Aisling Bennett reviews the latest instalment of No Bounds Festival – a celebration of music, art, technology and dancing in the heart of the Steel City.
Words: Aisling Bennett
Now in its sixth year, No Bounds continues to extend its tendrils into the depths of Sheffield culture, with installations and performances curated perfectly among the city’s industrial spaces and historic venues.
The opening concert took place in Sheffield Cathedral, with a live AV performance from Blawan and Bernard Holaschke rounding things off. Hundreds of small paper doves hung down from the cavernous ceiling, creating the perfect backdrop for blasting modular techno and mind-melting images that blended into an extra-terrestrial acid trip.
Photo by Franie Casillo
It was then time to head over to Hope Works for the opening rave, with a killer early set from DJ Fart In The Club at the Kupier Belt and Saoirse providing her usual on-point selections of squelchy house and techno in the main room. The High Density Energy Chamber (AKA “rave cave” to regular patrons) once again lived up to both of its monikers. Sheffield’s own Gracie T took the roof off with her signature multi-genre acceleration up the bpms, followed by one of the UK’s hottest junglists right now, Tim Reaper, delivering a fast, heavy and uncompromising mix of the genre’s finest old-school and modern sounds. Then it was back to the main room for a brain-pulverising b2b from Batu and Skee Mask. The styles of the two selectors complemented each other perfectly, Batu’s percussive and bass-heavy grooves cutting through Skee Mask’s relenting techno, spinning heads and moving feet well into the early hours.
Photo by Franie Casillo
The stakes were indeed high for Saturday, but the full-throttle energy was maintained with ease and once again we were blown away by the expertly crafted programming. Nia Archives brought the heat to a packed-out main room, peppering the set with her own tracks and angelic live vocals, as heavy hitters ‘Mash up the Dance’ and ‘Forbidden Feelings’ sent the crowd into a frenzy.
It still feels like an event from the future, continuing to weave innovation & creativity with the culture and heritage of Sheffield.
A somewhat surprising b2b from Calibre and Craig Richards was next, but the pair shelled out an impeccable selection of bassy rollers that kept up the momentum. Over in the Courtyard, I. JORDAN tore the place up with a ferocious set that brimmed with energy and emotion, weaving seamlessly through house and techno slammers with a touch of donk, trance and even a bit of Kylie.
This laid the perfect groundwork for LCY and Diessa to close the courtyard with a b2b for the ages. A cacophony of hard, wonky, bass-heavy, percussive sounds saturated the air as the pair flawlessly demonstrated how to put a good sound system to use.
Photo by Franie Casillo
After two weighty nights, the gentler daytime programme provided some much-needed space for the mind. The festival has continued to expand its platform for visual artists while shining a light on lesser-known or overlooked spaces around the city.
The Moore Street Electricity Substation was home to Noemi Soula’s exhibition ‘Mythical Living Data’, which explored how pollution is interacting with our DNA through unsettling visuals of the human body mutating. The African-Caribbean community centre SADACCA, tucked away north of the city centre, housed David Cotterell’s ‘God’s Eye View IV’. A black dome in a dark room may sound unassuming, but the mesmeric digital projection, ambient drone and opportunity for interacting with the piece with your own voice made for a gratifying Saturday afternoon immersion.
Photo by Franie Casillo
No Bounds has once again managed to unite the best in musical and visual innovation as it bridges the gap between those heady end-of-summer festivals and the descent into winter club night season. This year, the event has stood out by showcasing talent from under-represented and marginalised groups, which, despite the recent emphasis and reiteration of this fact, we all too often forget is where dance music and sound system culture started.
Now a well-established fixture on the festival scene, it still feels like an event from the future, continuing to weave innovation and creativity with the culture and heritage of Sheffield via the many threads of electronic music.
We can’t wait to see what path it takes next.
