David Guetta

David Guetta wins 1001Tracklists top 101 Producer for 2022 – Tiesto, ARTBAT, Fisher, Swedish House Mafia and more feature

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David Guetta returns to the pinnacle after taking home the crown in 2019. Last year’s winner Vintage Culture takes second place, with Kryder coming in third place for the second straight year. 
 
 
View the full list at https://top101producers.com/ 
 
 
1001Tracklists have also released the ‘Future Of Dance’ List spotlighting 101 women and POC artists alongside the Top 101 Producers. Together with Corite they have created 1/1 NFT trophies for select artists, with all proceeds going to the ‘Future of Dance Fund’ to support underrepresented artists in dance music over the coming year. 
 
The sold out celebratory Top 101 Producers event and livestream will take place on Thursday, October 20, with award presentations and surprises for all those in attendance in Amsterdam and watching at home.
 
The Top 101 Producers 2022 are here and there’s no denying the impact that David Guetta had this year across his solo releases, Future Rave collabs with MORTEN, and underground Jack Back records. With an unmatched output and a soundscape that touches all corners of electronic music, he’s a truly deserving champion. 
 
The Top 101 Producers showcase the artists whose productions have been supported the most by DJs around the world. It’s a 100% data-driven ranking, and something that is very unique in the music industry. The rankings are calculated by summing up each artist’s unique DJ support between October 1, 2021 and September 30, 2022.
 
22 countries are represented in this year’s rankings, led by the Netherlands (25 artists) and the UK (24 artists) who had by far the greatest representation. Other countries which had strong contingents are Brazil (8 artists), the US (8 artists), France (6 artists), Italy (6 artists), Germany (4 artists), and Spain (3 artists). The following countries were also represented: Australia, Canada, Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Indonesia, Ireland, Morocco, Norway, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, and Ukraine

  

Coming in at #2 is last year’s champion Vintage Culture. He put together another incredible year of releases on Insomniac and Defected, highlighted by collabs with James Hype, GOODBOYS, and Sonny Fodera, and has been in serious demand on the club and festival circuit around the globe. 

Finishing in third place for the second year in a row is Kryder. “Piece Of Art” was an enormous release for the Ibiza based DJ/producer and he has become one of the most sought after remixers in dance music. 

After taking home his first Top 5 finish last year, John Summit has remained burning hot and moves up one place to finish at #4 in this year’s rankings. Singles “La Danza” and “Human” led the charge for the American who continues to impress with his consistent production output balanced against a packed global touring schedule.

Crossover record “The Motto” led the way for Tiësto, who rounds out the top 5 and who has now finished in the top 10 for every edition of the rankings.  

 

2022 features 34 artists making their first appearance in the Top 101 Producers, as well as 9 artists re-entering the rankings. Westend at #16 is this year’s highest new entry, followed by Anyma at #22, Joshwa at #25, and Thomas Newson at #30. This year’s biggest movers are HUGEL, who is up 73 places to #20 this year, and James Hype who has climbed 61 spots to #6. ARTBAT rose 52 places to #42, CID is up 49 spots to #11, and ALOK has moved up by 32 places to #32. 

To elevate the Top 101 Producers concept in 2022, 1001Tracklists has partnered with Corite, a blockchain based, fan engagement platform that combines traditional label services like marketing and funding with web3 products such as NFTs and play-to-earn mechanisms. Together, 1001Tracklists and Corite have created 1/1 NFT trophies for this year’s artists, many of which will be available to win via raffle at https://corite.com/1001 starting on Wednesday, October 19th.

On Thursday, October 20th, 1001Tracklists celebrates the Top 101 Producers with a sold out event at the Room Mate Aitana Hotel in Amsterdam. Headlining the event will be two of the hottest names in dance music, James Hype and MEDUZA. Also playing will be BYOR, Crusy, DubVision, Fancy Inc, Julian Jordan, Kryder, Lucas & Steve, RetroVision and a host of special back to back sets — Justri b2b Merow, RayRay b2b MorganJ, Thomas Newson b2b DONT BLINK, and Revealed presents Plastik Funk b3b Tim Hox b3b VINNE. 

1001Tracklists are hoping to make steps towards changing the electronic music industry with the ‘Future of Dance.’ Released alongside their annual Top 101 Producers rankings, the platform has also published a list of the 101 Female and POC artists that have played a huge part in the dance music scene over the past year. 

First conceived last year as a selection of 60 artists, for its second year, 1001Tracklists has ensured that the list is given equal weight as their Top 101 Producers by matching the amount of featured artists as well as publishing both on the same day. Born as a result of an ongoing lack of representation and empowerment within the music industry, the Future of Dance is not just a list – it’s a movement to inspire greater change in the dance music scene.

On Wednesday, October 19th, 1001Tracklists hosts its inaugural Future of Dance event at Soho House Amsterdam and will feature sets from some of the most inspiring female and POC artists over the last year including Andruss, AmyElle, Caiiro, ESSEL, Francis Mercier, George Mensah, Hannah Laing, Joyce Muniz, Juliet Sikora, Rayzir, Saffron Stone, and Selena Faider. Striving for more inclusivity in the electronic music community, 1001Tracklists has made it their mission to create global opportunities exclusively for minority groups, offering a platform for them to showcase their talent, as well as developing their careers further.

1001Tracklists and Corite are also teaming up to start the ‘Future of Dance Fund,’ a charitable collaboration project which will support and showcase 12 artists from November 2022 to October 2023. The fund will deliver financing, marketing, and other support to underrepresented dance music artists each month. 

The Future of Dance Fund will come from the charity raffle for the Top 101 Producers & Future of Dance NFT trophies held at https://www.corite.com/1001. Individual funds raised from each NFT raffle will go directly into an aggregate pool, which will be split evenly between the 12 monthly selections receiving support over the upcoming year.

