Global Gathering the festival that sets the benchmark for Top Dance festivals in the UK is back this year at the prestigious long maston airfield in Stratford Upon Avon. This festival goes back 14th year and has won many previous awards for Best Dance Festival. DJ mag were responsible for naming this baby giant and it has always lived up to the name year after year.
2014’s headliners are set to be big with the likes of Prodigy heading up the main stage on Saturday evening and Chase & Status on Friday . Global is set on Long Maston Airfield giving it a post apocalyptic and industrial feel. The stages here are of true brilliance and are by far one of the best parts of the festival, with unique simplicity stages like The Global Freight Depot and the Bunker always turn a DJs set to stun. 2014 at Global Gathering brought a number of tents such as the returning BBC 1XTRA stage , the futuristic GodsKitchen , UKF Stage , The mighty new Hanger arena and Defected in the House along with many more smaller stages dotted around the landing strip.
Taking the main stage just before sunset, the 25 year old Belgian known as NetSky took the crowd by storm to give them the injection of pure energy, while the hot orange glow of the afternoon sun dropped into the hills around the airfield gearing up the masses ready for the headliners that evening. Playing some of his new material like ‘ Running Low’ due to be released inside a new album sometime this year and available to listen to via the official Youtube channel for NetSky.
Dusk is here and its time for the ever powerful electronic sounds of Chase & Status. Production and stage precedence this year made for an incredible set from the two British Producers Saul Milton (Chase) and Mr Will Kennard (Status) playing all the big tracks such as ‘Time’ Feat Delilah as well as ‘Take me away’ To fit in with all the base and hands in the air what finale would be complete without lasers and fireworks. Exploding to the sounds of ‘Fool yourself’ lighting the crowd for the final time that day and completing what was a truly perfect hot summers day.
Clearing the main stage theres still plenty going on and depending on your music palette you can head to a range of different artists and stages. Heading up the Hanger stage in the after hours the chart topping David Guetta performs at the top of the towering wall of light situated in this oversized super tent. This stage would rival many main stages and despite its size was full to the edges. If Guetta isn't for you though don't worry you've got visual delight of Subfocus sitting proud amongst the giant rings of light over at the 1Xtra Stage. Happening all around the top DJs like Aly & Fila , Hot Since 82 , James Zabiela, Alesso and so many more converge for 1.5 days worth of pure magic.
Waking up to yet more sun beating down on the masses the day was off to a great start. Global is an action packed weekend with little down time. Acts are on from 12 mid-day and go all the way into the wee hours of Sunday morning. The main stage started to fill out early afternoon with the masked DJ Jaguar Skills. Next to entice the masses was the RAM Records Heavy weight Andy C & MC 2SHY, seeing Andy perform in sunlight was a strange experience as normally confined to the early hours of a set list. Never the less a set filled with all the right tracks including the Andy C Remix ‘Get Free’ with all the heat and pumping base the security were constantly handing out a good supply of water to the crowd and making sure anyone who needed fluids got a drink of water.
Leading on to the penultimate act of the day Knife party were set to get the crowds ready for the headline act. Sitting behind a pretty impressive LED Bank located centre stage Knife party originally formed of Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen which you might remember from The Drum & Bass superstars Pendulum, Knife party was a side project that went main stream.
To Headline this year Global Gathering pulled out the stops for one of the biggest most widely known electronica big beat acts around. Prodigy are a phenomenal act to witness and had great little surprises through the set. Red flares lit at certain points within songs like Fire Starter and ‘ Smack your bitch up’ illuminating the crowds hands and a sea of iPhones and mobile phones taking video could be seen. Keith Flint lead for Prodigy got the crowds running in circles at 3 points within the main area creating a tornado of people all under his control. The stage consisted of a semi circle of tribal symbols and lights, flickering stage lights to imitate fire and plenty of disorienting strobes to give it that truly cereal experience! All the original hits previous mentioned as well as ‘ Their Law’ including the new creations from Invaders Must Die, singing along to OMEN the atmosphere and energy was relentless. Global Gathering as a festival is truly a one off masterpiece and to its credit has survived and battled its way through the financial crisis and out the other side its 14 incredible years are a testament to its amazing DJs, stages and organisation.
