Beast interviews...Illy Noize again!

Beast and crew were overjoyed when DJ and Producer Illy Noize agreed to return to his Bristol haven. He’s been DJing since 1999 and producing from 2011. He has a residency at the Charles Bronson club in Halle and heads up the record label Joyfriend. We flew him in from Halle, Germany for his UK debut at The Island in Feb 2016. Fast forward to now and we déjà vu what is guaranteed to be one incredible party on Saturday 25/11 where Illy will work his magic at The Island again. The Beast was keen to find out what Illy has been up to since we saw him last in 2016.

Illy Noize at The Island, Bristol 2016

“Hi Beast, it’s good to meet you again. There were several highlights in 2016 and 2017. We (the Joyfriend Team) were working to push things forward for our label. We had some strong releases featuring tracks by our key artists Odd Only, Philipp Harms and Jonson. So for me label work and to see what impact the label gets with its releases was one highlight. Another big thing was playing all these smaller and bigger festivals in Germany. I was surprised by a small festival called Oewerall Festival at the polish border in the middle of nowhere. There was a beautiful lake and my floor, where I was playing, was situated right on the beach. My friends from the crew Herzensangelegenheit invited me to play and it was a great pleasure playing for all these lovely dancers at this beautiful venue. If you have the chance check this festival out. I think it has a great future. Besides that I am now a father and my son is, and will be, a highlight for me seeing him grow up, learning to talk. He’s a sweet little gentleman 😊”

Beast pauses to take this all in…a Dad, record releases, collaborations, Festivals (Beast takes a particular note of that Oewerall Festival to gather up a Bristol collective!) – Illy has been up to so much and is always keeping himself so busy! In amongst all this we want to know just how Illy keeps up to date with all the latest styles of music and what artists is he listening to at the moment?

“In private I listen to Funk, Hip Hop and Disco a lot. I take my time to go through promos and through Beatport and other music stores once a week I think. If I find an interesting track I will go through the labels release catalogue check the other tracks by the artist. With this method I often find older tracks I’ve never heard. In my opinion I am very versatile as a DJ. I often play different styles in my set. If the tracks have the right groove and rhythm I give them a try. For me it is important to play music I like and not what’s hip and in right now.  In the end it is important that the people going to a party have a great evening and the selection has to fit with the vibes on the floor. I always carry a lot of USB Sticks with me to be ready for whatever happens.”

As ever this is one of many things about Illy that makes Beast very happy. Reading the crowd and giving them what they want is one of the key things that we look for in a DJ.

The Beast sometimes finds that when we get DJ's over from the continent they can be quite a bit different with their musical expression! It’s a positive thing. We ask Illy how he perceives the music scene and any difference between the UK and Germany. Also we ask whether he thinks Brexit will change things in the music scene

“There are some great artists that I really admire like Bicep and Eats Everything for example. When I started listening to electronic music I was totally fascinated by UK Garage, Jungle and Drum and Bass. But nowadays you could find every type of electronic music in the UK and some mayor influences come from the island to the scene.

I guess today the clubs are a bit different in Germany than in the UK. For example the Sisyphos club in Berlin. This club opens on Friday and closes on Tuesday. So there is plenty of time to try different music like a real slow house set which is very popular in Germany right now. DJs playing 4 hours and evolving their sets more. If you are bound to a 2 hours playtime you usually go for the bangers. But with longer periods you can open up to different moods. I think this Brexit will tie the scene of electronic music more together because borders doesn’t matter when it comes to music. I am not the most political guy ever but I think Brexit is more for the older generation.”

The Beast is utterly enraptured by Illy’s response – more set times, music not having boundaries – we just want to curl up to one of our favorite DJ’s and keep him as our teddy bear.

Finally Beast asks Illy what he is looking forward to the most at the Saturday 25/11 Minotaur Sound night and whether he has any surprises for us.

“I am really happy to meet the whole Minotaur sound crew again. Last time I was nervous about my set but it worked really well so I am excited to be back again and play. And I really love the venue. It’s a special place. Can’t wait 😊”

Check out Illy's latest Minotaur peak time glory promo mix and come to The Island on Saturday 25/11 where you are guaranteed a magical musical journey like no other. He'll be supported by our other amazing DJ's Lee Williams, Tina Hart, Much Maligned, Sarah Air and Thomas. Tickets are available here: http://hdfst.uk/E40640

Illy Noize and Lee Williams back in Bristol on 25/11/2017

In the space of time since Beast hosted the last epic Minotaur Sound night in May, hurricanes have raged and despots have declared war - this is nothing new to Beastie Minotaur - who some 2500 years bc lived that very existence, only back then there wasn't any techno or deep house.

