Electronica/Dance

[Semprini]

Sorry, posted that too early and it wouldn't let me edit it for some reason?

 

Our passes allowed us to go into the main backstage area behind the Grid stage (tbf, this was mostly just nicer toilets, a few sofas and a bar, which you still had to pay for) and was surprised to find that there was no segregation from the dressing rooms. We're massive 2manydjs fans and been lucky enough to see them quite a few times over the years in their various guises. Highlight of the day was always going to be their b2b with Palms Trax and we were able to watch the whole thing from the stage standing just behind them! Wasn't sure how their styles would complement each other but it was a masterclass from start to finish and such a great vibe. So many good tunes between them but everyone went mental when they finished with The Prodigy 'Out of Space'.

Saw bits of Saoirse, Job Jobse, Erol Alkan, Kolter and Moxie but the final set of the day with Soulwax was the perfect ending. The triple drummers were a tour de force and the new tunes fitted in great alongside all the old favourites. Would definitely go back again in the future - next year is their 10th edition and they're already promising big things.

Went to Boiler Room festival last Saturday and that was another really good day. There was a fair bit on the line up I wanted to see so we spent most of the day moving between the four stages. Yousuku Yukimatsu and horsegiirL were both pretty full on but nothing compared to the Teletech stage where the hard techno was being banged out from when we arrived at 2pm until the finish. There was a nice bank there that you could sit down on but the relentless beats made it difficult to chill out really.

Saw a bit of Young Marco in the Dome but wanted to get a decent spot for Underworld so headed over to the Main Stage about half an hour before they were due on. Noticed a couple of people behind the barrier handing out wristbands and managed to get a couple for me and my son. They told us to wait on the left of the stage and about 10 mins before they started an entrance was opened up for people with wristbands to go through. I know it's obviously a Boiler Room thing (and quite divisive in terms of opinion) but we were some of the first to get through and I got a spot on the barrier directly behind their gear! Shook hands with Karl as they came on and then spent the next 90 mins standing a few feet behind them both as they banged out tune after tune! Was an incredible experience being that close and seeing two legends of the scene deliver an absolute masterclass. Been lucky enough to watch them many times over the past 30 years or so but this was by far the best.

Made a bit of a weekend of it by going to Audley End the next day for their Heritage Live show. Was well impressed with the venue and enjoyed decent DJ sets during the day from Hot Chip and Groove Armada. They were both pretty festival friendly as the crowd was a mix of ageing clubbers (like myself!), families with kids and people with picnics and camping chairs. Simian Mobile Disco were on directly before Underworld and was funny to see them pretty much clear the dancefloor with some gnarly, electro bangers that left much of the crowd confused!!

I missed the tour last year when Underworld played double sets so was great to be able to experience it this time round. First one was a gradual build up but the last 20 mins or so really kicked off. The second set was fantastic and King of Snake, Jumbo, Two Months Off and, my personal favourite, Dark and Long all sounded amazing. Glad I brought my ear plugs though as was surprising loud and heavy down the front. 

Off to Pukkelpop in Belgium next Thursday (Justice, Mall Grab, Amelie Lens, DJ Heartstring, Jamie XX, ANOTR, Effy, Benwal, amongst quite a few others) and then the Barry Can't Swim day at APE the Friday after so still plenty to look forward to this summer!

[Suprefan]

 

[GrumpyRaver]

If anyone needs to stock up on Happy Tuesdays and wants some money off - https://happytuesdays.com/a/refer-a-friend/redeem/lepjakslsstu9gpzxiyfzfmap6gpgohx89zjozsf/9823

[goldfishboy]

drumsheds just dropped their upcoming programme. very tempted by this

 

https://drumshedslondon.com/event/bugged-out-x-tresor/

[Semprini]

On 03/09/2025 at 17:14, goldfishboy said:

drumsheds just dropped their upcoming programme. very tempted by this

 

https://drumshedslondon.com/event/bugged-out-x-tresor/

Pretty sure we're going to this as went to the previous two Bugged Out parties at Drumsheds and had a great time at both.

