VIDEOS: South West Four 2017 Review and Pictures

South West Four continues to go from strength to strength, with increasingly impressive light shows – and DJ sets -making this wonderful event an audio-visual feast for dance music fans. 

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That is helped significantly by headliners Luke deadmau5, whose entire schtick is the awesome marriage of breathtaking incandescent stage decor and whomping synth-laden aural fodder. 

But support acts also pitched in, with Markus Schulz's terrific Dakota concept bringing visual storytelling alongside his riff and bass heavy neotrance madness.

On Sunday's headliner – deadmau5 has maintained a bleeding cool edge in an era of throwaway EDM and a proliferation of festivals – much like SW4 itself.

His set was a tour de force uptempo crowd pleasers like Ghosts N Stuff were tempered with euphoric dreamstates like Phantoms Can't Hang, and some hip-hop and DJ tool-like samples were thrown in as the Mau5 pitched it up as well as down.

Deadmau5 makes you work, he won't throw you euphoric bones track after track and the overall effect is that he creates a mood, a nose-thumbing meta journey, where occasionally you're in on the joke and occasionally you're the butt of it – but you don't mind either way.

His set here was quite simply fantastic. 

I also particularly enjoyed Ferry Corsten's set in The Gallery tent, where the Dutch maestro appeared to revel a greater freedom to play his beloved trance to an equally ecstatic crowd.

Honourable mention must also go to Gareth Emery.

The main stage was also busy throughout as top talents like Martin Soveig, Example and DJ Wire and Sub Focus veered closer to the overground. 

But is simply too much to list in terms of the stellar line-up, so I'll concentrate on my overriding impressions.

South West Four has never felt so sure of itself to me, it is how an event like this should be – no unnecessary gimmicks, just solid entertainment aimed squarely at the punters.

Long may this jewel in the summer crown continue.

VIDEO: Mauro Picotto plays intimate London event as Alchemy comes to town

Thumping beats and soaring riffs were in evidence as Mauro Picotto's Alchemy rumbled into London this week, writes TopReviews4U editor Paul Christian. 

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The event, at Work Bar, in Chapel Market, saw Picotto joined by Gabry Fasano and Alby & Devid.

Fans whooped as Picotto dropped a remix of classic Lizard (Gonna Get Ya) and other storming techno, trance and house tracks in an eclectic set, at the intimate venue.

Comical facial and hand gestures were the order of the night as 'The Lizard Man' interacted with the knowledgeable and up-for-it crowd.

Best of all the Alchemy stars mingled with revellers between sets, in an informal and surreal experience, almost unheard of in today's world of aloof EDM silliness. 

Strong support was also welcomed as reverberating subs and techno riffs made for a uniquely Italian flavour, like the Peroni clubbers supped as the bass kicked. 

With plenty more on offer from both the Alchemy label and Work Bar, there's lots to look forward to in London and beyond. 

                                         

South West Four (SW4) 2017: Full Sunday Main Stage Line-Up Revealed

The full line-up for the main stage at this year's SW4 has been revealed.

Joining deadmau5, Knife Party and Sub Focus, will be the likes of Bakermat, Martin Solveig, Example + DJ Wire and more.

• Check back for further updates. 

South West Four 2017 Phase 1 line-up complete - includes deadmau5, Eric Prydz, Pendulum, Marco Carola and more

Phase 1 of the line-up for South West Four 2017 is complete with many more acts to still be announced, writes TopReviews4U editor Paul Christian.

Early headline announcements include deadmau5, Eric Prydz, Pendulum, Marco Carola, Sigm, MK, Duke Dumont, Gareth Emery and more.

Keep checking back on TopReviews4U for more on SW4 and other top UK dance events.

   

• For more information and tickets go to www.southwestfour.com





EDC UK 2017 - CANCELLED

As someone who has not only attended, but reviewed each and every EDC UK, since the first odd affair at the Olympic Park, in London, to the (we all assumed) spiritual home at the National Bowl, in Milton Keynes, it was a real shock to learn the planned 2017 event had been cancelled, writes TopReviews4U editor Paul Christian.

