In a short space of time, Patrick Topping has become part of the top tier in dance music. Part the new wave of electronic music producers coming from the north of England, he is a pioneering force for a generation of upcoming artists, reflected in recently being voted 11th in Resident Advisors Top100 DJ's of 2016 and picked as 15th by Mixmag.

He has carved a reputation for himself as a figurehead for a wave of exciting and diverse artists from the U.K. A prolific producer, who’s released on labels such as Hot Creations, Truesoul & Relief Records and remixed the likes of Booka Shade, Tiga and Matador, whilst securing 11 Beatport #1s, such as ‘Be Sharp Say Nowt’, ‘Forget’ and ‘Voicemail” a collaboration with the legendary Green Velvet.

Resident for Jamie Jones’s Paradise night at DC10 since 2014 and a global touring diary, Patrick’s far reaching appeal and rapid rise to popularity looks set to have staying power.

Lady Starlight is an American DJ and performance artist, whose keen focus on authentic communication has made her one of the more original and colourful artists to be active in multiple media. True to her namesake, she has followed her own star by choosing to integrate a number of different influences – performance / body art, progressive rock and metal, and electronic dance music – into a single eclectic, but coherent, personality. For three years now, she has been involved in a live collaboration with Surgeon, whom she struck up a friendship with. Having already provided live performance art for British Murder Boys, she now turns her attention towards a more explicitly musical partnership. She has also collaborated with Perc Trax and mainstay Truss on a hybrid decks & hardware live show, with Truss doing the DJing in a kind of role reversal between the performers. Another bold step forward is about to take place as she releases her debut record for Stroboscopic Artefacts.

Robert Hood needs little introduction. Founding member of the legendary group Underground Resistance as a ‘Minister Of Information’ with ‘Mad’ Mike Banks & Jeff Mills, his seminal works on Jeff Mill’s Axis and his very own M-Plant imprint paved the way for a wave of stripped-down dancefloor minimalism that directed much of techno’s path throughout the late Nineties.

Robert Hood makes minimal Detroit techno with an emphasis on soul and experimentation over flash and popularity. Having recorded for Metroplex, Jeff Mills’ Axis label, as well as Patrick Pulsingers ‘Cheap’ label, Peacefrog, and more recently Music Man, Hood also owns and operates the M-Plant imprint, through which he’s released the bulk of his solo material.

He has only released 2 ever CD mixes one for French label Logistic, and a mix for the club ‘Fabric’ mix series

”Growing up in Detroit, I grew up with Motown in the house – a lot of Motown and Philadelphia soul, artists like Marvin Gaye of course and Curtis Mayfield.

”I remember Isaac Hayes, the soundtrack from ‘Shaft’ had come out. My father was a jazz musician; he played piano, trumpet and drums. My mother was in an R’n’B group.
 We listened to a lot of Motown – in fact, my grandfather’s first cousin is Berry Gordy.
 “I was influenced by my father – I wanted to play trumpet like he did.”
 Robert’s father tragically died when he was just 6. The photo of Robert sitting down holding a trumpet is his fathers. 
”I had to beg my grandmother to let me borrow the trumpet to take a picture with it”

In the early 90’s he began to concentrate on his own production ‘Vision EP’, the ‘Riot EP’ and X-102 were big stepping-stones for him as they were the first releases he worked 100% on his own. The X-101 to X-102, were Waveform Transmission projects with Mills for Tresor. He slowly progressed to work more and more on his own, but collaberated on some of the first Axis releases with label owner Jeff Mills as H&M (Hood & Mills) with ‘Tranquilizer EP’ and ‘Drama’.

 He soon decided it was time for him to start his own label to focus on what was in his soul musically.

M-Plant started in ’94. I had developed this “grey area” sound – what I mean by that is that in Detroit, even when the sun is out, there’s something in the atmosphere. I don’t know if its pollution or whatever, but the sky has that grey haze over it. It’s got to be something from the industrial factories there. I’d never really heard a sound like that before and it came from a Roland Juno – it was a chord sound that really went along with my depiction of what Detroit was at that time. A lot of buildings were abandoned and there was a lot of lifelessness in the city, especially downtown. The M-Plant, in minimalism, kind of reflected that.

