A new annual festival, Gottwood, debuts on 11th-12th June, the perfect opener to the ‘festival season’ (that is, if you’re one of those festival maniacs who refers to it as a ‘season’): a two day festival in Wales that’s easy on your wallet (at £60) and offers an enticing set-up…
Gottwood’s pull is the eclectic lineup and a truly unique location. Nestled in a forest clearing in the coastal area of Anglesey, you’ll hear tonnes of underground live acts and DJs – many of whom you’ve heard on this blog – spread across three stages. Techno, electro, hip-hop, dubstep and experimental will be blared out of a hefty Funktion 1 rig (…make that three…) and some dazzling visual treats – including 360 degree HD visuals in The Igloo Vision Tent.
The highlight for me is headliner Max Cooper, a DJ and producer who’s been making waves with his melodic, intelligent techno – hailed as the new Nathan Fake. Cooper’s two remixes of Extrawelt signalled a high point of last year last year (and appeared in both Darkly and my tracks of the year), whilst his superb ‘Harmonisch Serie’ is no doubt where the Nathan Fake accolades stemm from. That said, Cooper already has a huge, easily negelcted, discography that can see him on a dirtier techno tip rarely attributed to his reputation as a neat and atmospheric producer.
Other line-up highlights include: Vex’d, a critically acclaimed dubstep duo whose production rate is only exceeded by their quality and experimental approach; Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, an energetic dancefloor electro-pop outfit; soulful hip hop maesro DJ Format needs no introduction; David E Sugar, a veteran whose cutting-edge electronica brandishes an indie sensibility; of course, the party-starting Trouble Vision crew (Boog-A-Loo Crew, Park Ranger and Solid Gold included); and plenty, plenty more.
The set-up, the location and the fine selection of DJs is set to make this outing unlike your typical Carling-sponsored fest. And there’s only 750 tickets up for sale with only 150 left. I suggest you grab one sharpish.
Another highlight, Archie Hamilton – signed to new house label Moscow – has put together this bootleg for us. It’s a great deep and dubby tech-houser, rolling out a spaced-out groove with some ear-popping bass pads humming beneath that familiar Daft Punk vocal:
Stardust – Music Sounds Better With You (Archie Hamilton’s Space Dust Bootleg) [pelski highly recommends]
The Gottwood organiser eLDOKO kindly sent over some of his unreleased tracks too.
Woodworm Blues is some of that fun swing house everyone’s got a taste for since Gramaphonedzie’s anthem hammered its way into clubs – even the Ibiza terraces – and then firmly into our subconscious. A bluesy sax hook and gentle splutters of electro bass make this one chirpy as anything (this one’s 320 kbps the rest are 128):
eLDOKO – Woodworm Blues [pelski highly recommends]
eLDOKO – Hotbox [pelski highly recommends]
‘How To Kill A Frown’ hits with muted 808 claps and a Trevor Loveys warble of oscillating bass:
And here’s a mix, filled to the brim with some of your favourite jazzy, vintage beats of late, a preview of what you can expect to hear from eLDOKO’s set at Gottwood on the main stage [refer to comments for tracklist]:
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Gottwood – 11th & 12th June 2010 – Anglesey, Wales: http://www.gottwood.co.uk/
Tickets are available from: http://www.etickets.to/buy/?e=4238
Earlybird Weekender [inc camping] – £50 – SOLD OUT
Standard Weekender [inc camping] – £60
