MiNT presents NYD with Dubfire review

Image: MiNT Warehouse Credit: Elliot Young

There’s often big debate around what to do for New Years and if you’re not careful, the transition from one year into the next can be a bit of an anticlimax. However, fortunately for the clubbers out there we have plenty of determined promoters on hand, keen to throw parties that ensure the annual celebrations are remembered. 

One such party hosted by MiNT Warehouse allowed for an extended 12 hours dancing, soundtracked by a strong lineup of artists that saw the long-awaited return to Leeds of the legendary Dubfire, alongside city favourites Guti and Richy Ahmed, supported by a whole host of residents from MiNT’s several in-house nights. 

Like most, the party had already started the night before and it took some well timed rest and a group rejuvenation before we were ready to go at it again. Guti was already slamming out an exquisite live set as we arrived, immediately lifting spirits back up high. We took up position close to those ever so smooth Funktion Ones and began to embrace it the sound, as he weaved through a one track masterpiece made up of live edits of old and new. 

The bendy, hollow synths of the more recent Desolat bomb ‘Like The Old Days’ sounded delicious over the ever present, rolling bassline. Guti’s latin routes shone through, that style littered with a whole load of percussion and bongos, organic tribal music fuelled with serious groove. The room was full and we were immersed into the music. 

The sound got deeper, darker and eerier as Dubfire took to the booth, poised and ready to unleash a more mechanical side of techno. The SCI+TEC boss announced his presence with a beatless noise of suspense. To our dismay, a sea of phones were raised, waiting for the beat to drop, desperate to fix this moment firmly into their Snapchat story. For those of us with our phones kept in our pockets, the reward was a heavy fist pump as the beat took over and the journey began. 

Heavy, dark and relentless perfectly describes what was to follow for the next two hours. Pounding bass grounded huge buildups of high pitched, rave-like synths while LED light strips behind flashed bright reds and blues, lighting up the entire club room with intense colour.

The combination of this, the clean-cut growling techno and the Mona Lisa’s gaze from the MiNT Warehouse back wall made for a bizarre and powerfully energetic party, that kept even the most lethargic of us bouncing around the room. The biggest treat came in the form of a euphoric, hands in the air moment in rise of a heavy remix of Xpansion’s ‘Elevation (Move Your Body)’.

Although we could have listened to Dubfire all night, Richy Ahmed was set to close. The word dubious sprung to mind, dubious of how Ahmed would follow on from such a masterclass in mechanical techno. However, he took over with an equally pumping selection of dark, groovy, acid house that for me was a pleasant surprise. Credit to the Hot Creations mainstay, he knows how to adapt his style for the situation and the crowd were lapping it up. 

On our way out we checked upstairs for a glimpse into the MiNT Warehouse LED room. it was difficult to keep up with the many DJs competing in the booth and with that, we left them to carry on their own festivities as we went home for some well needed and well deserved rest. 

Find more events at MiNT Warehouse