Manchester lads Mason Collective talk us through their steady rise from the infamous dancefloor at Sankeys to international house music sensations.
“When you don’t calculate everything to a T all the time, beautiful things can come out of it. Sometimes people might have looked at what we’ve done and thought, ‘That’s a bit weird’. But we’re doing it so people come and have fun. It’s not to fit into a trend.” If you know Mason Collective, founding member Omar Guedar’s perspective isn’t surprising. If you don’t, the tech-house-leaning trio behind all things MVSON are happy to oblige with a whistle-stop tour during their video call with DJ Mag.
It’s an evocative conversation beginning with three teenagers exploring clubs and illegal raves in Manchester, soundtracked by dub, dubstep, house and niche (bassline). By the time we’re done, the narrative has touched upon first experiences as promoters, an early residency at one of northern England’s most legendary nightspots, and increasingly ambitious events garnering serious international hype.
There was the time they took over Victoria Baths, a spectacular historic landmark on the southside of their hometown, emptied of its swimming pool water and packed with dancers for an afternoon. And their own MVSON World festival. Not to mention the story about someone diving into a canal to ‘sneak’ into one of their open-airs.
Their decision to use different themes for individual dates — Hawaiian shirts-only, anyone? — emphasises their view that egos and attitudes are put aside. Proper sessions, but with ear-to-ear smiles, not standoffish moodiness.
“We’ve known each other since high school. Going back maybe 15-16 years. In Manchester, maybe I’m biased, but I feel house music is the main genre, and around the age we met you start to lock in your musical preferences… We gravitated to each other through these interests. Then you get your fake ID, and start going to Sankeys,” recalls Adam Myles, name-checking one of the most influential and, post-2017 closure, mythologised operations in British clubland. Alongside Blair Suarez, he completes the MVSON triptych.
“We were all doing the same kind of stuff and started going to parties together, being amazed at this new scene we had discovered,” Myles continues. “We were messing about with DJing and stuff, started going to the studio, everything fell into place. I think Mason Collective came shortly after a conversation outside the back of Sankeys, funnily enough. Then we started doing our own parties when we were around 18 or 19 and it snowballed from there. The first was at Sound Control in 2012, then we followed up with a second at Gorilla.”
We’re soon told about Monday rituals — checking line-ups for the coming weekend — and formative dancefloor experiences captained by the likes of Kerri Chandler and Apollonia. And, perhaps more importantly, the sense of community surrounding these events and the spaces they used. A time when you could “just rock up and know that certain people would be at specific nights”. As friendships formed, opportunities emerged.
