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There is no more eloquent way of describing the youthful energy that defines Manchester than the image of a sea of bodies ebbing and flowing across the dance floor to Oliver Lang's chunky, underground tech-house sound. All About Manchester chats with the DJ superstar in the making as he kicks off a new residency at Area 51.
If you've been clubbing in Ibiza in the last ten years, chances are you've danced to Oliver Lang's tracks. The 28-year-old Altrincham-born DJ is a firmly established name on the Ibiza dance scene, with a residency at Bora Bora and regular sets at Manumission among other big clubs up and down the White Isle.
"I went to Ibiza on holiday when I was 17 and fell in love with it," he recalls. "I loved the music and the lifestyle, and I knew that was what I wanted to do. So I went out there the following year, with a bunch of records and a dream."
Ibiza was soon too small for Lang's dream, so you may also have run into him in Australia, Brazil, Russia, China or Italy on one of his many international tours. "One of my favourite clubs is Pacha in Sao Paulo - you play for 10,000 people, 5,000 in an outdoor area and 5,000 inside, and it starts at 9pm and goes on until 3pm the next day," he enthuses.
If his name does not ring any bells yet, give him time. Lang has just started a new residency at Area 51 in Manchester, where he will play on the first Saturday of every month. And he says it is good to be home again. "I live six or seven months of the year in Ibiza now, and I also travel a lot, but Manchester feels like my real home; my family and friends are here."
His family includes Bob Lang, bassist for 1960s Manchester group Mindbenders, who is Oliver's father. And his friends include the owner of Area 51, which makes playing at this club extra special. "I really like the layout and the sound of Area 51; I think it's probably one of the best dance venues in the city. When I played there last weekend for the first time, I played with my sound and it went very well."
Lang describes his sound as "groovy tech-house with big build-ups" and argues that not every audience is as open to it as Mancunians are. "I used to play a lot more commercial music when I first started DJing, but in the last five or six years I've been playing a lot more techier stuff, influenced by my residency at Bora Bora. But in places like Australia, for example, you really need to stick your neck out - they are very commercial out there, so if you want to play anything underground you have to sneak it in."
Manchester had a legendary party scene back in the Madchester years, and Lang thinks the city is slowly reclaiming its position at the heart of British clubbing. "Manchester's club scene seems to be really on the up. There are now only about three or four big club nights in London, so there are a lot more people travelling up north. The Warehouse Project, for example, which takes place every Friday and Saturday underneath Piccadilly Train Station, is a 3,000-capacity venue, and the fact that it's full every week is quite impressive."
When he is not gigging, Lang is burrowed away in his studio. His prolific career as a producer has seen 30 tracks released on a variety of labels, including Toolroom and Whoop.
This summer he also launched his own label, Dojo, which will give him more control over what tracks are put out - both by himself and other artists.
In his increasingly limited free time he likes to sweat it out at the gym and, judging by the adoring looks directed at him from the dance floor, the results of his workout regime are not wasted on the lady clubbers. Which brings us to our last question. How big a role do looks play in the success of a DJ?
Lang bursts out laughing. "DJs are not known for being the prettiest people. I think it has more to do with my energy. I don't just stand there when I play; I'm dancing around and being sociable, and people like that."
The modest DJ will wrap up this year with gigs in Poland, Russia, Asia and Australia. He is back in Manchester on Dec 6 and - in case you thought he was slacking - he will continue to produce new tracks and play at UK clubs including Junk, Mission and The House. If you want to know where to find him, visit his website at www.oliverlang.net.