Following another summer of high-profile gigs, Maceo Plex is set to bring his Lone Romantic showcase to Elementenstraat on October, 19th with an expectedly impressive line-up.
The provocative night will feature myriad of exquisite underground talent from the likes of Anthony Rother, Ben UFO, Brame & Hamo, I-F, Joy Orbison, Legowelt, Robert Hood, The Hacker, Young Marco, Maceo Plex (and his electro alias Mariel Ito) all playing across two electrifying rooms.
This unique party starts at 9am running until the late evening and boasts a standout line-up that is as forward-thinking as we would expect from the Miami-born tastemaker.
Our photographer Kane Howie popped down to Wilkestock just outside of Stevenage and took some photos. The weekend was headlined by We Are Scientists, Slaves and The Dutty Moonshine Band. The three day event had a variety of different genres of music for everyones taste. There were bands, solo artists, DJ sets and more. The main stage had recycled sofas for people to chill out on. In the food court there were burgers, hot dogs, curly fries, pizza, Malaysian curry, toasties, ice creams, waffles and pancakes. A huge thanks to everyone who was involved in making the festival great. Roll on next year!!
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The North’s newest and most exciting boutique electronic music and arts festival Hide&Seek really impressed with its first edition.
Not only did it take place in a green countryside setting with forests, formal gardens and a country house as the back drop, but the crowd was also clued up and keen to dance.
Add in all important production, great sound systems across the four stages and Margaret Dygas, Praslea, Spokenn, Jamie 3:26, Josh Butler, Jeremy Underground and many more, and you have a real winner.
The Downs festival returned to Bristol and was Gurt Lush (or, for those who don’t speak native Bristolian, pretty incredible).
The festival was headlined this year by Ms Lauryn Hill – the first female singer to top the diverse line up. As a founding member of The Fugees, she may have only one solo album to her name, but the Grammy award winning songs have stood the test of time and remain unparalleled among her peers. Incredibly, Lauryn took to the stage on time, playing classics ‘Killing Me Softly‘ and finishing with the classic ‘Ready or Not‘
Lauryn had to give one of her best performances, taking to the stage after fellow icon Grace Jones. With hits such as “Pull Up to the Bumper” and “Slave to the Rhythm,” Grace delivered a jaw-dropping spectacle. With a stunning, if extremely revealing, costume change between each song, she defied her 71 years by showing more energy than any other singer all day.
IDLES played their largest ever gig in their home town when they return to the main stage at The Downs. After an incredible year headlining Glastonbury’s Park Stage and their well-deserved nomination for the 2019 Mercury Music Prize, the crowd chanted their name while they tuned up. Singer Joe Talbot admired the huge crowd with awe, while mutton chopped guitar player, Mark Bowen, danced around the stage in his finest Calvin boxers.
Introducing each song with the sentence ‘This is an anti-fascist song’, their energetic punk anthems blew away the crowd, with the band stage diving throughout. As well as playing song ‘Danny Nedelko’ to his immigrant blood brother, they also played unique snipers of ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ and ‘Build Me Up Buttercup’.
Elsewhere, on the Avon Stage, fellow Glastonbury star Loyle Carner proved why he’s a unique talent in the world of hip hop. Down-to-earth and with less macho bravado than his contemporaries, his honest lyrics stand out in the social media age. His sound has been described by NME as “sensitive and eloquent” and by The Guardian as “confessional hip-hop”.
The festival also hosted ‘The Information’ area, with speakers including Desree, award-winning Charlie Craggs and Extinction Rebellion highlighting how we can make a positive impact on local and global issues.
Undoubtedly one of the globe’s most popular DJs, this ADE Carl Cox will be bringing his Awesome Soundwaves label to Elementenstraat for a very special one-off show alongside some of his favourite established and emerging artists.
It happens at Warehouse Elementenstraat on October 17th in tandem with ADE.
Playing will be the likes of Christopher Coe, Hannes Bieger, Julien Chaptal, Mat Playford, Reinier Zonneveld and Quazar, while on a DJ set tip, the likes of Acid Mondays, Alex Kennon, Chelina Manuhutu and of course, Carl himself are sure to excite.
Free From Sleep is unique in that they link with the best labels and brands in electronic music to put on complete clubbing experiences.
Rather than focussing on one sound, they deal with the cutting edge DJs and live acts from the worlds of drum & bass, house, techno, disco and jungle and roam around the finest venues in the country from Bristol to Brighton, Dublin to London.
The team kick off their next run on September 27th at cultured space The Steel Yard with classy drum & bass crew 1985 Music featuring Alix Perez, SpectraSoul, Monty and many more. The same venue hosts Night Bass with AC Slater, Mike Skinner and Jack Beats on October 4th, while November 1st is Grum plus Special Guests, then on the 8th legendary live dub outfit Channel One Soundsystem take part in a big meet with King Shiloh, and on the 15th its premier neurofunk drum & bass crew Eatbrain.