Also just booked a hotel for 30 years of DJ-Kicks on Friday 5th December as the line up is superb. Keeping an eye out for the Hydra: Warp line up (coming next week) as it will have to be something huge to fill the space - all 3 rooms are open. Know it's an obvious call but Aphex Twin will likely sell it out on his own so if he gets announced, along with any of Battles, Autechre, Darkstar, Hud Mo, Mount Kimbie, Squarepusher etc then it will be another one I'll most likely have to make the journey down for!

On a side note, anyone on here going to ADE?

[GrumpyRaver]

Got 2x spare presale tickets for Max Cooper at RAH if anybody wants them.

[GrumpyRaver]

If I get enough sign up links to the Field Day mailing list through this link, they’ll give me a set… I promise to make it the most hilarious set imaginable.

 

https://vrlps.co/wzqn11m/cp

[Johndenis]

On 09/08/2025 at 00:33, Semprini said:

Sorry, posted that too early and it wouldn't let me edit it for some reason?

 

Our passes allowed us to go into the main backstage area behind the Grid stage (tbf, this was mostly just nicer toilets, a few sofas and a bar, which you still had to pay for) and was surprised to find that there was no segregation from the dressing rooms. We're massive 2manydjs fans and been lucky enough to see them quite a few times over the years in their various guises. Highlight of the day was always going to be their b2b with Palms Trax and we were able to watch the whole thing from the stage standing just behind them! Wasn't sure how their styles would complement each other but it was a masterclass from start to finish and such a great vibe. So many good tunes between them but everyone went mental when they finished with The Prodigy 'Out of Space'.

Saw bits of Saoirse, Job Jobse, Erol Alkan, Kolter and Moxie but the final set of the day with Soulwax was the perfect ending. The triple drummers were a tour de force and the new tunes fitted in great alongside all the old favourites. Would definitely go back again in the future - next year is their 10th edition and they're already promising big things.

Went to Boiler Room festival last Saturday and that was another really good day. There was a fair bit on the line up I wanted to see so we spent most of the day moving between the four stages. Yousuku Yukimatsu and horsegiirL were both pretty full on but nothing compared to the Teletech stage where the hard techno was being banged out from when we arrived at 2pm until the finish. There was a nice bank there that you could sit down on but the relentless beats made it difficult to chill out really.

Saw a bit of Young Marco in the Dome but wanted to get a decent spot for Underworld so headed over to the Main Stage about half an hour before they were due on. Noticed a couple of people behind the barrier handing out wristbands and managed to get a couple for me and my son. They told us to wait on the left of the stage and about 10 mins before they started an entrance was opened up for people with wristbands to go through. I know it's obviously a Boiler Room thing (and quite divisive in terms of opinion) but we were some of the first to get through and I got a spot on the barrier directly behind their gear! Shook hands with Karl as they came on and then spent the next 90 mins standing a few feet behind them both as they banged out tune after tune! Was an incredible experience being that close and seeing two legends of the scene deliver an absolute masterclass. Been lucky enough to watch them many times over the past 30 years or so but this was by far the best.

Made a bit of a weekend of it by going to Audley End the next day for their Heritage Live show. Was well impressed with the venue and enjoyed decent DJ sets during the day from Hot Chip and Groove Armada. They were both pretty festival friendly as the crowd was a mix of ageing clubbers (like myself!), families with kids and people with picnics and camping chairs. Simian Mobile Disco were on directly before Underworld and was funny to see them pretty much clear the dancefloor with some gnarly, electro bangers that left much of the crowd confused!!

I missed the tour last year when Underworld played double sets so was great to be able to experience it this time round. First one was a gradual build up but the last 20 mins or so really kicked off. The second set was fantastic and King of Snake, Jumbo, Two Months Off and, my personal favourite, Dark and Long all sounded amazing. Glad I brought my ear plugs though as was surprising loud and heavy down the front. 