With live headline shows from artists including Plan B, Example,Disclosure and special guest Rita Ora, sets from the World’s top DJ’s including Jamie Jones, Nicky Romero and Annie Mac, a brand new arena from BBC Radio 1Xtra, the welcome return of the likes of Carl Cox and UKF as arena hosts, plus major new production and site development, the organisers have put together a weekend of incredible music and an amazing overall festival experience.
We’re building on 2011’s redefining event and 2012’s bumper weekend of unrivalled partying, sunshine and beats, and continuing to set standards for UK dance festivals in 2013.
Not only are we widening the diversity of music on offer to ensure every electronic music fan’s taste is catered for, we’re elevating the new generation of headliners bringing together some of the world’s biggest superstars with critically acclaimed underground talent for you to discover in 2013. With two additional arenas yet to be announced and further investment on production inspired by our global travels, we’ve ensured we’ll give our crowds the best overall experience at any UK festival this summer.
This year, the most explosive outdoor stage at any major UK festival returns with headline performances from two London-born artists who’ve risen up the ranks from their underground beginnings. The man with more strings to his bow than the London Symphony Orchestra – Plan B, will showcase both sides of his persona when he brings the soulfully bitter-sweet story of Strickland Banks to life alongside the brutally honest hip-hop journey of Ill Manors.
His fellow Londoner and Main Stage headliner Example jumps straight to the top of the Global food chain in his debut performance at the festival. The crowds should expect nothing short of the most euphoric house beats and uplifting electro vibes, along with bassier elements of dubstep and hip-hop in the live show from the man who brought us the massive number one singles Changed the Way You Kissed Me and Stay Awake. Recent hits from his newest album The Evolution of Man will be joined by the classics Kickstarts, Watch the Sun Come Up and Won’t Go Quietly – all tunes that have firmly cemented their place in the collective psyche of the dance music masses.
Example said: “I've always wanted to play GlobalGathering – my music mates have told me all about the mental crowds and atmosphere. To be making my Global debut headlining the main stage is huge for me. I'll be bringing extra fire and lasers don't you worry!”
Two chart storming titans of UK electronic music will bring their live shows to the Main Stage for the first time this year. First up are the UK’s hottest new EDM duo, Disclosure, whose most recent single White Noise with AlunaGeorge made it to number 2 in the official charts and who were included in the Hot Ten For 2013 by BBC Radio 1Xtra. DnB quartet Rudimental, whose number 1 smasher Feel the Love was one of the tunes of summer 2012 and was followed up by the anthemic Not Giving In ft Alex Clare, also play the Main Stage having graduated from their appearance on the smaller outdoor stage in 2012.
The crowds can expect UK garage, dubstep and R&B sounds from South London songstress Katy B in her Main Stage debut, following on from her appearance on the FWD Rinse stage alongside Geeneus & Tippa in 2010.
Katy B said: "Global Gathering was the first festival I played when Katy On A Mission came out and I felt so welcome straight away. I love that it celebrates all things rave culture and I'm really excited to play this year."
The undisputed Queen of EDM and mistress of the mash-ups, Annie Mac will take to the GlobalGathering Main Stage for the first time since 2007, following appearances over the years across other arenas. Bringing full production with her for the first time, Annie is set to deliver a mind-blowing experience to the crowds that are sure to congregate to see her show.
Joining them on the Main Stage across the two days will be a live performance from Belgian liquid funk wunderkind Netsky – whose Global debut last year was one of the most talked about performances of the weekend and has earned him a spot alongside the big guns on the Main Stage for the first time. Plus genre-busting and bass blending Major Look, electronic rockers Modestep (Live) and sultry dub and trip-hop inspired songstress Delilah (Live) will also grace the Main Stage.
Across the rest of the festival site, the first arena hosts to be announced read like a who’s who of the industry today.
