Our Nowhere Review:

It's been almost a year since Area51 opened to fill a gap in late-night/early morning house music clubbing. There were rock and gay clubs in Manchester that had licenses until ridiculous O'clock but the house scene was losing out, while events in other Northern cities such as Sheffield and Leeds have been dancing 'til dawn for years. Again, Manchester was proving itself to not quite be the 24 hour city that the council would market it as.

Former house club Emporia was sat dormant opposite Deansgate Locks and having identified it as being perfect for the task of filling that gap and fulfilling the dream of 24 hour city, the new owners opened Area51 to a wave of hype, expectation and anticipation. Clubbers readied themselves for the opportunity to have a good excuse for lying in bed until mid-afternoon on a Sunday.

Arriving at the club the first thing to hit home is just how perfect the location is. It's close to the city's ring road, has a tram stop, a rail stop and is easily accessed from Deansgate and Oxford Street. Even if that is of little help, a free bus service brings the clientele not just from other parts of the city but also from Bolton and even Chorley. Add to this the well-known mini-circuit of pre-club bars on the Locks together with nearby car parks and a branded, affordable hotel and this part of Whitworth Street is buzzing.

The door system is tightly and efficiently organised, with staff accurately judging whether the queueing folks are looking to simply extend their drinking sessions, have joined the queue a bit too randomly or are genuine house music clubbers arriving at a desired destination. Disgruntled commercial clubbers occasionally complain to the mass media (who in their ignorance of nightclub politics, support these revellers) about being dismissed from doors as if door picking were a crime of bigotry, but it's a neccessary part of both building a club's sense of community and ensuring that a club has reached a targeted audience. Not all clubs suit all people, just as not all films are for all moviegoers.

Along a narrow corridor and it's into the second room. With its roped seating areas, draped walls, low podiums and well-stocked bar (sporting a stronger range of pouring spirits and liquers than any underground house club has a right to have) this entry room eases the clubber into the experience. Get a drink, take a load off and get warmed up for the night ahead, if being first to jump on a podium isn't your thing.

In other clubs, a second room is often a sideshow. A runner-up to the main event elsewhere. On this occasion, it felt like a viable alternative. The second room offered seating, a more prominent bar space and easy access to the smoking terrace, so if the little luxuries matter to you, the second room is ideal. The sound system still kicks in room 2, and the tunes are still in that deep, hypnotic tech and electronica vibe that dominates in the main room, but the slightly brighter atmosphere in room 2 also makes it a prime spot if being seen is your thing.

Taking the walkway up to the main room and the atmosphere takes a turn towards the dark side. This is back to basics clubbing. That basement or warehouse from a bygone era with the single red bulb now thrown out and a sophisticated, modern but mimimal light rig in its place. Enough to help create atmosphere but not enough to dispel the gloom required to assure you that you are in an underground club event, with like-minded headz for whom this is the highlight of the week.

The Funktion 1 does its job and is clearly worth every penny. Stand in front of a speaker bass bin and you can feel the sound waves travelling from your hair's roots to tips. Just remember the ear plugs as that ringing sound won't go away for at least 2 days otherwise. The main room is designed for dancing in and so it goes until the early hours, with the steady four-four kick and a stream of quirky synth hooks and tweaks causing the occasional whoop, cheer or whistle. Only a true tech-house trainspotter would be aware of the playlist's details but it's all about that feeling and atmosphere being generated rather than having a singalong.

Just to cap it perfectly, taxis are queueing outside for those of you that can't wait until the buses and trams are running again. The transport system might not equate to this being a 24 hour city, but the clubbing has made leaps towards deserving that title.

words: Justin Richards

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