 

For more information about the Top 101 Producers, the ‘Future Of Dance,’ head over to: www.top101producers.com

 

About 1001Tracklists: 1001Tracklists is the world’s leading DJ tracklist database, home to over 400,000 tracklists to date. While providing tracklisting and listening for festivals, radio shows, DJ sets, podcasts, and promo mixes, 1001Tracklists has built a comprehensive database and a devoted international community, firmly establishing itself as the Wikipedia of dance music. Because of its unique insight and transparent data, the 1001Tracklists website has become a trusted reference point, industry standard, and leading media brand in electronic music.

 

About Corite: The Corite platform empowers artists to engage their fans in new, mutually beneficial ways by allowing fans to become backers, supporting the artists’ vision, work and music. By launching fan-funded campaigns on Corite, artists can generate additional revenue streams prior to releasing music, allowing for enhanced marketing and promotional release strategies, while simultaneously rewarding their active backers with a portion of the royalties. The Corite platform employs fan missions that enable fans to earn fan power, which can be used for physical and digital rewards such as NFTs, digital merchandise, VIP tickets, meet and greets, and more.

Exit Festival announce first acts for 2021

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Tyga

From 8th till 11th July 2021 EXIT will once again welcome people from over 100 countries to gather at one of the biggest medieval fortresses in Europe, set high on the banks of the river Danube in Novi Sad, Serbia.

First headliners that are revealed include one of the most influential music producers and Grammy awarded artist David Guetta, two-time leader of “Billboard’s” singles list and one of the biggest hip hop acts Tyga and DJ Snake, the author of many popular global hits and winner of two Billboard awards. A special moment is left for the finale end when one of world’s most in demand DJs Eric Prydz and the acclaimed electronic artist Four Tet will join forces for a special b2b set to create one of the most iconic closing performances at the spectacular mts Dance arena stage. Exit’s 20th anniversary simply couldn’t pass without the powerful Sepultura, a legendary metal band with fourteen albums and some of the riffs which have left a mark on rock music in general. After last year’s magnificent performance, Dax J is set to bring the flame of techno in a furious b2b with Kobosil. The line up will also feature the new generation of EXIT stars including german DJ and producer Boris Brejcha, indie heroes Metronomy, Grammy Award winner for lifetime achievement and live punk icon Marky Ramone, swedish rock sensation Thundermother, Denis Sulta, and leading regional music artist such as Laibach, Marko Nastić, Goblini, Massimo, Coeus, Kristijan Molnar b2b After Affair, Lag, Layzie, Runy, Space Motion. These are just the first round of confirmed acts, many new names and surprises will be announced soon.

David Guetta

Isle of Wight Festival 2017

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Thursday 8th June 2017 

The Isle of Wight opened its gates to the crowds on Thursday afternoon, the skies had opened up and people were arriving for the pre-festival evening on The Big Top stage, ‘The sex pissed dolls', 'The Alarm', 'Starsailor' and the headliners 'Razorlight', were waiting to perform. The rain surrounded the crowd but nothing but good music and a pint or two couldn't cure. 

When arriving at the festival, security was on high alert, this didn’t alarm people attending the Isle of Wight. They just made people aware that there would be more of a wait than normal whilst checks were being made. Most punters did not mind or complain due to the current events happening around the United Kingdom, most talked and got ready to enjoy the festival waiting on the other side of the gates, some made it known they didn’t appreciate the wait, but they didn't ruin a good vibe between the crowds waiting for the four-day festival to begin. 

This year I decided I wanted to rent a tent rather than build one, yes this does sound lazy but actually totally worth it. Not only was there heavy rain when I arrived but it was cold and damp, building a tent in that would have been a nightmare. (Sorry to all those who had to do this.) But I was not one of them, This year I rented a tent from the company 'Pink Moon Camping', (http://www.pinkmooncamping.co.uk) Things didn’t go as smoothly as one would have hoped, When arriving the two Tipi tent that my friend and I rented was flooded inside and not looking appealing to sleep in. We had to go and get assistance whilst waiting in the pouring rain for the manager to help us. She helped us as quickly as possible and in turn upgraded our tent to a much more sturdy four person tipi. This tent was dry and a lot bigger than we were expecting, and at no extra cost was perfect for the four nights we were attending the festival. The facilities were limited but decent enough for a quick shower or toilet break, they could have done with a few more toilets and showers for a number of people hiring the tents, as the wait could be long. but the staff themselves were helpful and polite at all times and they did keep the facilities as clean as possible. 

After venturing out in the rain on a few occasions 'Razorlight' performed hits such as ‘America’, ‘Golden Touch’ and ’Before I fall to pieces’ (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIj97HUUT0E&feature=youtu.be) They provided good entertainment that got the crowd riled up on what felt like a cold winters night, it was hard to believe it was the first weekend of June, with the weather conditions as they were. The forecast for the weekend at first looked peek, but after the torrential rain on Thursday the skies turned blue, clouds came out and some high winds blasted their way around. To say this wasn’t wellies season would have been a lie. 

Friday 9th June 2017 

After the down poor on Thursday, I was surprised to see the tent was still standing, but the blue skies were peeking through. Today looked like a good day, thousands upon thousands of people were arriving to celebrate the best of the music industry within the United Kingdom. 

The big top stage supported acts such as 'Paradisa', 'Lucy Spraggan', 'Ward Thomas', 'The Pretenders' and 'Alison Moyet'. 'Alison Moyet' performed a 55-minute electronic set, bringing all her hits to the stage, she performed songs such as ‘all cried out’, ‘Only you’ and ‘don’t go’. She gave a sensual and elegant performance on The Big Top Stage. 

