“You see the transformation in their face in real time,” Hutchinson says. “I do think there is a certain magic that’s created with people who are seeking to go to the thing versus and people who didn’t know they were at the thing, and it becomes the chemistry of what’s going on.”
Free zines, with captivating essays from Dweller’s blog, including bylines from Mad Mike Banks and Authentically Plastic, were available. At the weekend’s educational night, local experimentalist and DJ Russell E.L. Butler interviewed jungle pioneer and “Voodoo Ray” legend A Guy Called Gerald. By sheer virtue of Gerald’s snaking time in the field, the panel discussion turned into a vibrant retelling of the history of dance music in Manchester, describing everything from imported Detroit techno records by the original Belleville Three, his seminal work in acid with 808 State, and the rise of Madchester, when rave music became guitar music. Attendance was modest, but it still felt a rare opportunity to not only see historic figures perform but also learn their histories.
But the best parts of Dweller were the rare showcases that could only happen under the festival’s banner. DJ Miss Parker brought eight-hours of vinyl extravagance to a ridiculously packed Bossa Nova Civic Club on Wednesday night. With her meld of ‘90s tribal, vocal remixes, and underground ballroom classics, as well as an appearance from Cakes da Killa, Miss Parker revived a long-gone form of clubbing when a DJ could treat a club like home; it must have felt like seeing Junior Vasquez at the Sound Factory in 1994.