Kicking off with some big news, Global are excited to announce that the UK’s home of urban music, BBC Radio 1Xtra, will host an arena at this year’s festival. Global stalwart MistaJam, who will be joined by the Eskiboy and Godfather of Grime, Wiley plus special guests Roll Deep, will commandeer the 1Xtra Arena. Wiley, whose smash hit Heatwave reached number one in the UK last summer, and more recently, has found success with Can You Hear Me (Ayayaya) charting at number three in the UK. Pioneer of the UK underground scene, leader of Roll Deep and original member of Boy Better Know, he will certainly be causing a heatwave when he takes to the mic. Chart-topping Rita Ora, whose debut album Ora reached number one in the UK, spawning three number one singles, making her the artist with the most number-one singles on the UK Singles Chart in 2012, will be making a special guest appearance. In addition to this comes support in the form of Dot Rotten, K Koke (live), Futurebound and Matrix and Devolution as well as a very special headline artist yet to be announced!
Jason Carter, Event Director, BBC Radio 1 and 1Xtra said: “It's great to return to GlobalGathering with 1Xtra. We look forward to being there and are excited to broadcast the fantastic sets to a wider audience.”
GlobalGathering are also very pleased to reveal that the legendary Carl Cox & FriendsArena will make an epic return to Long Marston Airfield in 2013. After taking a break in 2012, we couldn’t be more excited that Carl Cox & Friends will be back, bringing together a line-up spanning many genres of electronic music. The DJ, the producer, the man, the legend will be bringing the sounds of his classic night from the White Isle with sets from Chris Liebing, Cassy, Nina Kraviz, John Digweed and Circus Recordings boss Yousef, plus many more that are sure to create a summer Ibiza vibe. Welcome back Carl!
Carl Cox said: “GlobalGathering is one of the best dance music festivals around – I can’t wait to bring my arena back to those mental crowds again. It’s good to be back!”
Global are very excited to welcome Hot Creations head honcho Jamie Jones who will be hosting his very own arena for the first time – the Paradise Arena. Jamie has long been an Ibiza staple who launched his hugely popular Paradise resident night at DC10 in Ibiza last year and is set to launch Paradise Miami later this month. Offering up a Balearic atmosphere with the deeper sound of house, tech house, techno and minimal tech, the arena will showcase some of the best underground acts, with Art Department, Subb Ann and Infinity Ink on the bill alongside Damien Lazarus, and support from Richy Ahmed and Bicep.
The UKF Bass CultureArena returns for a second year with DJ Fresh headlining the area with his incredible Fresh Live show. Pushing the boundaries of drum and bass and dubstep, Fresh Live combines the technique and hysteria of his DJ sets with the energy of a live instrumental performance. EDM prodigy and wonder kid Zedd will be making a special guest appearance. Rolling Stone named Zedd an ‘Artist to Watch’ for 2012, and more recently, MTV deemed him an ‘Artist to Watch’ for 2013. UK dubstep originator Benga will play alongside Flux Pavilion, plus Andy C & MC GQ and DnB pioneer and Digital Soundboy label owner Shy FX.
In its third year as a GlobalGathering arena host, event brand Metropolis will be introducing some of the hottest talent from the underground bass scene. Sub Focus will be bringing his live show to headline the arena and will deliver his earth shaking hybrid mix of drum and bass and dubstep. Joining Sub Focus will be reggae and dancehall master David 'Ram Jam' Rodigan (MBE) who has recently been added to BBC Radio 1Xtra’s weekly roster. Playing alongside them will be the mighty ninja Jaguar Skills as well as Friction (Ft. Scrufizzer, P Money & Arlissa), DJ Hype and MC IC3, with support from Dismantle & Breakage, B Traits, Monsta, and Killsonik, bringing the finest sounds of UK bass.
The Global Arena will this year showcase headliner and original party starter Steve Aoki, armed with his champagne, inflatable dinghy and birthday cake! As well as that, DJ Mag Top 100 #6 Dutch electro house superstar Hardwell and young French sensation Madeon.Porter Robinson, W&W, Arty, Mat Zo and GlobalGathering resident Paul Thomas hold up the rest of the bill, with a special guest performance from Garuda top dog Gareth Emery.