On the other side of the festival on the Main stage people were gathering for the likes of  'David Guetta', 'Run DMC', 'Kaiser Chiefs', 'Rag ’n’ Bone Man', 'Nothing But Thieves' and the 'Sex Pissed dolls'. 

'Sex Pissed Dolls' opened the stage with famous covers such as 'Teenage kicks', 'Common people' and 'Serial Killer', they provided and energetic and engaging performance, getting the crowd ready for the line up of the evening and what a line up it was. 'Rag ’n’ Bone man' performed for 45 minutes covering his first ever Isle of Wight festival. Performing to thousands of fans, he provided songs from his debut album belting out hit after hit such as Skins, Humans, Fire and ending with the Bitter end. He opened up the road for 'Kaiser Chiefs' bringing back classics such as 'We predict a riot', 'Ruby' and 'Na Na Na'. These songs got the crowd up and dancing like it was 2007. They were engaging and on point and provided great entertainment. 

The Headliners for this evening where the legendary Hip Hop kings of New York 'Run DMC' and the sensational  'DJ David Guetta'.  'Run DMC' took us back to the 80’s with hits such as 'It’s like that', 'My Adidas' and 'Runs House'. He provided stories of legendary 'DJ J' and his sons whom in turn have followed in their fathers' footsteps, we paid respect to late J and enjoyed singing along with 'Walk this way' at the end of the night. Due to technical issues throughout the first night. We had to wait a little longer for 'David Guetta', he was definitely worth waiting for, he isn’t known as one of the Best DJs around the world for no reason. He provided a light show that connected to his music and got everyone raving, to hits such as 'Play hard', 'Titanium', 'shot me down' and the outstanding beat of 'Bad'. There was no way you could sit still through this legendary set that ended a fantastic night with fireworks. 

Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival by Callum Baker

Saturday 10th June 2017 

Day three started with a bacon bap, some sunny spells and a shower, once fresh and ready to go we checked out what was on the agenda for today.  The Big Top tent provided artists such as 'The Germain Sisters', 'Bang Bang Romeo', 'Melanie C', 'Zara Larson' and 'Example and DJ Wire'. 

Over on the Main Stage, 'My Baby', 'The Slow Readers Club', 'Tom Chaplin', 'Jack Savoretti', 'Texas', 'The Kooks', 'Catfish and the Bottlemen' and 'Arcade Fire' were performing throughout the day. 

'Tom Chaplin' lead singer from Keane, provided songs from his debut album The Wave, he played songs such as 'Quicksand', 'hardened heart' and 'hold on to our love', he sang a classic from Keane 'Somewhere only we go' and the audience joined in, his voice and performance was sublime, no fault found he performed with such ease and confidence. A pleasure to watch. 

As the day went on the sun made its appearance once and while, but the wind made the day feel like a winter's afternoon, For a day in June I was supporting four layers of clothing and a rainproof jacket. The kooks provided movement and great music before opening up the stage to the one and only 'Texas', This was their first time performing at the Isle of Wight Festival, Texas provided songs from their 25 years within the music industry such as 'I don’t want a lover', 'Black-eyed Boy', 'When we are together' and 'summer son', which in turn brought the sun out from behind the clouds. Creating a warmer environment for performers Arcade Fire Who headlined the festival on that Saturday evening. 

Photo courtesy of Isle of Wight Festival by David Rutherford

In the mean time i ventured over to the tents, Exploring the 'The Electro Love 80’s Tent', Catching the Tribute band Gun’s and Roses who sounded and performed with as much energy as the originals, They were followed by the 'Mocky Horror Show', a group of actors performing classic songs from the Legendary Rocky Horror show. The show was entertaining and to the Tee. We ventured over to the Kiwi Camp for an Acousticokkee night, where individuals could sing their hearts out, The punters made the night brilliant the humour mixed with decent voices made a great end to a brilliant evening. 

Sunday 11th June 2017 

The last day of the festival, one more night in a tent and then a two-hour journey back to the good old South West. Today's agenda is looking strong and exciting. 

The Big Top Tent is providing music from 'Judas', 'The Amazons', 'The Sherlocks', 'The Undertones', 'The Strypes' and 'Clean Bandit'. 

But today for me it is all about the Main Stage, today on the agenda was no other than the legendary 'Rod Stewart', who shared the stage with 'Bastille', 'George Ezra', 'Imelda May', 'The Shires', 'The Vamps', 'Jack Maynard' and 'Scouting for Girls'. 

'The Shires' brought the sound of the country to the isle of wight, bringing Nashville to the United Kingdom, Their unique sound and vibrant voices bring goosebumps to your soul. They performed songs from their latest album and their debut album, such as 'Beats to the Rhythm', 'State line', 'I just want to love you' and 'Daddy’s little girl'. When listening to them perform you can feel every word they are singing and no they mean every word they perform. 

The Irish singer/ songwriter 'Imelda May' performed for the first time on the Main Stage at the Isle of Wight, she bought her unique and roar talent centre stage. bringing her own style and energy giving an honest and soul-bearing performance to the crowd, performing songs such as 'Black tears', 'Leave me lonely' and 'Human'. She generated the true essence to show the beauty in the words of the music. 

This opened the ground for the young and talented 'George Ezra' his performance was giddy and fun and very innocent. Performing music that was created when figuring out what life is all about, he performed songs such as 'Barcelona', 'Blame it on me' and 'Budapest', which he closed his set with and everyone got involved and danced around. This opened the night for the Legend 'Rod Stewart'.

