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London’s Ceremony Festival announce full lineup for 2015

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Headlining Ceremony’s main stage are The Martinez Brothers, playing a London festival exclusive for summer 2015! The two Bronx-bred DJs are at the heart of today’s house and techno scene. Raised on their father’s love of New York’s Paradise Garage, the brother’s taste for classic house sounds encapsulates everything Ceremony aims to showcase – innovation, energy, and a wealth of musical heritage. Pushing this concept further is long-serving house DJ and producer Armand Van Helden,whose exclusive classic 90s set will explore his deep-rooted affiliation with New York’s club scene, going back to his roots and the string of seminal tracks he crafted under an array of aliases early in his career. Fellow American and Hot Creations label owner Lee Foss will be on-hand to represent the techno sounds of his hometown of Chicago. Elusive Parisian Shiba San will also feature, who has hit the ground running following the release of ‘Okay’ via Dirtybird last year, with support also coming from one half of No Fit State label owner Geddes and the legendary Artwork. With further appearances from London based duoEli & Fur, an ambassador of the original Jackin’ Chicago house sound, Weiss, and the inimitableMenendez Brothers, Ceremony’s main stage will be an incredible celebration of the past, present and future of electronic music culture. 
Following what promises to be his biggest Ibiza season to date, Found Series favourite, DJ Sneak brings his I’m A House Gangster movement to host Ceremony’s second arena, joined by some of his closest allies. Grammy Award nominated Todd Terry and Harry Romero – who joined Pete Tong’s Hall of Fame in 2013 – help to make up a bill that represents some of house music’s most influential producers alongside the legendary talents of Doc Martin. Bringing a taste of techno to the House Gangster arena,Ramon Tapia joins ranks having recently scooped a season residency for Magna Carta at Sankeys Ibiza, with Jesse Perez rounding off the programme.

Having featured at last year’s inaugural edition, Santé and Sidney Charles will return to Ceremony Festival with a special AVOTRE stage takeover. Heavily supported by Found since its inception, the label’s main men are renowned for their electrifying back-to-back sets that are constantly jam-packed with heavy club rollers most recently demonstrated in their 2014 summer smash ‘All Night Long’. Also joined by DJ Mag’s ‘Best Breakthrough Producer’ of 2014 Josh Butler, is special guest Hector Couto, whose recent releases alongside Cuartero and Darius Syrossian have seen his reputation rapidly accelerate.  Crosstown Rebels cohort Russ Yallop is also billed, as well as emerging Liverpudlian Dale Howard and up and coming member of the AVOTRE collective, Kalyde. 

Tipping their cap to powerful and ongoing influence of UK garage on the electronic world, is Ceremony’sHeritage stage, which will be fronted by one of the godfathers of garage house, Todd Edwards. Known for collaging cut-up samples over swung beats and disco flavoured bass lines, Edwards’ four-to-the-floor beats have earned him a passionate following that most recently won him incredible acclaim for his collaboration with Daft Punk on ‘Fragments of Time’. Former frontman of The Streets and bonafide legend of the UK scene, Mike Skinner, will also feature alongside the duo-alias of Scott Garcia and Sticky’s Foundation – two of the most influential names in UKG. Sets are also confirmed from figureheads Matt Jam Lamont and Grant Nelson  – who between them have been integral in shaping the genre’s lineage – as well as back-to-back’s from KMA Productions and Narrows, and Groove Chronicles and Mike Ruff Cut Lloyd. Another super special guest is set to be revealed before the day.

The London grime scene is at the top of its game again, with huge cultural influence in 2015. After resounding popularity of their showcase at Urban Nerds stage at last year’s Ceremony, Tropical fly the flag for grime and have now been let loose with a whole arena to themselves. Lead by one half of collective and label Boy Better Know, JME will be joined by a second, more gritty appearance from Todd Edwards as well as showcases from Birmingham-born grime and garage producers, Preditah and C4. Dubstep and grime innovator Plastician will also return to Ceremony alongside loyal representativesLogan Sama and Slimzee, whilst representing grime’s next generation is one of the most promising new voices in the scene, Novelist, and his collective The Square. A special guest of epic proportions within the grime scene is still to be announced.

