Last month, Jamie xx delivered one of the most hypnotising of electronic music at his monumental, curated evening at none other than the historic Depot Mayfield, home to the Warehouse Project (perhaps the UK’s best night out). Time and time again I’ve visited Manchester, not knowing quite how good every evening will be, but with incredible acts like Four Tet and Bicep, who I also had the pleasure of seeing, I should’ve expected some of the best nights of my year in the first place.

Jamie xx should need no introduction at this point. One of the most gifted and influential producers in the UK, and a member of The xx, his 2015 acclaimed album ‘In Colour’ is still in constant rotation, along with countless tracks which make up for one incredible discography. Tonight, he was curating his own sold out event to 10,000 lucky people, and we couldn’t wait to get past security to hear what he had for us.

With a line-up that welcomed some of the most talented acts from across the planet, including Honey Dijon, Overmono, Skee Mask, Loraine James, and AceMo, we were in for a hectic evening. We arrived in time to catch some of Bradley Zero, to an almost entirely empty venue, but Bradley still delivered a mental set before we headed over to catch some of the trippiest tracks we’d ever heard come from a sound system, over at Archive where Loraine James was playing.

The venue soon started filling as ravers came from every entrance of Archive, accelerating the atmosphere and kicking our evening off to a fantastic start. As we walked from stage to stage, it was hard not to marvel at how perfect of a set up the Depot Mayfield was for live music, from every direction was something else pulling you in, and time always flies when you’re in the atmospheric warehouse. Light shows constantly flicker and blind you, as booming bass fills every inch of the building. It’s a surreal experience just stepping foot in there.

I had eagerly been awaiting seeing Overmono for a long time, ever since hearing ‘So U Kno’ for the first time, it was easy to see why the rising duo had become such sought after talent. Spinning tracks like ‘Bby’ and ‘Diamond Cut’ for the crowd of sweaty, ecstatic ravers was a memory I’ll hold on to forever. It was a heavy set, full of plenty of crowd pleasures, and experimental cuts too.

It was finally time for the moment many had been waiting for, I was a little sad to be leaving Skee Mask, who had put on an intense, face-melting set over at Archive, but after witnessing Jamie xx’s magic at Parklife earlier this year, I was incredibly excited to see him grace the decks again. We were in for three and a half hours of Jamie xx, and we didn’t want to miss a second. He somehow managed to keep everyone under a spell for the whole thing, especially by sprinkling in fan favourites like ‘Sleep Sound’ and his remix of The xx’s ‘On Hold’. The energy was constantly changing, and Jamie xx knew exactly how to control the crowd. Despite one annoying individual holding up a sign on her phone that read ‘this is dead’, everyone else seemed to be completely hypnotised, and it was easy to see why.

We were even lucky enough to meet Francis Bourgeois, the TikTok ‘train guy’ who sky-rocketed to viral fame this year for his wholesome, heart-warming trainspotting content. WHP had personally invited him, and we gleefully danced side by side as Jamie xx played classic disco/soul tunes like Silvetti’s ‘With You’, and Risco Connection’s ‘Ain’t No Stopping Us Now’. Jamie xx was also showing off some pretty funny moves behind the decks too. It was just one of many highlights of an absolutely mad evening, which I wish I could go back to and experience all over again.

As it reached 4am, we decided to head out, after what was an evening ingrained in our heads, full of blissful, trippy tunes that we wished we could find online the day after, but the magic of WHP isn’t something you can just go looking for that easily once it’s over, you’ll just have to wait till the next one to get that feeling back.

With only a few events left, you’d be silly to miss out on at least one WHP event this year. It’s been home to some of the best nights of the past year for me, as it has for thousands of others. Check the calendar here, or regret having to wait another 9 months.

Jamie xx: Live in Manchester