Crack

In its fifth year, Bloc is getting bigger, it’s getting more attention and it’s getting more females. It’s getting less hoover-dubstep and it’s getting some huge heavyweights on the line-up.

It’s become the party weekend where everyone makes a comeback from the long winter; the moment where everyone gets over not going out. It’s got all you need: techno, arcade games, soaking in the smells of many a summer of Butlins reveller, meeting the locals who seem to be into the music as much as anyone and generally forgetting that it’s March (amongst other things).

A line up of DJs, ranging from the pure party vibes of Miami residents Soul Clap, to the sheer driving techno of Berghain stalwart Ben Klock, and the ever-evolving AV show of Aphex Twin, Bloc had something for every dance floor lover.

As the cars, coaches and donkeys started to roll in on the Friday, the excitement level was high. If Apparat and Ikonika in the Red: Bloc room (hosted by Modeselektor) wasn’t enough to get the blood pumping, Joy Orbison (or has he dropped the 'rbison?) should have with his classic mixture of garage bangers and some of his own productions that offer his warped take on the genre. The Berlin based Shackelton, on the same stage, provided one of the most hypnotic sets heard this year (check out his
Fabric mix if you haven’t already to see what I mean) and did a cracking job of upstaging Mr Orbison. The bar had been set high.

Herein lies one of the most confusing pieces of festival scheduling of the weekend. Why on earth would a festival with as much credibility as Bloc book the Kiss FM sponsored trash that is Magnetic Man? On a Friday Main Stage bill that took in the classic sounds of LFO and everyone’s favourite warped house man-mountain -Claude VonStroke, this was a terrible booking, and one that looked totally at odds with the brilliance prevalent across the rest of the line-up.

Saturday provided a line-up across all stages to rival the best 2011 will have to offer. An evening that had started off at 6pm with Geddes, Visionquest and dOP in the very reliable Tec: Bloc Mulletover room showcased the sheer amount of quality acts on show. This was compounded by an unbelievable ‘final’ performance from Moderat on the Main Stage. Crack for one is absolutely gagging for new material from these guys.





Mary-Anne-Hobbs hosted an outstanding stage over at Red:Bloc, including the likes of the ever popular L-Vis 1990, juke-revival king Addison Groove, and one of the standout performances of the weekend from one Jimmy Edgar. Will Saul offered up his services in the Jak:Bloc room (the focal point of the best of Butlins’ farmyard-like smells), and like any label-head, played out the grooves that continued the party.

Absolute standout performance of the Saturday, if not the weekend, went to the re-edit, party ignition kings Soul Clap, who tactfully reminded everyone that in the midst of a hectic party, slow and sexy often wins the race. Everyone suddenly seems to look a lot more attractive when these guys play their grooves.

And then Aphex Twin. Want else can be said? Banging out an hour and a-half of totally original material and totally unidentifiable tracks, the last half hour of his set, mixed with truly terrifying visuals, was a sensory experience that pushed the limits very hard. A sweltering, sweaty Main Stage jerked and spacked to every off-kilter twitch. He is a unique artist.

Saturday’s line-up may have dominated with its overwhelmingly good schedule, but Bloc is a session – a three-day-long session – so be under no illusions; you gotta have stamina. What’s more, you’ve got to resist the lure of your warm, comfortable cabin; sleep, even in small doses, is a lot more appealing when you actually have a bed.





But sleep would mean missing out on some of the brilliant 6am creatures that come pouring out of the woodwork. 6am is a good time to start conversing about what Bloc means to the residents of Minehead. In fairness, having it right on your doorstep is a touch, but to the few we met from Minehead’s relatively small electronic music loving community, it’s clearly a firm highlight in their calendar.

And maybe one particular Minehead resident was right; maybe we were the hosts of the best after-party ever? And maybe Luciano’s Fabric 41 is the best album in the world? Who are we to say that compilations cannot make it into this frquently debated list? Luciano is a pretty good DJ, and we enjoyed hearing his exploits demonstrated (on repeat) by our native Mineheadian friend on both Saturday AND Sunday night. It’s definitely the people that make festivals.

6am can also be a strange time; it can be the end of a night, or it can be the start. It can most certainly fall facedown in the middle of the two poles. Still, who cares when you’re at what feels like the end of blighty, in a glorified army barracks, surrounded by the best that the UK has to offer with regards to night-crawling folk and wonderful electronic music.

The pizza buffet sorted out a lot of people over the weekend and so, an analogy: If Bloc were a pizza, it would be the thinner crust options that come out after the ravenous demolish the first helping of the arguably overrated deep-pans at the beginning
(Magnetic Man, Drop The Lime).

Thin crust isn’t so easy to swallow (if eating pizzas without chewing is necessary), but the over-all sensation is much more palatable. Bloc, in many ways is similar. You don’t want to watch everything, and you can’t, there’s too much on show anyway. If you like techno, you go to that. If you like bass, you go to that. Some of your crew will want to go to both, and like a pizza buffet, it’s better to have options and at Bloc there are plenty.

Sunday’s line-up was leaner but still managed to host the likes of rising stars such as Lone, Jacques Green and (x) as part of the Resident Advisor line-up.

Then there was the excellent Mathew Dear (which, should have just said Audion, as that’s what it was), who has got to be one of the most diverse and talented electronic musicians in the world today.





Crack then realised everything else had finished, arguably a little early, and so everyone shuffled their zombified asses to the main room for the final act of the weekend. Now, not everyone is a fan; he’s been around a long time, it’s techno, it’s analogue, but what followed is what Bloc is all about. Laurent Garnier, showcasing his new LBS (Live Booth Sessions) techno project, ploughed through a three hour set that kept giving and giving as the crowd yearned for him to continue until...whenever.

It was a huge performance. From acid house to techno, Mr Garnier was sounding as good as ever and as the glitter cannons exploded, there was actually a clichéd sense of ecstasy. The triumphant techno jazz sounds of Gnanmankoudji and the inevitable The Man With The Red Face smashed out in a beautifully euphoric manner, was an apt way to end the weekend.

Swimming around in confetti, we really couldn’t have had a care in the world. Ahhhhhhhhhh.

Reality inevitably came and slapped us in the face an hour later after the Crack chalet Party got shut down in the form of a tired and sober Butlins security mob. Our PA system was in full swing and it could have been the best set of the weekend, but as it turns out
Butlins securitry didn’t like Ace of Bass!!!

We all learnt a lot this weekend. We all learnt that Pizza Hut can be eaten solely as part of a nutritious diet, someone sleep-talking CAN be a valid part of a conversation, Bloc is quite comfortably the best electronic festival anywhere in the UK, but most importantly: Luciano’s Fabric 41 is the best album in the world!!!



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Words: Tom Wiltshire

Photos: Ben Price - http://benjaminprice.carbonmade.com

http://www.blocweekend.com

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