I remember thinking of Detroit like a museum. You know, like a work of art standing still, suspended in time. There wasn’t a whole lot of activity going on.

Releasing singles such as “Internal Empire”, “The Protein Valve”, “Music Data,” and “Moveable Parts”, “The Pace”, more recently “Range”, “Alpha” and that isn’t even touching his other monikers Floorplan, Monobox, The Vision, etc.
 “M-Plant is what I’ve always wanted to hear: the basic stripped down, raw sound. Just drums, basslines and funky grooves and only what’s essential. Only what is essential to make people move. I started to look at it as a science, the art of making people move their butts, speaking to their heart, mind and soul. “It’s a heart-felt rhythmic techno sound. M-Plant is just M. minimal.

"These days I am focussed purely on minimalism and really embracing minimalism, because it’s taken on a life of its own. It’s now a music style separate from techno. I would never have imagined that it would take this direction. I didn’t see that one coming! I saw minimalism in life becoming more and more evident - in furniture, in electronics, in art, in automobiles, appliances - you know I could see that coming. But, as far as music itself being thought of now as an art form? Back then, I think people looked on at it as a trend but they didn’t realise that minimalism is an art form. I did not realise it would take on this characteristic as it has now. So, where I’m at right now is embracing minimalism and seeing how far I can push it - in my interpretation of what simplicity and the music is all about. I am really representing it as an art form and not a trend. As the future evolves, we’re going to get more and more minimal"

“I love my hobby, which transformed into my profession and my way of life during recent years. My aim is to see as many people as possible on the dancefloor and to dance with them, leading the mood with what unites us all - music.  I am what I do.”

Nastia’s ascendency to her current status has been nothing short of an unexpected whirlwind of success. The DJ, promoter, label owner and producer was born in a tiny village in Ukraine, and forged her own path to widespread recognition out of her sheer love for music without any formal training. 

She first heard snippets of electronic music through her older sisters, purchasing a copy of the Matrix soundtrack as a teenager. After her first visit to a big club in the city of Donetsk she was hooked, and subsequently got a job as a dancer in the club whilst studying. Less than a year later she’d taught herself to DJ and began to get booked in clubs around the country.

The following year Nastia landed her own weekly radio show on Kiss FM Ukraine - the country’s biggest station for dance music - and became a resident DJ at Kazantip, the pioneering dance music festival held on the Crimean Peninsula that she continued to be heavily involved with up until 2011. 

By this time, she was one of the most well-known DJs of her home country, and landed a residency at the legendary Moscow club ARMA17 that she holds to this day. She founded the Propaganda brand in 2010 for her radio show, and in 2013 she was well placed to begin her own record label of the same name. The label has been steadily releasing a stream of credible but diverse productions ever since, coming from Nastia’s favourite new artists that she discovers on her travels and whilst crate digging.

The label also hosts parties around Europe, further adding to Nastia’s reputation as a promoter. She now holds her own festival in Kiev, Strichka. Held at Closer - an art space based in a former factory – and running for 24 hours straight, this year’s edition saw artists like Jus–Ed, Helena Hauff, DJ Bone, DJ Stingray, Margaret Dygas and Pearson Sound travel to play alongside Nastia and many other local talents. She also debuted the first of her ‘Stereo Piknik’ events in London this year, bringing DJ Qu, Tobias, Pearson Sound, Function and more to the city. 

Outside of her own parties, Nastia’s increasingly busy touring schedule takes her to some of the most respected venues in the world: Panorama Bar in Berlin, London’s fabric (where she has played alongside Ricardo Villalobos and with Richie Hawtin for his Play party), The Block in Tel Aviv, WOMB in Tokyo and Cocoon and Circoloco in Ibiza. With her reputation growing, she is now gearing up for her debut Australia tour at the end of this year. A multitalented DJ and expert at reading crowds, Nastia can play industrial techno, experimental, house or DnB depending on the situation, but at the end of the day, her main goal is to make the crowd dance along with her as she did at her first club in Donetsk. 

Dax J is a London born, Berlin based artist, known as a powerful DJ, producer and label boss. His trademark sound is on constant rotation from the biggest DJ's in electronic music today. 

