The Drop The Mustard guys came a-knocking on Saturday to the Whitworth Street club that seemingly can do no wrong at the minute. Firing in after a packed Friday night at Gorilla with Jamie xx, Drop the Mustard handed a well overdue Manchester debut to Brazilian Gui Boratto.
Brazilian DJ Gui Boratto at Gorilla on Saturday 13th July
The objective was simple; to give the house and techno hungry Manchester clubbing crowd another musical masterpiece. A far cry from the current batch of commercial house music that people immediately categorise the entire electronic dance music community with, it’s immediately a different vibe - less about the dress up, and refreshingly all about the one man behind the wheel and the incredible live set he is delivering.
Upon arrival to Gorilla there was a buzz in the air, largely due to the queue for the venue being all the way under the train line and out onto Whitworth Street. For some a queue of such magnitude is a daunting and frustrating prospect but for those in the know it was merely a product of presenting a Manchester debut to one of the best live house DJ and producers around.
Once inside the Drop The Mustard DJs warmed the crowd up sublimely. They always have known how to put on a show, but with their new projector and visuals added that special touch to the ever developing production values of Gorilla and Drop the Mustard. A real house music celebration was the early feel, developing into a deeper and more bass ridden vibe later on. A jam packed dance floor housed a different crowd to some of more recent Manchester club nights at Gorilla. They were quite literally hooked by the DJs and vice versa from start to finish; the arrival of Gui Boratto and his live set being the loudest pop of the night.
Photo: Drop The Mustard
I have argued at many an after party about DJ performance, and how their performance (or lack of) should dictate the audience mood. I've always thought of this as the DJ's responsibility - and still do to an extent. However on Saturday the crowd, Gui Boratto and Drop The Mustard DJs as one were so tenacious, so involved and completely up for smashing the life out of the place that for the first time in a long time I felt had a vested interest in the performance. I came to the conclusion it was a sort of clubbing equilibrium, where the DJ and crowd were working in sync to ensure the highest quality atmosphere was there from start to finish. This was accentuated by the top quality production values being showcased in the intimate surroundings of the underground Gorilla enclosure at this top Manchester night club. Drop The Mustard and Gorilla on Saturday found a balance that can often be missing from club nights nowadays.
Gui Boratto playing live was one of the highlights of the Manchester clubbing calendar so far; a fantastic performance by the Brazilian that was coupled with the tenacity of the crowd, and the sweet new visuals showed us that the Drop the Mustard and Gorilla partnership is something we should all be getting excited about.
