As the scorching sun descended, we brushed off the cobwebs by running through our set back at the tents -- using 4 plates, 2 tupperware and 2 packets of pasta (Dolmio has surprisingly good EQs). A sound system consisting of an I phone in a cup in a shoe left much to be desired.

The festival lit up for the night, and we walked into the throng of 170,000 mentalists and headed straight for Arcadia

Arriving at Arcadia at 10.30pm, we were shocked to find the music and flames off. Panic and nausea ensued as we were told that due to a faulty generator everything kept on cutting out. 3 artists had had the set of their lives cut down to 5 minutes as a result. To our relief an emergency generator was wheeled in and the problem was fixed. Big ups to the Arcadia crew for keeping so calm (unlike us!) and getting it sorted.

Hostage, Freefall Collective and Wonka-Vision all worked up the crowd with some big beats and bass. We set our gear up on stage and we’re off!

Walking up the ramp onto the stage was a breathtaking experience. 8000 people crammed into a field dominated by the huge futuristic spider shaped Afterburner structure. 50ft flames belched from the stage. Electronic animals moved above the crowd and belched fire. Performers spun in mid air, shot flame throwers and fought using bolts of electricity. A huge Funktion One surround sound rig provided perfect sound to the whole field. Powerful lasers scanned the skies. Every time the flames soared into the air it illuminated the field and you could see a sea of festival heads stretching as far as the eye could see.

The excellent MC Carasel was on hosting duties. It was a busy day for old Cara -- he had to rush back from Dance Village after hosting High Contrast. Luckily his voice was still in good nick!

We opened with our own Elephant Man / Prodigy bootleg (Their Law riddim), before cranking up the tempo with Vitalic’s La Roc 1 double dropped with a Ms Dynamite classic. Epic! We’d worked for 6 weeks solid on this set, creating the most intensive multi-deck turntablist journey we could manage, and then re-editng the tunes even further to maximise impact.

We were told afterwards the security had to close the entrance to the Arcadia field off 5 minutes into our set as the place was so overcrowded. Friends of ours queued for an hour to get in!

Set highlights included our Deadmau5 / MIA / Dune triplets mega-mash, Dunkelbunt, Noisia’s massive Messiah remix, our Nirvana / Doop double drop, the ever rinsing Recycled by Eskimo and our favorite -- our Insomnia / South Rakkas live bootleg.

We did encounter some serious technical issue in the middle of the set. We were the 1st ever DJ act using turntables they had put on the stage. Whenever the massive flame cannon on the top of the structure shot out a 50 ft fireball, it sent a shock wave reverberating down to the ground which shook the whole stage. It literally felt like a giant stamping on our decks. We ended up sorting the problem fairly quickly, but that was a particularly scary moment for us.

We closed the set with “Fire” by the Prodigy, with the Arcadia flames going into overdrive.

Big ups and massive thanks to James, Becca and the rest of the fabulous Arcadia crew. You guys absolutely smashed it this year. We first experienced Arcadia on a much smaller scale at Glade 2009 as ravers. It blew our little brains out then. At Glasto this year it was on a whole different level. The sheer amount of money and technical genius that went into creating the Arcadia that we played on this year is just staggering. The most amazing thing is that Arcadia Glasto 2010 is only a part of the stage’s evolution. Arcadia is still relatively young as a concept -- only a few years old. By the time we left on Monday rumours were circulating that bigger things were planned for next year. From seeing the dedication and vision of the people behind the spectacle, we know that the more budget and space Arcadia are given, the more mind blowing the will make the whole experience. There is no limit. Bring on Arcadia at Glastonbury 2010!

You can catch Arcadia at Electric Picnic and Bestival this summer.

Our McMash Clan Arcadia set will be available for download soon. And hold tight for the FOO Magazine film of our Arcadia set.

Check the official Arcadia Glastonbury 2010 video:

Visit the ARCADIA WEBSITE

Pictures for this blog courtesy of Foo Magazine and Glastonbury Festival.

Braindrop family!

The time has come. Tomorrow Saturday 3 July we hit the 7 seas for an EPIC voyage down the river Thames.

Just a few tickets left – FOLLOW THIS LINK to snap up the last few.

** IMPORTANT INFO – MEETING PLACE AND TIMES! **

> Nearest tube: Tower Hill

> The boat leaves from Tower Pier at 9pm sharp. Please arrive for boarding NO LATER THAN 8.30! If you arrive late we will have to leave without you

> Tower Pier is a short walk from Tower Hill tube. It’s right next to the Tower of London and is signposted very well. However please leave plenty of time to get your bearings.