On October 5th, there is a monumental and historic night in store as the iconic and pioneering Metalheadz label celebrates 25 years. This is set to be one of the biggest and most comprehensive event sin the leading label’s long and rich history and it is headlined by boss man, d&b great, actor, film star, yoga master and all round character Goldie going back to back with Doc Scott. That will be a very special set with reggae grandmaster David Rodigan and grime crew My Nu Leng amongst many others also playing.
6th October finds Amsterdam’s leading house label PiV take over at Village Underground with S.A.M, Charlie Banks and more, then the same venue on 15th November is Hot Wuk with The Heatwave and others, and the 22nd is Spearhead Records with Special Guests to be announced.
Electric Brixton features with Hybrid Minds present Outline on October 11th, High Focus rolls into Concorde2 in Brighton on October 19th, and Motz The Birthday plays out at much loved space The Cause with Stranger, Jasmine Azarian and more.
Head to the Free From Sleep website for more, information.
London’s premier music conference and showcase festival returns from 30 January to 1st February.
London Music Conference (LMC20) exists as a platform for the creation, development and expansion of electronic music culture, providing a unique solution for artists, fans, labels and professionals from across the globe to engage, interact and co-create in the UK capital.
London’s identity as a bastion for the birth of new creative movements in music make it the ideal place within which to forge new ideas, foster the development of music culture and support the artists who drive its evolution.
For the 2020 edition, the primary venue will be esteemed nightclub fabric while the rest of the conference will encompass a crafted selection of events at the city’s best music venues, offering fans and industry alike a diverse array of club nights, showcases and late night events.
In 2020 LMC will launch the UK’s first electronic music Accelerator Program for artists and labels, providing music makers and breakers from across the globe a range of tools and resources to develop music, culture and the business ecosystem that exists around it.
You can find out more information at the LMC website.
Bristol’s marquee event series In:Motion will finish this year after a decade in the game. With the area facing challenges in the city, there can be no guarantee of a future so this will be final dance.
Say the club: “This year marks the tenth year of In:Motion, it will also be the last season. With the surrounding area of the club continuing to evolve, Motion is facing certain challenges, which means there is no guarantee of another season of In:Motion. It’s pertinent that the tenth instalment truly signifies what the club has brought to Bristol and the UK in general. This will be the last chance for dance music lovers to experience In:Motion as we know it. While we face uncertainty at the club, our passion towards developing high-quality events and bringing the biggest names in dance music to Bristol remains stronger than ever. 2020 will see a new wave of events and the start of a new chapter in the Motion history books. We look forward to sharing the dance floor with you for this last season of In:Motion.”
For their 10th anniversary the team have announced their line ups with none other than Four Tet, Sven Vath, Mr Scruff, Pearson Sound, Willow, Dungeon Meat, Sub focus, Nicole Moudaber and more all performing over the birthday period. A Drumcode Day and Night session alongside a scintillating 3D show, plus the likes of Sven Väth, Four Tet, Shy FX, Annie Mac, Mr. Scruff and Paul Oakenfold will also play.
Pre-sale tickets for the majority of the newly announced shows go live on Monday 2nd September at 1pm, 24 hours before tickets go on general sale. Fans can sign up for tickets or purchase tickets to previously announced parties via bristolinmotion.com
Celebrating their 25th anniversary together, Skunk Anansie are back on the road touring – it’s clear why they’re described as one of the greatest live bands the UK have produced as they blew away the Bournemouth crowd at the O2 Academy.
Skin burst onto stage in mesmerising fashion like a rock goddess wearing her spiked hoodie. Opening with ‘Charlie Big Potato’, she flicked her hood back to rapturous applause from the adoring crowd hypnotised by her energy.
It’s tricky to know how Skin should follow such an electric start, but she turned it up a notch further – during the following song ‘Because of You’, she leapt from the stage, surfing while held aloft by her adoring crowd still singing her cut-throat love song.
As the first first black British woman to headline Glastonbury in ’99, she hasn’t aged a day. In fact, she joked that while the audience were exhausted and sweating, she still remained cool and relaxed. Sickeningly, it was true despite her diving from the stage throughout the set.
The band remain as relevant as ever in the troubled divided times we live in, playing classics such as ‘Intellectualise my blackness’ and ‘Yes it’s f*ck*ng political’, along with a new song tonight ‘This Means War’. Along with recent single ‘What You Do For Love’ , these songs were highlights of the set – which is often rare when fans want to hear the classics from their 25 year career. If there’s anything good to come out of the shambles that is Brexit, it’s the possibility that the band will continue to be re-energised and write powerful tunes reflecting the disgusting rise of populism, not only in the UK but across the world.
As well as their own vast catalogue, Skunk Anansie played a great rendition of Highway to Hell. Even when screaming above Ace’s guitar, her voice remains note perfect, and on softer songs, such as ‘Hedonism (Just Because You Feel Good), the tenderness remains.
Skin asked the crowd what song should finish the set, and there was only one correct answer – ‘Little Baby Swastikkka’. Not to be outdone by the adoring crowd, the singer again joined the audience in the mosh-pit, before surfing from the back of the packed crowd back onto the stage in impressive fashion.
This country has produced few better female voices and live, they are a sight to behold. Having bought their live album 25live@25, the band have to be seen to truly bring the sense of awe to life.