Forward wind a few millennia and so the time has come to bring night no 3 to the glittery fore. In all its musical glory - back by demandus populus we are so happy to hail the return of the legendary Illy Noize from Halle to Bristol. Like a vortex we whisk him and other resident DJ's back into The Island Bristol Police Cells venue on Saturday November 25th 2017.

Tickets can be purchased here: http://hdfst.uk/E40640

The last time we were there a couple of us scuffled around to the tune of a lone tape recorder - actually no, those who were there will remember just how many molecules of brain matter were lost just dancing to Illy's set alone. The rampant vibrations of a night that shall be commended to memory forever. Even now some peeps can say 'yep, I was there'. So fear not, if you weren't there - now is your opportunity to put that right.

In the main room dishing out Techno and Deephouse to your heart's content we bring back Much Maligned (Donewrong), Lee Williams and Illy Noize and in Police Cell no 1 we welcome Thomas, Sarah Air and the sass of Tina Hart to take us on a journey of beats and treats - anything could happen in there. In Police Cell no 2 we welcome back the spunky chic and beauty of Naomi from We Creatures bringing as ever her glittery, horny entourage to shimmer and entertain. Art visuals as ever from the oceanically deep Stefan Goodchild from Triple Geek - who has a few surprises up his techie sleeves just for you.

Get your tickets on headfirst here for a guaranteed night of musical debauchery. Book the babysitter and dust off your dancing shoes. See you there you gorgeous loves xx

Launch Night Review!

So, following Launch Night delights and smiles and as we continue finding glitter in our clothes, our dancing shoes and inside our horns. We asked one Minotaur Sound happy customer, Mr Ben Meek, to provide us with a review of the immersive side of night. Here is what he had to tell us...


"...I entered the lair like a thief, sticking to the shadows, exercising the barest minimum of movement lest I be caught and dragged to the cells to await the legendary beast. I was excited but something seemed off, I was on The Island, but I had not imagined the fabled labyrinth to be in Bristol city centre.



The Island, Bristol transforms into a Labyrinth

Maybe it was my mind at fault, I’m struggling to remember how I even ended up here, my memory is hazy, the colours seem brighter here too. People flitted around me, obviously part of some kind of cult, worshiping The Minotaur. Already they appeared giddy with anticipation. They sweated and sparkled in the sparse lighting, whilst all around a tribal rhythm pulsed and pounded fuelling their, no doubt depraved, desires.



The Minotaur says hello to DJ Kieran Holden

Undaunted, I pressed on through gangs of nymphs and satyrs. I felt flushed and elated, just the thrill of the chase I guessed. I entered a cavernous room where the music was loudest, one of The Minotaur’s acolytes pressed a glowing rod into my hand, looking down I was shocked to discover that my clothes had been torn from my upper body and I was covered in a sparkling powder, glistening under the flashing multi-coloured lights. I needed air.




A Minotaur Sound Nymph


Panic growing I fled out into a corridor when I heard a spectral voice beckoning me onwards. I crept forward, following the call until, too late! “I need a virgin” I heard called, “who will be our virgin?” My blood froze, this could only mean one thing. Sacrifice. Before I knew it I was in front of the chamber, a small cell bedecked with shining curtains and filled with the most deranged of the beast’s followers. Before I could cry out I felt a push from behind and I fell, stumbling into the arms of the howling crowd.






Into the Cell of Fables with Micro-Rave





How long I was in that chamber, I cannot tell. I cannot recount with clarity what happened to me in that room. I only know that I left my old self behind when I finally emerged, a drooling convert. Ready to do the minotaur’s bidding without hesitation. I danced wildly, I drank with abandon, I became one with the maddening drums, I offered myself up to the wanton lusts of that crowd and I regret nothing, for I finally understood. The Minotaur was no monster, nor indeed a physical being at all. It was us, we were the beast. The Minotaur was in us all along."






Illy Noize captivates his Minotaur Sound fans

Illy Noize - Minotaur Sound Headline DJ Interview!