'Rod Stewart' Closed the festival with an hour and fifty minutes performing hits that ventured over the last 56 years within the British music industry. This was his first time that he had performed at the Isle of Wight Festival and what an honour it was.  As an artist, he has had six consecutive number one album's within the UK and has sold over one hundred million records worldwide. He bought his sound and his husky voice to the Isle of Wight festival. As a performer, he sounded just as good today as he did 56 years ago. He hasn’t lost his vocals but yet adapted his performance.

He added layers to his sound and used beautiful musicians to capture the sound of his songs that he has created over the last few decades., His performance was strong and epic to watch he was outstanding and charismatic with the audience. His many clothing changes brought out his fun, loving and cheeky side whilst he performed songs such as 'Maggie May', 'I don't want to talk about it', 'Do Ya think I'm sexy' and ended the night on 'Sailing'. He was for me the highlight of the weekend and provided great entertainment. What a great way to end 2017. Now here’s to 2018 IOW festival…. Let's hope it’s as good as this one. 

The Isle Of Wight Festival Preview, June 8-11 2017

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Festival season is nearly here 2017 is starting off with a bang and the Isle of Wight Festival will be taking place on the weekend of the 8th – 11th June, this year will be celebrating 'The Best of the British'. 

This year's headliners are some of the most creative, outstanding and some of the most influential performers to date. Rod Stewart and Arcade Fire will be joined by RUN DMC and David Guetta who will be performing some of the most outstanding anthems that they have created over the past few decades.

The Isle of Wight will be opening their gates for festival goers on Thursday 8th June, with the one and only Razorlight, They will be sharing the stage with artists such as Starsailor, The Alarm and The Sex Pissed Dolls. They will be creating the atmosphere for a weekend of antics and live music, for people from all around visiting one of the biggest festivals in the UK. 

Joining the isle of wight headliners, artists such as: The Kaiser Chiefs who will be bringing there energetic and powerful performance to the stage with fellow artists, Example + DJ Wire, The second sons, The amazons, The Novatones, Judas, The Vamps, The Strypes, Clean bandit and Zara Larson who will be followed by the band Texas who is performing for the first time in over a year after celebrating 25 years in the industry, they will be sharing the stage with artists such as Alison Moyet,  Rag 'n' bones Man, George Erza, The shires and Jack Savoretti. With the Pretenders providing us with a classic such as 'I will walk 500 miles and i will walk 500 more"  getting the crowd to there feet to party the night away. 

2017 will be the 16th Isle of Wight Festival since it was successfully relaunched in 2002 to become one of the most popular weekends of the summer, with a proud heritage of show-stopping headliners such as Foo Fighters, The Rolling Stones, The Killers, Paul McCartney, Coldplay, Blur and Fleetwood Mac and the legendary Queen starring Adam Lambert.

There will be crowds of people celebrating the best within the industry, that have created so many lasting memories within British History, they have performed to thousands upon thousands of fans within their careers and they will be playing to one of the largest audience within the UK.  Celebrating the Isle of Wight festival, whilst creating the atmosphere,  bringing the crowds of people together to sing along, dance and to create new and long lasting memories.

So Bring your sleeping bags, your tents and lets celebrate 2017 as it is meant to be celebrated, with good people, laughter and outstanding music, Here's to 2017 The Best and most influential Artists In the music industry.

See you there guys,

Isle of Wight Festival Information:

Basic information:

Weekend with / without Camping – £195
Day Ticket: Friday – £60 / Saturday and Sunday – £80
Student – £175
Teen – £145
Children Under 12: Free
*Prices subject to a booking fee

Camping options:

Camp Kerala Mademoiselle provide Luxury Glamping backstage with room service and VIP transport.
Eve's Tipis – Try something different and stay in a tipi! Enjoy cocktails or champagne from the bar, or some hot breakfast options to start your day right.
Podpads – Bunk down in the colourful Podpads with solid wood or canvas options.
Love Your Tent – Enjoy an ethical camping experience plus hot showers and a Poodle Parlour!
Pink Moon Camping – Choose from a colourful collection of accommodation and enjoy your weekend with a unique camping experience
Tangerine Fields – This is ever festival-goers dream for a hassle free camping experience. Just book your pitch and the rest is done for you!

To find out more information on Weekend Tickets, Day Tickets and camping check out
www.isleofwightfestival.com

 

David Guetta and Run DMC to co-headline Isle of Wight Festival 2017

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The Isle of Wight Festival today reveals world superstar DJ, David Guetta and legendary New York hip hop group Run DMC will co-headline the Main Stage on Friday 9th June, They join Arcade Fire and Rod Stewart who will top the bill on Saturday and Sunday night. In addition, chart favourites George Ezra, Rag’n’Bone Man, Bastille and Jack Savoretti add to the most exciting line-up of the summer.

Giving the festival a massive injection of memorable hip-hop beats and electrifying electronic dance anthems, the two world famous acts will ensure a spectacular start to what is the first festival of the summer, ahead of a full weekend of live music and entertainment.

Run DMC’s Joseph Simmons said: “We absolutely love playing in the UK, it’s always such a great reception. You guys rock!  To be given the chance to play such an iconic UK festival is huge and we’re really looking forward to it!” 

Festival promoter John Giddings said: “The Isle of Wight Festival has always been known for its variety in music and this year is no different. To have the world’s first and most inspiring hip hop group headlining alongside one of the world's biggest electronic DJ’s is fantastic. I’m also really excited about George Ezra, Rag ‘N’ Bone Man, Bastille and Jack Savoretti. Again there’s something for everyone. I know the crowds at the festival are going wild for all the acts, not just the headliners.”

