Collect! at DLS

Collect! have been bringing the biggest and brightest new names in house and techno music to Sheffield for a while now, and last Saturday at Dirty Little Secret (DLS) was no exception.
 
Held in the warren of event rooms and warehouse spaces that make up the Creative Arts Development Space (CADS), DLS takes place in different parts of the complex depending on the night in question. Tonight, they’ve pulled out all the stops for this bank holiday tech-fest.
 
After almost a year of holding events in the Snow Lane side of CADS, for tonight DLS has returned to its original home on the Smithfield side of the site. There’s a newly renovated underground room, a new bar doling out Red Stripes like there’s no tomorrow, a bigger main room and even an outside café to keep us fuelled up into the early hours.
 

Photograph by Matt Byne
 
DLS is a bit of a gem in Sheffield’s underground scene, and on arrival we swiftly set about exploring tonight’s layout for this ever-changing venue. There are two rooms, separated by a partially-covered courtyard, and each has just the right level of shabby warehouse-chic to make this the perfect setting for Collect!’s tech-house party. More importantly, this unusual venue offers something completely different from the city centre’s usual clubs and bars – and this makes it pretty exciting.
 
Exploration over, we claim a spot in the main underground room to have a dance. I spend the next few hours waving my limbs around (in a completely dignified manner) to some flawless house from DJ Sarita and some live synth from Joe Moskow + Friends, before headliner Harvey Mckay steps up. Mckay’s stripped down tech-house and heavier techno is perfectly at home within DLS’s bare brick walls (listen to his immense 'Unit' below), and as his set carries on into the night the crowd show no signs of letting up. Combine this atmosphere and a venue as interesting as DLS and you’re onto a winner.  
 

Photograph by Matt Byne
 
Keep your eyes open for more nights at Sheffield’s Dirty Little Secret, and see what's going on at CADS here. Thanks to Matt Byne for use of photos.