Preview: Viva Warriors @ Sankeys

Sankeys re-appearance has already ignited UK clubland, a series of blistering line-ups proving that the Mancunian hedonistic paradise is back in business and live and direct. Boxing Day will witness one man and his record label entering the hallowed Ancoats DJ booth once more, as the return of the King hits the Beehive Mill club – Steve Lawler.

In terms of describing Lawler’s impact on electronic music, it’s easy to rapidly run out of superlatives. He first came to prominence at the height of the superclub era, a residency at Cream marking him out as a talent worthy of rising above the cluster of DJs at that time. As clubland shifted so too did he, becoming focused on a rolling tribal groove and dirt drenched house music as ravers became accustomed with a more acid house manifesto – much closer to Lawler’s original roots.

It was at this stage where he would become a bona fide global star. The Spanish clubbers, so enthralled with his DJ sets at a certain iconic Ibizan discotheque, christened him the ‘King of Space’, whilst his sets at the WMC in Miami became the stuff of legend. Across the globe, from Argentina to Australia, Steve Lawler was revered, but one club seemed to instill the realness in him like no other. Sankeys.

Back when the club still had Soap as a moniker Lawler was one of the frequent and most lauded stars, regularly headlining Tribal Sessions when it was the most revered clubnight in the land. And when Steve started VIVa Music he brought his parties to the clubs for roadblock parties, one such occasion was when Darius Syrossian sufficiently impressed him to be asked to join the ever developing stable (watch him and Lawler live at Sankeys Ibiza below).

And at the end of 2011’s Ibiza season, when Sankeys Ibiza had endured an up and down debut year on the island, Steve’s and VIVa’s closing party marked a turning point for the club in establishing itself as one of Ibiza’s best, now the flagship party for them. It’s impossible to separate Steve and Sankeys from each other’s history, making his return as they re-open their doors as poignant and as special as it gets in clubland.

Joining him on the night will be another house heavy hero of Ibiza, Moon Harbour’s wunderkind Matthias Tanzmann. Established as one of the elite of DC10’s litany of heralded selectors, Tanzmann brings a fully panoramic scope of the four four thud each and every time he plays. Also playing live will be Detlef.

Full listing information for Viva Warriors.

Like this? Try Tribal Sessions: New Year's Eve at Sankeys.

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