The Warehouse Project has published a mammoth lineup announcement as the promotion prepares to roar back to life this autumn.
Manchester’s flagship clubbing series has unveiled part of its much-anticipated second edition at Mayfield Depot – having been forced to pause in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
WHP21 kicks off on Friday 17 September with 12 weeks of music and culture, running right up until New Year.
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The opening night will see funk legends Nile Rogers and Chic take over the Depot – bringing some house and disco vibes to the table. They’ll be joined by the likes of Horse Meat Disco, House Gospel Choir, plus Manchester’s very own Craig Charles and Gina Breeze. Whilst La Discothèque will present Norman Jay, DJ Paulette, Veba and Joe Motion over on the Concourse.
Launching on Saturday 18 September is Repercussion Festival, a brand-new concept for 2021.
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From 2pm until 4am there’ll be six different arenas of music throughout Mayfield Depot, including an additional open-air street party on the neighbouring Temperance Street next door.
Full details on Repercussion will follow next week. But we can tell you there’ll be a series of specially curated bills, presented by Boiler Room, Mr Scruff’s Keep it Unreal, MasterSounds, The FACE and Worldwide FM.
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Acclaimed DJs and producers like Floating Points, George Fitzgerald, Laurent Garnier, DJ Seinfield and DJ Koze will provide the soundtrack.
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Metropolis on Friday 24 September is the one to look out for if drum and bass is more your thing. There’ll be a huge bassy lineup, showcasing genre stars like Andy C, Sub Focus, Wilkinson, High Contrast and Dub Phizix.
The following week will see 12 hours of music from the likes of Carl Cox, Peggy Gou, The Blessed Madonna, Honey Dijon, Daniel Avery, Haai, Skream and Special Request which will make up Part 1 of Welcome to the Warehouse.
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Eric Prydz will then take over the Depot on Friday 1 October. From 9pm, there’ll be appearances from the man himself, plus Artbat, Christoph, Franky Wah, Reinier Zonneveld and Anfisa Letyago.
Nina Kravitz playing the WHP at Mayfield Depot in 2019 / Image: Jake Davis.
Welcome to the Warehouse resumes on Saturday 2 October with Part 2, featuring yet another unreal string of artists across three stages. Jamie Jones, Joseph Capriati and Michael Bibi are set to head things up in the Depot, whilst The Martinez Brothers, Seth Troxler and Kerri Chandler will take care of the Concourse.
We’ll have to wait a little bit longer for the full season calendar for WHP21, as organisers say it’ll be with us in the coming weeks.
Until then, pre-sale for the opening six shows starts at 10am on Wednesday 26 May. Then tickets go on general sale at 10am on Thursday 27 May. Get your alarms set now.
AJ Tracey is playing a VERY intimate gig in Manchester next month
Thomas Melia
London rapper and respected grime artist AJ Tracey is ‘live and direct’ once again, announcing a whole host of UK dates, one of which is a rather intimate gig right here in Manchester.
It’s official: one of UK rap’s leading gents is getting back on the road and he’s showing a ‘Little More Love’ to lots of cities, including Manchester.
In a post on the UK star’s socials, AJ Tracey trades his music persona for that of a sports pundit as he announces the dates for his upcoming tour while impersonating an F1 commentator.
Anyone looking to attend Tracey’s ‘Not Even A Tour’ can catch the star up and down the country on his over 20-date tour with a stop in Manchester as soon as this month.
The rapper has reached phenomenal heights since dropping the unforgettable ‘Ladbroke Grove’ in 2019 and is heading out across the nation to make sure everyone knows about it.
Get ready to spit bars left and right as this rapper’s discography is stacked with serious tunes like ‘Dinner Guest’, ‘West Ten’, ‘Thiago Silva’ and more.
More recently, he collaborated with Walsall’s finest Jorja Smith for a flirty garage beat also known as ‘Crush’ with the video being the two artists talking it out in a good old fashioned caff.
The latest collaboration with Smith marks the start of a new era for Mr. Live and direct as it fell in line with the announcement of his third studio album.
Titled Don’t Die Before You’re Dead, we’re sure he’ll be “building a vibe” wherever he goes and probably previewing a few exclusive tracks from his upcoming project too.
This gig may come as quite a surprise for any hardcore fans of the ‘Ladbroke Grove’ star as the venue in which he’s performing is definitely intimate only, holding just over 250 guests.
This rap giant is bringing his unbelievable beats to none other than the legendary small-cap city centre live music venue, The Deaf Institute, at the end of this month.
It’s safe to say you won’t get many more chances, if any, to see him in such a tight-knit space again.
AJ Tracey is bringing ‘Not Even A Tour’ to Deaf Institute in Manchester on 30 April, with tickets on sale Friday 4 April from 12 noon.
Manchester City’s Nathan Aké donates piano to grassroots music venue
Thomas Melia
Footballer and Manchester City star Nathan Aké has donated a piano to an iconic city centre grassroots venue in Manchester.
To celebrate ‘International Piano Day’, the Dutch defender has teamed up with legendary instrument-makers Casio by donating a state-of-the-art piano in one very lucky music venue.
Aké and Casio are donating pianos across the UK through their joint project titled ‘Playing For Change’.
The iconic grassroots venue that’s receiving this prestigious instrument is none other than Band on the Wall, which has been pumping out live music under this name since 1975.
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This new addition will help the venue as a whole, but more importantly, it will come in very handy for their Saturday Music Club.
Running every weekend, this session helps young people discover music and develop their skills, now via the fantastic PX-S7000 Casio piano.
Band on the Wall is a much-loved and adored Manchester city centremusic institution, and they aren’t the only place benefitting from the Manchester city star and Casio.
So far, 12 disadvantaged schools in the UK have benefitted from this joint effort from Aké and Casio, all of which were surprised with their very own digital piano.
This newest partnership won’t come as a surprise to fans of the Man City centre-back, as he’s been known to play the piano since teaching himself in 2020, and now he’s spreading his love of music to communities nationwide.
Neil Evans, Head of Casio EMI, commented:“It’s exciting for us to support Band on the Wall with a gift of a brand new Privia piano.”
“We’re hoping it’s used often and inspires people into learning the piano and increasing their access to the joys of music, which is at the core of Playing For Change.”
As for Aké, while he might be sidelined for the foreseeable following surgery on a fractured foot, the Netherlands international will hopefully be able to get lots of practice playing those keys.
Hannah Starkie -
25th May 2021 
