Did That :: Arthouse Present Lee Curtiss :: Manchester, 11th October

Installment three of Arthouse’s ascent up the party ladder brought another gathering of folk from around the North and the Midlands. Walking into a room on a Sunday night to the sound of Rainer Truby’s To Know You, typified the open vibe of the party as a packed dance floor dutifully got down to the lush house music. Set in a stripped back venue that comes alive when filled with great music and people, the party was the perfect setting for getting messy, chilling or simply having a care free wobble about the floor.

As mUmU’s Harrison wound up his funk charged set with Rainer Truby, headliner Curtiss took the controls at 9. The mUmU resident’s set was a perfect prelude, chunky, fun and skillfully delivered. By this point the party vibe was such that few people made too much of a fuss at the change of personnel. Allowing the support’s vibe to guide most of the first hour of his set, the Detroit born DJ began to impose his style with his own cuts, including Smoking Mirrors on Spectral Sound. Dropping the energy a little, he concentrated more on letting fat basslines pour over the floor rather than keeping things jacking. Settling into a steady chug and with a great flow, the NY based DJs set began to purr with assurance and class. This was perfect for the crowd, with people making the journey from Sheffield, Clethorpes and Nottingham for the event.

Ramping up the intensity expertly with a few choice percussive numbers to oil up the crowd, Curtiss began to move the set closer to the sound currently favoured by many of the Wolf and Lamb affiliates. Taking things further toward Disco in the second half of his set opened up the vibe sufficiently for tracks like Jamie Jones and Gadi Misrahi’’s mix of Atlantic Conveyor’s Nasty Things to do the damage (Track four of Jones’ awesome Essential Mix). A tough schedule of touring had obviously taken its toll on the producer, who looked a little jaded and lost his way a little towards the end of his set. However a few dodgy selections were easily tempered by classics such as Soul II Soul’s Back to Reality and a re-edit of Kate Bush’s Running Up That Hill (Which is never lost on the girls in the crowd).

Arthouse is an example of how a well planned party can be executed so as to bring together like minded people from around the country. With a growing following and some exciting bookings imminent, this looks like one Sunday sioree thats here to stay.