Off to Pukkelpop in Belgium next Thursday (Justice, Mall Grab, Amelie Lens, DJ Heartstring, Jamie XX, ANOTR, Effy, Benwal, amongst quite a few others) and then the Barry Can't Swim day at APE the Friday after so still plenty to look forward to this summer!

Really interesting thanks.  CAn you recall what Palms Trax were playing?  What do you think of SMD sticking to their guns with the gnarly tunes?  I think they should have been able to adapt?  "King of Snake, Jumbo, Two Months Off" - these are 3 of my personal big faves.  What is the "live" element of this part of the set, was it purely playback and live vocals for this crescendo?

[nikkic]

https://on.soundcloud.com/TeGy8FBnzxfm3pyr1T
 

This is a thing of trance beauty 

[Fishman]

KiKi hitting the big time & playing the Roundhouse on Feb 6th.

(Same bloody night that I'm at Underworld, Brixton)

[nikkic]

13 minutes ago, Fishman said:

KiKi hitting the big time & playing the Roundhouse on Feb 6th.

(Same bloody night that I'm at Underworld, Brixton)

There's so many good dance gigs in Jan/Feb.

I'm trying to get to Tourist, Soulwax, Underworld and now.... Ki/Ki.

[Fishman]

22 hours ago, nikkic said:

There's so many good dance gigs in Jan/Feb.

I'm trying to get to Tourist, Soulwax, Underworld and now.... Ki/Ki.

Ha ... see you there.

I have tix for Soulwax, Underworld & Tourist. Currently sulking about KiKi.

[Ben7amin_]

Haai new record is pretty good! 

[nikkic]

Has anyone been to one of the Hacienda nights at Drumsheds or WHP?

If so......

Are they any good, or are they just a bit naff??

[Ben7amin_]

For fans of BICEP recommend giving this up and comer a chance!

 

https://hoojchoons.bandcamp.com/album/other-peoples-leisure

[Semprini]

Needed a bit of time to recover but very pleased to report that I had another superb weekend at ADE (apologies in advance for the length of this post!).
 

It was the second in a row for me with my son (my 3rd overall) and we both loved it. The weather was pretty shocking at times but we mostly battled through and completed the majority of the schedule we put together beforehand.
 

Decided to stay much closer to the centre this year and it made such a difference. Found a really nice house boat that was only 10 mins walk away from Central Station so this meant we could pop back whenever we needed. Arrived Thursday afternoon and went to a few free pop ups, including the Noetic and Key magazine showcase where Jeff Mills and Dave Clark were in attendance and just wandering around. Headed over the water on one of the free ferries to see Confidence Man at DGTL and was a good set, despite being less than an hour long. Final party of the night was Visual Frequencies at NXT museum with Luke Slater playing live as Planatary Assault Systems and Sandwell District. However, the long day travelling and 20 min walk from the ferry meant we were pretty wet and tired so didn't stay as long as planned. Set up inside was great though and the sound was clear but probably a bit too loud (and we had ear plugs).
 

Friday was an earlyish start at Radion for DJ Bone's annual fundraiser Further x Homeless Homies. Made it inside in time for the midday set from Richie Hawtin and he more than delivered. Crowd were really up for it and was a friendly and vibrant atmosphere on the dancefloor. We both love the club and enjoyed moving between the rooms as there were so many great DJ's playing, all for free. Had guestlist for the Beatport party with Sara Landry and although it wasn't our scene, was nice to catch up with some friends who helped to organise it and see the venue which was very cool. Made the short hop down to the Smiile pop up with Chloe Caillet afterwards which was lively and a lot of fun. Had a friend who was DJing at the Seladoria x Casa event so got the ferry over to the NDSM to see them play for a few hours. Was a much older crowd than the other parties we'd been to but atmosphere was good, even if it was fairly quiet at that time.
 