We have our most anticipated interview yet with our upcoming headline Illy Noize! Illy caught our ear last year when we heard one of his spectacular mixes and rather than wait for someone to bring him over to the UK, The Minotaur Sound team decided to take matters into our own hooves, set up Minotaur Sound and bring him over to the UK for his debut. Have a listen to Illy's Minotaur Sound teaser mix here and read on to find out more about him:

Minotaur Sound: "So Illy, tell us who are your biggest influences and why?"

Illy Noize

Illy: "Hey guys, thank you for having this interview with me. My musical influences reach from raw funk and soul to rock and experimental electronic music. I am very open minded when it comes to music and I enjoy it everywhere I can. But when I should name some all-time heroes of mine, it comes down to Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson, Donna Summer and all these great artists under the Mo-Town Label roster. I like that live feeling in a record. When you hear the little mistakes in the recording that makes it special. I always try to recap this feeling when I work in the studio. Also for DJ sets I think it's important. I don't like surgical sets. It has to be vibrant and swinging. Yes I think this is the influence for me in music"

Minotaur Sound: "Amazing! And this influence really does show strong in your music. How about you tell us a lesser known fact about yourself?"

Illy: "Haha! A fun fact about me...whenever I go on tour to DJ in another City I always forget my toothbrush. So every time I come to a new City, I have to buy a new one. I have quite a good collection of toothbrushes from a lot of City's I've been at."

Minotaur Sound: "We'll have your toothbrush at the ready when you come to Bristol then! So tell us about the first time when you started to DJ - how did you get introduced to it?"

Joyfriend Record Label

Illy: "I started to DJ in 1999 as a hobby. Started to collect vinyl and practicing at home. Can't say exactly why but I always was into music. Didn't know much about DJ live at this stage but was fascinated by the technique and the way it was done. The turntables and the feel of the records and of course going to the record store was a bit thing for me back in the days. Today I try to buy as much Vinyl as possible but have stopped playing Vinyl at clubs which is a bit sad. I always was into this soulful house and techno music. Not much of a minimal or dark techno guy. I like happy music so to say, always melodic. Then after one year of training I sent some demos to clubs around my hometown. In 2005 I became resident in a club in Leipzig and in 2009 in the Charles Bronson Club in Halle made by Monkey Safari. I started producing music slightly late. In 2013 I released my first records. Until 2015 I released on 7 labels and started to run my own Label Joyfriend with some friends in Halle.

Minotaur Sound: "Illy we are so honoured to have you headline at our upcoming Launch and so very excited to hear what you will play for your UK fans. See you on the 20th Feb!"

Kieran Holden - Minotaur Sound DJ interview!

It's time for another Minotaur Sound DJ interview! This time featuring the super talented Kieran Holden.

Minotaur Sound: " So Kieran, what are your biggest musical influences?"

Kieran H: "'A Love from Outerspace' certainly re-ignited my interest in dance music, it's such a great melting pot. I think the best DJ set that I've heard in a while had to be Paramida at the Masked Ball in Flambards Amusement Park, lovely stuff in a great setting too.

Labels like Emotional Response, Optimo, Tusk Was, Throne Of Blood, Tici Taci and that's sorts of business never leave the bag.

Also hearing some of my tracks getting a play from some personal heroes like Bill Brewster / Andy Weatherall / Justin Robertson and Ewan Pearson is a massive shot in the arm. Makes you want to produce more".

Minotaur Sound: "Just wow, you had us at 'A love from Outerspace!'... So tell us a lesser known fact about yourself"

Kieran H: "Bernie, the Bassist out of The Holles taught me how to play bass when I was a kid, and I've still got his old Rickenbacker bass. Still my only bass and I love it. I let him borrow it for use in this 1975 TV special - which you can view here.

We give you Kieran Holden...Kieran is part of the Upstairs Downstairs DJ collective in Newquay. With releases on Tici Taci and Alfresco Disco and a remix for Nein Records, his production credentials are flawless. See and hear Kieran in deck action at our launch night!

The beastie approves of his limited edition lair ware

Check out our beautiful limited edition tees! Beautifully designed by our resident Graphic Designers Lun and Claire. You can purchase them on our big cartel site here. Be quick as we only made 50 of them.

We went for a really simple but impacting design - a labyrinth and mysterious glyphs. Tee detail gives you a limited edition flourish on the sleeve.



