Micron 10.1 with Derrick Carter and Michael Mayer review

Last Friday saw the return of one of Manchester’s most infamous underground parties, Micron. The team behind the hugely successfully event won DJ Mag’s Best of British “Best Small Club” for two years running in 2009 and 2010, pulling exuberant crowds to their original home at Joshua Brooks. During 2011 they also helped Joshua Brooks to win Manchester Evening News’ award for “Best Venue” in 2011. 

The first of a two-part series of 10th birthday party celebrations was hosted at Mantra Warehouse in Manchester, an old Victorian Warehouse located in the industrial looking suburbs of Ancoats, a perfect place to hold such a milestone event. 

The Micron team started out with a very modest budget and profile, but fast forward 10 years and they were able to pull in two of dance music’s heavyweights, Michael Mayer (Kompakt) and Derrick Carter (Classic). A sincere testament to the awesome passion of the entire team that sits behind the audacious Micron events.

On entry and through the night the Warehouse looked and felt amazing, taking the crowd back a decade or two to the earlier rave days. The nostalgic blues and purples from the lights amidst the hanging items from the ceiling and dreamy smoke flowed through the ear to ear grins of the crowd.

Mayer took to the decks for the first of two three-hour sets, and straight from the off the crowd were locked in for a mixing extravaganza. He started to build slowly, allowing the atmosphere in the room to fill, unleashing some dreamy synth and pad lines that were floating amidst a multitude of different rhythms and patterns. The crowd were in absolute harmony, swaying with the ripples of the music. 

As the night wore on Mayer turned up the tempo and an hour or so in the dreamy atmosphere faded, replaced by a heavy, pulsating kick drum, pounding along with the bass and aggressive underground bleeps and noises. 

Famous for his exceptional mixing and deep underground Berlin techno repertoire coming from his record label Kompakt, he ignited the room, bringing in tracks new, Michael Mayer & Barnt 'Und Da Stehen Fremde Menschen' and old ADA – 'Maps' (Mayer and Tobias Thomas remix).

As the night wore on the crowd, already looking extremely satisfied with the birthday celebrations, were treated to the introduction of Chicago legend Derrick Cater. He picked-up the reigns from Mayer and hit the Mantra Warehouse ground running. Setting the dance floor on fire with his eclectic taste that we’ve all come to know and love. Drifting from old-school house to disco, techno to tech house, the reverent crowd stood back eyes shut grooving with the beats.

As we drifted into the earlier hours the extreme energy of the crowd continued as Carter locked them in for a solid three hours’ worth of musical bliss. Amidst the party atmosphere, Carter dropped new remix of Roisin Murphy’s 'Ten Miles High'.

In the second room Will Tramp and the Micron DJs treated the crowd an array of fine new and old-school techno, house and disco for which the Micron parties are famed for. 

All in all the Birthday party was a gleaming success and thoroughly enjoyed by the reviewer, a breath of fresh air (literally you could actually taste and feel air relative to some of Manchester’s other more high profile, over populated events). 

Pleasurably we go onwards then, to the second birthday event, Magda and Ame at Underground, Liverpool. Sure to be another stunning event from the Micron team.

Find tickets for Micron 10.2 with Ame and Magda in Liverpool.

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