Preview: FREE Wickerman Pre Party @ 2022NQ

Photograph: Sonny Wharton

One of our favourite underground venues in Manchester has to be 2022NQ. The subterranean lair has held some cracking parties in its relatively short existence. Everyone from Norman Jay to Greg Wilson and Scroobius Pip to Tim Sweeney have graced the venue. Its extensive art and culture program has also helped set it apart from the rest. But enough about the venue...

Saturday June 22nd welcomes The Wickerman Festival Pre Party, where some of the highlights of Wickerman’s dance troupe converge on Manchester’s Northern Quarter venue - for FREE! That's right, nowt, nada, zilch! It's the ideal way to get into the festival mood.

First up is Sonny Wharton. After winning a DJ mixtape competition for DJ Mag a number of years ago, Sonny Wharton’s DJ career took off, from initially landing sets at Ibiza’s premier nightspots Renaissance and Amnesia, to Manumissions at Privilege, and later Ministry of Sound and Space.

Listen: Sonny Wharton's Fenchurch Mixtape

He soon turned his hand to producing, remixing for the likes of Xpress 2, Fatboy Slim and Utah Saints on Norman Cook’s Skint label. Soon after Sonny began releasing a whole host of his own material on his own semi eponymous, highly respected Whartone label.

His festival schedule is as reliably full as well, with regular appearances at Global Gathering, V Festival, Isle of Wight Festival and of course Wickerman. Hailed as having a unique ‘combination of talent and determination’ by DJ Mag, Sonny has become firm favourites with the likes of Pete Tong, Steve Angello, Roger Sanchez and Mark Knight amongst many others. The ambassador for Ortofon and Ecler is certainly a force to be reckoned with in the world of dance music.

He’ll be joined by Beats of Rage main man The Filth Wizard. An action packed DJing career has seen him play alongside Crookers & Sinden, Boy 8 Bit, Chase & Status, Hostage, The Whip, Toddla T and Jaymo & Andy George amongst many others, at everywhere from Glastonbury to Sankeys. His years as a party starting rave monger have gained him a notoriety for easily combining all manner of genres into one tantalising cohesive set aimed squarely at the dance floor. His anything goes approach is a freeing experience, replacing confines and pretence with an attitude free dancefloor filled with sweaty ravers having a proper good knees up.

Rounding off things will be the mysterious Bad Bungle, a.k.a James Ryan.

Get your tickets for The Wickerman Warm Up @ 2022NQ

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