Club Review: Mint Warehouse goes Desolat w/ Loco Dice 28/04/12

Next in the series of techno spectaculars at Mint Warehouse was a Desolat experience, one that if you have enjoyed before you know is going to be an impressive one. Since the opening of the club in January, we’ve been treated to the sounds of Marco Carola, Derrick Carter and Laurent Garnier to name but a few, and tonight  Loco Dice brought his label favourites along with him to give the now loyal Mint Warehouse following another night they wouldn’t forget in a hurry.

When we arrived Hector had already started spinning the rolling and punchy beats associated with the Desolat label; there was no time for nonsense, and we took to our usual spot and began to pump our fists. The atmosphere was there, the clubbers were all there and the party was already in full swing as we were immediately engulfed into the music. Hector’s arsenal consisted of flowing drum beats intertwined with trippy samples and breakdowns, the perfect warm up for the sexy live set that would soon follow.

We felt it mandatory to check out the Leeds’ own Teknicolor team who had taken over room two for the night. Week in week out on a Thursday night Teknicolor showcase their own party at Mint Club with big names in deep house and a batch of residents who know how to get a crowd dancing their socks off. They were the perfect hosts. A mixture of fresh and original house music was the flavour, as one Leeds’ newest up and coming talents Sam Wallace stepped up to the mark to give a great alternative for those who wanted something a little different from that which was going on downstairs. After a little while, so as not to miss the start of Martin Buttrich’s set, we headed back down to the main room.

The American DJ is well known for playing live on a regular basis all around the world, his last event in Leeds being System’s 3^rd Birthday at Mint Club in early 2011, where he blew the roof off with his warm up for Cocoon legend Frank Lorber. This time however Buttrich was in his element, as he was warming up for his label boss Loco Dice. Armed with different technical toys, he continued to build the atmosphere higher and higher in the club with his unique sound, weaving between minimal bleeps and deep basslines whilst keeping things energetic. Not as energetic as what was about to come, but then again that is the purpose of a good quality warm up.

Desolat don Loco Dice took to the decks at around 3am and boy were the crowd ready. He immediately picked up the pace with driving bassy beats that bellowed out of the ever impressive Funktion One stacks at the front of the club, which have become renowned for their impeccably clean sound. The party had truly started; hands were in the air grasping for smashing drops that followed intense build ups over tunes like Pirupa’s Party Non Stop; one that Loco Dice has been dropping everywhere of late. A special moment for Dice was the sit down ovation he received, the crowd bursting back up on the drop as a unit. We were lapping up all that he had to offer. As his set progressed the techno got harder and harder, different to how I had seen Dice before, but he still kept the crowd going. Bongos, bass and snippets of German vocals gave rise to a stationary stampede as we stomped through the floor of the Warehouse until we could stomp no more.

Tonight we had experienced a true Desolat experience, exactly what it said on the tin, and Mint Warehouse had proven yet again that hand in hand with techno house it really is a force to be reckoned with; safe to say one of the biggest clubs in Leeds at the moment, if not the biggest.

Words: Jack Law

Tickets are no longer available for this event