From: Jon Freer (jon-freer_at_excite.com)
Date: 2005-06-04 00:38:43
That Amazing ‘Eurocultured’ Thing, Sunday 29th May 2005, at The Attic, Oxford St, Manchester.
More accustomed to throwing parties in secret venues and unusual spaces, it was quite an ‘overground’ move for That Amazing Thing to put on their first night in a regular clubbing space in the centre of town, for a good long while. This was in aid of ‘Euroculturered’, an odd two-day day ‘festival’, where the musical and arty action took place on the diminutive New Wakefield Street. Various artists got creative on a massive purpose–installed temporary canvas and came up with an impressively colourful piece, whilst dancers did their stuff and ‘Market stalls’ sold various treats on the street itself. Venues like The Thirsty Scholar, Font and Pure Space vibrated to a varied musical onslaught, and the Green Room got in on the act showing films. Confusingly, That Amazing Thing’s aftershow event and other post party sessions took place half way through the festival, which down to the fact the dates for ‘Eurocultured’ were Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, thus the majority of the
action took place on the first day of the festivities.
Just after the clock had struck eleven, the stiflingly sweaty Attic filled to bursting point. The beauty of this free event taking in a high profile venue, on a bank holiday Sunday, meant that the crowd comprised of ‘TAT’ regulars, people who’d stumbled into the venue (admittedly it is a little difficult to stumble up the Attic’s spiralled staircase!) and those who were just looking for somewhere to extend their evening. This meant that although the atmosphere was perhaps a little different from other parties instigated by Wooff and Haran, it was still vibrant, and those who left after deciding ‘TAT’ wasn’t for them, were soon replaced by other bank holiday revellers.
Often, That Amazing Thing’s resident team of Francis Wooff and Mark Haran do the record playing by themselves, but on this occasion, James Baseley joined them in the Attic’s cosy DJ booth. Baseley is a Brit who has relocated to the Czech Republic, where he runs his Red Salamanda record label. James will repay Francis Wooff and Mark Haran for letting him spin at That Amazing Thing, by taking them out to DJ in Prague. Mark Haran and James Baseley took DJing duties for most of the night on this warm May evening. Haran dropped a mixture of pleasant Housey numbers, party Hip Hop vibed cuts and a slew of broken beat monsters such as the devastating Bugz mix of 4 Hero’s “Hold It Down” and Seiji’s angry “Loose Lips”. James Baseley took over later on, regaling the crowd with straight-forward House cuts like Housemaster Boyz’s powerful “House Nation”, pointed techno and energetic jump up Jungle.
A temperamental speaker and a minimally stocked bar took the shine off an otherwise enjoyable party. It’s probably safe to say that the next TAT event will probably take place in less orthodox surroundings!
Jon Freer(jon.freer_at_gmail.com)
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