An odd and intriguing statement (above) was released by the US-based event organisers, Insomniac, which appeared to blame the venue. 


It also claimed EDC head honchos were keen to "properly reimagine all areas of the experience". 


Given the sell-out multi-million pound events over the last few years this seems odd. 
EDC always drew vast crowds and had become a major feature in the summer festival calendar. 


I first began to suspect the 'Electric Daisies' might fail to bloom earlier this month when the festival's previous promoters told me they had nothing to do with the event this year, and weren't really able to tell me who was dealing with that side of things. 

And now it is clear - the answer is: no one is.


While Insomniac's vague statement could be taken at face value - they could just feel they can't put on the show they want to - I find it somewhat unsatisfactory.


From what I've seen from the travelling show's US incarnations the UK event at MK was easily on par with them - but then I always preferred the trance and house tents rather than the main Kinetic Field stage anyway.


The rumour mill has, quite expectedly, gone into overdrive. Suggestions that there are no big-name DJs available is one theory, or rather more believably, that their astronomical fees were unrealistic and rendered the event unprofitable. 

It is no secret that the likes of previous performers (and TopReviews4U interviewees) like Tiesto and Steve Aoki are raking in megabucks for festival sets. 


There is also the suggestion that the EDM bubble could be slowly deflating, in a discordant whomping parp - not unlike the 'music' itself. 


I'm inclined to believe a combination of poor ticket sales and overhyped DJ fees is at the root of the sorry mess the Electric Daisy Carnival's UK leg has become. 

SW4 2016 review

It has become something of a cliché to refer to South West Four as 'South Wet Four' on account of the often awful bank holiday weather, writes TopReviews4U editor Paul Christian.

I have got drenched at several previous occasions at this always excellent event.
But this year I and thousands of other revellers were treated to some lovely late August sunshine.
And the warm weather meant that festival staple - sitting on the grass - was actually an option this year.

From my sedentary position I massively enjoyed watching Sven Vath's atmospheric techno set from the Amnesia tent, and again checked out Paul Kalkbrenner from the humble floor of Clapham Common.

But I had to get to my feet for Sasha and Carl Cox, who were playing in the ANTS tent and on the main stage respectively.
Sasha took the aural soundscape to new levels and they were complemented by amazing red lighting in contrast to the usual monochrome atmosphere of the ANTS colony.

Cox's top-notch techno was a treat to behold with rolling percussing and his "oh yes, oh yes" mantra ringing out across the Common.
There was also time to check out trance legends Above & Beyond and progressive house head honcho John Digweed at the varied Sunday leg of the long-running weekender.

He finished with Egyptian Empire's classic ' The Horn Track' as darkness fell and planes flew overhead.

Next up was the finale, with The Chemical Brothers providing a storming headline set.
Beginning with 'Hey Boy, Hey Girl' was brave as it is probably their biggest track, but the sheer strength of the Chems' repertoire meant the crowd was kept moving throughout.

A superb light show also punctuated the electronic experience.
SW4 remains a potent part of the capital's festival scene - come rain or shine.
 

Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) UK 2016: In Pictures

More than 50,000 music fans united at Milton Keynes Bowl for the world famous dance festival Electric Daisy Carnival UK, which included triumphant sets from dance legends Paul van Dyk, Ferry Corsten, Martin Garrix, Eric Prydz and Axwell /\ Ingrosso.

 

 

Saturday’s EDC UK showpiece was the biggest and best yet.

Taking centre stage at the kineticFIELD and standing a massive 30 metres tall by 70 metres wide, the fully immersive Crystal Village spectacle towered over revellers during its first EDC UK showcase.

The stage’s unique design housed cascading waterfalls, a fog-breathing dragon and the unmissable symbolic owl, and hosted incredible performances by some of the biggest international names in dance music, with sets by Martin Garrix, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Oliver Heldens, Eric Prydz, Martin Solveig, Don Diablo and Alison Wonderland.