In 2016 Dax was voted into Resident Advisor's top 100 DJ’s of the year at No.56, while also being nominated in Mixmag, Groove Magazine and DJ Mag as Best Breakthrough DJ. He played closing sets at monumental parties including Awakenings for ADE in the Gashoulder as well as a 10-hour marathon set in the worlds most notorious techno club, Berghain. 

In 2015 Dax released his highly acclaimed debut album "Shades of Black" on his own label "Monnom Black." Mixmag awarded it "Album of the Month", it reached the No.1 spot on Juno Records with Hardwax describing it as "Brilliantly Banging".

His current and past productions have frequently earned Dax BBC Radio 1 airplay throughout the years, including his tracks being consistently featured in the BBC's Essential Mix episodes from DJ’s such as Dave Clarke, Tini and most notably in Ben Klock's award winning Essential Mix of the Year in 2015. 

He's released records on seminal labels including; Deeply Rooted House, Electric Deluxe, Soma, Fondation Sonore, EarToGround, Arts, and has been remixed by a collection of the Techno scenes' key players such as Shifted, Phase, Ryan Elliot, Truss, Jonas Kopp, Slam and Par Grindvik.

Dax grew up listening to the UK sounds of Jungle, Drum n Bass and Garage. Being heavily influenced by Drum n Bass heroes like Goldie and Bad Company, his love for the underground meant he soon started to DJ on pirate radios at an early age of 15 whilst he was still at school. He became an avid vinyl collector buying from his local record store "Black Market" on a weekly basis, whilst at the same time producing and crafting his sound. His first vinyl releases would come in 2005 on old Jungle labels like Mickey Finn's "Urban Takeover" under alias "Dangerous" and his own imprint back then "Xplicit Sound." Following on from this Dax went on to discover the sounds of Techno during one summer spent in Ibiza. From this point on his passion for cutting edge 4 by 4 beats took over but the old Jungle influences are still heard today in his DJ sets and productions.

Degree educated in Music Technology, Dax runs his own studio in Berlin where he also works as a Sound and Mastering Engineer. With a constant supply of music set to be released and a packed tour schedule around the globe, the UK artist is firmly set for another successful year.

Nope, Marcus Worgull’s parents didn’t have a record collection full of miraculous funk, soul and jazz records. Believe us, they didn’t. Consequentially, six-year-old Marcus didn’t place himself on a soapbox to play those non-existing ones to his relatives during family celebrations. I bet you are glad that we clarified that. Instead, Marcus had to go the really hard way. It were the late 80ies and growing up in cosy Wuppertal near Cologne, Germany that meant lots of learning, digging, searching and no perching at all.

So the boy was on his travel through the world of merry music. Hip hop, reggae, funk, soul all purchased with his lunch and pocket money at a smalls tore named Groove Attack. Worgull got his fingers dusty there and as fate would have it, the store moved to Cologne mutated into a distributor along the way and is now run by Marcus himself. At around the same time, MW snuck into club’s like the Beat Box to hear DJs like Norman Jay or Gilles Peterson selecting, before he cut his teeth as a DJ at the infamous U-Club, where he took over the fortunes of the “house room” and played from start to finish. Learning the art of programming and all the other important disc jockey techniques from scratch. Thrilled by all the amazing platters of majestic deep house that were a plenty these days, Marcus’ soft spot for profound yet moving house music turned into a real obsession.

As it goes with most passions, you cannot get rid of them that easy. So instead of making an occupational decision in getting an academic degree, Marcus choose the doomed path of music. A full-grown man by now with a mature record collection, he got deeper and deeper into the production side of it, recorded his first 12” for Spectrum Works, followed by the Texel EP including the still ueber-massive “Dragon Loop” for Berlin’s Innervisions imprint. Bound to the label of Dixon and Âme on a professional level and even more so on a personal one (friendship is way more important than fame and money a wise man once said, you know?), he is considered part of their inner circle and in-house producers. When he is not working on tracks for IV, you can catch him almost certainly on remix duties for people and labels like The Juan MacLean and DFA, Gerald Mitchell from Underground Resistance fame, Permanent Vacation and Running Back.

