We are deep into Warehouse Project Season '22, a few weeks back we attended Eric Prydz's night at the infamous venue at Mayfield Depot. What a night we have in store, last time I saw him was before the pandemic at Creamfields - his HOLO Tour! It was insane, so when we saw he was at this years WHP, we would be foolish not to go.
It was PACKED - people were pouring in left, right & centre - younger generation and onwards, people were here for the music. The thumping bass emanated through the old train station, hitting us in the face abruptly as we saw the ending to Yulia Niko's set on the main stage. She was bringing us to the boiling point, full of exciting energy, heavy baselines and all around Tech House fun. Igniting the atmosphere, she lifted us high, giving us a great start to the night. We live for female artists, especially as good as Yulia is.
Buzz of excitement, chattering of people echoed as we piled in front and centre for Mathame. Now, we have only ever heard of their music on streaming platforms, never in person. Not knowing what to expect, we eagerly opened our ears for brothers, Amedeo and Matteo Giovanelli to wow us. And my lord, they did. Instantly throwing down some dirty techno tunes, heaviest we experienced of the night and we do love a heavy set. Relentless and pumping, they delivered a coherent hour, slicing in tunes effortlessly, bringing the bass to our faces and not backing down one bit. Each tune was as high octane as the last and we lived for it.
Hot, heavy and sweaty - it was only the beginning yet we were already on our knees with exhaustion. Does that show our age? quick cig break, a tinny and a piss we were back to the action. dropping into Concourse to hear Cristoph & Franky Wah - All Night Long . B2B excitement, keeping the flow of the party strong, they were mixing all sort of Prog/Techno tunes with a strong EDM run. No matter the time we dipped into the room, mesmerised by the disco ball and party atmosphere, it was always packed - a good sign.
Now, the big players - Cologne based melodic Tech-House artist Kölsch came on stage with a 2 hour set we were blown away. Playing some of his hit tunes like 'Grey' & 'Loreley', pumping the crowd up and not letting them stop for one moment in all of his uplifting set. engaging with the audience, it was like you could see his smile from a mile away, beaming his unbelievable energy out to the masses.
Now Eric Prydz. Coming forward with a hard DJ set, I don't think people understand that artists will chose their music according to the night and other acts that are on. People seemed to expect his HOLO tour when we spoke to some, wanted bangers like Opus and Call On Me (which I don't think he actually plays anymore; his music has developed so much further from that noughties classic). He was playing a DJ set, so most of his tunes were variants from his other label Pryda, focusing on the experimental tech-house stylings which is still fucking awesome. We cannot fault him, he is a performer with our without the holographic and a damn great one at that. I have seen him multiple times over the past decade, and each time he brings something new the the stage which I haven't heard or seen before. His mixes were flawless, his vibe was ecstatic and the people were jamming. It was a good night to hear him perform in a packed out venue, but we have to recommend that if you were to see him and ONLY him then go to his HOLO tour, it's honestly mind blowing.
Coming back to WHP however, his set was relentless, 2 hours of pure bliss - what more could you want for a good boogie! blasting out some interesting Prog -Tech - House tunes coupled with trippy industrial visuals would send anyone into a frenzy. The vibe was *Chef's Kiss*, the music was in your face and people were all in all just vibing. This year at WHP, every single night seems to outdo the last - we can't wait for the rest of them, so join us on our journey!
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