Saturday, 19 November 2011

Parisian Players......


The go-to clubbers destination remains Ibiza. Pretenders to the throne, Miami, Barcelona, Berlin, may offer particular delights for some but the benchmark for success and impact in the world of dance remains that most famous of the Balearic islands. Make it there and you can make anywhere and one particular clan of French DJs and producers can certainly state a claim as the most significant and successful collective on the island in 2011 - LOLA ED.


It was with great pleasure and excitment therefore that last Saturday saw Sankeys host yet another Lola Ed showcase (following on from performances from Dyed Soundorom, Shonky and Tolga Fidan in recent months) as DAN GHENACIA's 'Sound of Paris' event landed at our clubbing home. Joined by fellow headliner JEF K, Ghenacia crafted the soundscape for the evening offering not only a greatest hits selection from summer 2011 but also presenting tracks sure to make make waves in the future proving that 2012 promises even further progression for the Lola Ed stars.


Thanks to everybody who made it down for what was a night filled with the most accomplished and refined house and tech music out there to be consumed right now in clubland.

Hope to see you at Sankeys again soon. Be sure to check our website (http://www.sankeys.info/) for details on all our Christmas and end of year parties to get a load more of the same......

john dahlBACK TO THE FUTURE......


The big name DJs just keep coming thick and fast at Sankeys as last Friday saw one of the finest European names from the world of 21st Century electro make a celebratory return to the main room - JOHN DAHLBACK rocked up to give the ravenous crowd just what they were hungering for.


Smashing the speakers to their limits with electro akin to the Laidback Luke school of bounce the packed out crowd filled every square inch available on the dance floor. Clambering on the speaker stacks, jostling on the stage, it was all going down.



Dahlback's set was sandwiched between a warm up run from DUTCH RUDDER, making a welcome return for the Friday night crowd who hadn't seen him for a couple of months, and TOMMY TRASH who inflicted some hardcore beats and robot vocal samples from the heaviest reaches of the electro sphere.


Thanks to all who made it down and ensured the night went off with a bang. Hope to see you all again soon......

Thursday, 10 November 2011

Chez Masterclass......


Sankeys continued its current taste for legendary house producers as for the third time in a month we played host to a pioneer of the genre  showing us how things really should be done. Following on from October's performances from Kerri Chandler and MK, CHEZ DAMIER gave us arguably the finest set of the three, holding a huge crowd in our main room throughout his extended 3 hour set.


Oozing with Chicago house sounds made most famous on a global scale through their influence over Daft Punk's seminal 'Homework' album, 15 years back, Damier's set truly gave a blueprint to any budding DJ out there looking to get a House crowd jacked. Dropping acid riffs in and out to add further flavour the crowd were made to think of a time when clubbing was debatably at its purest and most underground, the 90's.


Before Damier took over at 1 ELLESSE, one of our esteemed residents, gave the Saturday crowd a crystallised example of the current 'Sankeys sound'. This wasn't the last of Ellesse for the evening as following Damier's rip-roaring performance he joined forces with DARIUS SYROSSIAN within the final half hour of the night. In a supreme meeting of minds to bring a close to the festivities it was a mixing session full of the finest House vibes.


Thanks to everybody who made this Saturday so special. This week we welcome something unique as 'The Sounds of Paris' night crash lands to ensure the finest Gallic infused tunes of the here and now are brought to your ears, no holes barred, within the main room. See you there......

Colour in the dark......


Kicking off Bonfire weekend Sankeys set off its own musical fireworks as we presented one of Manchester's most established techno nights, COLOUR, to the club.

Fighting off competition from the customary Bonfire displays and Halloween hangovers of this time of year the club was filled with the most clued up techno heads in the Northwest looking to appreciate the best efforts of some of UK Techno's finest exponents.

Events were kick started by ED MACKIE whose warm up set, full of moody, dark, minimal techno got those down before 1 in the state of mind for some of the more extreme sounds that were down the line.



TOMMY FOUR SEVEN was up next and coupled with MONOLOC the vibe in the main room shifted to a much more serious mood. Heavy and sinister tones were the order of the day it seemed as the dark techno got into full swing.

The night's headliners BEN SIMS and PAUL MAC rounded things off by doing what they have suceeded in doing to worldwide techno crowds for years, smashing the kick drums loud and proud for hours on end.

