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BLOC Weekend announce more venues

a deep-sea fishing vessel, The Hub, fairground waltzers, and more

By Scott Williams | Published:

<s>BLOC weekend</s> - CANCE.. 2012 - around the festival site (Ableton Tent)
Photo credit: Matt Pufahl


BLOC Weekend have announced more details of their original venues on the site at London Pleasure Gardens, Royal Victoria Docks, in London, on Friday 6th and Saturday 7th July 2012, as well as a UK festival exclusive appearance by Arpanet.

These include an ex-Communist deep-sea fishing vessel called Stubnitz, that belonged to the German Democratic Republic before the collapse of Communism. The 80 metre, 2,541 tonne vessel has been converted thanks to a team of artists and engineers into a moving platform for the sonic and visual arts.

The boat will be moored exclusively for Bloc, in it's hull the atrium gallery looks over a main dancefloor, creating an industrial, hi-spec venue, and a second club space at the stern of the vessel as well as the deck are also fully kitted out for Bloc-specced throwdowns.

The London Pleasure Gardens themselves offer a sixty thousand square metre site of Victorian Docklands, with Bloc adding some temporary structures, to the Gardens' own pair of permanently installed nightclub venues. Most of the venues are to be located at the water's edge, and the site itself is adorned with the art from London artists.

The main stage will be encased in a ring of steel shipping containers and will be home to shows that are billed as totally immersive audiovisual spectaculars.

The largest of the permanently installed structures is The Hub, a design familiar as the main stage at the Shangri-La area of Glastonbury - but developed into a vast indoor space that will be the second largest stage on site.

Beside the Hub is the other-worldly Dome stage. An acoustically treated, 30m geodesic dome presented in the round - with the DJ's appearing in the middle of the crowd underneath lights and lasers.

All these spaces, including the main stage, are covered and soundproofed. The London Pleasure Gardens are also home to the former Charing Cross floating pier that has been converted into a cocktail bar.

Arpanet the project of Drexciyan overlord Heinrich Mueller, and To Nhan Le Thi make their second appearance ever at this summer's Bloc as a festival exclusive.

also added to the line-up and appearing playing on a fairground waltzer next to the communist ship will be Ceephax Acid Crew (live), Ray Keith, Nathan Fake, EdDMX, and Jonny Jenkinson.

Whilst the I Love Acid arena line-up has been confirmed as Mark Archer, AGT Rave Cru, DJ Placid, and Affie Yusuf.

They join headliners Snoop Dogg, and Orbital, plus Nicolas Jaar, Carl Craig, Xhin, Monolake, Surgeon, Flying Lotus, Gary Numan, Ricardo Villalobos, Squarepusher, Battles, Jeff Mills, Carl Craig, Apparat, ATOL = Modeselektor + Marcel Dettmann + Shed, Scuba, Shackleton, Ellen Allien, Sandwell District, Doom, Four Tet, Actress, Clark, Martyn, Joy Orbison b2b Jackmaster, and Raster Noton feat Alva Noto, Joker, Scion feat Tiki Man, Jacques Greene, L-Vis 1990 b2b Bok Bok, Digital Mystikz, and many more.

All of the venues for Bloc are designed, from scratch, with sound in mind - using acoustic draping, sound proofing and high spec systems. For the line-up details, and stage splits, as available please click here.

Tickets are now on sale priced at £99 for the weekend, or £125 for an express weekend ticket offering quick entry queue jump, separate bars and more. To buy tickets, click here.