Throughout the day at the circuitGROUNDS, festival-goers saw outstanding DJ sets from drum and bass legends Andy C, Noisia, Caspa & Rusko, Roni Size, Goldie and many more.

Over at cosmicMEADOW, electrifying big room sets came from trance heroes Paul van Dyk and Gouryella, while the neonGARDEN stage was a constant party with sets by Duke Dumont and UK garage pioneer DJ EZ.

Electric Daisy Carnival wasn’t just about the music. The line-up of the world’s premier DJ’s and global acts were joined by dynamic displays, carnival creatures, performers and sensory sights aplenty.

“This weekend we hosted another amazing edition of EDC UK at Milton Keynes and we thank all of our headliners and performing artists for joining us in celebrating the incredible culture of dance music,” said Pasquale Rotella, founder and CEO of Insomniac.

“The UK is where so many genres of dance music were born, and it’s exciting to see the scene still growing and flourishing today.”

Melvin Benn, of Festival Republic, added: “We’re very proud to have celebrated the second year of our partnership with Insomniac with another successful Electric Daisy Carnival UK.

“Avicii delivered an incredible headline set and we’re thrilled to have had some of the biggest international acts spanning across all dance music genres performing this year.

“The Crystal Village stage was shipped over from the US for the first time and it was truly a phenomenal spectacle.”

 

 

 

EXCLUSIVE interview with Ferry Corsten at EDC UK

TopReviews4U editor Paul Christian talks to Dutch trance legend Ferry Corsten.

It was another fantastic day at EDC UK on Saturday as the cream of dance music descended on Milton Keynes.

In among the EDM were a few solid gold trance nuggets, encouraging signs that the genre is still surviving and thriving.

And trance superstar Ferry Corsten’s decision to reboot his epic Gouryella concept from the late Nineties/early Noughties is a sign that a renaissance could be on the cards.

Asked what made him bring back Gouryella Ferry said: “It was something that I wanted to do for a long time, that whole sound, I wanted it back.

 “In the last few years I was so fed up with everything that was happening in the scene.

I want to return to that 99-2000 sound.” 

So it is a case of back to the future for the amiable DJ and producer, who has been responsible for a gigantic back catalogue of bangers.

Speaking about the future of trance he said: “I can see almost two prongs to it - there's the EDM type of trance and there's these guys, a lot of them from Ireland and Scotland, which is more like the Gouryella style, that people are really loving.”

Gouryella was a project that Corsten started with then close friend Tiesto, who has departed trance and headed for the more commercial EDM akin to the style of young fellow Dutchman Martin Garrix (pictured below). 

Asked how Tiesto felt about the reawakening of one of trance’s most iconic acts Corsten said: “I haven't really spoken to him ever since [the return of Gouryella], I haven't really seen him since, even though we play the same festivals sometimes.

“I've just released number six - Neba - for Gouryella and he was there for the first three.”

And on his former production collaborator’s change of style, Corsten thought for a moment, then said that he likes to make music for the "art" of it.

He added: "I know where his [Tiesto's] heart used to be, I may agree or not (with his new EDM style).

“I went down that route for a little while and I've got to be honest it was very inspiring at first, going to the beginning of EDM.

“Punk and Rock Your Body, Rock were very electro.” 

But he said he was irresistibly drawn back to his roots.

“After doing that for a while the real trance lover in me really did start to resurface again,” he said.

On the strength of his tear-inducingly uplifting performance at EDC UK I don’t think Ferry Corsten will be moving away from trance again. 

VIDEO EXCLUSIVE: Interview with trance superstars Aly & Fila ahead of EDC UK

With the Electric Daisy Carnival at the Milton Keynes Bowl just a few weeks away TopReviews4U editor Paul Christian caught up with one of the main attractions – Egyptian trance superstars Aly & Fila.

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Here the duo answer our questions ahead of their appearance at the one-day festival extravaganza on July 9.

When did you first get into trance and what was the experience like? 