But most of all, Marcus is still adoring the art of moving butts, spending his weekends on planes and trains (he actually prefers driving a car) to carry a bag of records to prized clubs like Robert Johnson, Fabric, Plastic People, Trouw or Sub Club on the regular. His very own selection of well-made and often newly laid house music that knows its roots as well as it is yearning for the future or explores the leftfield, is what you can expect from him. You can also reappraise his methods (and love for other music) on each of his specifically created and applauded mix shows that float the net. All of this is presented and custom-made for your pleasure with the loving hands of a working DJ. Pure Worgold!

When Len Faki moved to Berlin in 2003, he already looked back to years of fruitful productivity and the management of two highly acclaimed Techno labels: Monoid and Feis. There, he had attracted artists such as Samuel L. Session, John Selway Umek and The Hacker, with releases of 12inches, albums and mix compilations.

His move to Berlin marked a decisive turning-point in his career. With Len Series he founded an independent platform and trademark for his idea of Techno music. The basic concept including sublabels allows him to explore musical depths and artistic freedom. 
His strong appearances at venues like Tresor and Ostgut (Berlin) culminated in his residency at Berghain (the former Ostgut), a position which further fueled his open-minded approach as both DJ and producer. The characteristic extra-long DJ sets force him to vary in tone, style and feed him with extra inspiration. 

At Berghain, he also launched the Podium night, a quarterly event where he invites his appreciated colleagues from all over the world. This step also resulted in the birth of his sublabel Podium with releases by Raudive (aka Oliver Ho) or Shinedoe. Right with his first offshoot, he stormed the cases and charts of top DJs/producers such as Luke Slater, Sven V..th and Ivan Smagghe. 

While figure sees his own releases in loose combination with artist’s remixes, Podium features exclusive artist releases in combination with his own work. Whereas figure is like heavy tropical rain, Podium appears like a sharply defined sky after the downpour. Both labels stand for cutting-edge Techno music. 

His bone-dry but communicative DJ style marks him as a true gentleman behind the turntable, an artist whose sets are based on passion and beauty. His finger tips are like sensors on the Richter scale, and anticipate as well as trigger eruptions on the floor...

Dixon and his label Innvervisions imprint has been one of dance music’s biggest success stories over the last few years. He has always maintained the importance of delivering an authentic message. This striving for a unique identity has driven an obsession with making personal edits, tweaking tracks until they fit just right. Sometimes it means striking the right balance between educating and entertaining the crowd. But mostly it involves staying open to new ideas, following the urge to explore and trusting the same instincts that were formed in the very first years of his career. It is a unique combination that has helped to create intimate, compelling and above all lasting memories on and off the dance floor.

2017 has been one of the biggest years yet in the glittering career of the dynamic Glaswegian duo SLAM (aka Stuart McMillan & Orde Meikle).

You only have to take one look at their label Soma Records release schedule to understand why they have remained on the cutting edge and firmly at the forefront of music innovation.

Pratagnoists since the early days and always in the vanguard, this last year has seen them celebrate 25 years of Soma Records with the release of a vinyl box set. They enlisted the likes of Jeff Mills, Robert Hood, Steve Bicknell, Andrew Weatherall (appearing as Woodleigh Research Facility), Blawan, Adam Beyer and more to provide brand new musical excursions for today's dance floors and beyond. 

Slam have never been ones to rest on their musical laurels and they are constantly and consistently experimenting in the studio, working multitude of tracks. When they are not playing at some of the worlds best clubs and festivals, 2018 will see them host their stage at Riverside again where they will be inviting an international line-up of artists to join them

For over 15 years Paula Temple has been pursuing her own unique musical path. As a self-confessed noisician living in Berlin, she specialises in a noisy, phantasmagoric techno sound, where the dial is rarely turned below 200% and every moment of silence seems deafening. Paula’s music is fearlessly liberating artistic statements that defies the boundaries of linear.

The legendary label R&S Records released ’Colonized’ EP in 2013, ‘Deathvox’ EP in 2014, and her massive remixes for The Prodigy in 2015. The track ‘Deathvox’ is regarded by her peers as one of the most original contributions to modern techno. Her most celebrated track ‘Gegen’ remains an anthem at festivals worldwide and was inspired by the caring and defiant queer community of Berlin. ‘Contact’ from her ’The Speck of The Future’ EP appeared on Jeff Mills’ Exhibitionist compilation, and her track ‘Oscillate’ appeared in the final releases on Modeselektor's 50 Weapons label. Both of these tracks are distinctly inspired by classic Detroit and German electro techno.