> The merry ship is called The Dutch Master.

> We will be having pre-rave drinks from 5.30pm in local pub the Liberty Bounds if you fancy coming to say hi. It’s right next to Liberty square, which is right next to Tower Hill tube station. Liberty Bounds is a Wetherspoons, so expect decently priced pre rave booze

Check the map below whihc shows you how to get from Tower Bridge Station to Liberty Bounds (marked with a star) and then to Tower Pier (marked with a Braindrop)

> The boat docks at 2am.

> Fancy dress: Robo-Pirates! Go as crazy as ye dare. Prizes for the best dressed!

> The boat’s bar does not accept cards. So PLEASE remember to bring enough cash with you.

> If you need to get any more info, or need directions on the day phone Chris on 07793 754 866.

** NEWS FLASH! NEW LINE-UP ADDITION **

Fantastic dub band THE DROP will be joining us on top deck for a rare acoustic, open air set. Weather’s guaranteed to be incredible! We’ve also go shisha pipes and live bongos outside in the fresh air x

See you there! x

Wow. Just got back from Glasto. What an amazing weekend – perfect weather, friendly people and no expenses spared on production / performances. And to top it off we played the set of our lives on Saturday night on the Arcadia stage. Watch out for a video courtesy of FOO Magazine coming soon.

So the Braindrop Boat Rave is only 3 days away – and the competition for free tickets PLUS a pair of free tickets to Shambala festival is now closed.

The challenge we set was to post the funniest Youtube video you could find up on to the Braindrop Loves Me Too Facebook group wall.

A quick disclaimer first – these competitions are obviously entirely subjective in nature. We picked the winning video because we felt it was the most original and it genuinely made us laugh the most. We also had to discount old favourites that we’ve watched 100s of time and clips that have been entered in our comps before.

So without further ado, the winner is:

Joe Sheldrick – Goat Screaming Like Usher http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPbvvRt5MoU&feature=related

Well done Joe. We hadn’t seen this surreal but genius video before and it made us all laugh more than any other entry. We’ll be in contact about your 2 free Boat Rave and Shambala festival tickets asap.

Thanks to everyone else who entered. Tickets are nearly gone for Saturday so if you haven’t got yours yet follow this link to reserve yours NOW!

http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=379120

Big up!

———————————-

** BOAT RAVE LINE UP CHANGE – FLUX OUT, KANJI IN! **

Due to unforseen reasons beyond our control, Flux Pavilion will no longer be playing at the Boat Rave

However we’ve managed to negotiate an incredible replacement who will smash the Duth master to tiny little pieces –

–> KANJI KINETIC!!!

http://www.myspace.com/djkanji

Kanji has built up a big name for himself over the last couple of years with his no-holds-barred dancefloor destroying brand of bassline. His pumping 4×4 riddims, hands in the air hardcore nostalgia and gut-wrenchingly sickening wobble have seen him snapped up by the legendary Trouble & Bass label, and his remix skills have been sought out by the likes of Adam Freeland, Roisin Murphy, AC Slater and 16bit. Check out his massive remix of 16bit’s Chainsaw Calligraphy here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cao0JOti0D4

So the new line up for Saturday is:

Main arena:

16BIT
KANJI KINETIC
THE McMASH CLAN
L.A BOXERS
CELL SUICIDE
BASS6

On the top deck: live bongos & shisha pipes!

BASS / JOY / FUN / HAPPINESS . . .

With extra FUNKTION ONE bass!

More info to come

X

Only 2 weeks til the Braindrop Robo-Pirate Boat Rave ft special guests 16bit and Flux Pavilion. Big ups to everyone who’s entered our competition for free tickets so far. Some hilarious entries!

We’ve been doing some negotiating our end and we’re very happy to say we can up the prize for the competition.

The lovely people at SHAMBALA FESTIVAL have given us 2 tickets to give away for FREE. So we’re adding them onto the prize for the winner of our Braindrop Boat Rave Youtube competition.

So now the winner gets 2 free ticket to Shambala Festival AND 2 free tickets to the Braindrop Boat Rave

Here’s a reminder of the competition:

Post a link to the FUNNIEST YOUTUBE VIDEO up on the Braindrop Loves Me Too Facebook group wall.

The one that makes us laugh the most wins!

We’ve also extended the deadline. Competition closes on Monday 28 June.

Good luck!

…………………………………

SHAMBALA FESTIVAL – Some facts:

Shambala is an amazing independent UK festival. It’s small (7000 capacity), friendly, green and packed with fun stuff to do. Having never advertised they’ve built up a MASSIVE following from word of mouth only.

