All articles filed in Deep Dive

“I love coming to Manchester,” Ben Cowper says. “You guys are lucky to have a place like this – it’s special.” I catch the Bristol-born DJ, known as Count van Delicious, after an infectious set alongside Get Serious partner, Harry Fitz. It’s part of a buzzing night at Salford’s White Hotel, hosted by self-described ‘Manctalo’…

As you navigate the warren of walkways and stairwells in Afflecks Palace – the Northern Quarter’s alternative indoor market – you hear Sour Grapes’ sound-system before you see it. The DIY record label and promoter is tucked in a corner on the third floor, amongst a myriad of independent vendors, vintage boutiques and fashion traders.…

A group of care home residents take up their places in a circle in the living room. In the centre is a table with percussion instruments: bells, shakers, little drums, big drums. A music therapist joins them, playing a cheerful tune on the keyboard that addresses each resident by name.  “You might not realise if…

There is something magical about the dance floor of a club. From the early days of house music in Chicago, techno clubs in Detroit and Berlin, and the UK’s rave scene in the ‘90s, comes a well-documented narrative of love, joy and euphoria. The dance floor is a space synonymous with the gathering of queer…

Rhythm Lab Records is an independent record label that formed as an offshoot of Manchester’s Reform Radio which fosters relationships between young musicians new to the industry. It’s this ethic of collaboration that is driving their gIRLS series which introduces two young female artists who have never met before and gives them the resources to…

With all restrictions now lifted and nightclubs open at full capacity, the live music industry is slowly getting back on its feet. Many have welcomed the return of queues outside bustling clubs and the chance to see their favourite artists on stage. For others, it’s all a bit too soon. Festivals are representative of the…

It’s coming up to a year since the pandemic brought an indefinite end to conventional live music in the UK. Stripped of their dominant source of income, musicians have been left to seek out alternative ways of keeping themselves afloat, while the government continues to leave them stranded. The lack of sufficient financial support for…

Manchester’s move into Tier 3 has meant that non-essential shops can now open and benefit from festive sales. With the sad news that Magma is closing its doors for good still raw, we have created a guide to supporting independent records shops in our city.

The world of strobes, sticky floors and ecstatic crowds seems a million miles away. In its place is Tier 3, an uncertain arrangement in which already mounting pressures on the nightlife industry have increased.

Manny Meekz’s debut EP Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, inhabits a dark world of gritty alienation. The Gorton MC has delivered a project full of sober bravado, compulsive violence and forensic self-examination.