Beast interviews...Thomas

Another Beast interview and this time it’s with our newest resident DJ Thomas. The Beast headhunted him (no not in a slaying kind of way) after he showed off his musical talents by chance. Thomas is also known for his trail blazing work in lasers and visuals and helped the Beastly crew with a scrummy Lumia laser display at the Minotaur Sound no 2 party in Lakota in May 2017. He’s the kind of bloke who could turn average into spectacular with nothing more than a paperclip and a headlight. If he can do this with visuals/lasers then imagine what he’s like behind decks – oh yes, you’ll be finding out on Saturday 25^th at the Minotaur Sound 3 party. The Beast steps inside his head for some juicy insight…

Beast wants to know more about Thomas’s DJ’ing style and the artists that influence him the most…

“I first learned to DJ when predominantly listening to drum & bass and whilst I still enjoy a 170bpm night out, I never quite gelled with mixing big drops and breakdowns, much preferring the waves of energy you can build and ‘ride’ with techno and house. Having older siblings and friends has helped me look backwards for music as well as forwards also, so you can expect some classics to be pulled out of the record bag on the 25th! As for influences, I love what people like Denis Sulta, Robert & Lyric Hood (AKA Floorplan of course) and Solomun are doing at the moment, blending the gospel and disco vibes with the techy. It’s great when you have a really headsy crowd and can go super deep with the techno, but mixing it up and keeping things interesting but accessible can be so important if the room commands it.”

This greatly pleases the Beast. Keeping people on their toes yet giving them what they want is a great art. In this respect Thomas will have happy dancers in the palm of his hand.

Beast also wants to know what Thomas is listening to the most at the moment and why…

“I find myself listening to absolutely all sorts, very much depending on my whereabouts and the time of day. For the all too common 5am trips to Heathrow and beyond it’s either ambient electronica from labels like EM:T, or some Nils Frahm or Ludovico Einaudi. When at home it’s anything from folk to industrial metal to techno…”

Now we turn to Thomas’s main laser and visuals job and Beast is curious to know how there is cross over with music…

“Absolutely- not least that my business (Airdrawn) lends its name to Sasha’s second album! A long term love of music

plus a definite geeky side meant that starting airdrawn was a dream come true. To date I’ve provided the laser power and/or visuals for some huge names and had a great time doing it. Nowadays I’ve got a very talented number two taking the reins on many of the local club nights as I’m often out of the country working, but I’m ‘keeping a toe in’ as much as I can.”

Last but not least the Beast asks Thomas what he’s looking forward to the most at Minotaur Sound 3 - Saturday 25/11…

“If it’s anything like the last two then definitely the crowd. With all the lad culture so prevalent at club nights these days it’s really great to see ‘Beast creating such a safe, friendly environment’ which then breeds like-minded people. Add that to a stellar lineup and it’s not a night to miss is it?”

You heard it from Thomas here and you can come and hear him play in the Police Cells on Saturday. Come shake a leg early with Thomas as he warms up those ceramic tiled walls of the Police Cells on Saturday. He’ll be joined by Sarah Air and Tina Hart. In the main room you can catch the delights of Much Maligned, Lee Williams and Illy Noize jetted in just for you from Halle, Germany.

Grab your tickets here: http://hdfst.uk/E40640

Beast interviews...Sarah Air

The Beast is proud to present Sarah Air at the next Minotaur Sound night on 25/11. Sarah will be dishing up some tasty beats in the Police Cells and has Beast wanting seconds each and every time she ignites the decks. Despite technical difficulties, she proved her worth at ‘Air From The Lair – Bearrito Beats’ broadcast last month from the top of the BearPit Bearritos bus – listen to her On the Bus mix to get a flavor of what's in store. Eager to get inside her musical mind we have our next Beast interview…

Beast asks Sarah what got her into DJ’ing

“It was the collapse of the financial markets combined with motherhood. After I was made redundant in 2009 I did a CDJ course, got a distinction and happily applied my new skills entertaining my toddler son for hours with a heady mix of minimal tech house and Thomas the Tank Engine hits. He loved all the buttons and flashing lights almost as much as me, but I found fisher price turntables a little limiting”.

Beast goes on to ask Sarah what her biggest musical influences are and also what she is listening to the most.

“Ooh, this is a tough one to answer because there are so many over a number of different periods of my life. Growing up in the eighties was such an amazing time for pop music, post-punk and post-disco, early electronica etc. I was fanatical about Top of the Pops and recorded my favourite numbers from the top 40 countdown chart on my tape cassette player so that I could listen to them again and again. The music of that time lit my little fuse, but it was the party-driven music of the rave scene in the early nineties that really stoked those flames and turned the appreciation of music for me into a more immersive, participative experience back then. The love of that dance music culture is what feeds a lot of the music that I love. If it makes me want to dance, it's hitting the spot for me.