Highlight of the day was supposed to be Spielraum but it unfortunately didn't work out that way. It's a 55 hour party that started at 11pm on Friday and finished 6am on Monday. The line up was immense - DJ Nobu, KI/KI, Job Jobse, Helena Hauff and Polygonia to name but a few and they all had 3-4 hours each spread over 3 rooms. Our tickets were 1-2am entry so we got ready and were waiting for the last bus before night service started just before 1am. It arrived on time but went straight past us as it was completely full. We looked at other options and decided to walk to central to catch a train. Although it didn't take that long, a really heavy storm came in and we got absolutely soaked. Then took us a little while to find the club (got even more wet and cold looking) before we were greeted by a massive queue that stretched halfway round the building. People were predicting 1-2 hours wait so we reluctantly took the decision not to stay and caught a bus home. Do regret this now but we were both dead on our feet and doubt we'd have stayed long if we had have made it inside.
 

Saturday proved to be a tricky one to plan as we missed out on tickets to a few day events that we fancied. Decided in the end to go to a some pop ups and it turned out to be a really nice afternoon. First stop was Bar Theo for the Clone Records party and we got in just in time to see FJAAK take to the decks for a mostly vinyl set. The atmosphere was great and they also had a nice selection of beers available! The only slight downside was the sound which was a bit crunchy but we still really enjoyed what they played. Headed over to Killacutz for the tail end of Andrey Pushkarev and then the start of DJ Bone's takeover. Wanted to catch Kink at Bar Theo though so we went back to see him and it was another quality set. Todd Terry was there signing records and enjoying the music, although he didn't take to the decks which was a pity.
 

Night time was our first visit to the Loft for Mas Tiempo with Skepta and Friends (Luke and Max Dean) and it was a pretty decent night. The main room was rammed so we stayed mostly to the edge of the dancefloor where there was a bit more space. The vibe was friendly enough but lots of very fashion conscious and glammed up people, which I guess comes with the territory for that venue. Not sure I'd be that bothered about going again, unless there was someone I was desperate to see, but we did enjoy it and glad we did it.
 

Got a few hours sleep before we were then up again at 8am to catch the ferry to the NDSM for SXM Festival at the Faralda Crane. It's a redeveloped crane that has two hotel rooms and a section that's been converted into a club with a maximum capacity of 80. Really wanted to see Deep Dish but we got there just after they finished which was disappointing. Was a much older crowd at this one but very friendly and everyone was going for it, despite the time of the day. A bit like the Loft, this was another venue we wanted to check out and tick off the list. The views across Amsterdam were lovely, including seeing the In The Woods festival site which was right outside, and the sound system was very powerful and clear. Caught some of Oxia and then Made by Pete who played a lot of his own productions which were spot on.
 

Final party of the weekend was Nouw at Bajes with Benwal which was my son's choice.  We did have tickets to Jane Fitz presents but he's a big fan of salute so we went over in the late afternoon to make sure we caught his set. The venue is an old prison which also houses another notable club called Levenslag. We both thought the set up was superb, even if the dancefloor was rammed with lots of people moving in and out. We managed to make our way to the area behind the stage for salute and the atmosphere was probably the best we saw all weekend. It was a young crowd and I definitely felt quite old but we had no issues at all and was a really nice way to sign off our weekend of partying. Would 100% go back (had hoped to see Eris Drew and Octo Octa on Sat but waited too long to get tickets) so will keep a close eye on what events are there next year.
 

All in all, was another really successful and memorable weekend. It's very intense though and we probably did push it at bit by going to 16 parties in the end. Around half of these were free (some you have to RSVP to in advance) so was a nice balance in that respect. Still found it to be a very expensive weekend as Amsterdam is pricey at the best of times, with ADE ramping things up even more. Like last year, our flight home was cancelled so should once again receive a voucher for free ones next time, which will help to offset some of the costs. Would definitely recommend anyone who's into dance music to give it a go but you do need to plan in advance and be on the ball as some of the events sell out really quickly.

