This Manchester club has been shortlisted as one of the best in the UK

In a coup for the city’s clubbing scene, a huge venue in Manchester has been shortlisted as one of the best of its kind in the UK by this year’s DJ Mag awards.

Depot Mayfield, the home of Manchester’s infamous party series The Warehouse Project, is the only club in the north of England to make the shortlist – sitting alongside London venues Fabric, KOKO and Printworks, and Glasgow nightclub SWG3.

First opened in 2019, the 10,000 capacity venue has been home to some huge events – including MIF and Skepta’s mind-blowing futurist rave DYSTOPIA987 and Manchester Pride’s inaugural music event  Pride Live, as well as innumerable shows for WHP over the past few years.

With three separate stages – Depot, Concourse and Archive – it has been home to an eclectic run of Warehouse Project shows, attracting ravers and gig-goers of all musical persuasions.

Now it has been recognised as one of the best large venues in the UK as part of the annual DJ Mag awards, widely considered to be one of (if not the) biggest authorities on the UK dance music scene.

The award ceremony takes place this December 15 in London’s The Steel Yard, in what is the first IRL award show since the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns of 2020 and 2021.

This year marks the 16th edition of the awards, an annual celebration of UK talent. Positioned as a counter-balance to the global Top 100 DJs poll, DJ Mag’s Best Of British awards are a chance to shine a spotlight on the homegrown talent that continues to place the UK scene at the forefront of electronic music.

The 2022 nominations are split across 22 categories, and the awards show in December will also see the return of three editorial choice categories, Outstanding Contribution, Innovation & Excellence and Game Changer.

Also shortlisted in this year’s awards is Manchester’s ‘Baddest of them all’ producer and DJ Interplanetary Criminal, whose BOTA remix with Eliza Rose went viral this year and hit number one in the UK singles charts this September.

Read more: Hot Chip announce huge live Manchester show at The Warehouse Project

Interplanetary Criminal is up for two awards this year – Best Producer and Best Track – showing that Manchester is still at the forefront of the UK music scene, decades after its Hacienda heydays.

You can see the full list of DJ Mag’s 2022 awards and nominations below.

Best DJ

Anz
Djrum
Palms Trax
Patrick Topping
Tiffany Calver

Breakthrough DJ

Fleur Shore
Girls Don’t Sync
KILIMANJARO
Mozey
TAAHLIAH

Best Live Act

aya
Bonobo
Fred again..
Krust
The Comet Is Coming

Best Producer

Congo Natty
Dance System
Interplanetary Criminal
Loraine James
M1onthebeat

Breakthrough Producer

Breaka
CeeBeaats
Meg Ward
Nia Archives
Soul Mass Transit System

Best MC/Vocalist

Bandokay
MC Chickaboo
Ivorian Doll
Knucks
Novelist

Breakthrough MC/Vocalist

Bemz
Chinx (OS)
Iceboy Violet
Jim Legxacy
ShaSimone

Best Label

AD 93
ec2a
Phantasy Sound
Trick
XL Recordings

Breakthrough Label

All Centre
Over/Shadow
Pretty Weird
Sondela Recordings
Time Is Now [Shall Not Fade]

Best Album

DJ Q ‘Est. 2003’ [Local Action]
Hagan ‘Textures’ [Python Syndicate]
Hudson Mohawke ‘Cry Sugar’ [Warp]
Kelly Lee Owens ‘LP.8’ [Smalltown Supersound]
TSHA ‘Capricorn Sun’ [Ninja Tune]

Best Compilation

PinkPantheress ‘to hell with it (Remixes)’ [Parlophone]
V/A ”Club Entry’ Vol. 1′ [Borne Fruits]
V/A ‘Hospital Mixtape: Lens’ [Hospital Records]
V/A ‘Luke Una Presents É Soul Cultura’ [Mr Bongo]
V/A ‘Touching Bass presents: Soon Come’ [Touching Bass]

Best Track

Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal ‘B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All)’ [Warner Records x One House]
Hamdi ‘Skanka’ [DUPLOC]
Joy O ‘pinky ring’ [XL Recordings]
LF System ‘Afraid To Feel’ [Warner Music]
Nia Archives ‘Baianá’ [HIJINXX / Island]

Best Remix/Edit

KH ‘Looking At Your Pager’ [Ministry of Sound/Three Six Zero]
Michael Bibi ‘La Murga (Michael’s Midnight Mix)’
Nick León ‘Xtasis feat. DJ Babatr (Pearson Sound Remix)’ [TraTraTrax]
Tessela ‘Hackney Parrot (Bailey’s Techno Tool)’
Tirzah ‘Tectonic (FAUZIA Remix)’ [Domino]

Best Rap Album/Mixtape

CB ‘A Drillers Perspective 2’ [mayowahd]
FLOHIO ‘Out Of Heart’ [AWAL]
Horrid1 x Sav’O ‘Violent Siblings’ [CGM Records]
Jeshi ‘Universal Credit’ [Because Music]
Loyle Carner ‘hugo’ [EMI]

Best Rap Track

Darkoo ‘Always feat. Black Sherif’ (Prod. by Albert kweku Koranteng) [Atlantic Records UK]
Giggs x Tiny Boost ‘The Family’ (Prod. by RichMadeRecords) [Self-released]
Kojey Radical feat. Lex Amor ‘War Outside’ (Prod. by Swindle & Kztheproducer) [Asylum Records UK]
LD x C1 ‘Hillside Demons’ (Prod. by JS OTP & Hilzz) [24 Hour Ent]
Nemzzz ‘2MS’ (Prod. by Wydsonni) [Motown Records UK / EMI]

Best Radio Show

Emma Jean Thackray, Worldwide FM
Ellie Prohan, KISS FM
Felix Joy Breakfast Show, SWU
Pure Spice with DJ Manara, BBC Asian Network
Soup To Nuts, NTS

Best Large Club

Depot Mayfield, Manchester
fabric, London
KOKO, London
Printworks, London
SWG3, Glasgow

Best Small Club

Colour Factory, London
Night Tales, London
Strange Brew, Bristol
Sub Club, Glasgow
Ulster Sports Club, Belfast

Best Club Event

Club Blanco
Distant Planet
PXSSY PALACE
Teletech
Small Talk

Best Festival

Houghton Festival
Naked City Festival
Otherlands Music & Arts Festival
Outlook Festival UK
Queen’s Yard Summer Party

Best Boutique Festival

Field Maneuvers
Freerotation
KALLIDA Festival
No Bounds Festival
Watching Trees Festival

Underground Hero
Recognising the champions of grassroots music communities

Double O & Mantra
Jeremy Sylvester
Lo Shea
Man Power
Sarah McBriar

Feature image – WHP MCR