Run DMC are widely known as one of the most influential acts in the history of hip hop culture. They were the first rap group to be certified gold, to be certified platinum, to have a Top 10 single and feature on the cover of The Rolling Stone magazine. This year they also become the first rap group to receive a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The Queens-bred group, comprised of Darryl "DMC" McDaniels, Joseph "Reverend Run" Simmons and the late Jason "Jam Master Jay" Mizell. Formed in 1981, the group have spent over three decades performing with the likes of the Beastie Boys and Aerosmith, and have gone on to sell over 230 million records worldwide.

David Guetta has played a pivotal role in turning dance music into the chart-topping juggernaut it is today. His impact has been impossible to ignore, or to underestimate. He can be considered among the elite group of super-producers whose sound is synonymous with an era – such as Trevor Horn, Rick Rubin or Dr Dre. Guetta has sold over nine million albums and 30 million singles worldwide and has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music including; Sia, Akon, Kelly Rowland, Flo Rida, Rihanna, Usher, Nicki Minaj, Jessie J and Chris Brown. 

George Ezra is an acclaimed English singer-songwriter and musician. His debut album, ‘Wanted On Voyage’, was released in June 2014 and featured the global hit single ‘Budapest’, which achieved platinum status in both the UK and the US, and a second UK top 10 single ‘Blame It On Me’. It was the third best-selling UK album of 2014, and in the top 20 best-selling UK albums of the decade so far, selling a total of 3 million albums worldwide. George Ezra has been nominated for four BRIT Awards, MTV Music Awards, Q Awards and the Ivor Novello Awards.  

Neo-blues & soul singer Rory Graham, Rag‘n’Bone Man, is signed to Columbia Records. His debut single for Columbia, ‘Human’ dropped in July 2016 and was a huge hit in several European countries, topping the charts in Germany. Rag’n’Bone Man received this year’s BRITs Critics’ Choice Award, the award has continued to successfully highlight and identify future British recording talent before it happens. 

Founded by singer-songwriter Dan Smith in 2010, British band Bastille topped the Official Albums Chart in 2013 with their debut LP ‘Bad Blood’, which includes the hit singles ‘Flaws’, ‘Pompeii’ and ‘Of The Night’. Their second album ‘Wild World’ repeated the former's success, also reaching Number One in the charts. 

Former poet-turned-acoustic singer-songwriter Jack Savoretti, released his first single in 2006. Savoretti has gone on to release five studio albums, ‘Between The Minds’, ‘Harder Than Easy’, ‘Before The Storm’, ‘Written in Scars’ and ‘Sleep no more’

V Festival 2016 Review

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This summer has been something of a festival adventure for me. From the Valencian coast to the Garden of England, I’ve experienced a whole mixture of music, workshops, performers, and events, but V Festival is by far the biggest festival yet, and definitely the most commercial. The style of the festival has definitely changed since it’s conception 21 years ago. Although Kaiser Chiefs took the MTV stage, and Jake Bugg played a beautifully executed set of Country Rock and Roll on Sunday, the presence of typical rock, indie bands or simple singer-songwriters seemed almost banished from the premises, different from the days when Kasabian, Paul Weller and the Courteeners would take the stage. The festival this year boasted iconic pop headliners instead, with Justin Bieber taking the Saturday slot in Hylands park and Rihanna closing the Chelmsford site on Sunday, their 90,000 people capacity can definitely be seen packed across the various stages.

 

 

V Festival is one of the main chapters of the British festival season. It’s increasingly popular, features a lot of various stalls from sponsors, and a tonne of fairground rides. For a festival this size there are only two campsites, which though both incredibly large, are meticulously separated at ticket purchasing. When buying a V festival ticket You can choose to camp in either red or yellow, and if you have friends in another campsite or make some there who happen to have chosen differently, too bad, the security will probably bite your head off for suggesting you pay them a visit. This being said, the campsites themselves are pretty well organised, lit and have their own food vendors to satisfy their chosen ones, not to mention your fellow neighbours are friendly enough. Contrary to many rumours of tent burning, I saw absolutely no mindless violence or foul behaviour, but maybe that's because they were all in yellow camp, so I guess I’ll never know.

 

V is technically only a two-day festival, but with the vast majority of punters arriving on the Friday, the Arena is open, which at this point fairly clean, and the Radio 1/MTV stage showcased the likes of the incredible DJ EZ and Eric Prydz, who although had an incredible light show, played a set perhaps a bit too house inspired, and the silent disco is open until 1am to subdue the crowds and simultaneously adhere to the residential sound level of the Chelmsford area.

Smirnoff House

Saturday rolled around, and boasted a whole load of dance acts, such as the Smirnoff house stage, where Tinie Tempah’s DJ (if you could call him that) somehow wowed the crowds with his repetitive mix of hits. On the live music front, however, Rick Astley made a comeback with an incredible live performance. A big turnout and lots of fun, he threw in a cover of Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk before ending his set with his beloved classic Never Gonna Give You Up, he certainly didn’t let us down. Also on the MTV stage, John Newman blew away expectations with new track Olé, as well as some classics and his Rudimental beginnings, also throwing in a surprising lone acoustic song written only a week previous, and performed for the first time on that stage. Emotional messages for loved ones graced the lyrics of the song, and although widely unexpected, it was a touching moment in an otherwise jam-packed show. Saturday also saw the likes of pop princesses Jess Glynne and Zara Larsson play, as well as the actual Tinie Tempah, and the elusive Sia’s strangely captivating stage show, which although fifteen minutes late was incredibly entertaining.

Performers at Sia

But really we need to talk about Justin. Rumours about a cancelled set were floating around on the Friday, and when he took the stage Saturday evening it was clear to see why. Looking desperately hungover, and clinging onto signs of life in his various backup dancers, any energy was almost non-existent and he’s half-hearted miming to about half the set was not fully appreciated by the crowd. This, paired with the fact he kept treating the whole show as another stop on the Purpose world tour; and calling the crowd ‘London’ over and over again, made for a pretty disappointing set, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, advise him to take an Alka-Seltzer next time and put it down to illness.

