Four days to go before Secret party Project hit the Monastery

Piercing strobes, high grade sound systems and darkened rooms. They pretty much define the formula of a good clubnight and when you want to lose yourself in the music, the places that do it are just as important as the people inside and the music sound-tracking your night. Clubs, good ones and bad ones, are the bread and butter of venues for the twenty first century raver.

Every now and again though there’s a venue or two that blows that formula out of the water though, and this weekend’s Secret Party Project showcase encapsulates that. They will be taking over the Monastery in Manchester, a venue that stands out as being one of the most 100 important in the world. Not a list of 100 best clubs, on a list of the most endangered sites on the planet that also includes Pompeii, Machchu Picchu and the Taj Mahal. Seriously.

Built in the late nineteenth century at the height of Britain’s industrial power, the Monastery recently underwent an extensive £6.5 million renovation in the late nineties and now operates as an awe-inspiring location for those even of an atheist bent. Check out the video below for an indication of how special the venue is for people from religious and spiritual backgrounds, or non-believers with a genuine sense of architectural appreciation.

The event in itself is by no means too shabby either, with John Dahlback headlining as we regaled recently here. It’s also the UK final of the Movida DJ competition, adding a third level of intrigue into the event. As jaw-dropping spectacles go this is up there.

And whilst venues of this magnitude are extremely rare, they are not by any means completely unknown. In fact back in 2011 Freeze Liverpool did something very similar in the city’s Anglican Cathedral, transforming it into a haven for electronic lovers. This scribe was there at that event and it was by far and away the most unreal environment to experience dance music… this Saturday is shaping up to be just the same.