Returning for a third year to host an arena are Hospitality, the worldwide event promoters of top UK drum and bass imprint Hospital Records. After incredibly successful years at GlobalGathering in 2011 and 2012, they return with the best DnB line up anywhere in the UK this summer with another performance from Netsky (DJ set), plus High Contrast, Danny Byrd and Camo and Krooked, with a support from an exclusive back to back set from LTJ Bukem and Fabio alongside London Elektricity.
This year Global welcomes a brand new addition to the site – the Chibuku Arena. Headlining this arena are the inventors of mash-up genre, brothers David and Stephen Dewael, better known as – 2manydjs. Pushing the boundaries of house and techno the brothers are sure to get the party started. Next up is hotly tipped solo and highly colorful producer Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (TEED), who will be setting the crowd alight with his electro beats. Founding father of dubstep Skream will be making a special guest appearance. The Croydon DJ/producer is constantly refreshing his sound, from laying down twisted house and techno, to disco sets. They will see support from Bristol based DJ/producer and firm festival favourite Redlight (Live) who will be performing a brand new live show! Joining them will be remix master Erol Alkan and electro producer Fake Blood, plus many more.
Godskitchen, one of the biggest dance brands on the planet, will once again be bringing the superstars of trance back to Global. No 7 on DJ Mag’s 2012 Top 100, Dash Berlin will be joined by Markus Schulz – recently voted the USA’s Best DJ, Ferry Corsten, ATB, and trance legend Paul Oakenfold, pioneer of importing the Balearic scene to Britain, who will be making a special guest appearance. Another special guest, infamous Israeli psy-trance duo Infected Mushroom will be presenting their live, mind blowing, visual show ‘Fungusamongus’. Twice ranked amongst the world’s ‘10 Best DJ’s’ on the notorious DJ Mag Top 100 Poll their sound draws from a plethora of styles – metal, electronica, dubstep, psytrance and everything in between. John O’Callaghan, Simon Patterson and Cosmic Gate all make a welcome return, plus many more, with cutting edge production and an explosive atmosphere that is sure to whip fans into an uncontrollable frenzy.
Dutch house producer Nicky Romero, fresh off the back of his number one UK hit single with Avicii – I Could be the One, is set to headline the return of the House Arena. He is joined by Dutch dance duo Bingo Players, architects of another UK number one single Get Up (Rattle), in collaboration with Far East Movement. Radio 1’s very own Dance Anthems supremo Danny Howard and Diffused Music’s Michael Woods bring up the rest of the bill with a special guest performance from Dutch trance and progressive house DJ Sander van Doorn.
The Digital Arena brings the sounds of the deep house and tech scene with a performance from Mixmag’s DJ of 2012 Solomun, alongside breakthrough artist Scuba playing a live set. The mighty Sasha, following the drop of his new mix album ‘INVOLV3R’, will make a special guest appearance, alongside Seth Troxler, Heidi and Maceo Plex, plus many more.
Gary Turner, Managing Director of GlobalGathering Group UK, said: “Following last year’s amazing and award winning festival will be no mean feat – but we’ve upped our game even further, building on the incredible feedback from 2012 and investing heavily in some of the world’s freshest and most exciting artists and the latest production from the international festival market. We’re confident that the exciting developments to this summer’s stages and arenas, that we’ll be revealing in the near future, will blow the crowds away!”
With even more acts, two all-new outdoor arenas to take advantage of the ever-reliable scorching weather and exciting new production still to be announced, it’s gearing up to be the greatest party ever at GlobalGathering. We’ll also be revealing some mind-blowing developments to the VIP area including unbelievable new perks for VIP pass holders in the coming weeks, so stay tuned for more announcements.
Alongside the UK event, GlobalGathering will also continue to cement our status as the world’s leading electronic music export. Having hosted events on all four corners of the globe over recent years this year sees additional confirmed GlobalGathering festivals taking place in Belarus, Ukraine, and South Korea with further editions to be announced. The UK event will also feature rising trance star Omnia representing the Ukraine festival and DGuru (Idiotape) from South Korea bringing the sounds of our international events to the UK for the first time.