It takes place on a secret site in Northamptonshire on August bank holiday weekend: 27-30 August.

The festival organisers hold it in the most amazing spot – a beautiful field facing a lake and manor house – and make a huge effort transforming the place into a pretty magical place. Make sure you check what they do to the forest at night – we spent hours and hours in there last time we went.

The music is always eclectic and amazing, covering everything from reggae and world music through to the fattest electronic music around. And it’s the perfect mix between big name acts and talented up and coming performers. Acts to have played Shambala over the last few years include The Nextmen, DJ Die, Horace Andy, The Bays, Dub FX, The Egg, Cassette Boy, The Correspondents and Nicky Blackmarket.

However Shambala NEVER announce their line up in advance, meaning people go for the party rather than the big names. The only secret we can let slip this year i that we (The McMash Clan) will be playing in the main dance arena on Friday night. Don’t tell anyone though!

Words can’t describe how amazing this festival is and how chuffed we are to be giving away a pair of tickets. For more info on the festival check their WEBSITE

This year Glasto celebrates its 40th anniversary. June 1970 saw the birth of the world’s largest open air and performing arts festival. Over the decades it’s become the stuff of legend – the ultimate festival experience. Over 170,000 people, countless stages, arenas, and differently themed fields, a massively diverse line up, amazing atmosphere and unparalleled production.

And we’re humbled to have been invited to play at this year’s massive birthday blowout!

We’re playing on the EPIC Arcadia stage on Saturday night, 2-3am. Arcadia is one of the most mind blowing spectacles the rave world has yet experienced. Built around an old jet engine, the “Afterburner” metal stage towers high into the sky and dominates the 8000 capacity field that surrounds it. Flames shoot out from a huge flamethrower on the top of the multi-level structure on the drops of the music. Extra fire jets pump out from vents surrounding the stage – and old Victorian lamp posts set into the ground belch smoke.

Acrobats and fire jugglers perform alongside the djs / live acts. An earthshaking turbo sound system has been built into the side of the Afterburner. And a huge lazer / lighting rig scans the crowd.

We’ve got an immense set planned, designed for maximum dancefloor obliteration. A meticulously choreographed 4 deck cut and paste journey spanning all styles of the heaviest and most rinsing dance music out there. Loads of new stuff, heaps of classics and a couple of curve balls to keep you on your toes! And some unaired McMash productions We’ve carefully planned every bar to ensure it perfectly suits the Glasto vibe.

The rest of the Arcadia line up is ridiculous. Beardyman, Rodigan, Aquasky & The Ragga Twins, Kissy Sell Out, Foamo, Black Sun Empire ft Stamina MC, Warrior One, The Correspondents, Mungo’s HiFi, Gentleman’s Dub Club and lots more headline. And the 40th anniversary Glasto line up is unbelievable. Stevie Wonder, Faithless, Snoop Dogg, Gorillaz, Dizzee Rascal, Muse, Orbital, Fatboy Slim, Dubfire, Simian Mobile Disco, Sasha, Fake Blood, MGMT, Stanton Warriors, Jack Beats, Magnetic Man, Chase & Status, Toddla T, Snap . . . and countless more amazing acts.

For all those who aren’t able to make it – we’ll be playing the Glasto set at the Braindrop Boat party the following weekend. Bo!

Check this sick vid of Arcadia, Glasto last year

Arrrghh me hearties!

Only 3 weeks until the Braindrop Robo-Pirate Boat Rave. On Saturday 3 July we’re taking over The Dutch Master, London’s finest raving vessel, for an EPIC summertime voyage up and down the Thames. And we’ve hired in a MASSIVE Funktion One system.

It’s going to be an IMMENSE evening. DJs confirmed so far include 16BIT, FLUX, PAVILION, THE McMASH CLAN, L.A BOXERS, CELL SUICIDE and your host with the most BASS6. And of course expect amazing vibes all night long.

We’re giving away 2 FREE tickets for the boat rave. For your chance to win them, just enter this competition:

An old favorite. Post a link to the FUNNIEST YOUTUBE VIDEO up on the Braindrop Loves Me Too Facebook group wall.

The one that makes us laugh the most wins. The winner gets in for FREE, along with a mate.

Here’s one to get you started:

Hawaii Chair

Competition ends Tuesday 22 June. Good luck!

x

Big up to the organisers, Halcyon, for finding a new venue last minute under such difficult circumstances. Respect!

Next up is the long anticipated Braindrop Robo-Pirate Boat Rave! This was our favourite Braindrop of last year by far and we’re pulling out all the stops to make 2010 even more fun.

