History of Technique and Most Wanted

HOW IT ALL CAME TO BE...
Once upon a time two fresher students (that’s Rory and Alice to you) arrived in Leeds all ready to be bowled over by the club scene they had heard so much about, only to find that nearly everything of any substance had closed down. This was 1997 – a pretty glum year for any type of clubbing in Leeds except glam house which was a scene that this pair of club kids had long left behind in their native Birmingham. What’s a couple of disenchanted dance-heads to do but set up their own nights... so, armed with a phat sound system courtesy of newfound Uni mate Pete, and a plan to recreate the nu-energy ethos of their Brummie haunts at The Que Club: Atomic Jam and Ultimate Orange, they put on a warehouse party which pulled a crowd of 1000 purely through word of mouth. More warehouse parties followed – but it was what was happening in the backroom that was really exciting them. Alice had roped in her old schoolmate Alex to play and it was all getting satisfyingly silly with sonic mash-ups including ‘Ice Ice Baby’ getting the techno treatment and a DnB cut-up of Abba – predating the current trend of bootlegging by four years.

The Texas Outlaws were born out of this lust for cut-and-paste music mayhem, comprising Kid Blue (Rory), McQueen (Alex), Pete and their friend John. Running parallel to the Outlaws outfit was Rory’s production forays with his housemate Mits – they began to record together under the name Pea Green Boat, and it was through this that Mits also became integral to the party process alongside Alice. One too many brushes with the law later meant the end of the warehouse parties, but the start of a new era for the Outlaws and their friends.

The Texas Outlaw Sound System found itself in high demand appearing at a variety of venues including The Faversham, Atrium and numerous student digs taking with them their unique blended brand of techno, DnB, breaks, classics and cheesy pop. The opportunity arose to take on a Sunday residency at the Revolution bar in the centre of Leeds, and so Ciem was born. Both a chill-out and a mash-up, Ciem was a place where it was just as likely you’d be blissing out to Andrew Weatherall’s sublime ‘Smokebelch’ as it was to find yourself dancing on a table to Madonna. This was February 2000. In an ocean of Gatecrasher-crazy fluro-ravers, the world of Ciem was an island: real, warm and about rocking your mates with good dance music whatever the genre. In this music haven Dave was introduced to the crew and Most Wanted started to emerge as a catchall name for all involved: the Texas Outlaws, Alice, Mits and newcomer Dave. Their sense of humour was (and still is) a vital part of the Most Wanted collective – a reliably off-the-wall, punky, acid-house schoolboy comedic camaraderie that often translates to their music policy, bringing a sense of the unexpected and a pure party vibe to the mix.

By September 2000 they were staging more high-profile nights at The West Indian Centre with a return-to-the-rave feel about them with original rave hero’s Ratpack and 808 State. The Texas Outlaws played before the main acts – slyly slipping in the tunes and tracks that they felt people needed to hear... and it’s here we hit upon a very large part of the Most Wanted ethos: trying to give people a mixture of what they want AND what’s good for them – the classic entertain-and-educate path to success. Integrating sounds and attracting a wide variety of different people: an irresistible formulation for one hell of a party.

After a number of very successful gigs including Ciem’s birthday with hero Tom Middleton and a massive party in the Corn Exchange with laidback likely lad Mr Scruff it became obvious that Most Wanted needed a proper home. Moreover, Leeds was in need of a night with an edgier music policy. The obvious progression for Most Wanted was to establish a flagship night. They called it Technique, and it certainly became well loved because of the way they put it on – friendly, no dress code, a real mix of people, about the music. They had a name, the residents, the ethos, and the loyal crowd... the venue proved trickier. Along the way, nights at various venues in Leeds included guests Jon Carter, DJ Hyper, and the Unabombers, all playing to hugely appreciative crowds. Unfortunately, after one of those nights Pete’s van was stolen – and with it, the sound system. This effectively equalled the end of the Texas Outlaws, as the sound system was Pete’s and the souring loss of it caused them to go their separate ways.

So, who are we left with? Rory, Alice, Alex, Mits and Dave: the infamous five who make up the modern day Most Wanted. They spent the summer regrouping (i.e. laying around in the sun and getting stoned) in preparation for the all-new Technique to begin in October 2001. Over the summer they met the Loop Music boys, Jay and Neil, and after realising they were on a similar musical level they decided to collaborate on Technique. They also hooked up with DJs/promoters/all-round good guys the Deckshufflers, otherwise know as Ben and Theo, who quickly became part of the Most Wanted family. After being "dicked around", as they put it, by several venues they found themselves at the helm of two massive breaks parties – firstly at Oslo with the storming Stanton Warriors, then in the humongous Corn Exchange with the hugely popular Plump DJs. Both went down a dream. Oslo was so impressed that they invited Technique to take up a fortnightly residency. Almost two years of raucous, high-octane Saturday nights followed with guests ranging from Miss Kittin to Freq Nasty, Tom Middleton to DJ Rolando and Chicken Lips to James Lavelle. Over the months Technique began to attract serious recognition from the music press, with Jockey Slut, Mixmag and DJ all deciding to run with feature reviews heralding Technique as one of the batch of new clubs forging new paths in clubland. By summer 2003 the Most Wanted crew were feeling the strain of running Technique in a small bar. They had a wish-list of guest DJs as long as Dave’s eyebrows (see the photo section to appreciate this is no short list!) and no room to realise these ideas. Step up The Mint Club, with an opening for a fortnightly Saturday night; and step forward Technique’s new home. The mix of a capacity of 600, a killer sound-system and later opening hours has taken Technique to new heights. Now bookings like Steve Bug&Funk D’Void, Peter Kruder, Derrick May, Carl Craig&Precision Cuts make up the staple diet. Now a very proud four years old and counting, and with plenty more tricks up their sleeves, there really ain’t no stopping the Technique crew. They’re going to make you dance to their beat...!

For more info please contact Chris King on 07958223283