Clubs of the Week ft Jacques Greene, Doc Scott, Ill Phil + more

Thu 27 Feb – Jacques Greene (pictured) & Sophie @ Sound Control
Ahead of the release of his new EP on LuckyMe Records, Jacques Greene brings his blend of R&B-tinged dance music to Manchester once again. The last few times he’s played have been super-hype, so I’m a bit surprised tickets are still at the early bird stage, but I can’t imagine they’ll stay that way for long – grab yours at the bargain price of a fiver before it’s too late. Support comes from up-and-comer Sophie, whose single for Numbers, BIPP (below), was named track of the summer by Diplo, among others.
£5 early bird tickets: www.skiddle.com

Fri 28 Feb – Soul:ution  ft Doc Scott + LSB @ Band On The Wall
Manchester’s finest drum and bass rave returns, with Metalheadz affiliated veteran Doc Scott and LSB, who’s been hotly tipped to have a very strong 2014. With Marcus Intalex, Bane and DRS as residents, you know this is going to be serious and BOTW’s soundsystem is more than ready to deal with whatever gets thrown at it.
£10 advance tickets: www.skiddle.com

Sat 1 Mar – Ill Phil & Jamie Duggan @ Sound Control
One of the key members of one of the most exciting movements to happen in dance music in recent years (jackin’/house&bass/whatever) – Ill Phil has managed to crossover and fill all kinds of raves, from mainstream house to more ‘credible’ bass music nights. Regardless of all the needless categorisation that’s going on right here, his mix of big vocals, skippy drums and huge basslines are highly recommended. Jamie Duggan is also making an appearance and he’s one of my faves.
£7 advance tickets: www.skiddle.com

Mon 3 Mar – Rum & Reggae @ Soup Kitchen
Already hugely popular, Soup Kitchen’s weekday celebration of all things Jamaican is growing on a monthly basis. With Caribbean food specials, offers on rum-based drinks and reggae provided by Swing Ting residents Joey B and Samrai, this is either a sensible way to party on a school night, or a nice way of warming up for a big Monday night out. Or maybe something in between.
Free entry all night

Mon 3 Mar – 8 Gold Rings for Salford Jon @ Fac251
Talking of big Monday nights out, they don’t get bigger or more deserving of attention than Salford Jon’s tribute/benefit night. About a million DJs have offered their services for no fee to raise money for Jon’s daughters – far too many to go through here, but highlights include garage don DJ Q, Hyperdub’s Scratcha DVA and musical/EastEnders legend Goldie. And that’s barely even scratching the surface. The £8 donation is outrageous value for an event that’s gong to be more than fitting and a true testament to Manchester’s musical community. (And there’s nothing stopping you from paying more!)
£8 advance tickets: www.skiddle.com