Fancy dress theme: Robot Pirates!

On Saturday 3 July we’ve hired out London’s best rave vessel – The Dutch Master – for a night time voyage up and down the Thames. We’re installing a massive sound system for your raving pleasure, and have booked an insanely heavy evening of entertainment for ye seafaring massive.

We can finally announce the line up

Bringing the Bass, Joy, Fun and Happiness for our 2010 Boat Rave will be:

16BIT

Dubstep’s heaviest and techiest producers! 16 bit join us fresh from supporting Chase & Status on tour, remixing Noisia and providing the soundtrack to the recent Nike ad campaign.

The boys are known for mashing up all styles in their dj sets- expect dubstep, hardcore, d&b, 2step, bassline, hip hop and lots more. 16bit are true electronic geniuses – you’ll stagger away from the dancefloor wondering how anyone can possibly make music this heavy.

16bit Nike advert ft Rooney & Torres

Noisia – Machine Gun (16bit remix)

Milky Pie mix (winner of best DJ mix in 2010 Dubstep Forum awards)

http://www.myspace.com/16bitmusic

FLUX PAVILION . . .

Fast rising dubstep superstar responsible for some of the scene’s biggest anthems of the last 12 months. Flux has built up a huge following, having established his big room, big synth hands in the air sound. Also a key member of the massive Circus Recordings crew alongside Doctor P, Funtcase and Cookie Monsta. Check out his amazing Sweetshop remix and recent single Got 2 Know.

Doctor P – Sweetshop (Flux Pavilion remix)

Flux Pavilion interview & mix

http://www.myspace.com/fluxpavilion

THE McMASH CLAN . . .

Braindrop residents – 3 man dj team and production outfit using 4 decks, 2 cdjs, Traktor Scratch Pro and NI Maschine to cut, scratch and triple drop all manner of ridiculously heavy bass / rave / carnival riddims. An intricately choreographed, breakneck journey through rinse! You can catch the Clan at Glastonbury, Secret Garden Party, Boomtown Fair, Shambala and Drop Beats Not Bombs Summer Camp this summer.

McMash BLOC 2010 mix

McMash Born to Rave mix

http://www.myspace.com/themcmashclan

LA BOXERS . . .

Runners up in the Braindrop & Mixcloud DJ comp. A full frontal assault of electro, bassline, techno and dubstep that will smash the Dutch Master’s dancefloor to smithereens (and probably sink the ship)

LA Boxers Braindrop & Mixcloud DJ competition mix

http://www.myspace.com/laboxersmusic

DJ CELL SUICIDE . . .

Resident of the excellent Infected crew and tight as f**k dj, The curiously named Cell Suicide plays relentless sets of upfront, good vibes, rushing D&B anthems.

Cell Suicide’s Mixcloud page

BASS6

Your host for the evening and beatbox extraordinaire. No Braindrop is complete without Rupert. He’s now the voice of the world’s top beatboxing app and number one free music app in 34 countries – I Am Beatbox. Biggup Ru!

iAmBeatBox demo video ft Bass6

———————————-

Tickets are flying off the shelf and there’s only 350 places on the boat so get yours quick before we sell out!

All early bird tickets sold out in a matter of hours – all remaining tickets are a bargain £20. . . Here’s the link to get yours NOW:

BRAINDROP BOAT RAVE TICKETS FROM TICKETWEB

That’s it for now. More info and competition for free tickets to come!

X

In judging the DJ sets there were various objective factors which we considered:

Firstly, the winning mix had to be technically strong; we looked for tight beat matching, effective Eq’ing, attention to musical key, and an awareness of relative sound levels throughout.

Secondly, we were looking at high-grade tune selection geared around smashing a dancefloor such as that of Braindrop at Matter. We were looking at the musical progression of the mix as a whole- a journey that keeps the listener / dancer interested and engaged and which chucks in the old curveball here and there to keep you on your toes.

We were totally blown away by the response and received over 100 entries. We specified that the winner would be chosen on the merit of not only our judging, but also Mixcloud community response. We therefore mainly focused on the top 30 mixes, as they had received most feedback and had racked up the most number of plays.

Massive variety of styles and skills. It took us ages to listen through to all of them, but in the end we managed to whittle it down to 2 .

So the WINNER of our Braindrop @ Matter DJ comp is . . .

DJ VESPER (aka Lee Smart)

Big up Lee. His mix was our favourite journey of the lot, and kept us gripped right till the end. Starting with a brilliant opening track (which we might just have to pinch for our Glastonbury festival set), the mix heads on a colourful, carnival, summer vibes journey though bass with real mash up vibe. Tight mixing throughout – no clashing bassline or melodies and conscious eq’ing.