Those left at the end of the night had been treated to a supreme exhibition of techno as it is existing in our world today. Hats off to all who made the night possible and to all those who made the effort to make it down. Here's to the next time things get Colourful...... 

Saturday, 5 November 2011

Fright Night......


Saturday saw Sankeys undergo a terrifying transformation as the annual HALLOWEEN ALLNIGHTER descended upon the dark and ominous streets of Ancoats. Taking on the appearance of a haunted crypt, all cobwebs and ghoulish decorations, the club celebrated a night like no other.


Downstairs we welcomed MIGUEL CAMPBELL and JORDAN PEAK to the decks as our special guests. The pair were sandwiched between performances from two of our esteemed resident acts, ELLESSE and PLASTIC CO.

Our third resident JOZEF K introduced proceedings upstairs as the CONTINUE night took over Spektrum bringing future garage and techno to the hundreds of decked out costume wearers having a rave up. Offering up showcase slots from, DAMU, JAMIE GRIND, SYNKRO, JAMES FOX and TRUSS, once again Continue proved its gathering momentum as one of Manchester's quickest growing and well respected club events.


Making the most of the clocks going back the party went on for an elongated 9 hours. So, with make-up streaking down the faces and improvised costumes falling apart, the ghosts and goblins left the club with the sun coming up on Sunday morning a little worse for wear, but with disturbing memories of another killer Halloween Sankeys extravaganza.


Next year's party cant come soon enough......

Friday, 4 November 2011

Grieving Process......


Last Friday saw Sankeys play host to another birthday event for one of our esteemed party partners. GOODGREEF popped the cork on celebrations for their 11th Anniversary by presenting a lucky set of ticket holders a powerful rosta of some of the finest Trance DJs currently working on Planet Earth.


Headliner JOHN O'CALLAGHAN, arguably Ireland's most consistent dance music performer over recent years, proved why he, this year, attained slot 52 in DJ Mag's accalimed 'Top 100 DJs' list. HARDWELL, making his debut in the North West, had warmed the crowd before this getting them jumping shoulder to shoulder in a rammed main room space.

The boys suceeded in creating a palpable sense of euphoria in our main room, the sea of smiling faces and the sweaty armpits exposed through a need to raise the arms to the ceiling went a long way to prove that.


All in all it was a birthday for all the Trance heads to savour. A real celebration and acknowledgement of all the achievements of Goodgreef from over the last decade that has seen the brand emerge as one of the biggest Trance nights in the country, if not the world.

Congratulations fellas, we'll be ready for next years knees up......



Friday, 28 October 2011

God Save the Queens......


Saturday saw us strip back the testosterone in our DJ booths by celebrating all things female. Not a male DJ was in sight as our 'Queens of the Underground' night landed with an all girl lineup.With a real 'anything you can do, we can do better' vibe taking over, the sistas really did show us how it should be done.

 Kicking off the main room action HANNAH HAMMOND pulled no punches with a set covered in Saturday emotion. The next lady up was LAURA JONES who we welcomed back with open arms following on from her storming set in Spektrum a few months back. She brought it once again.

 

 This able support ensured the main room was jumping by 2, just in time to welcome the evenings headliner ELLEN ALLIEN to the decks. Arguably the most kinetic of all the DJs we have hosted over recent months Ellen didn't stop ' giving it the big 'un ' throwing shapes behind the decks almost as big as those in front of them. The girls were clearly enjoying the spirit of the evening, downing the drinks and dancing the night away in the DJ booth.

 
 
Main room proceedings were rounded off by L.A.W who had jetted in from Dublin especially to represent the female of the species, in the process they completed the lineup of Queens in our dance palace.

Watch your back fellas, you should be getting worried......

Thursday, 27 October 2011

Mad Skills......



Friday night saw us welcome to Sankeys one of the finest exponents of heavy, bass driven, urban dance music on the planet.

As part of his current nationwide tour JAGUAR SKILLS kick started our weekend with hours of Dubstep and Drum+Bass to a main room more tightly packed than a can of sardines stuck on a rush hour London tube train.

  

Word certainly got around to the Manchester clubbing faithful that this king of the social media minimix was in town. Through his infamous 'Twitter mixes' and radio station showcases this guy has established quite a following nationwide and his Northwest fans were out in force.

