With its fourth birthday in the proverbial rear-view mirror, Sprechen records celebrated its continued growth and success by throwing a sweaty basement rave at YES. 

The past 18 months have seen Sprechen firmly establish itself in the Manchester psyche and the label has become synonymous with a varied musical output built for the dancefloor. At the label’s heart is a passion for melody, groove, soul & energy with no limitations on style. And that ethos was bandied about with swagger and verve on Friday evening.     

Sprechen is coming out of a busy summer schedule with sets played at Beat Herder, Bluedot and they have the indomitable Homobloc to look forward to in November. With the label on the up-and-up, there’s no better time to put on a tops-off resident party. 

The label’s roster includes names like Luca Vera who’s tribal tipped EP is dripping in synths. Or DJ Steevo’s two outings which are heavy on the disco re-edits. Bill Brewster, author of Last Night The DJ Saved My Life, entered the labels back catalog with four funky, low-slung numbers.     

Taking the reins for this party, however, were label regulars Gina Breeze, Night Giants & Justin Unabomber.  

The music, like Sprechens release policy, was eclectic in all the right ways. The tunes were hand-picked for the venue and married perfectly with the sweat box we were throwing shape in for the evening. 

Justin opened proceedings with some thumping, rumbling disco. Heavy on the acid house and silly breaks with a smattering of fun rave classics. Night Giants’ live performance was a hardware workout with punchy drums and big synths. Gina’s set was filled with her trademark percussion-heavy tracks and tough analog synths. Flitting in and out of genres with ease her sets rolling intensity never let up.

The crowd was lovely (as is to be expected from a Sprechen event) egos were left at the door and the evening was great fun. A pumping hot basement rave that encapsulates everything Sprechen represents.