Available in top quality Gildan 100% cotton. sizes extra small, small, medium, large and extra large.


Buy your tee now in time for launch night or will be available to purchase on the night.

With thanks to Cass for stunning model shots. Cass will be wearing her tee on launch night.

G Rowe - Minotaur Sound DJ interview!

So here's the first of our interviews with one of our DJ's G Rowe. George was instrumental in finding our Launch Party headline Illy Noize. He is an ex resident at Bristol's salubrious Headrush and Das Ist Nights. If you have clubbed out in Bristol, doubtless you will have been in his very safe hands.



G Rowe at a New Years gig 2015

Minotaur Sound: "Who are your biggest musical influences and why?"

George: "Hmmm...well I listen to all types of things, but in House and Techno, I'd probably say people like George Fitgerald and Scuba for stuff that's really good to dance to late at night. I also really like some funky stuff from the likes of Bicep, The Revenge and anything on Toytonics. There are loads of amazing people from Bristol like Outboxx, Jay L, Bashmore, Christophe, Behling and Simpson. Loads of stuff really"

Minotaur Sound: "Sick choices! Now tell us a lesser known fact about yourself"


George: " A lesser known fact?! Err...this guy is my Great, Great, Great Uncle or something, and was described as the 'richest man to captain England at football'. I didn't see a penny of it"

Minotaur Sound: "Haha thanks George! Can't wait to see you do your thing on 20th Feb Launch Party"





















<-- R. Cunliffe Gosling (aka as George's Great, Great, Great Uncle who didn't leave him with a penny. (c) Wikipedia.

Bring on the weirdness styling!

Have to say that here at Minotaur Sound central, we are just a tad excitement about what is about to come. We've even started a Pinterest Board to style our Launch Party night.






You can take a look at it by clicking here and check out the Berlin Techno concept. Obviously we don't want to make it a stringent style - we're talking about our fierce Techno loving Minotaur in his sound labyrinth, dark tunnels winding their way down into the bowls of an old Police Station and bringing in some of the best atmospheric music to be heard in Bristol by our DJ creatures. Hairs on the back of your neck prepare to stand up!






We will have plenty of other surprises - we're finding it hard to keep ourselves quiet, suffice to say that you will love it all.

Happy New Year from the horned beast

So 2016 starts with the resounding bang of those magnificent Westminster fireworks and here at Minotaur Sound we say Happy New Year to our lovely Minotaureans. 2016 is going to be a particularly good year for us as it's our Launch Party year and we know how much buzz you are going to get from that one event alone.


We are humbled to see how Tier 1 tickets are flying off the shelves at a much faster rate than anticipated to such an extent that we had to pour more Tier 1's into the pot over Christmas. You lovely peeps - we will deliver a party that will have you wanting to come back for more.


With love from the Minotaur Sound Team xxx

Launch Party Launches! Come hither...

Minotaur Sound launch party at The Island in Bristol. The Minotaur invites you to his sound lair to lose yourself to Berlin techno with his creatures of the night. Prepare for collaborative performances and spectacular installations from the depths of the Minotaur's Lair. This night is not to be missed.




Featuring DJ sets from:




ILLY NOIZE (Joyfriend / My Favorite Freaks)

KIERAN HOLDEN (Tici Taci / Alfresco Disco / Nein)

DONEWRONG

G ROWE




ILLY NOIZE - Flying in from Berlin / Halle we have his debut UK set. He caught our ear when a recording of his amazing set at the legendary Sisyphos club in Berlin last year was excitedly passed round and we've been dying to see him live ever since. With a string of releases under his belt this will be a DJ set to savour!
KIERAN HOLDEN - Part of the Upstairs Downstairs DJ collective in Newquay. With releases on TICI TACI and ALFRESCO DISCO and a remix for NEIN RECORDS under his belt his production credentials are flawless.
DONEWRONG & G ROWE - Bristol scene stalwarts, you've probably danced to these lads many a time so you know you're in safe hands when they're behind the decks.
We have special Minotaur exclusive mixes inbound from all DJs but for now why not buy your tickets by clicking here.

Minotaur Sound is a Go!

Minotaur Sound is a DJ promotions company like no other. Bristol based and currently on the cusp of releasing a launch night date in February 2016. Stand by for further details.