10x10: Four Tet / Tyondai Braxton @ Mayfield Depot, 17 July

One of Manchester International Festival's greatest feats has been its ability to constantly re-discover space in a city that's being opened up and regenerated at an ever increasing rate. Mayfield Depot, opened in the early 20th century and closed in 1986 before sitting dormant for over 25 years, has arguably been its finest "discovery", setting imaginations running wild around possible Berlin-style clubbing spaces and warehouse parties. A combination of HS2 and a breakdown in licensing negotiations however mean the depot is to be demolished, adding an added gravitas to an event already bearing the ten year anniversaries of MIF and the Warehouse Project. 

No-one told Tyondai Braxton though, the former Battles man who delved further down a rabbit hole of percussive jazz and electronic experimentation on second solo album HIVE1. True to the unpredictability of that album, Braxton doesn't give the crowd — clearly here more because of WHP's attachment — what they're expecting; the pace and structure of his set fluctuates, everytime he settles into a groove he slips back out again, playing around with dense drones that he then pulls apart and punctures. It's captivating to a few but lost on the many, who suddenly swell to the front as Kierhan Hebden takes to the stage, relieved at having something to grab onto. The veteran is capable of going off-piste himself of course, but tonight he judges the patience of his crowd perfectly, bringing them up with Evening Side from his most recent EP, segueing smoothly into older cuts like Sing, and cruising out the other side with the natural serotonin release of Morning Side, which ghosts around the depot with a warm reverie. Safe but assured. [William Gunn]