[gfa]

On 01/11/2025 at 09:20, nikkic said:

Has anyone been to one of the Hacienda nights at Drumsheds or WHP?

If so......

Are they any good, or are they just a bit naff??

They haven't done it outside Manchester for about 15 years FYI 🙂

 

Unfortunately i'm busy for the one just announced in London - but i'd guess the crowd is similar to Bugged Out (positive!). Obviously the key issue is that its at Drumsheds!

[nikkic]

23 hours ago, gfa said:

They haven't done it outside Manchester for about 15 years FYI 🙂

 

Unfortunately i'm busy for the one just announced in London - but i'd guess the crowd is similar to Bugged Out (positive!). Obviously the key issue is that its at Drumsheds!

Oh I assumed they’d done a Drumsheds date before!

 

You’re right the bugged out crowd is always pretty good.

 

Think I’ll go to it, a lot of my mates are interested (even the ones who rarely go clubbing any more). 

[gfa]

54 minutes ago, nikkic said:

Oh I assumed they’d done a Drumsheds date before!

 

You’re right the bugged out crowd is always pretty good.

 

Think I’ll go to it, a lot of my mates are interested (even the ones who rarely go clubbing any more). 

I'd be there for sure if I wasn't already going to FBS (and if the very special guest is very good, i may try to swap to FBS friday!).

[GrumpyRaver]

Spare ticket for Daphni all-dayer at Fold today - let me know if you’re looking for one.

[Semprini]

If anyone's looking for cheap tickets (£6 each) to the Drumsheds parties with Bugged Out x Tresor (x3) or The Hydra presents 30 years of DJ Kicks (x1) send me a DM.

[Grinding aftertaste]

Hello E/D crew, 

 

Looking for some advice. I'm a middle aged (40) man and I recently took myself along to a party in Leeds - Daniel Avery and Richard Fearless' Goo, 6 hours B2B from 5pm. I was the first one in and stayed too the end and it was AMAZING. Hands down one of the best experiences I've had in recent years. It was the first time I've been out to a night like that in a long long time - dancing at Glastonbury has been the only thing along those lines for at least a decade - and I'm so glad to have done it. And I am really keen to go to something similar again. 

 

So, advice: how do you go about finding good parties when you're middle aged and completely unplugged from the scene? What I loved about this night was that there was a big age range, plenty people like me on their own, a really friendly crowd and a team up front who were really going for it, with lots of space and lots of movement. Are there any particular cues to look out for to find things along similar lines? Or places to look (fond memories of browsing the clubbing section of the List as a student in Edinburgh)? Can I just trust that if the DJ and music is up my street then everything will follow? My nightmare scenario is ending up somewhere filled with young people just stood there / shuffling, packed together, with their phones out!

 

Any tips very much appreciated. And if there's any local knowledge to Leeds then please do share 😀

[gfa]

16 hours ago, Grinding aftertaste said:

Hello E/D crew, 

 

Looking for some advice. I'm a middle aged (40) man and I recently took myself along to a party in Leeds - Daniel Avery and Richard Fearless' Goo, 6 hours B2B from 5pm. I was the first one in and stayed too the end and it was AMAZING. Hands down one of the best experiences I've had in recent years. It was the first time I've been out to a night like that in a long long time - dancing at Glastonbury has been the only thing along those lines for at least a decade - and I'm so glad to have done it. And I am really keen to go to something similar again. 

 

So, advice: how do you go about finding good parties when you're middle aged and completely unplugged from the scene? What I loved about this night was that there was a big age range, plenty people like me on their own, a really friendly crowd and a team up front who were really going for it, with lots of space and lots of movement. Are there any particular cues to look out for to find things along similar lines? Or places to look (fond memories of browsing the clubbing section of the List as a student in Edinburgh)? Can I just trust that if the DJ and music is up my street then everything will follow? My nightmare scenario is ending up somewhere filled with young people just stood there / shuffling, packed together, with their phones out!