Justin Bieber

One thing that V festival has upped it’s game on is the food vendors around and inside the arena. After some freshly ground coffee, a chicken Caesar Salad with soft poached eggs and (my favourite) a four-cheese Mac N Cheese topped with Jerk Chicken, I can safely conclude you will be able to find something amazing to eat, which you’re going to need to keep you going as you power walking through the absolutely massive festival site.

Sunday came around even quicker than expected and brought with it a lot of more guilty pleasures. All Saints made their reunion on the main stage, and my childhood was made in the few minutes it took them to perform Never Ever and Pure Shores. Following on the Girl Band theme of the day, Little Mix also took the main stage, though opening with Salute and rocking khaki leotards, took a very Destiny’s Child turn, which, alongside a bubbly, high energy stage presence, worked for them massively, as well as bringing Lethal Bizzle on stage with them, driving their fans wild. The main stage also saw the likes of Travis, which though nostalgically fun, didn’t really fit with the other artists, and Example, who seemed to be experiencing some technological issues around his sound, but was fun to watch all the same.

All Saints

Little Mix

 

Over on the MTV stage, Big Sean brought the fire and got the crowd going, ending with his signature ‘I don’t F**k with you’ – a big favourite among the Adidas, flower garland-wearing crowd. Katy B also hit the MTV stage, performing a few of her old tracks, as well as some new ones. Jake Bugg played the MTV stage shortly after, which although backed up by only a band, some simple lights and a colourful backdrop, blew the smaller crowd away with his faultless voice and mesmerising lyrics. David Guetta was the second to last act on the mainstage, just before Bad Gal RiRi herself closed the festival, taking inspiration from the art deco style of the 80’s with her stage show, and seemingly channelling Michael Jackson from beyond the grave, she gave a show-stopping performance. A set which combined the Dirty Diana/ Billie Jean styled tunes of ANTI – Desperado and Love on the Brain amongst my favourites, alongside a lot of fan favourites, including a medley of Run This Town, Live Your Life, and Love The Way You Lie. Although the mass amount of crowd around us were rather uninteresting and seemed content at watching the show through a smartphone, her voice, performance and crowd-pleasing setlist was enough to make us move and put the biggest, guiltiest smile on my face.

 

Big Sean

The crowd and general atmosphere of the whole festival was pretty boring, a lot of the festival goers seemed a lot more interested in their image than the acts, which was a bit of a first for me. Because the Lineup at V is so commercial, you don’t really get to stumble across many new bands or acts, as I’ve been lucky enough to do at other, smaller festivals. The smaller stages boost either DJs, already established artists or other acts such as comedy – which although enjoyable – doesn’t scream the festival atmosphere I enjoy. Where I appreciate that  V is one of the most expensive of the British festivals and therefore needs to pack in a crowd-pleasing list, it's lineup is actually pretty small, and doesn’t hold nearly as many artists as one of its main rivals, say Reading + Leeds, who still manage to support and showcase new bands.

I knew from the get-go that V wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, and with this in mind, I did still have a great time. It’s sheer size and sponsorship means that they get some big names, and they know how to accommodate them, the stage show for each performance fairly mesmerising and well planned. There’s also a fair amount of things to see and do (provided you’re willing to pay) but if as long as you like the music, walking, camping, and are adamant that you want to be surrounded by like-minded Instagram happy crowds, then V is the one for you, and you will definitely have fun.

David Guetta, Tiesto, Eric Prydz and more to headline Electrobeach 2016

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France’s biggest electronic music festival Electrobeach is set to have worldwide fans gravitating to it’s latest edition, as it prepares to return to the stunning Port-Barcarès for its fourth official anniversary this July. In a line-up packing enough weight to make galactic waves, a celestial cast of David Guetta, Tiësto, Martin Garrix, Eric Prydz, Axwell / Ingrosso, Hardwell, Martin Solveig and many more are amongst confirmed names for 2016 – with the festival announcing the addition of a brand new techno-focused stage for the very first time.  

 Constituting a solar system of acts big enough to have orbits of their own,Electrobeach eclipses all for this year’s three-day spectacular. French supernova David Guetta acts as captain, with a whole array of groundbreaking and ground-shaking artists set to join him. ‘Opus’ hitmaker Eric Prydz will make an appearance alongside Dutch superstar Martin Garrix, with the Tiësto returning in triumph as do Martin Solveig and Axwell / Ingrosso. The festival even welcomes red carpet rebel Ruby Rose to it’s A-list clique, as well as Moombahton master Dillon Francis, Nile Rodger’s and Rihanna collaboratorNicky Romero and IDMA’s number 1 Global DJ Hardwell.

Upholding the French Tricolour and all the passion of its dance community, the ‘Treasured Soul’ of Michael Calfan is confirmed, as well as one of Forbes’ ’30 Under 30’s DJ Snake. This year’s Beach Stage will be purely focused on the countries most exciting exports – welcoming the likes of Norman Doray andGregory Klosman – and sees Electrobeach putting French DJ’s and nightclub residents at its front and centre throughout the weekend. Paris’ Fun Radio are also on the scene with their specialist selectors, set to air a ‘le son dancefloor’ out of studio and under the sun; likewise, Flaix FM crash the party from Catalan to flex their own respected residents. In a festival first, Electrobeach’s patriotism will be pushed even further with a prized demonstration from thePatrouille de France – a flyover of famous flair that will fill cloudless skies in what’s set to be a stunning weekend highlight.
 