(Fila) My father worked in Europe a lot in the early 1990s so I used to travel a lot with him to Germany, it was here I discovered Paul Van Dyk and would go to see him play and also bring back tapes of PVD to Egypt where Aly and I would listen to them.
Paul Van Dyk was our biggest inspiration.

How big is trance and dance music in general in Egypt?

The dance music scene in general is very big in Egypt, every week clubs in Egypt are busy and we also have Sharm el Sheikh where Space, Pacha and Privilege are. 
Trance music has grown over the years, our weekly Radio show FSOE is on Nile FM in Cairo and also our record label has many Egyptian artists on there from Mohamed Ragab , Fady & Mina , A&Z , Omar Sherif to name but a few, this creates more awareness of the genre within Egypt itself, also we host each year our FSOE Celebration in Egypt, in 2016 we hosted FSOE 400 at The Great Pyramids of Giza in Egypt, that created huge awareness within Egypt and worldwide for us, the genre and the Egyptian artists who performed that night.

What is your favourite trance track of all time?

Paul Van Dyk - For an Angel.

How does it feel to be playing EDC in Milton Keynes?

We are really excited, we have heard great things, and EDC / Insomniac / Dreamstate  is a partner of ours so we are very happy to be a part of the festival.

What do you like about playing in the UK?

The crowd’s intelligence and energy is amazing.

How has trance changed over the years and do you think it is as strong as it was?

It has changed a lot, every genre goes through cycles where it is more popular than it was at a certain time.

We have been touring now for 10 years and we see worldwide every year how popular trance is and especially since the social media and internet age came in, where people can connect with each other , there are ‘trance families’ all over world, it’s like a worldwide family, we are very proud to be a part of this.

Who are you future heroes in dance music?

We are very happy to have some great names signed to our record label Future Sound of Egypt, names such as Ferry Tayle, Dan Stone, Darren Porter, Arctic Moon, James Dymond, ReOrder, Mohamed Ragab, LTN, Alex Ender, A&Z, Ahmed Romel, Bjorn Akesson, Alan Morris, Niko Zografos, Omar Sherif, Jonathan Carvajal, Monoverse, to name but a few, there are several others also.

What has been your career highlight?

To become the first Electronic Act since Jean Michele Jarre to play at The Great Pyramids of Giza, in Egypt and also to host our own FSOE 400 Celebration there, we will never forget that moment.
There are many other career highlights like being in the DJ Mag Top 100 Top 50 since 2008, being voted ‘Tune of The Year’ on ASOT 2011 with ‘Aly & Fila feat Jwaydan - We Control the Sunlight’, also having released several artist albums - Rising Sun, Quiet Storm, The Other Shore, The Chillout Album and various compilations including Trance Nation for Ministry of Sound.
Also being Voted No.1 DJ in the Trance Podium Awards two years in a row. 

Other headliners at the EDC UK include Avicii, Axwell Λ Ingrosso, Eric Prydz, Ferry Corsten presents Gouryella, Paul van Dyk, Martin Garrix and Pendulum.

• For more information and tickets click here 

VIDEOS: J00F Editions London review

Old met new on an amazing night of progressive house and trance courtesy of J00F Editions in London last night, writes TopReviews4U editor Paul Christian. 

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Iconic and historic Koko (formerly the Camden Palace) provided a stunning contrast to the absolutely cutting edge dance music served up to a rapturous crowd.

I arrived early and already the venue was in full swing, with a pulsating soundtrack – I’ve not seen a club so busy so early in many years.

The stripped back DJ table was bathes in fairly simple purple light, which lent an otherworldly appearance, but this was all about the music.

And on that J00F Editions did not disappoint – excellent sets from John 00 Fleming and Steve Arnold were also joined by the awesome Astrix, who I’d never seen before, but will definitely seek out again in future.

His was the stand out set in a night of stand out sets.

The genres ranged from progressive to trance to psytrance in what was a futuristic whir of musical mayhem.

The knowledgeable and fervent crowd were loving every morsel of the aural feast as was I.

Quite simply it was a fantastic night and I will be looking out for the next J00F Editions event wherever it may be and so should you.