She has remixed avant-electronic acts such as The Knife, Peaches, Perera Elsewhere and Planningtorock. In 2015 she started a unique collaboration series called Decon/Recon on her label Noise Manifesto, working with several artists including rRoxymore, Aisha Devi and SØS Gunver Ryberg. In 2016 Karin Dreijer invited Paula to co-produce songs on the new Fever Ray album ‘Plunge’. 

Never one to shy away from her political convictions, during the 2000s Paula withdrew from the techno scene for six years to teach music and technology to young people facing disadvantages in England. She also co-developed an innovative live performance midi controller MXF8, one of the first of its kind for music technology and ultimately shaped her current style of Hybrid LIVE/DJ performances. Progress never comes from following the norm. So before Paula returned to music making, she wrote the Noise Manifesto in 2012, a clear statement challenging the oppressive norms of society and the music industry, from which Noise Manifesto operates as a platform to support likeminded artists and collaborations.  

Sven Väth is quite simply unique. A legend in his own lifetime with a commitment and passion that has influenced the advance and evolution of electronic music. Clubs, record labels and careers have been launched.

There are some people that are destined to emerge and change things. Change landscapes. Sven Väth is a risk taking visionary, an instigator, an innovator and very possibly invincible.

1981 and Frankfurt it started. Quickly the figurehead for a techno revolution in Germany that was to spread far and wide. Worldwide. Setting sail alone, this was 1981 and this was new. The Omen Club and so many other adventures punctuated this period, getting the sound out there . Vinyl then, vinyl now. Parties that mattered and changed things. Parties that reinforced a vision and eventually gave birth to Cocoon.

An extraordinary residency in one of the best clubs in the world was unleashed in 1999. Cocoon Ibiza, Amnesia on a Monday night. Now 18 years of parties that have set new standards in production and have never compromised on what matters. The music. An incredible risk became, and still is, one of the great successes in modern music and clubbing. A phenomenon now attracting upwards of 80,000 visitors in a 4 month season with Sven Vath front and centre throughout.

Along with Cocoon Ibiza Sven created a booking agency (now Flash Artist Booking - targeting the best and the brightest), an event agency (Cocoon Event – spreading the vision across 5 continents and now over 30 countries) and a record label (Cocoon Recordings - with a back catalogue stuffed with quality) that gets ever more important and keeps on growing.

For all that you just have to meet the man behind the decks to really get it. With vinyl flailing he picks up a crowd and takes them with him. At a Sven gig you are in a performance with no one knowing quite what is going to happen. It has always been so. There may be 120 gigs a year, some very big some more intimate, but you will always feel invited and you will always see the heart of the man. That heart belongs to the crowd. Everyone is a VIP. Sven Väth is rock and roll.

In October 2014 there was a happening that expressed this togetherness and mutual respect. It was a 50th birthday party in stunning surroundings where 12,000 people joined together in Mannheim to celebrate a monumental life and career. An unforgettable night of dancing and community

In 2015 another very special moment as Sven was honoured by the City of Frankfurt with the „Goethplakette“, issued only to those that have made a real contribution to the cultural life of the city. A formal occasion but one that was important because it acknowledged at a different level the positivity that dance music can bring. A force for good. There was an after party of course, it is Sven after all.....

Some fascinating collaborations have emerged as Sven has continued to explore another passion, contemporary art. Intriguing link ups with such influential figures as Tobias Rehberger and Andreas Gursky, both long term friends, are sure to throw up more surprises in the next months and years.

2018 and that means an astonishing 37 years as a Dj and an equally astonishing 19th season of Cocoon Ibiza coming up, the most charismatic DJ of his generation is more vital and relevant than ever. Utterly professional, utterly unpredictable. No one else like him. Not even close

Rødhåd has been socialised by Berlin's looptechno nights and always finds the perfect balance of timeless techno to lift the dancefloor higher and higher.

His style is always deep, powerful and melancholic - from dubtechno to techno and back to house.

A technological society, a mechanist present, an industrial era... long and dark nights, warehouses, cogeneration plants, noise.

Which kind of music matches the rhythm of Western civilization better than Rødhåds music?!