Proving themselves attuned to the meteoric rise of techno, Electrobeach’s next and last trick for 2016 is to call on the cut of crews in Cocoon, Luciano & Friends, and a yet to be announced third force. With Cocoon’s very own SvenVäth on board, the festival packs no punches with the addition of dance legendLuciano. Label residents Marcus Fix and Cesar Merveille will represent each brand respectively, making Electrobeach’s latest expansion both equally authentic as it is exciting.
 
With Electrobeach 2016 continuing to captivate crowds as it celebrates every eccentricity of the electronic music scene, its position in the festival calendar shines brightly. For those looking for a picture perfect setting and pitch perfect sound, its three-day offering is an unmissable one.

Ultra Europe Phase 1 lineup announced for 2016

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Ultra Europe
In a little over four months time, Europe’s Premier Destination Music Festival – ULTRA Europe – will welcome a dazzling array of DJs and electronic acts to the Dalmatian coast for its fourth annual edition.
 
Some of those headlining ULTRA Europe across three days, from July 15-17 at Split’s majestic Poljud Stadium, will be global megastars including (listed in alphabetical order) Above & Beyond, Adam Beyer, Afrojack, Alesso, Armin van Buuren, Carl Cox, Dash Berlin, David Guetta,Hardwell, Jamie Jones, Marco Carola, Martin Garrix, DJ Snake and Solomun.
 
Support comes from Gouryella, Hot Since 82, Ida Engberg, Joseph Capriati, Markus Schulz, Nic Fanciulli and W&W.
 
 
With Phase Two set to be announced for the main event very soon, and with lineups still to be revealed for the OPENING PARTY at Giraffe Palm Beach Club, Yacht Regatta, ULTRA Beach andRESISTANCE CLOSING PARTY, the second annual edition of Destination ULTRA is shaping up to be even bigger than ever before.
 
Destination ULTRA 2016 Dates:
 
July 14 – Opening Party @ Giraffe Palm Beach House, Split
July 15-17 – ULTRA Europe @ Poljud Stadium, Split
July 18 – Yacht Regatta @ Zlatni Rat Beach, Bol, Brač
July 19 – ULTRA Beach @ Hotel Amfora Grand Brach Resort, Hvar
July 20 – RESISTANCE Closing Party

Justin Bieber & Rihanna to headline V Festival 2016 + more announced

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V Festival 2016, sponsored by Virgin Media, will be graced by global chart royalty this summer as Justin Bieber and Rihanna dominate the headline slots across the legendary festival weekend. Our 21st birthday celebrations will take place at Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire on 20 and 21 August 2016. 

Performing exclusively at his only UK festival this summer, Bieber, who also shares his age with us, will treat you guys to his debut V Festival performance and a sneak peak of his upcoming tour, ‘Purpose’. After smashing UK chart records by simultaneously holding the number one, two and three spot in the UK single charts, the Grammy winner is expected to pull the V Festival crowds in their thousands.

To cement the line-up with true superstar status, Rihanna is will round off the headline bill with another electric performance as she returns to V Festival after five years. The Bajan singer will be bringing the hotly anticipated and unmissable ‘Anti World Tour’ to her only UK festival of the summer.

Adding to V Festival 2016’s international superstar line-up and will be Australian superstar songstress, Sia, and superstar DJ, David Guetta – who are both UK festival exclusives for V Festival 2016. Sia, who is word famous for her own critically acclaimed material, has also written for some of the world’s biggest artists including Beyoncé, Britney Spears and even penned headliner Rihanna’s hit ‘Diamonds’. Global DJ phenomenon David Guetta is one of the most successful artist DJ’s in UK chart history and is well-known for his energetic live shows, bringing the full-on party atmosphere and enthralling sold-out crowds across the world – this set will be unmissable.

Also performing on the Virgin Media stage are British indie rock favourites Bastille, the world’s biggest girl group Little Mix, Grammy winner Jess Glynne and party starter, John Newman.

In another V Festival debut, BBC Radio 1 will host a new stage on Friday night across both Chelmsford and Staffordshire sites. Adding to this incredible new set up, the BBC Radio 1 Summer of Dance stage will bring its all new Summer of Dance line-up, guaranteed to add chart-topping dance anthems, the hottest artists, and newest releases into the mix. Further details including the line up will be announced during Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show on Friday 4th March.

As well as international chart-toppers, a host of homegrown British talent will also feature on the star-studded bill. Legendary V Festival favourites,Faithless return for their seventh time, while BRIT Award winners Kaiser Chiefs will bring the hits. Further British talent includes BBC Sound of 2015 winners Years and Years, singer-songwriter Jake Bugg, UK Garage legend Craig David with his TS5 set, The Voice UK and X Factor star Rita Ora, two-time Brit winner Tinie Tempah and festival favourites Example and Katy B.

Halsey will grace the festival as well as Troye Sivan, who with a unique acting, blogging and musical background under his belt, is sure to deliver an unmissable set. Bringing the rock ‘n’ roll will be BRIT Award winners Travis, singer-songwriter James Morrison and Joe Jonas’ pop rock band,DNCE. Grammy winner Foxes, X Factor star Fleur East and legendary British-Canadian girl band All Saints will each add a pop flavour to the weekend. Soul II Soul will bring the good vibes, while ‘Fester Skank’ smash artist, Lethal Bizzle, DJ EZ, Sigma (DJ set), Flight Facilities, and Big Sean will bring the pounding beats and furious flow to a phenomenal V Festival 2016 line up.

Tickets go on sale on Friday 26th February at 9.30am. Please only book through our official outlets LISTED HERE. Purchasing tickets from unofficial outlets could lead to disappointment.

