Northwest England Clubbing Highlights – April 2013

Arriving the first weekend of April are two events at Salford's Islington Mill that perfectly sum up the venue's out-there – both geographically and stylistically – aesthetic. Returning on Friday 5 Apr, Gesamtkunstwerk (translated as 'total or ideal work of art') could only be at the Mill. The night is part-curated by local noise merchants Gnod, who played a blisteringly loud set at the first instalment in February; this time around, live electronics and 'warped machine rhythms' come from side project Dwellings, with support from Druss, and regulars. The whole shebang will be dressed by irreverent local art collective Volkov Commanders, who no doubt have something mind-bending up their sleeves (£5).

The following night, meanwhile, sees underground house and techno from Bristol's DJ October at Mill favourite Bohemian Grove (£10) – a night recently cited by Hitler as one of the reasons he won't be going to Parklife this year. Don't ask.

Back in town, and Bicep continue their rise from blog stalwarts to disco tastemakers over at Gorilla, where they'll be playing 'All Night Long' – well, for a more than respectable five hours, at least (6 Apr, £10). Muscle-loving partygoers can expect a set of rediscovered edits, Detroit techno and Italo disco, as well as a few of the lads' own hat-tipping recent hits such as Vision of Love and $tripper. While their style and taste may be quickly reaching flavour-of-the-month status among the vest and chino patrol, Bicep's reputation as real cratediggers is far from unjustified, and you can expect a few “What was that one?!” conversations in the taxi home, followed by months of trawling YouTube, forums and record shops only to undergo the crushing realisation that it was just an edit of Seal's Crazy you misheard in the toilets.

Fans of house, disco and really long DJ sets may also consider a seven-hour stint from Chicago's DJ Rahaan at The Hideout (in the basement of Brooklyn Mixer) in Liverpool on Saturday 13 Apr. Regularly described as a 'DJ's DJ', Rahaan has been spinning since the 80s and is a favourite on the Merseyside club scene. Furthermore, he's returning the love financially, as the whole shebang is free in. We did the maths, and that's just £0.00 an hour!

Students, those who don't work Fridays and those who do work Fridays but live by their own rules may well enjoy the return of Duke Dumont on Thursday 11 Apr to Manchester's intimate Joshua Brooks, where house night Bump are celebrating their first birthday (£8). The London producer had a great spell five or so years ago, creating barking mad electro records like Hoy and an exceptional, ethereal Mystery Jets remix before seemingly all but disappearing. Then, 2012 saw a reinvigorated Turbo Recordings release the sleazy Street Walker, before The Giver became the go-to hands-in-the-air anthem for the latter part of the year. It'll be interesting to hear what Dumont is spinning nowadays, but do check out Skream's remix of the Duke's festival-ready Need U (100%), which sincerely channels the spirit of Prince in a way you might not anticipate from the former dubstep poster boy. Dark and techy support comes from labelmate Sei A.

In Liverpool, up-and-coming purveyors of experimental electronics Deep Hedonia are pleased to welcome NHK'Koyxen to Camp and Furnace on 16 Apr (£5 otd). One of the mainstays of the Pan label, his work focuses on playful manipulations and deconstructions of well-known dance tropes, which remain thrillingly physical in themselves. Heady stuff for a school night, but not to be missed by fans of forward thinking music.

For an early bird price of £6, Saturday 13 Apr at Manchester's 2022NQ sees the return of some true Manchester legends who doubtlessly hate being referred to as true Manchester legends. The Unabombers were a guiding light in the city with their Electric Chair residency at Music Box and The Roadhouse for many years, and their (whisper it) eclectic tastes and ability to drop the most unexpected record at the right time earned them legions of fans. If you're new to the pair, be assured: they represent a bit of history and an ethos well worth repeating. To quote from founder Luke Unabomber's own recently resuscitated Twitter, “house music is about love not big daft low carb one armed inked gym steroid nazi lads eating pimped up fit burgers zieg heiling to beatport.” Quite.

Payday weekend sees two scene-defining events hit Manchester. Over in Old Trafford, The Warehouse Project returns for a final, intimate night in Victoria Warehouse's rooms two and three (27 Apr, £20). Granted, intimate at WHP means a mere 1500 tickets, but it's small change given the stature of the Visionquest weekend, featuring the whole VQ gang: Lee Curtiss, Shaun Reeves, Ryan Crosson and, of course, Seth Troxler. The undeniably charismatic 'World's Best DJ' last delivered an all-wax New Year's Day set at the venue, which proved to be something of a cosmic revelation for those previously unconverted.

Whatever Troxler brings to the decks at WHP, however, will likely struggle to match the madness in Levenshulme on the same night, as the Klondyke Club hosts the thoughtfully named Klondyke Club Music Night Part 2 (27 Apr). Il Bosco, Ste Spandex, Metrodome, sonoapizzaman and many more top Gs make up the roster in a who's who of the burgeoning Levenshulme boogie scene, including some of the heads behind Red Laser Disco and Wet Play, two of the finest underground dance nights in the UK, both of which have recently made the transition to labels. Entry is just £1.80, or free if you happen to be a member of the Klondyke Club, which has been around for over a century and also offers Crown Green Bowling and Reiki Healing. Expect a custom soundsystem, a free finger buffet and a meat raffle, as well as lots of obscure and irresistible house and disco.

Rounding off our selections for Saturday 27 Apr, Liverpool's Discoteca Poca are teaming up with Croatia's much-loved Garden festival for a Garden Get-Together featuring two of the finest soundsystems in the business, Maxxi Soundsystem and Crazy P Soundsystem, in the form of a two-room bash at Liverpool's HAUS (£11.29, oddly). The festival may be months away, but organisers promise to capture its balearic spirit with cocktails, projections, and “something to do with a speed boat” – not to mention the powerful Funktion-One soundsystems in each room. That's at least four different types of soundsystem we're counting. Sound. No, literally.