Wearing his customary black ninja disguise our headliner ensured that the Sankeys main room went off.

 The night proved a perfect example of the Dubstep phenomenon infiltrating clubland at the moment, a UK born genre spreading like wildfire across the globe. The influence of this can be seen within the work of a diverse range of big name artists currently releasing new material, ranging from certain tracks on Jay-Z and Kanye's 'Watch the Throne' collaboration and even old time Nu-metal heads Korn releasing an entire album produced by Skillrex.




While we wait to see what the lasting impact of this music trend may ultimately be 2011 has certainly seen a significant impact made by the genre. If Friday's events are anything to go by this rawkus music looks like it will be around for quite a while yet. We have Jaguar to thank for that......

Friday, 21 October 2011

Dyed banging......


Last Saturday saw Sankeys host a LOLA ED showcase giving an opportunity to this amazing French entertainment collective to show Manchester's club scene what it's all about.

DARIUS SYROSSIAN kicked off proceedings serenading the earlybirds with serious Saturday tunes galore. Syrossian was followed, at 1, by an artist fresh off the back of playing at the Sankeys Ibiza closing party a fortnight ago. DYED SOUNDOROM presented his unique technique for bringing a party room to life. Accompanied by b.f.f, SHONKY, the pair served up a feast of audio treats.


Giving us a taste of the delights awaiting us on November 12ths 'Sounds of Paris' event Dyed and Shonky played back to back for 3 hours dropping an array of tracks that have been utilised by the pair at a string of parties at DC10 over the summer.


The main room's ice cannons were cranked to 11 to give torrents of freezing air to the sweaty bodies throwing it down. They were given little chance to catch their breath as Dyed and Shonky were swiftly followed by the second house legend to grace our decks in a fortnight (following on from Kerri Chandler the previous Saturday), MK, who played all the way till closing at 6 with a back to back session with SCOTTIE DEEP.

Thanks to everybody who made it down and ensured another sterling Saturday shindig......






Thursday, 20 October 2011

Return of the Skank......


For the second time in a month we welcomed our friends from 'Just Skank' to Sankeys on a Friday night. Presenting for us, this time, the 'Deep Medi Takeover' the Skank collective once again served up some of the heaviest and grimiest cuts the world's Drum and Bass scene has to offer.


Cramming into the 7 hour party, over three rooms and two floors, a vast series of artists dropped sets that had the club in raptures.


MALA, GOTH TRAD (playing live), KROMESTAR, SILKIE & QUEST, TRUTH, TUNNIDGE, VIVEK, CYRUS and HIJACK, amongst many others over the three spaces for music, ensured some serious sick chirpse was pulled off by the DJs and MCs present.



Opening the Friday program up to more left-of-centre dance music events is something we at Sankeys have embraced over the years. It seems you punters are responding in vast numbers, at the moment, as those making it down to both of this month's Just Skank events really have got the most out of our sound system and surroundings, helping to ram the place with up for it party people in the process. Big respect to everyone that made both of these nights so special. No doubt we'll do it all again soon...... 



Wednesday, 12 October 2011

King Kerri......


Using some mesmeric mixing techniques to bring the magic to Sankeys for a mammoth 7 and a 1/2 hour set KERRI CHANDLER created an unforgettable night on Saturday.

It was our complete pleasure to give a true legend of the underground music scene total free reign to forge the total evening experience for those setting foot in the main room.


Since his first release in 1991 Chandler has pioneered the sound of deep house and has facilitated moving it into the forefront of the dance music landscape. Through classic releases and inspired live shows incorporating an array of his own technological, self-made, toys Kerri has established himself into a position of tremendous respect and adoration.


This was reflected in the atmosphere in Sankeys on Saturday with the packed main room being left in awe as Chandler moved seamlessly between singing live, playing keyboards from the booth and tweaking every last beat coming from the speakers with his own sound machines and mini mixers.

Check out the video below for some highlights of the action giving a taste of the soulful grooves that were laid down.


In recent memory Sankeys has not given a single DJ the room to demonstrate such skill and stamina over such a long set. Such is the measure of the man's stature and the respect he holds within our community. A massive thanks to Kerri, who didn't disappoint, and to those who made it down to ensure a seminal evening within our basement...... 