London’s leading hip-hop night So Fresh So Clean are set to return to Ceremony Festival to deliver the very best in classic hip-hop and R&B from the 90s and double-ohs. Joining a very special headliner is prolific London hip-hop selector, Harry Love, a former Scratch Perverts member and one of the scene’s most beloved DJs, with a reputation that’s seen him support the likes of Jay-Z, Kanye West and Run DMC and tour with the likes of Dizzee Rascal. London’s original DJ MK and So Fresh party founders The Menendez Brothers will be in check, as well as Hutch, Dan Hills and a back-to-back with Alex Crescent and Nite Sleaze, So Fresh So Clean will ensure the vibe never falters.

Undercover lifestyle hotline Sports Banger have probably hit a venue near you with their Swamp81, RinseFM and School Records affiliated brand of party mischief. The brand is cemented by a quintessentially British t-shirt line and limited sportswear runs as probably worn by one of your favourite DJs, at some point. They bring fun and games to the Ceremony Festival 2015 VIP with an extra special line-up full of surprises and led by Artwork, a DJ who knows how to throw a party better than most. As ever VIPs jump the queue and once inside the ride, can bask in the glory of a cocktail bar, a half decent bite to eat and most importantly, some luxury loos, all soundtracked by Jonny Banger's famous DJ mates.

LINEUP.
 
CEREMONY
 
The Martinez Brothers London Festival Exclusive
Armand Van Helden Classic 90s Set
Lee Foss
Shiba San
Geddes
Artwork
Eli & Fur
Weiss
The Menendez Brothers
 
I’M A HOUSE GANGSTER
 
DJ Sneak
Todd Terry
Harry Romero
Doc Martin
Ramon Tapia
Jesse Perez
 
A VOTRE
 
Santé
Sidney Charles
Josh Butler
Russ Yallop
Dale Howard
Kalyde
Special Guest: Hector Couto
 
HERITAGE
 
Special Guest
Todd Edwards
Mike Skinner
Foundation (Scott Garcia & Sticky)
Matt Jam Lamont
Grant Nelson
KMA Productions b2b Narrows
Groove Chronicles b2b Mike Ruff Cut Lloyd
Sunship
Nexx Vencha
 
TROPICAL
 
JME
Special Guest
Todd Edwards
Preditah
C4
Plastician
Logan Sama
Novelist & The Square
Slimzee
 
SO FRESH SO CLEAN
 
Special Guest
Harry Love

DJ MK
The Menendez Brothers
Hutch
Alex Crescent b2b Nite Sleaze
Dan Hills

Camp Bestival 2015 DJ Lineup announced

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Making Bollywood his home from home, we’re massively pleased to announce a perennial favourite of our Jurassic Coast amusements, it’s the return of David Rodigan MBE presents Ram Jam, featuring a very special extra appearance from DJ Yoda, and skank-tatsic sets from Prince Fatty, Artwork & Venum Sound and the man himself. We’ll also have Bollywood-based family fun and joy-inducing beats courtesy of Norman Jay MBE presents Good Times, plus late night action with eclectic treats from The Specials’ frontman Terry Hall, and dancefloor spanking bass from Music Mondays & World of Rave with sets from Billy Daniel Bunter, Slipmatt, Rat Pack, Ragga Twins, Uncle Dugs, Jerome Hill, and DJ Faydz.

Keeping Bollywood bouncing all weekend long, we’ll also have epic sets from Camp Bestival’s wildest man Rob da Bank, house music don Ralph Lawson, world music connoisseur Andy Kershaw, and 78 specialists The Shellac Collective, plus we’ll have Big Swing Soundsystem, Balearic Brothers, DJ Dapper Dan and our old friends the Mix It UP DJ Kru.

Bollywood won’t be the only place to cut some rug during the weekend though, you’ll be able to go wild on a sound safari across the site with off the wall behaviour atCaravanserai with Chris Tofu & friends, channel hopping, sing-along-a-madness at the Silent Discos with the Sunday Best Allstars, enjoy naughty After Hours Party Tunes at the Blue Coats Clubhouse and boogie on down to the Showmany Calliope’s Daily Discos!

We know that the kids love nothing more than busting a move or fifty, so we’ve got plenty of dancefloor madness in store for them (and, let’s face it, you), too, with Kids Discos in Bollywood. Featuring daily doses of afternoon fun from Big Fish Little Fish, Friday b-boy shenanigans with Fun DMC, and a series of workshops from Carnival Dance to the lowdown from the BRIT school, it’s all going off!

