Northwest Clubbing Highlights – January 2014

Just because the Christmas festivities are over doesn't mean the party spirit has to stop. Beat the January blues by filling dancefloors, flooding streets and packing out kebab shops like it's 2014 – start as you mean to go on! The New Year actually starts off fairly low key, which should give you just enough time to catch your breath and get back to work before your diary starts to fill up with events across Northwest clubland.

Whether you're desperately waiting for the much-needed January pay packet, or even that life-saving chunk of your student loan, Manchester's Common are taking an understanding approach to your potential post-NYE bankruptcy. The team are throwing out a considerate freebie with Stop Making Sense, their very own Thursday Club that should settle you back into the life of a social butterfly quite nicely on 9 Jan (free entry). Weekly residents Mr Seb Valentine, Benatronic and Luke Warm are on hand to remind you that Thursdays really are the new Saturdays and that, hey, it's still okay to get your mid-week groove on.

Bocuma kick off their new calendar with a pack of local talent taking over Odder Bar on 18 Jan. Handpicked for your pleasure, AJ Christou and Piers Crozier of Resonance Records lead a night of straight up tech in the Southern Quarter (£3 entry OTD). Elsewhere, Factory celebrates its fourth birthday on 19 Jan with South Bronx innovators ESG flying in to take charge of proceedings. One of the most important bands in dance music history, their repertoire spans disco, hip-hop and post-punk. It's this unique blend that has served to inspire some of the biggest names in modern alternative music, including LCD Soundsystem and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs (£19 early bird).

Moving towards the tail end of the month, you also have the chance to catch the Manchester leg of Ministry of Sound's Addicted to Bass album tour at The Ritz. You can thank the team at Dodgy Social for bringing in Southampton's favourite 2-stepper Artful Dodger on 22 Jan for one night only. Following the takeover from the Wideboys, MC Alistair and Ministry of Sound resident DJAMES join Mr Dodger for a night of garage classics and the promise of an amazing album launch giveaway (£10). We can't promise how amazing it will actually be.

Come 25 Jan and you guys are very much spoilt for choice. Over at Gorilla, Manchester's newest night, Solar, let minimal maestro Tim Green take over their launch proceedings. Green was awarded DJ Mag's coveted 'Best Breakthrough Producer' award back in 2010, and recent hit Just People enjoyed massive success in Ibiza over the summer, being championed by the likes of Solomun and Davide Squillace. He is also hotly tipped for the coming year, with a string of high profile remixes planned. Our advice is to catch him sooner rather than later. Expect fresh beats and the unexplainable compulsion to do a little shuffle from side to side (£10 early bird).

Perhaps the most exciting prospect in the January club schedule sees one of the most respected figures of the Detroit scene visiting Merseyside on 25 Jan, when Terrence Parker tops the Shake a Leg bill at Kitchen Street in Liverpool. The D-town native has established himself as a solid producer and DJ, leaning more towards the gospel side of house music. If his technique on the turntables isn't enough to impress you, perhaps his trademark use of a telephone headset for mixing will leave you speechless. This is a perfect chance to see a true master at work just days before his widely anticipated new LP drops on Planet E. Well worth a tenner.

If novelty headphones aren't quite your cup of tea, perhaps you'll be up for a night across town at The Boutique in order to get a deeper vibe on instead. Italian duo Flashmob headline on the final Saturday of the month (25 Jan, £6). The pair have gradually developed their own brand of warm, chord-driven house over the past few years and have gained support from the likes of Pete Tong and Kerri Chandler. These guys pride themselves on their impeccable mixing ability, blowing minds whenever they play after-hours. The same night in Manchester (25 Jan) also sees Pangaea Festival return to the University of Manchester Students' Union for its ninth year. This year's Lost City theme provides the backdrop for Paul Woolford, Greg Wilson and Zed Bias. Tickets only available to students of the university.

Meanwhile in Manchester, 31 Jan sees the mystical Sable Sheep running the final show of the month at South for the guys at mute! Famed for his skills in arrangement and design, Sable Sheep crafts music that locks you into a relentless groove, eases you through a hypnotic concoction of soulful beats, before spitting you back out on to the street at 3am. Who doesn't like the sound of that? It was only a few years ago that Sable Sheep started on the production path. Since then, he has put out three EPs, including an infectious debut effort that drew acclaim from hotshots like Loco Dice and Luciano. He is now releasing on the Moon Harbour imprint and global support for the young German producer is building by the day (£6).

Your final option of the month as we go to print is Playground's second instalment (30 Jan, £6), following their successful launch at the Roadhouse last November. They have sourced minimal tech lord and Minus mainstay Kevin McHugh, aka Ambivalent, to celebrate the occasion. Since his permanent move to Berlin from hometown Washington, D.C., McHugh has been perfecting his immersive soundscapes and skeletal funked-up grooves for your listening pleasure. Remember kids, choose wisely and don't let those January blues get the better of your New Year cheer.