Re - ee - wind......


Friday saw Sankeys exhibit an element of nostalgia by welcoming one of the most commercially successful garage acts of all time to the basement for an evening of 2-step beats and grimy rhymes. ARTFUL DODGER played to a packed out club all going mad for a greatest hits set of the finest urban dance music from the last decade.



Tunes from So Solid Crew and early Dizzee Rascal, coupled with many of their own tracks, made sure our headliners created a jump-up, high energy, atmosphere on the floor with plenty of chances to 'get low, get low' before exploding when the killer drops were implemented.


MC Alistair ensured the crowd was fully involved throughout, even dishing out large sections of his alcohol rider to those down the front to improve the party even further.



Big thanks to everybody who made it down for this night, you all made sure it was proper bo, I tell thee......



Friday, 7 October 2011

Sankeys gets a reboot, Spektrum in a daze......


One of the most hotly anticipated nights in recent months finally arrived at our place on Saturday as a complete wall to wall sellout crowd celebrated the CADENZA SHOWCASE at Sankeys.

The night saw the combination of storming sets from some of the club's most accomplished residents along with some artists riding higher than most on the crest of 2011's underground music wave.

Getting the party started in the Sankeys basement JOZEF K provided a set riddled with deep sounds and tremendous low end grooves. K was backed up by ELLESSE playing an impromptu set to fill in for Mirko Loco who had to drop out after falling ill in the run up to the event. Few people were left complaining however as the atmosphere was cranked right up by our in-house rave impresario.


Never has Sankeys witnessed such an unreserved free for all to clamber up the staircase to Spektrum when the doors were opened later in the night. Such was the hype surrounding the two acts who would be gracing the TREEHOUSE hosted decks up there. The top level filled to capacity within minutes of opening. TALE OF US, playing to a rammed room as they have been doing all summer long across the globe (most notably at DC10's 'From Disco to Techno' parties in Ibiza) rewarded those lucky enough to squeeze a spot on the Spektrum dance floor.


After this 2 hour set DANNY DAZE took over to continue the joy flooding through the room just like the neon lighting cascading from the ceiling. Dropping Madonna's 'Vogue' may not sound the coolest thing to do at 4 in the morning but it sure felt like it at the time.


Downstairs meanwhile REBOOT was owning the Sankeys main room looping and sampling his way through some of the finest tech house tracks of the here and now. What has now become customary for the man's visits to our place happened yet again as the breakdown in his own track 'Caminando' was greeted with a unified sit down by the crowd who exploded into the air 6 minutes in when the bass dropped.

Much love goes out to the 1500 of you who made it down and made this night one that will last in the memory for a long while to come. The Saturday ball keeps rolling this week as we host house legend Kerri 'Kaos' Chandler in the basement for a 5 hour set. Be sure to join us......

Thursday, 6 October 2011

Cameras ready, prepare to FLASH


We are proud to announce that supreme decknician / hip-hop pioneer / musical legend GRANDMASTER FLASH is coming to Sankeys on December 10th.

This will surely be a spectacular night, get your tickets below to avoid missing out.

https://shop.sankeys.info/Kaluki-House-Party-Grandmaster-Flash.html

S is for SKANK


Friday at Sankeys was hosted by our friends from JUST SKANK and they filled the aural landscape with an array of heavy Drum & Bass action.


Across three rooms a huge rosta of DJs and MCs ensured the whole 8 hour extravaganza was packed with dirty basslines, high energy performances and some sick rhymes.



The main headliner, GROOVERIDER, proved the ultimate highlight of the evening by playing a set that had the crowd verging on a slam pit at times, each drop on the track being greeted with unified hollas and a throwing of wild shapes en masse.


The evening offered a chance for those rave-heads who perhaps wouldn't venture to Sankeys on a usual tech / house driven weeekend event to taste the delights of our club. Going by the looks on the faces of the people in attendance there seems to be a little something for everybody offered by the main room, regardless of your electronic music tipple of choice. Electronic music lovers unite, see you next time.

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

Tracks of the Sankeys weekend.

Weapons of Mass Seduction......


Jozef K - Culture,Vibes & Life
Da Luniz - I got 5 on it (Kissy Sell Out Edit)
Okain - Go for what you know
Deetron - Starblazer
Miguel Campbell - Baby I got it