great as well. If I could recreate that free-spirited vibe every time I did an event, it would make me happy.