APE @ Sankeys Soap, Manchester

26.01.2006

APE is a relatively new night in Manchester, boasting phat line-ups of DnB, hip hop, live music and more, running on a Fortnightly basis at the legendary Sankeys Soap Nightclub. Previous APE events have included Grooverider, Giles Peterson, Roni Size, Marky, Sappo, Fingathing & Skinnyman, as an indicator of the standard to expect.

Tonight is no exception, including Valve head honcho's Dillinja and Lemon D, plus Beat-box extraordinaire Killa Kela's new outfit Spit Kingdom , consisting of Kela, MC Trip, The Mixologists, DJ Skeletrik Kemi, Purge 1 and Rockwood.

We enter to see local DJ and big time promoter Prophecy stepping up to the decks to play a nice and varied set of classic DnB and current tunes, to get the crowd going. The club is filling up nicely for a Thursday, undoubtedly thriving off Manchester 's large student population.

Next up Spit Kingdom DJ and MC take over to drop some hip hop to get people in the mood for the one like Killa Kela.

If you've never seen Killa Kela before, make sure you change that! Kela's ability to construct whole songs just with his mouth are awe-inspiring, spitting a range of beats basslines and cheeky 'samples' all together. Tonight's set is split between Kela showing off his skills aided by MC Trip, and showcasing the band Spit Kingdom . Spit Kingdom is a clever package, marrying live vocals, drums & DJ with Killa Kela's beat-boxing. Personally, I don't think it has the same impact as Kela doing it all himself, but Spit Kingdom churn out some nice hip hop tunes nonetheless.

Following Spit Kingdom the DnB starts up again and its not long before Dillinja and Lemon D are in the place and ready to roll.

What follows is a tight and fast set by the Valve boys, and the packed out club laps it up. A few years back Dillinja was renowned for playing whole sets that consisted just of Dillinja tracks; tonight there's a good range of tunes and styles to get the place bouncing, and the pair prove themselves as worthy DJ's as well as top producers.

All in all a very successful night, with the next event hosting a hospital records 10th anniversary with Fabio, High Contrast, Cyantific & logisitics, plus future events including Adam F Andy C and the Scratch perverts, the APE boys are on course to become a solid force in Manchester, re-enforcing that Thursday night is the new Friday!

You can see photos from the night in the UKCD Photo Gallery.

Review by React