Hijacked Festival announce massive lineup additions

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Presenting an eclectic music lineup that showcases the UK’s most diverse underground sounds, Hijacked Festival 2015 | Exeter takes an adventure into electronic music’s rich history, delving into techno, adventuring through the many faces of house, and reliving the evolution of bass.
 
Unique techno-tinged talent Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs plays a DJ set, pioneering producer Artwork appears, jungle forefather Congo Natty appears, plus critically acclaimed bass explorationists Dark Sky and nu-deep house party people Disciples join the party, and Bass-house duo Mak & Pasteman bring it, as Exeter one-day music and culture event heads to the picturesque grounds of Powderham Castle on Saturday May 30th.
 
Multi-talented MC, DJ and producer Chunky heads, Jabru promises to smash the ‘floor, and electronic selectors Eli & Fur take a dark turn. House creative Last Magpie offers a genre-bashing set, MermaidS, and jungle invigorators Nanci and Phoebe keep it jumping. Plus look out for Benedict Jackson, Thick As Thieves faces Budos and Xhosah, Hold It Down resident Harry Parsons, Duplex Sound and Surplus, Harry Parsons, Item, Marek Skibinski and more…
 
Club partners for Hijacked Festival 2015 | Exeter include founding promoters and Exeter party people Thick As Thieves, The Cavern’s Our House collective, South West stalwarts Hold It Down, and Exeter University’s very own dance promoter Beats and Bass Society.
 
Hijacked Festival is the result of four friends' desire to do something better. Frustrated by the lacklustre nightlife in Exeter, where electronic music was barely even catered for, Harry Horsfall, Will Millner, Laurence Mulchrone and Freddie Sparrow realised they could do better. Over the last three years, their Thick As Thieves events have helped transform the Exeter nightlife, bringing a taste of the underground to the most atmospheric venues in the city.
 
Last year, buoyed by their success, the Thieves embarked on an even more ambitious feat, presenting an intimate daytime party in a picturesque inner-city location where electronic music takes the focus – a hijack. The first Hijacked Festival event was a triumph, selling out, and 2015 is set to be even bigger. 
 
The picturesque grounds of Powderham Castle, the 600-year old home of the Earl and Countess of Devon, which stands in a beautiful deer park on the banks of the Exe estuary, plays host to the city’s second visit from Hijacked Festival – the nomadic electronic music and creativity-embracing experience that ‘hijacks’ idyllic city locations.
 
With over 3000 tickets sold, more acts to be added, and the visual artists lineup still to be announced, Hijacked Festival 2015 | Exeter will light up the city.
It’s time to get Hijacked…
 
Hijacked Festival 2015 || Exeter
Saturday May 30th
13:00
Powderham Castle
Kenton, Exeter, Devon EX6 8JQ
 
Lineup:
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (DJ Set)
 
(alphabetical order)
Artwork | Congo Natty | Dark Sky | Disciples | Mak & Pasteman
 
Chunky | Jabru | Eli & Fur | Last Magpie | MermaidS | Nanci and Phoebe
 
Aerial | Benedict Jackson | Budos | Doodles | Duplex Sound | Harry Gordon | Harry Parsons | Item | Justin Mulli
Lassa | OJF | North/South | The Magnet | Marek Skibinski | Matt Lloyd | Mylan | Surplus | Tom Deuchars | Vandeleur | Xhosah

Everywhere Festival 2014 Review

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Like Christmas for electronic music lovers, dollop's sold-out Everywhere Festival returned for its biggest Nottingham event, offering an eclectic range of 53 acts across six city venues.

Tourist's blend of building house beats on Together and the added soulful vocals of Lianne La Havas on Patterns drew a large crowd to Stealth early on. Later, Jamie xx-like percussion is added to the pitch-shifted vocals of Haim's The Wire.

Over in the Rescue Rooms, an increasing crowd awaits hotly-tipped producer Lxury. Playing Disclosure co-produced, J.A.W.S, the punchy synths and house beats flow before The Mechanism – Disclosure's house collaboration with Friend Within.

It's not all just bass and flashing lights, as the upstairs Red Room holds a secret cinema showing classic cult films.