My current listening is characteristically schizoid. I get earworms and just go with them for a while to work them out. Last night I listened to Nadia Rose's debut album, that's going to be popping up again for sure, IAMDDB's track Shade and Ravyn Lenae's track Spice are both niggling away still after much feeding and I'm loving a Villalobos and Celestial Voice extended single that's been on repeat in my headphones for the past couple of weeks - sounds like tech house angels singing...”

Beast is enamoured – cassette recording, flame stoking, angels singing – he simply can’t get enough of all these things and wants to find out more. He asks Sarah what is her musical MO when she plays:

“I'm new to this so have yet to define my MO. Initially I'll be taking an anarchic approach, cranking it up and observing the vigour/non-vigour of flailing limbs in the vicinity. Then, when I've finished singing lullabies to my kids at bedtime, I'll head down to the Beast's lair and play it by ear probably.”

Piqued by such wit, eloquence and musical mischief (anarchy and flailing limbs!? Beast’s pulse is going into overdrive! Beast loves a bit of anarchy) Beast asks Sarah if she had the power to erase and abolish one musical genre, which one would it be?

“Gabba. Enough said”

Sarah has attended previous Minotaur Sound parties and this will be her first time DJ’ing at the next one. Beast asks Sarah what can she tell those who have never been to a Minotaur Sound party before?

“You're in for a treat! Such a friendly crowd and good vibe. This event is lovingly and carefully curated by some very savvy people who know just what makes a great party - and it shows. Bring your mates and your dancing shoes and prepare to enjoy the best party night that Bristol has to offer!”

Tickets for the next Minotaur Sound night are available on Headfirst. Sarah will be playing alongside Thomas, Tina Hart, Much Maligned, Lee Williams and Illy Noize all regaling us with some deep house and techno joy. Get ready.

Ask For Angela - a Minotaur Sound endorsed safety campaign

We take a break from our cheeky Beast interviews to address the very serious issue of keeping our Minotaur Sound guests and patrons safe as much as possible at all of our club nights.

Which is why the crew at Minotaur Sound firmly subscribe to the 'Ask For Angela' safety campaign that was launched by Lincolnshire County Council in 2016. Picture the scene - and a lot of late night revelers can relate to this - you get separated from your friends and get hit upon by someone you feel uncomfortable with, the attention is unsolicited and/or doesn't stop even when you make it clear that you are not interested. In some instances you could even get followed to the toilet or outside whilst you're waiting for a taxi on your own. It's a type of harrassment that can happen at any time during a night out regardless of gender - see below for other types of harrassment.

This actually happened recently to a woman in Gloucestershire and thanks to her asking pub staff 'for Angela' and the pub in question knowing about the 'Ask For Angela' campaign she was ushered to safety. Some of the Minotaur Sound crew have experienced similar situations and have our own stories to tell. We're a good bunch who look out for each other as well as our guests and we know full well how welcoming a campaign this is for everyone to feel like they can feel safe on a Minotaur Sound night.

Rest assured that on all events, the Minotaur Sound crew work with internal crew, bar staff and security to ensure that anyone who approaches us and 'asks for Angela' is ushered to a place of safety and that we're able to help that person to get safely back home or back with his/her friends. We will always have the 'Ask For Angela' campaign posters stuck up on venue walls and crew, bar staff and security briefed on what to do.

Minotaur Sound operates a zero tolerance on harrassment of any kind and will challenge and work to eradicate violence, harrassment, exploitation or abuse at our events.

Note that harrassment is an act of discrimination that doesn't discriminate: all people can be affected by it. We're talking about racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophonia, classism and ableism.

If anyone has any suggestions on how else we can improve or help to achieve safe nights out for all then please do get in touch. We welcome your feedback - contact us on: beast@minotaursound.co.uk

The Beast interviews…Sam Jepperson from Sutra and Divide

The Beast is ever curious about musical goings on in his underground musical kingdom. It also comes to Beast’s attention that Minotaur Resident DJ Lee Williams is being headhunted for other rather delectable club-nights in Bristol. In times of olde our Beastie would have picked up his sword and wrought it with vengeful steely fury on whoever threatened his musical terrain - but as we live in a modern time where labyrinthine slaying is no longer allowed, the Beast needs to eat a bit of humble pie and honour those who enjoy and organise the same sort of nights for all to enjoy. Perhaps even look at forging future epic alliances and consider heroic collaborative exploits. There appears to be no end to a growing list of promoter and DJ talent and that’s when The Beast met with Sam Jepperson (aka DJ Sikora) who runs club-nights Sutra and Divide. Read on for an exclusive Beast Interview with Sam who talks about the inspiration for his night, spreading techno mindfulness and why you need to go and watch and hear Lee Williams play at his next night.