 

Any tips very much appreciated. And if there's any local knowledge to Leeds then please do share 😀

Resident Advisor is the best directory for events. As for checking the crowd / will it be full of students, probably asking here is a safe bet (also checking what else is on that night for example).

[Supernintendo Chalmers]

22 hours ago, Grinding aftertaste said:

Hello E/D crew, 

 

Looking for some advice. I'm a middle aged (40) man and I recently took myself along to a party in Leeds - Daniel Avery and Richard Fearless' Goo, 6 hours B2B from 5pm. I was the first one in and stayed too the end and it was AMAZING. Hands down one of the best experiences I've had in recent years. It was the first time I've been out to a night like that in a long long time - dancing at Glastonbury has been the only thing along those lines for at least a decade - and I'm so glad to have done it. And I am really keen to go to something similar again. 

 

So, advice: how do you go about finding good parties when you're middle aged and completely unplugged from the scene? What I loved about this night was that there was a big age range, plenty people like me on their own, a really friendly crowd and a team up front who were really going for it, with lots of space and lots of movement. Are there any particular cues to look out for to find things along similar lines? Or places to look (fond memories of browsing the clubbing section of the List as a student in Edinburgh)? Can I just trust that if the DJ and music is up my street then everything will follow? My nightmare scenario is ending up somewhere filled with young people just stood there / shuffling, packed together, with their phones out!

 

Any tips very much appreciated. And if there's any local knowledge to Leeds then please do share 😀

 

In my experience (I'm 48 years old, been attending parties for 32 years), these days, I've found that it's the genre or the lineup that tends to define the demographic, so I tend to look out for certain acts/promoters. For example, the Hacienda events at Warehouse Project (although they are branching out beyond MCR now, I have a ticket for Drumsheds in February) naturally have an older crowd. The recent Fantazia event in Bristol is also a great case in point. Ditto the recent "Forever" promos in Milton Keynes. There's familiarity with those brands for those in their 40s, I'm sure most 21 year olds have no idea what Fantazia is or who 95% of the DJs playing are. Bugged Out is another legendary promotion still doing it, attracting a great, varied, knowledgeable and up-for-it crowd.

 

Younger crowds seem to be found at events where the music is a bit more zeitgeisty. I'll usually avoid tech house, jump-up D&B, the harder side of techno or whatever the likes of Keinemusik, &Me, etc are defined as, because I know how it's going to be. That's not a criticism of the genre or the artists, I love the evolution of electronic music, it's one of the great aspects of it, but for someone who would appear to prefer the same things as you in a night, I'll probably not find it amongst the genres I mentioned above. 

 

I can't really speak for the Leeds area, as I'm based in the South West but maybe keep an eye out for future Back to Basics events. They just held one in November, which I'd imagine would have been a proper throwback, given the lineup and who's still involved there. 

 

As @gfa says, Resident Advisor is always a good place to start and set your filters to what suits. Don't be afraid to travel the country to find the perfect night. I often go solo and have been all over Europe. 

 

There's also a fantastic group on another social media platform (which I won't mention on here out of respect) that has dozens of people from all walks happy to share knowledge and experience. That's also a great source of info.

 

Whatever you do, just make sure you review your nights and share on here. There are loads of people who'd benefit from hearing it. 

[Grinding aftertaste]

Thank you both, really appreciate that. 

 

I saw the Basics night and was tempted but thought I'd pass to make sure I don't go too hard too soon. But now I wish I'd gone! Will definitely get to the next one, would be great to connect to an old institution of my adopted home, although I don't think they're very frequent these days. And yes to a bit of travel, nights in Manchester are totally feasible with late / early trains. There's a great looking warehouse project with underworld on soon but unfortunately I can't make it through. 

 

Good shout on resident adviser, will have a look. Also going to message the promotors for the night I went to, get it from the horses mouth so to speak.

 

I think I know the other online venue you're aluding to buy could do with a pointer on where to find it / how to join.