Meanwhile in Stealth, American future-R&B singer, Kelela, who later joins Hudson Mohawke onstage during his set, showcases her effortless vocals which skitter over forward-thinking bassy trap beats in Bank Head and Enemy. Dressed in a black jumpsuit,she glides across the front of the stage during Floor Show and Go All Night before appreciatively thanking the crowd and ending with blog-favorite track, Cut For Me.

Back in Rescue Rooms, chilled electronica comes in the form of Bondax-esque duo, Snakehips, who impress early on with an edit of Amerie's, 2005 hit, One Thing before their own funky production, On My Own. Eponymous visuals flash throughout their breezy remix of The Weeknd's Wanderlust before the energetic trap beats of Make It.

Over in Rock City, the Skreamizm party is in full swing, with Artwork and Skream, respectively dropping techno and house tracks including a remix of Crystal Waters' classic Gypsy Woman before Skream follows with a remix of Fatboy Slim's Song For Shelter.

Meanwhile, Birmingham producer Hannah Wants bought her bassy house tracks, like, Dappy and Rudeboy, to a full Walkabout crowd.

House legend Mark Kinchen consistently impresses with a two-hour set of back-to-back remixes. He opens strongly by playing his remix of My Head Is A Jungle which is later followed by his edit of Rudimental's, Powerless, with Becky Hills' vocals tweaked to fit the house beat. Remixes of Paloma Faith and Duke Dumont follow suit, before Aluna Francis' vocals on White Noise are mixed seemlessly into his number one hit, Look Right Through.

Paul Woolford closes Rock City, taking the packed crowd on a journey of techno and piano-house, including late 5am highlight, Erotic Discourse.

With London counterpart, Elsewhere Festival, also held over the weekend, dollop's parties are continuing to attract the biggest names in the world of electronic music.

A series of ten events marking dollop's tenth birthday are currently taking place.

As seen originally online on the Nottingham Post website:
http://www.nottinghampost.com/Review-Festival-Rock-City-Rescue-Rooms-Stealth/story-21059001-detail/story.html

Bestival Red Bull Music Academy lineup announced

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Taking its place among more than 20 stages in 10 fields of wonderment with mega soundsystems, non-stop parties and 24-hour escapism, Bestival are delighted to announce that Red Bull Music Academy will be returning to Robin Hill once again in 2014 with a mind-blowing new stage featuring a stunning altar dedicated to dance and a winged deity. 

A takeover by Glaswegian electronic music Mafiosi Numbers, who return to Bestival for the fourth time, kicks things off on Thursday, with Jackmaster & Oneman Present Can U Danceshowcasing their four-deck manoeuvres, live sets from Redhino, and Kool Clap and Spencergoing back to back with Optimo.

Commenting on his return to Bestival Jackmaster said: “We've started thinking of Numbers at Bestival as a bit of a tradition within our ranks, as have myself and Oney with our b2b sets at the festival. Heavy looking forward to taking that to the next level with our 4 deck Can U Dance set and also welcoming two of our favourite DJs on the planet!”

Friday sees Harvey’s Discotheque taking charge, channelling the same wide-grinned disco as his sell-out UK comeback gig with RBMA in 2012. Techno DJ du jour Daniel Avery joins in, alongside stalwarts of the sunrise anthem Pachanga Boys, while Eric Duncan brings the party-throwing antics of his NYC outfit Rub N Tug to the fray, and the ever-charismatic Berlinite Hugo Capablanca goes maximal. The Red Bull Music Academy alumni corner is repped by Jolly Mare and Andre Laos, both from the 2013 edition in New York.

Speaking about his Red Bull Music Academy appearance at Bestival, Harvey said: “Having been a regular guest DJ at Rob’s original Sunday Best Party almost 20 years ago, it's a real treat to come full circle and curate my own Discotheque at Josie and Robby's Bestival, and what a theme! “We've put together a really great line-up of DJ's, some you will have heard and others that have blown my socks off when I've seen them DJ on my travels. It's an honour to play with them all for you all. I can't bloomin' wait”.

Saturday’s line-up comes packing some urban heat, headed up by Boy Better Know’s JME,Skepta, and ex-Kiss FM DJ Logan Sama. They’re joined by garage poster boy Preditah with regular collaborator C4, Rinse co-founder and “Godfather of Grime” Slimzee with Riko Dan, and dubstep pioneer and early FWD fave Plastician. Saturday’s special guest comes in the form of garage royalty DJ EZ, while RBMA alumni Elijah and Skilliam go b2b for an alumni hat-trick.

