For Drum & Bass fans, DJ Nookie needs no introduction. A veritable heavyweight in the scene he’s been plying crowds with blistering breaks since the early ’90s. With releases on labels like Penny Black, Good Looking along with his own labels Strictly Digital and Phuzion he’s racked up an eye-watering discography of almost 100 remixes and 5 albums.
The perfect guest then for Certain Sounds first birthday at the Old Pint Pot. The venue, located in Salford, overlooks the Irwell with lovely views of the river and park. The building is built into the river’s embankment with a tiered beer garden and a second-story event space. The vibe is very Weatherspoons by way of The Ram and Shackle (R.I.P) and at £3.50 a pint the prices are about the same too. Some people might turn their noses up at such distressed decor but the rough and ready fixtures complimented the night perfectly.
A quick mention must go out to Salford as well. The city is showing itself time and again to be a shining light for innovative spaces and underground dance music. With heavy-hitters like the White Hotel and Hidden leading the way in refusing Manchester’s brutal night-life kosh the town north of the Irwell is championing interesting spaces and left-field parties.
Music during the night flitted effortlessly from shaking bass to old Skool hardcore. All of this underpinned by some savage breaks. The quick changes in the music genres were great for keeping the dancers on their toes and lifting the mood then things got a bit heavy.
Beefing up the output with the Pick and Mix sound system. A true sound system in every sense of the word providing the entire sounds for the evening.
By 1am things started to get a bit silly. There was sub-bass so fat it shook me to my core and threatened to melt my tooth fillings. At one point the building did sound like it was going to shake to bits. Along with the jungle and DnB there were some Hi NRG rave tunes thrown in for good measure. To paraphrase Back to the future (poorly): “where we’re going we don’t need to go under 135bpm”
The crowd was an eclectic mix of lovely people. No Agro. It’s nice to see a crowd truly lose its inhibitions. Even in the house and disco scene, there’s an aloof air of posing you can’t maintain in the face of a whopping sub stack.
Leaving the venue I was slick with sweat and had ringing ears but the atmosphere, music, and madness provided by Certain Sounds was definitely worth the sore legs on the way home.
Give the Collective a follow on facebook and keep your eyes peeled for their next event.
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