Within the 135ish bpm range he managed to flow between several genres seamlessly. And we felt that within these genres those tunes selected were very high grade. Especially loved the mental Mumdance soca trip (tune 2/3 of the way into the mix). So overall a winner on technical, musical, dancefloor journey and community response.

Follow this link to go staight to Lee’s set:

We just want to big up our VERY deserving runners up. LA BOXERS. We loved their set. We found it a highly professional, steamroller ride with constant bangers from the fidget / bassline / 2 step / electro scenes, and a dramatic switch up to some heavy dubstep half way through.

In actual fact we felt the opening 30 mins of this set was possibly the strongest opening 30 mins of any of the sets – both technically and musically. It was high octane and consistently driving – we know this would certainly smash any dancefloor. However we judged both mixes on overall journey from 1st to last tune – and felt Vesper’s mix was more of a complete, consistent generally exciting set.

So massive big ups to the LA Boxers. As runners up they have definitely secured themselves a set at Braindrop this year – either at the boat party on 3 July or the EPIC Briandrop warehouse party on October 16. More info to follow. And we’ll sort you out with guest list for both of you and some mates.

Follow this link to go staight to their set:

Huge big ups to everyone else who entered – will def be getting in touch with a few of you re playing at Braindrop some time soon. And we look forward to having DJ Vesper playing with us next Friday 21 May

Big thanks to Mixcloud for hosting this competition – look forward to working with you again in the future!

Bo!

X

Braindrop crew!

Only just over 2 weeks til Braindrop touches down at Matter. On Friday 21 May we’re turning room 2 into a Braindrop for the night, whilst legendary psy-promoters Halcyon take care of things in Room 1

In the main arena: INFECTED MUSHROOM (LIVE!!) / TALAMASCA / ATMOS / DEJAVOO / BEATNIK & more…

In the Braindrop arena: THE McMASH CLAN / FLUX PAVILION & MC B K Razey / SCAMP (Life 4 Land) / CELLARDORE / CHARLIE CUTTA / MIXCLOUD DJ COMP WINNER / BASS6

It’s going be HUGE – over 70% of advance tickets have already been sold and the rest are flying off the shelves!

>> MIXCLOUD DJ COMPETITION DEADLINE THIS FRIDAY 7 MAY

Yup the comp is drawing to a close. Now is your last chance to win a set in Matter’s 2nd room. We’re giving away a set in the Braindrop arena on the night for the best mix uploaded to Mixlcoud.com. Get your entries in whilst the competition lasts! Follow this link for more info: http://www.mixcloud.com/competitions/matter-braindrop-dj-mix-competition/

>> CHEAP £12 TICKETS AVAILABLE FOR THE BRAINDROP FAMILY – PROMO CODE “BRAINDROP”

We persuaded the lovely chaps at Matter to set up a limited cheap ticket promo code for all your Braindroppers. Buy your ticket from Ticketweb to see Infected Mushroom and Braindrop for only £12! Here’s the direct link. Enter promo code “Braindrop”. Limited supply of these cheap tix so hurry whilst stocks last! Get your ticket now: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_london&query=detail&event=378630

That’s it for now. See you on the other side of the election . . .

Bo!

The McMash Clan x

Summer time is rearing its sunkist head, everyone is becoming happier by the day and somewhere far away on the open ocean the Dutch Master ‘raving vessel’ is on its way to merry London.

On Saturday 3rd of July she will dock on the banks of the Thames and welcome aboard the scurviest of Robot Pirates. Then it’ll be time to command the waterways of London in a jokes fuelled, nautical rave of blissful proportions. Hazaa!

Tickets now on sale  (hurry, they be limited)

Early bird tickets we’re gone hours after we put them on sale. Clearly fellow Braindroppers are up for it after last years amazing party.

All the remaining tickets are now on sale.  Spread the word and bag yours up early. They are £20 and be limited!

Get ye tickets ‘ere…

Fancy Dress – Robo-Pirate

The ships captain is actually the love child of Blackbeard and the Terminator T3000. (The story of how they met, eloped and conceived is long and uncomfortable so we won’t go into it here). He is very strict and only lets Robotic-Pirates on board his vessel. So make sure you do a fine job at convincing the captain you are actually a metallic fiend who lives to plunder on the open sea…or else he may throw you overboard.

Plan ye costume thoughtfully for a reward be awaiting the most ridiculous and/or jokes passenger on the night.

Here be some inspiration for ye:

Aaaaargh!