Bringing the weekend to a close, Sunday sees Diplo & friends take the headline slot, with appearances through the night from seasoned beatmaker Kaytranada, enigmatic remix artisteTrippy Turtle, dubstep originator Artwork and sublime selector Martelo. Rounding up Sunday’s roster, 2013 RBMA alumni DJ Slow and Sinjin Hawke weigh in.

Supplementing the music, the stage will be brought to life along a ‘dance temple’ design theme, complete with totem poles and resplendent tribal miscellanea inside and out – a fitting testament to the pantheon of talent on offer. Cranking out sermons of hip-swaying hedonism, the roster brings together acts from across the spectrum, giving Academy alumni the chance to share the bill with legends for a party to end all parties, at our Desert Island Disco.

Full lineup announced for Nottingham’s Everywhere Festival

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After selling out their inaugural event last year, dollop return with EVERYWHERE once again, taking place across a multitude of Nottingham's best venues on May 4th. Everywhere’s sister event in London (ELSEWHERE) takes place in various Hackney venues on May 2nd – May 3rd.

As with parent night dollop, EVERYWHERE's commitment to showcasing the upper ranks of cutting-edge club music holds firm. In amongst the currently announced acts, some names stand out as legitimate crossover acts: mainstream infiltrators and some of the most in-demand DJs working today.

Amongst them, 90s house kingpin and recent claimant of a first UK no.1 single MK will be making a very welcome trip back to the city he played twice last year: once as a special EVERYWHERE 001 guest, and again as a dollop headliner. Marc Kinchen will be joined by another unlikely chart topper in the form of 21-year-old Route 94, a producer sure to bring his love to EVERYWHERE this year. Dubstep-gone-disco wildchild Skream – arguably Croydon's finest export since Kate Moss – returns to Nottingham after a triumphant set ringing in 2014 at dollop's New Year's Eve spectacular; Artwork, his partner in festival conquering supergroup Magnetic Man, joins us for the ride too.

Hudson Mohawke first started playing for dollop back in 2010 – since then the eclectic Scot has ascended to the peak of the US hip-hop game, working closely with the likes of superstars Kanye West, Daft Punk and R.Kelly; he touches down at EVERYWHERE in advance of a feverishly-anticipated new album. Mike Skinner is yet another global superstar on the lineup, having performed Nottingham multiple times as millions-selling, Brit-winning, 00s-defining project The Streets – here he plays a rare DJ set, sure to showcase the classic UK Garage sound upon which he built his legacy.

A glut of similarly respected veterans give EVERYWHERE an unmatched authority when it comes to familiar faces of underground electronic music. Paul Woolford's run of tech house releases over the past decade marked him as an under-the-radar favourite, but 2013 proved a long-awaited breakout year: "Untitled" ran out song of the summer, and his breakbeat dalliances as Special Request kickstarted the jungle revival. Multiple dollop headliner Scuba's legacy is equally assured: first instrumental in forging middle-ground between London dubstep and Berlin techno, his decision to explore brighter house music brought a flash flood of colour back to dancefloors, pushing the Hotflush head honcho onto peak-time festival slots the world over. Enigmatic producers Floating Points and Leon Vynehall make their EVERYWHERE debuts; both will bring record bags stuffed with dusty soul, rare disco and leftfield house.

dollop's resolute dedication to showcasing upcoming talent is in full effect at EVERYWHERE 002, where the cream of the (bubbling) crop are due to play: Bass-heavy club champions Paleman and Mak & Pasteman will join up with the daddy Loefah, founder of scene-defining labels DMZ, Swamp 81, School, and a dollop mainstay. 2013's EVERYWHERE headliners Disclosure will be pitching in from the periphery this year, given that stars-in-waiting Tourist and Lxury are stablemates on the brothers' Method label. A whole glut more of dancefloor-focused house talents pad out the bill: wAFF, Richy Ahmed, Hannah Wants, Karma Kid, Isaac Tichauer and many, many more. It makes for a faintly dizzying read; and, come Sunday May 4th in Nottingham, will make for a thoroughly head-spinning run of DJ sets at the second EVERYWHERE Festival.