Circoloco residents make Liverpool debut

Circoloco residents brought the sound of the infamous DC10 club in Ibiza to Mumu, with a much anticipated Liverpool debut from Tania Vulcano, Clive Henry, Sossa and Matthias Tanzmann at the 02 Academy on Saturday 10 October.

Alternative rock siren Bats for Lashes and bad organisation from the venue delayed the opening time from 10:30 to 11:00pm but it had no effect on the atmosphere once Chris Maranello – a man with a Joker wide grin – warmed up the Dark Room bar with deep grooving tech house.

 Rumours and banter occupied the conversation: ‘When’s Tania on? Is she coming?’.....‘How come it opened late? I’ve been waiting for this for two months’.......‘ DC10 last week was a beast’.

The new set times were put up around the venue after an hour of speculation and once the main warehouse room was ready Clive Henry started his set at 12:30am. The relentless bouncy bass, claps and clicks and vocals distorted with quirky effects kept people dancing. While the sound of Circoloco kept on rolling, the crowd got smaller.

With the hard core, veterans of Ibiza and music savvy party-heads left, Tania Vulcano picked up the headphones where Clive Henry left off. To put her set - one of the major names associated with Circoloco and dance music - around the average mark is a disappointing task for a headline act. Tania Vulcano’s Liverpool debut was forgettable, as was the set from Sossa who played in the main warehouse room because the bar had emptied out.

The dedicated-to-dance crowd in the main room kept on to the infectious bass-lines, but the crowd had dwindled to around 150 three hours into the night and Circoloco’s ‘unshakeable reputation as one of the best nights in the world’ seemed a bit generous.

Matthias Tanzmann ended the night, from four until six, and the German added the variety the night was lacking with tracks like Enjoy Music by Reboot. Tanzmann ‘smashed the place up’ - in the words of one reveller - and the night that was nearly a colossal disappointment became a night to remember for the less than 50 people who stayed to get their money’s worth.

Mumu has displayed new and exciting DJ talent in the past 18 months in Liverpool, London and Manchester, though a Catch-22 has revealed itself for the organisers: the lesser known may not have filled the venue but the headliners could not keep the audience.

Trevor O’Loughlin founder of Mumu said: “It was a statement that we can bring the names to Liverpool. We are getting there.”

Mumu has the party atmosphere; it is safe and trouble-free and whoever goes will see Dj’s and hear music unique to the Liverpool club scene but on Saturday, with the exception of Matthias Tanzmann, Circoloco left the vibe in Ibiza.