The full line-up includes: Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Sia, David Guetta, Faithless, Kaiser Chiefs, Years & Years, Jake Bugg, Bastille, Rita Ora, Tinie Tempah, Jess Glynne, Little Mix, Craig David’s TS5, Katy B, Halsey, Example, Troye Sivan, DJ EZ, James Morrison, Travis, John Newman, Foxes, DNCE, Sigma (DJ set), All Saints, Fleur East, Soul II Soul, Big Sean, Flight Facilities, and Lethal Bizzle with more acts still to be announced.

Wireless Festival 2015 Full Review

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Thousands flocked to Finsbury Park this weekend for popular festival – Wireless. Each year the festivals line up is spectacular, Summer Festival Guide headed over to check things out. With over 40 acts on both  Saturday and Sunday; including Ciara, Jessie J, David Guetta, Nicki Minaj, Avicci and Kendrick Lamar, Wireless was sure to be a festival not to be forgotten.
 
With the sun beating down on Finsbury Park Saturday's sold-out show, started to fill out almost immediately. As the crowd flooded through the gates of Finsbury Park, they were greeted by a high-spirited Conor Maynard who kicked started Saturday on the main stage, whilst KStewart and Ady Sulieman took to the other two stages. 
 
Raleigh Ritchie and Tinashe later took to the main stage and both performed equally good sets. Raleigh got the crowd jumping around and seemed to genuinely enjoy it just as much as they were enjoying him. Tinashe performed a great up beat set from her latest album Aquarius. Summer Festival Guide caught up with Raleigh Ritchie back stage where he told us about his love for performing, festivals and Game of Thrones.
 
Indiana took to the Pepsi Max Arena where she slowed things down a bit and performed a very mellow set. Fans swayed as the singer performed tracks from her latest album – ‘No Romeo’ and she drew in the crowd however the singer sped things up a bit towards the end of her set and the crowd loved it. 
 
Whilst waiting for Mary J Blige crowds flocked to numerous food vans to refuel. Ranging from Chinese to Mexican, Vegan to Steak Grills and Lebanese to Caribbean food the crowd were definitely spoilt for choice. Mary J Blige dived straight in to her set list starting with her hit song ‘Just Fine’. The crowd immediately jumped to their feet and started dancing. Mary J had the crowd dancing for the whole 45 minutes of her set. With a great set list and her high-spirit Mary J had the crowd eating out of the palm of her hands.
 
Gorgon City and Childish Gambino later took to the main stage. Whilst Stormzy took to the RE: WIRED stage. Gorgon City's up beat set had the crowd dancing with range of hits including 'Stronger', 'Rather Be' & 'Real Love'. 
 
The mult-talented Childish Gambino ran out onto the main stage next and it wasn't long before he was shirtless and belting out 'Crawl', 'Worldstar' and more from his back cataloge of albums.
 
Stormzy had a huge crowd for his highly anticipated set performing his latest tracks to a very appreciative crowd who sung their hearts out word for word. 
 
As the crowd waited for Kendrick Lamar yet again they headed for the food vans and the bars to refuel and rehydrate. Kendrick took to the stage performing many tracks both old and new including 'Backstreet Freestyle', 'Bitch Don't Kill My Vibe' and 'Swimming Pools (Drank). The crowd loved Kendrick and Kendrick loved the crowd. Avicii wowed crowds when he later took to the stage and saw what had been an amazing day off with an equally amazing set and a spectacular light and firework display. 
 
Sunday afternoon saw Wretch 32 kick start the day off on the main stage with an impressive performance. Also kicking off the day around the park was Samm Henshaw on the Re: WIRED stage and Kiko Bun in the Pepsi Max Arena. Summer Festival Guide caught up with Samm Henshaw backstage and he was just as happy and full of energy off stage as he was on. 
 
Charlie XCX, August Alsina and Clean Bandit were the main stage line up for the afternoon. Whilst Arrested Development, Ciara, Pusha T and Rae Sremmurd took to the Pepsi Max Arena. Leaving Damage, Jacob Plant, Tove Stryke, Jaden & Willow Smith, Elliphant and Shakka to entertain those at the RE: WIRED stage. 
 
Charli XCX with her trademark Sucker heart prop and full band on stage rocked the crowd with her hits 'Sucker', 'Breaking Up', 'I Love It'.  Full of energy and with the sun pelting down on Finsbury Park, Charli had the crowd singing with her throughout her entire set!
 
Ciara was off to a rocky start with her mic being switched off for the first 15 minutes of her set. However that did not stop the crowd from singing along to the popular singer's songs and enjoying the show Ciara provided. Jaden and Willow left the crowd slightly befuddled with a rather unusual performance. However the crowd soon perked up when willow performed popular hit 'Whip my Hair' and Jaden shared a new track with the Wireless crowd. The sibling duo were full of energy and provided a good performance, aiding each other throughout.
As night began to fall, crowds were left disheartened when the festival organisers shamefully admitted that Nicki Minaj was running late due to travel complications and that they had lost touch with the award winning female rapper. It was later announced that Nicki and David Guetta had mutually agreed to share the set time which crowd's responded to with boos. 
 
When David Guetta took to the stage half an hour after the announcement crowds went wild as he started his set. The light show Guetta provided was spectacular and he managed to win back the crowd with popular tracks, smoke, confetti and fireworks. David Guetta continued for a further 40 minutes before Nicki Minaj finally made her entrance and crowds seemed to have forgiven the female rapper within an instance. 
 
Nicki continued to work the crowd and performed popular songs including 'Truffle Butter', 'Only', 'Moment for Life' and 'Anaconda'. Adoring fans sang and danced the night away enjoying the all-round amazing show Nicki delivered. Nicki Minaj was the perfect act to round off the Wireless weekend she left the crowd on a positive high and closed the show with a tremendously great performance.
 
Photos from Saturday at Wireless Festival
 
Photos from Sunday at Wireless Festival