Saturday night saw grime veteran Spooky, along with 130bpm bassline and UKG selectors Pavv and Killjoy, grace Joshua Brooks for the launch of Freerange in Manchester. Having previously held nights down in Brighton, Bristol, and Oxford I was fully looking forward to seeing Freerange absolutely smash it up north and that is exactly what happened with Manchester’s Hypes and A Tilly on the mic throughout the evening. The night was incredibly well run with the venue having no strobes or unnecessary lights which suited the dark and bass heavy sounds bursting from the Void Airmotion V2 soundsystem, making for a proper basement rave.
Getting into the venue I was in the mood to let loose and with Killjoy just into the start of his set as I arrived I was bouncing off the walls in no time. Lively basslines and feel good, fast paced bangers followed throughout the set. The intensity from Killjoy’s set would rival sets by bassline masters such as DJ Q, but in reality most of the heads inside were there for the UKG and grime treat that was about to follow from Spooky.
As Spooky took to the decks the energy levels went up a notch as he treated us to garage anthems including tracks by Wookie and Colours, and grime classics such as Danny Weed’s Creeper and Spooky-produced Playground. Spooky sent every raver inside on a journey throughout the history of the genres spinning alongside these classics more recent tracks from the scene, including an exclusive play of a Spooky remix of Jme’s ‘Man Don’t Care’. Spooky is getting frequent bookings throughout the UK because of his effortless chopping and changing on the decks and knowing exactly how to work a crowd into frenzy. With a massive catalogue of records in his arsenal, both vinyl and CD, Spooky’s knowledge and immersion in the scene is legendary and definitely translates into his mixes.
After Spooky’s set it was the turn for more grime from residents Illidge and Bloc2Bloc’s very own DJ LZ to round off a massive night that did not disappoint. Burstgang MC’s ATilly and Hypes deserve a shout out for keeping the place popping off throughout, with Hypes proving why he has been booked for Eskimo Dance in Manchester next month alongside some of the country’s biggest names.
All in all the night was a massive success and with the next event scheduled for some time in May, be prepared for a night with an electric atmosphere, huge tunes, and great people. Big up the lads at Freerange, I will definitely be seeing you at the next one.