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

Beast interviews...G Rowe (again)

Back in February 2016 Minotaur Sound resident DJ G Rowe (George) was first on the bill (together with Donewrong) at the Launch Party. Take a look at his original interview here: http://minotaursound.blogspot.co.uk/2016/01/g-rowe-minotaur-sound-dj-interview.html

His was a Pied Piper type role to lay down the tracks that would set the precedent for the evening ahead and bring all the Beast creatures out of their hiding places. He did such an amazing job with aplomb and glory that Beast was keen to get him back in for the May party. Beast was keen to find out what he had been up to since the Launch Party of dreams and wonderment. He asks him what other musical delights he has seen in the last year.

G Rowe with Donewrong at Minotaur Sound Launch Party

“The DirtyTalk night in November with DJ Sotofett was the best thing I’ve been to in years. So much goodness all night long!” Beast nods his horned head vigorously, DJ Sotofett is one that he has his eye on at the moment. Beast, ever in pursuit of knowledge wishes to feed his musical wisdom by asking G Rowe for advice as to how to become a DJ. He expects that G Rowe must have had to undergo Herculean feats of dextrous mastery that aimed to place him high on a pedestal in honour and glorification to the musical Gods – “Errrr no…just start? Dive straight in. I think I got a pirate version of Traktor and started pissing around trying to mix and recording my lame attempts, to play to friends. Eventually a friend was good/desperate enough to let me play at their night. Everyone gets desperate” …Beast is silent, a piece of tumbleweed drifts slowly between him and G Rowe, a toll bell rings out across the Minotaur court.

Beast shrugs off the momentary pause and asks George if he has any surprises in store for the May night – “My main surprise is that Neil (Donewrong) isn’t playing, so there will probably be some sort of equipment failure that I won’t know how to fix” – Beast is sad that Donewrong can’t play as he did at the Launch Party but he has other events planned for this year and will be ensuring that he returns to the decks to wow the crowd just as he did with G Rowe at the Launch Party.

Finally Beast wants to know if George has been up to anything else in the last year “I’ve made some flashy light content to put towards the next night (another interview will uncover who the mysterious person is behind the visuals for the May night) and also check out my Instagram for other visuals I’ve been making”. The marvels of being a multi faceted creative – Beast can’t wait to see George’s flashy light thing on Minotaur night – take a look at his Instagram here: https://www.instagram.com/georgehenryrowe/

Soak G Rowe in by Techno osmosis at the next Minotaur Sound night in May together with Nautz & Toppa, Lee Williams, Denis Horvat and Kuba Drypher. Get your tickets here: http://hdfst.uk/E36511

Beast interviews...Hula-dancer Amy Darling

Beast is partial to a Performer or 2 – whilst his ancient roots dictate a particular fondness for enslaved performers, he realises that 3000 years have passed and that he can no longer keep them on chains for his viewing pleasure. However, when The Beast’s attention was drawn to the beautiful Amy Darling he got decidedly twitchy. Watch her in action here:

Amy will be bringing the hooping love to Beast’s May 13^th party at The Office, Deep Pit Road, Bristol BS5 7AW and Beast was keen to find out more about what hooping is all about and how she got into it. Whilst hula hooping of sorts has been around in different guises throughout history, it’s only been as early back as the 90’s where colourful displays have started to mesmerise modern day crowds.

Amy tells Beast that she has been hooping for just over a year. She got hoop hooked after one of her circus friends showed her a trick and instantly fell in love.

“I’m self-taught ever since” she tells Beast and goes on to explain how liberated she feels when she dances with her hoop. “I’ve always been a performer and I love to dance, so now when I hula hoop I can fully express myself. It’s a hobby that keeps on giving! Every day I learn a new trick and it feels amazing!”

Amy Darling mesmerises at Stonehenge

Beast is curious to know if others feel as hypnotised as he does when he watches Amy’s hoop twirl. Amy tells him “Hula hooping is quite a rare talent, so when people watch me they become entranced. It’s always such a positive reaction!” – Beast tries his best to snap out of the trance of Amy's colourful hoop twirling around and around and asks her to tell him what is the most unusual place where she has hula hooped. “I’ve hula hooped on top of a mountain in Nepal. All of the locals watched me in awe – I have to say that it was probably one of the best moments in my life!”

It’s at this point that Beast’s eyes reduce to a pinpoint and one of his minions has to rouse him out of his enchantment. It takes much to reduce our great big grizzly beast to this shadow of his former self. Come to the May 13^th party and watch a glittered up Amy twirl and spin her hula in hypnotic techno infused magic. Glitter, UV murals and horntastic muses will also be involved.

The Beast is very happy that Amy Darling will be joining the crew to add to the Techno and DnB magic. We can't wait to see her adding her flourish to what will be one of the top Bristol nights debuting Danish Dynamite Denis Horvat from Innervisions/Aeon and Afterlife.

 Get your tickets here: http://hdfst.uk/E36511