After missing last years festival, as it clashed with
our event in the Red Room at Cable, we was extremely pleased to hear that Bloc
had firstly, shifted to London, and second, more importantly, had released the
date early.
We’re in the middle of working out our plan for the
festival so we thought we’d enlighten you on the decisions we’ve made. We’ve
put together our intended POA, it may not necessarily turn out this way in
practice, but we believe that having the best intentions at the start is a good
idea.
Friday
Amon Tobin – Main Stage 21:00 to 22:30
We’ve been aware of his music for a while but it
wasn’t until we watched this video of him performing his ‘ISAM Live’ show, at
the Springfestival in Austria, earlier this that we realized this was something
that had to been seen. By using a multidimensional 25’x14’x8’ screen to project
visuals onto, he creates a truly 3D audio / visual experience.
What this video if you need any extra proof of just how
incredible this is!
Shackleton – Resident Advisor Hub 22:00 to 23:00
Xhin – Resident Advisor Hub 23:00 to 00:00
Sandwell District – Resident Advisor Hub 00:00 to
02:00
The Resident Advisor Hub again (the line up they’ve
put together is genius) and Sandwell District! We’ve made no secret of our love
for the collective headed up by Function and Regis. (There’s a very good reason
why we picked them to be the headliner for our first event!) These boys have
been there from the start, and it’s this hard graft which has afforded them
their lofty position in today’s techno hall of fame. Whether it be at clubs
like Berghain or fabric, infront of 1000’s at festivals or in a small club in
the east end of London in front of 300 hungry techno fans (we’ve experienced
them all), no one leaves disappointed.
Saturday
Saturday is an all more difficult proposition for the
discerning techno fan. There’s plenty more to cram in which unfortunately means
plenty of clashes. The Resident Advisor Hub is again on top form but providing
entertainment values that more than equal the dance music forum is the Plex vs
Perc Trax showcase. The London promotion again joins forces with London’s best
label to create quite a show. We caught up with label boss, Perc, to get his
thoughts on the upcoming festival…
“Perc Trax has been
organising and co-promoting showcases around the world for a few years now, but
the Perc Trax arena at Bloc will be the label’s biggest event to date so it is
fitting that it takes place in London and is in conjunction with Plex,
undoubtedly one of London’s best techno promoters. Our area is an amazing
circular space housed in what looks like half a golf-ball.
The line-up for the whole festival is
excellent and I am overjoyed by who we have. Perc Trax and Plex have never just
been purely about techno so to have Objekt and Cosmin TRG, both who display a
strong bass music influence in their productions is vital. Add to that Lucy,
Truss, myself, the Plex boys and of course our headliner Surgeon and we have a
wide range of techno covered as well. After a lot of travelling recently this
event feels like a real homecoming for me and for Perc Trax and I know that all
the DJs involved are working hard right now to pull out something special on
7th July.”
Scion feat Tikiman – Bleep 21:30 – 23:00
Scion, consisting of Substance and Vainquer, were part
of the legendary 90’s Berlin label, Chain Reaction. As a part of a hugely
influential collection of labels and artists, including Maurizio, Basic Channel
& Burial Mix, that created it’s own distinct dub techno sound. When Mark Ernestus and Moritz Von Oswald, aka Rhythm and Sound, joined forces with
vocalist, Tikiman, the gap between the Jamaican dancehalls or the Berlin clubs
was bridged. What followed was five 10” singles, which then became a showcase
album on Burial Mix. These records still remain some of the most iconic dub
techno records today. Although Ernestus and Von Oswald never performed live,
they gave their blessing for Scion to build a set from the original works and
keep the spirit of project alive and well.
Truss – Plex vs Perc Trax 22:30 – 23:30
Lucy – Plex vs Perc Trax 23:30 – 00:30
Lucy is one of a number of Italian artists making big
waves in the techno scene. Combining his early love for IDM with futuristic
conceptual techno, his sets, like the output of his Stroboscopic Artefacts
label, are unquestionably distinctive. His stand out sets at the EarToGround showcases and the infamous Jaded after parties only add further proof. However for Bloc, Lucy will be indulging his abstract side, as performs his experimental, non dancefloor orientated live set, which he debuted at the Club To Club opening ceremony, in Teatro Carignano, last year. We expect to this to be unmissable!
Monolake – Resident Advisor Hub 00:00 – 01:00
Robert Henke, aka Monolake, is another ‘been there,
done it’ story. With early works on Berlin’s Chain Reaction label he helped
build City’s dub techno legacy. Over time his sound evolved to incorporate
anything from DnB to ambient. Henke was a leading figure in the development of
Ableton as well as a musical inspiration to us all. We have a lot to thank him
for.
Scuba – Resident Advisor Hub 01:00 – 02:15
Scuba, and his Hotflush label, have been steadily
blurring the lines between techno and UK bass music so successfully, that he’s
gone from performing on small pirate radio stations to the worlds biggest and
best clubs and festivals.
A.T.O.L. – Resident Advisor Hub 02:15 – 04:30
Jeff Mills – Main Arena 02:30 – 04:00
Perc – Plex vs Perc Trax 03:30 – 04:30
Surgeon – Plex vs Perc Trax 04:30 – 06:00
Surgeon is a pillar of UK techno. He just celebrated
his 20th anniversary in the game earlier this year with a special
set at James Ruskin’s Blueprint Records party, which we won’t be forgetting for
quite sometime. His serious, cold face, demeanor only helps to encapsulate you
more into the magic of his music. We couldn’t think of a better way to finish
off one of the best things to happen to London in a very long time!
That pretty much concludes our roundup. The only think left for us to do it to tell those of you who don't have tickets to head over to the Bloc Website where you'll able to buy Friday, Saturday or full weekend passes.