Sam’s enthusiasm for music, particularly techno and progressive tech is contagious. He tells Beast how inspired he was to setup Sutra after travelling in Australia with friends in 2015 and seeing how awesome their techno nights were. “With all this inspiration building up and ourselves making connections, we wanted to start a brand that symbolises everyone becoming one on the dance floor, no matter what walk of life. For us techno is like a form of meditation.” Beast interjects, his only experience of meditation is attempting to listen to a cassette tape of clicking whales and swishy waves. Sam clarifies “not where you sit down and close your eyes, it’s a meditation where you can be whoever you want to be and express yourself in a grooving, drum rhythmic fiesta. We want you to leave the party and feel like you had all your worries completely disappear and only left with a warm feeling in your stomach that everything will be ok and that you will be at a techno party again soon”.

Beast is now very excited to find out more. He finds out that not only does Sam manage Sutra but also another night called Divide. Divide was born 1 year ago between 4 like minded lads with a love for techno and a drive to bring high quality events to various cities in the UK. Sam intends to concentrate his efforts on Sutra to turn into a fire spinning festival stage and Divide will be high end events in and around Bristol. Between both nights Sam has brought a Sankey Ibiza resident DJ Lindsey Matthews to Blue Mountain, organised a boat party on the Thames in London and hosted a room at Egg London for DJ Mag Sessions. Beast has it on good authority that there are some big  Sutra and Divide plans for Bristol in Feb 2018 so keep your eyes open!

Sam is very excited to add Minotaur Sound Resident DJ Lee Williams on the bill for his upcoming Sutra 2nd Birthday night at Blue Mountain on Thursday 2^nd November. He tells Beast that he found Lee through one of his personal inspirations, John Digweed, from the record label Bedrock. He’s heard such positive things about Lee and his Terminal night. It’s no surprise that he’s one of the most sought after DJ’s in and around Bristol at the moment. “We were impressed and had to get him down for a mix. Lee is also focusing on live production using hardware which is a big plus to us, we rate that highly”.

Join Sam at the next Sutra night on Thursday 02/11 to catch Lee Williams lighting up the Blue Mountain decks. This is one highly rated Beast approved night that is not to be missed.

Links:
https://www.Facebook.com/uksutra
https://www.facebook.com/DivideEvents/
https://soundcloud.com/samjepperson

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

Beast interviews...Denis Horvat

DJ and Producer Denis Horvat came to Beast’s attention last year in 2016 with the track ‘Momak’ which was released on Innervisions ‘Secret Weapons 8’ EP. Its deep pulsating vibe played to the rich, dark sounds that Minotaur Sound love to hear and dance to. There are only a few scatterings of Denis’s DJ sets available out there to listen to and each one is utterly sublime to hear – Denis proves that he can produce well and he can also DJ with the same passion and panache that he applies to his music. His music and sets already weave a unique flavor of depth and melodic techno that allow you to recognize Denis immediately from his peers.

Sharing the same bill as the likes of Ame, Dixon and Maceo Plex and signed up to Aeon and Innervisions and with his latest Axle EP release, it was high time that The Beast brought the Danish Dynamite to Bristol for what will be his debut on Saturday May 13^th at Lakota. Beast invited Denis into the epicenter of his labyrinth for a pre party interview to ask him a few questions and get some insight for Saturday night.

Denis Horvat

Beast asked Denis what he usually starts with when preparing for a set. “I listen to a lot of podcasts and DJ sets from other acts - it gives me ideas and inspiration for my DJ sets. I don’t have a special ritual or preparation strategy. I just play the music I like”. As has been mentioned several times in previous Beast interviews this is a strategy that works best for Minotaur Sound nights – it’s critically essential that DJ’s enjoy themselves and play what they like. There is always a risk that a set becomes stale and constrained if a DJ is too rigorous or doesn’t go with the flow or enjoy himself.

To further prove this point Beast asks Denis what makes him decide to play a particular record/track during one of his sets. “First of all I'm adapting my music to the audience. I wouldn't play a techno tune or a peak time track, in the early hours. But I love to play varied!” Beast clasps his hooves with glee – had Denis told him that he is prescriptive or doesn’t read his audience he would have chopped off his head immediately. No time for selfishness where Minotaur Sound is involved.

