Asylum 10th Birthday and The End! Mint Warehouse, Leeds

Pioneering and inspiring are two words that come to mind with Asylum, many a Leeds folk would agree with me, it was not just your run of the mill disco enthused soiree, but a way of life. For me personally it was where I first applied my trade in the industry I’m in today. For 10 years Tom Thorpe and crew have managed to draft in some of the most sought after acts on the roster from house legends like Steve Lawler and Steve Bug to disco dons Crazy P, Horse Meat Disco and Maurice Fulton to name a few. The final show served up two jewels in the crown alongside long standing residents and friends, a fitting way to throw down the final curtain. Kerri Chandler, a Leeds favourite, headlined alongside heavy hitting band Crazy P on supporting duty. The Mint Warehouse, the sister venue to the Mint Club was the setting and by the time we arrived it was already to the brim with a mixed bag of youth and the old school who were just there for the final send off. It was very fitting that the well wishers who had hung their dancing shoes up a couple of years ago dusted them off to cut loose one last time. With lasers and over powering rig lights covering the main room, Maxxi Soundsystem was finishing up with his sublime and effortless approach on deep and sultry drops. With an applause at the end from his onlookers Crazy P then stepped up for a live set lasting nearly two hours. Classics like Stop, Space, Return were highlights but more to the point, it was evident to see that Danielle Moore and team were more than up for it. The energy soaring onto the dance floor was nearly over powering. The crowd by this time were firmly in the groove and by the time US house veteran Kerri ‘Koaz’ Chandler took the lead it that birthday warmth in the mixer was at boiling point.

Kerri Chandler took a different take on proceedings, floating through his set with a mix of older cuts to start with. Drops were blended in for those hands in the air moments as were well placed breaks and deeper inputs. Ensuring a story was told Kerri Chandler span nearly two decades of music within his set, fitting the end of one of Leeds’s finest outings. PBR Streetgang finished off the saga as you would expect, emotional but focused. Jaw dropping mixtures of disco through to house finished the whole epic off perfectly. Timeless music was always one of Asylum’s main attributes and was as appropriate to the party as Chandler’s and Crazy P sets previously. A sad note ended on a high. For Tom and Bonar (PBR), they now move onto the next chapter in their career. For Asylum, it sees the end, for Leeds it sees a final farewell but to many a punter, the events will never die but be one of many a highlight in their clubbing memories. Thank you for the great times…