All bases covered
A rowdy Rusko DJ set, this month’s
covermount CD delivers a taste of Bloc
Weekend’s comprehensive underground
electronica rave
THE debut live performance from Rusko, Fast forward to 2004 and after fi nally that night stands for, its own specifi c
the fi rst Future Sound Of London show building a cultish Brighton following and sound, the people that are going there,
in over 10 years, Detroit legend Robert enjoying sell-out success at The Volks, the fact that you see the same friends
Hood playing a full live set, '80s origi- they decided to take out loans, "chuck and faces together month in, month out.
nator Afrika Bambaataa, 4 Hero digging £50,000 on red" and hold the event That creates a really cool family atmos-
out their Reinforced classics and every- they’d always wanted to go to. phere and we’re just trying to bring some
one from Drums Of Death and Skream to Like Deadbeat with added techno and of that togetherness under one roof.”
Metro Area and Martyn. electronica heritage, or Glade without
Could this year's Bloc Weekend — held the hippies, psy-trance and mud. Put That ‘one roof’ will be another departure
between 15th and 17th March at Butlins, simply, Bloc was every electronic music from the past two years, too. Gone is the
Minehead — be the most complete and junkies' musical wet dream. concentration camp grey of a weath-
cutting-edge electronica rave in history? ered Pontins in Norfolk, instead
In one word — yes. Now after two years of furious under- swapped for the more wholesome,
“We wanted Bloc to be a defi nitive slice of ground success and sets from Kool Keith, well-kept features of Minehead’s
underground dance music circa 2009,” re- Luke Slater, Mary Anne Hobbs, A Guy Butlins.
veals Bloc co-promoter Alex Benson. “As Called Gerald and Underground Resist- “I’m disappointed I can only
if we’ve paused time in March 2009 and ance, Bloc is ready to stake its claim as a rent it for the weekend,” jokes
cut through everything in underground true world leader — able to sit alongside Benson. “If I could be there for
dance music from past and present — the likes of Sonar as one of the calendar’s the rest of my life I’d be happy.
techno, electro, dubstep, electronica, most comprehensive electronic music It’s like Centre Parcs but not
minimal, disco. From the granddaddies gatherings. as poncey, it’s like Pontins
like Aphex, Afrika and Carl Craig who un- “We’ve been quite techno and electronica but not as soul-destroying.
derpin the whole thing to the new breed orientated in the past,” admits Benson. If aliens were dedicated to
like Rusko, Skream and Martyn who are “But this year was really about spreading the creation of leisure then
taking it in completely new directions.” ourselves out across as many sounds as Butlins is the civilisation
possible without losing quality. There re- they would create. There
Underground Ethos ally is something for everyone.” are go karts, there’s a fun
At the pinnacle of their game, Bloc might It’s no hyperbole either. This year Bloc fair, there’s a pirate ship,
now be wielding the industry clout and witnesses debuts from Ed Banger’s there’s an aquatics water
fi ve fi gure fees needed to bag names like electro noisenik merchant Busy P, niche adventure land that has
Afrika Bambaataa and Aphex Twin but — bassline pioneer Dexplicit, camp Italo slides that will fi re you out
like those very two names — they remain revivalists Heartbreak and mouth me- at 40 mph.”
staunchly underground in ethos. Indeed, chanic Beardyman as well as their more As for the set times and
roll back just six years ago and you would expected boy’s noise peddlers like Billy scheduling, Alex admits
have found Alex and his partner George Nasty, Radioactive Man and Amen jungle they are yet to be fi nalised
infi ltrating warehouses in their native warrior Bizzy B. but he can reveal one set
Norfolk for ramshackle rave smash-ups. that is set in stone.
Both moving to Brighton soon after, the Family Atmosphere “We do know for sure that
pair then hatched Bloc. Creating a village of underground sounds, Carl Craig will be closing the
Held in nothing more than a dingy pub Bloc have also recruited London’s dub festival and taking things
back room, Bloc's fi rst incarnation pro- pioneers Dublime, East London bassline/ as deep as he can,” he tells
vided a vital forum for underground elec- grime night Wifey, Joe Hot Chip’s Greco us. “This is the biggest un-
tronica and alt-acid with bookings like Roman crew, Glasgow’s wonky hip-hop derground rave festival since
Radioactive Man, Ceephax Acid Crew and trinity Numbers and Pinch’s Bristolian Tribal Gathering and you’ll
Andrea Parker. Not that Brighton’s staid dub-tech residency Subloaded to host be able to be sent off on your
clubbing masses always shared their vi- their own areas. way by some deep, blissful and
sions. “As ravers ourselves, we’ve always felt euphoric Detroit waves. It’s the
“We were actually one of the fi rst Brighton you tap into a different vibe when you perfect fi nish.”
promoters to hold a dubstep night when have a night that you, and a whole group And we’re pretty sure any true
we booked Oris Jay down about fi ve years of people, go to each month,” believes dedicated techno and electroni-
ago,” recalls Benson. “It was great... just Alex. “That’s what Bloc was itself to start ca fan would agree, too. We know
a shame it was only us and our fl at mates with. People don’t just go to nights be- we do. ALLAN MCGRATH
that turned up to enjoy it!” cause of who is playing. It’s about what
040
www.djmag.com
DJ470.cd article.indd 40 19/1/09 16:42:00
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