Denis is always dedicated to his incredibly well equipped studio (Beast has synthesizer envy) and is always posting on social media about his work and his travels. Beast is keen to find out more about how Denis manages a good work/ life balance in between releasing his epically good Axle EP (which Beast and crew have been listening to avidly since it was released in early April). Denis explains “I'm also really happy about the release, even though the tracks are almost 1.5 years old. But the feedback has been amazing. It's a bit tough to balance DJ’ing, studio and private life. For me the key is discipline and self-control, and to get properly rested during the week. It's like a never-ending Jetlag feeling, when you sleep a minimum amount of hours when touring”. Beast’s man crush with Denis peaks even higher - such dedication to his work. To follow Denis at his studio or on his travels, head to his Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/denishorvat/

Beast asks Denis what was his most unusual or memorable set location and Denis tells Beast that the most unusual place he played at was in a chalet in Geneva. A really cosy place up in the alps. Lets find out if Denis can add Lakota to his list of memorable places – the Beast intends to set up temporary labyrinthine court there on Saturday May 13^th.

Denis’s musical offerings garner many enthused comments on Mixcloud and Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/denis-horvat. Beast is curious about track listings and asks Denis how he feels when he sees people desperate for track listings and whether he has any memory of tracks that he’s heard but have never been able to acquire? Denis tells Beast “People are way too curious about track listings/track ID. They should focus more in enjoying the sets, rather than being detectives :) &ME from Keinemusik played a really nice track a few years ago. In pretty much all his sets and podcasts, but I never found the ID. My guess is it's one of his own edits of remixes, which won't be released”. Are you reading this &ME?

Beast is keen to find out any other titbit that Denis would be happy to share with his fans. “Well besides the studio geek that I am, I really enjoy drinking rum and cognac. And I'm a big sneaker collector :) “. You hear that Bristol? Beast informs his minions and Minotaur Sound posse to refrain themselves from throwing their underwear at Denis on Saturday. Perhaps sneakers, rum and cognac will go down a little better ;-)

Join the Beast and his minions as Denis decimates Lakota on Saturday night together with Lee Williams, Kuba Drypher, Ellis Odyssey, Nautz & Toppa and G Rowe – also with Peasoup, Kagun and Orion in the DnB room.

Recommend that you buy your ticket well in advance for this one here: http://hdfst.uk/E36511

See you on Saturday May 13 for an epic and glitter infused night!

Beast interviews Naomi from We Creatures

You can imagine just how excited Beast would be to interview the insanely gorgeous Naomi who heads up her very own Horns, Headresses and Costume Design company aptly titled ‘We Creatures’. Naomi captivated Beast and his minions for last year’s Launch Party – after 3000 years of hibernation, Beasts horns were looking decidedly unhorny – just little nubbins that poked embarrassingly out of his head. Naomi lovingly made a beautiful new pair for him and Beast has been grateful to her ever since. Not only that – to add to Naomi’s incredibly dextrous talents she also performs regularly in her own creations – be it at festivals, art installations or photo shoots. She performs either by herself or in a troupe of other horned up lovelies.

Naomi from We Creatures
Photo credit @Robvoodoo

Beast was keen to catch up with Naomi again before the upcoming party - once again wanting to know what goodies she will be bringing“Hiya again Beast! Our team of fauns will be bringing ALL the fab and sass, glittering any and all party goers and supplying fantastical dress up pieces from your dreams!!” Beast is so excited he does a little victory dance and remembers what it was like at last year’s party – so many Minotaur guests came away with lovely handmade horns which they’d bought from Naomi to remind themselves of the Minotaur Sound launch party – they are perfect for festivals and parties! Beast wants to know why – “We’ve all been obsessed with dressing up from a young age, so we are natural creatures of the clubbing underground” – never has a truer word been said. One of the many reasons why Naomi and her fauns fit right in with the Minotaur crew. Naomi also adds “Personally as a maker, I love making the outlandish and avant garde a reality for people and developing comfortable and fantastical headpieces is something of an obsession at this point! Also I just really, really shamelessly love covering people in glitter!” Beast can’t wait to be one of the many to get glittered up on Saturday.

As much as Beast wishes he could keep Naomi as his personal indulgent secret, he knows he can’t do so. So if you want to check out We Creatures on Instagram take a look here: http://instagram.com/we.creatures and to gaze lovingly at Naomi’s handmade headdresses and horns go here – you will find them hard to resist: http://wecreaturescostume.etsy.com and http://wecreatures.co.uk.

As the interview comes to an end, Naomi and her fauns dance around The Beast, blow a kiss to his fuzzy face and dance out of his labyrinth “See you next Saturday Beast! Can’t wait to party with you in your Lakota den!” – Beast is delighted, it takes much to reduce this huge shaggy, mythical giant into a quivering heap of fuzzy giggles. Only a few more sleeps until Naomi and her fauns are back dancing alongside Minotaur guests and DJ’s Denis Horvat, Lee Williams, Kuba Drypher, Peasoup, Orion, Kagun, Nautz & Toppa, Ellis Odyssey and G Rowe with all the glitter that you could possibly imagine. Lakota will never have seen so many sassy sparkles! Get your tickets here: http://hdfst.uk/E36511